Youth Programs
The Caterpillar Lab – Caterpillar Camps!
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontTwo-hour camps | For children ages 6-13 | Perfect for homeschoolers | Take a journey into the incredible lives of caterpillars. Part living nature museum and part wildlife safari, this hands-on exploration with The Caterpillar Lab and NBNC staff brings kids up close and personal with some of the weirdest and wildest critters in the woods. We’ll hold huge caterpillars, play hide-and-seek with caterpillars disguised as twigs and bird poop, witness metamorphosis, and adventure through the fields and forests to discover specimens in the wild.
Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup – Fall Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontRobin’s Nest Nature Playgroup is a free, weekly activity for families to gather, learn, and play in nature. Guided by the idea that children need to spend ample time outdoors, we offer a community experience in the world of nature and will model ways the natural environment can be used as a tool for learning and play.
ECO Homeschool Program (Ages 6-12) – Winter Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontOur full-day ECO Homeschool program provides a meaningful and fun learning environment based in environmental education and a mentorship model. Each Monday, the woods and fields of North Branch Nature Center will be our classroom, where students will engage with the landscape through standards-based lessons led by our talented ECO education staff. Each session will include games, songs, stories, and activities designed to help students engage with our land and the organisms who share it.
ECO Homeschool Program (Ages 6-12) – Early Spring Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontOur full-day ECO Homeschool program provides a meaningful and fun learning environment based in environmental education and a mentorship model.
Each Monday, the woods and fields of North Branch Nature Center will be our classroom, where students will engage with the landscape through standards-based lessons led by our talented ECO education staff. Each session will include games, songs, stories, and activities designed to help students engage with our land and the organisms who share it.
Trekkers & Explorers After-School Program (Spring 2022)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontLet your kids be kids at NBNC. Our Explorers and Trekkers programs offer kids time to explore the woods and fields, play stealth and awareness games, and learn outdoor skills with their peers.
Explorers (6-8 years old) are playful adventurers. One week your child might forage for wild edibles and cook over an open fire, while the next week might find them deep in the woods, building shelters.
Trekkers (9-13 years old) adopt an off-trail mentality, using the local landscape to push their limits while practicing outdoor living skills such as tracking and fire-starting.
Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontTuesdays, April 5 - June 7 | 10:00 - noon | Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup is a free, weekly activity for families to gather, learn, and play in nature. Guided by the idea that children need to spend ample time outdoors, we offer a community experience in the world of nature and will model ways the natural environment can be used as a tool for learning and play.
April Break Camp for Ages 5-8
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontSpring is a great time to explore the Nature Center. Children ages 5-8 are invited to join us for a week of spring nature adventures and explorations. We’ll make art using natural materials, explore the fields and forest for signs of wildlife, try our hands at wild edible cooking and give back to the land in celebration of Earth Day.
ECO Homeschool Program (Ages 6-12) – Late Spring Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontInspired by ECO, our full-day ECO Homeschool program provides a meaningful and fun learning environment based in environmental education and a mentorship model.
Each Monday, the woods and fields of North Branch Nature Center will be our classroom, where students will engage with the landscape through standards-based lessons led by our talented ECO education staff. Each session will include games, songs, stories, and activities designed to help students engage with our land and the organisms who share it.
