Sprouts
With the start of summer just around the corner, we’re ready for another season of discovery! Our Sprouts program is perfect for young children aged 3 and under, with their caregivers to get outside and explore. On Wednesdays for 6 weeks, we will gather to explore, climb, get messy, observe, build, craft, and tell stories while fostering an early love of nature. Sessions have a small group size of 12 children with a caregiver. Dress for the weather!
Sprouts meets at Stryker Nature Preserve, 2315 Angling Road in Kalamazoo
Sprouts Summer Series
Wednesdays, June 10- July 22, 2026, 10-11:30 am (no session on July 1)
Meet: Stryker Nature Preserve, 2315 Angling Road in Kalamazoo
Fee: KNC Members $139.50; Non-Members $155
Each session will focus on:
Physical Maturation & Wellbeing | Multiple opportunities to coordinate the use of big and small muscles within the embrace of nature.
Language Development | Using authentic, personal, and natural experiences to encourage language production for the simple joy of expressive and connective purposes.
Creative Experiences | Experiencing the influence of nature’s beauty and the joy of community to experiment with artistic expression.
Social & Emotional Development | Blending encounters of wide open spaces with captivating moments of tiny wonder to give outlet to both the tenacity and tenderness of toddlerhood.
Executive Function | Using the power of attachment to reinforce skills that foster poised, capable, and empathetic human beings.
Cognitive Growth | Exploratory play in the outdoors naturally creates opportunities for children to question, investigate, problem solve, and reflect on their experiences.
Financial assistance is available We recognize there is significant variability in what families in our community are able to afford. Financial assistance can be applied for by answering a few simple questions during the registration process. Please contact the KNC Registrar at register@naturecenter.org for questions regarding registration or financial aid applications or fill out the Program Financial Assistance Application Here >
Camp
Each summer, our campers will venture around the Kalamazoo Nature Center with opportunities for DeLano Farm adventures, team-building challenges, and exciting nature experiences. Our environmental education staff will facilitate fun and engaging science and discovery experiences each week.
Workshops & Events
Learn about the ancient tradition of wreath making. Paint a gourd birdhouse to bring home for a feathered friend. Head to the forest to gather materials for a hand-crafted meal using foraged delicacies.
At KNC, we invite people of all ages to reconnect with the natural world and rediscover your creative voice, no matter your experience level. Check out the calendar for a variety of upcoming programs!