After-school Programs
N BNC’s after-school programs bring children out into the forests and fields at the North Branch Nature Center, Hubbard Park, and North Branch River Park. We employ a model of experiential education where children learn by doing through activating all of their senses. Adventures might include tracking, foraging for wild edibles, cooking over an open fire, fire starting, building shelters, telling stories, playing games, or taking an expedition to the river or woods. Specific activities at each age level follow the interests of those enrolled and are developmentally appropriate.
Explorers & Trekkers After-School
2024 Fall Session
Tuesdays, 3:00 - 5:30 pm | Cost: $540
Financial Support Available (email us)
September 17 - December 10 (12 weeks)
(No session Thanksgiving week)
Registration Open (see bottom of page)
Let 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 (grades 1-3) 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 (grades 4-8) adopt an off-trail mentality, using the local landscape to push their limits while practicing outdoor living skills such as tracking and fire-starting.
Both age groups focus on learning by doing, using all five senses. Thoughtful and loosely directed play in the woods helps kids develop a sense of place while unwinding with a peer group. Through cooperative games, exploration of various habitats, and team-building challenge projects, Trekkers and Explorers build a communal love for the outdoors, making NBNC the place to be after school!
After-school Handbook: For more information about policies, what to bring, COVID protocols, and information for parents, please consult our NBNC Youth Programs Parent-Guardian Handbook (revised 8/2022).
Cancellation Policy
Refunds are subject to a $20 processing fee and will be given according to the following schedule:
- If requested two weeks or more before the first day of programming, you will receive a full refund.
- If requested between one and two weeks before the first day of programming, you will receive a 50% refund.
- If requested one week or less before the first day of programming, we will be unable to issue a refund.
Every year, children are unfortunately turned away from our programs due to lack of space. The more notice we have of a cancellation, the more likely we can offer that space to another interested family.
In the case of extreme weather, we may need to cancel a session. If local area public schools have cancelled for the day, it is a good chance we will too. We will notify you by email. In the case of a cancellation, we will schedule a make-up day. If for some reason your child cannot attend a session, we cannot reimburse you for that missed day.
NBNC reserves the right to cancel a program due to COVID-19 safety considerations.
Register Below
This program uses the registration platform called Jumbula. If you're new to Jumbula, you'll be asked to create a (free) account during checkout. Once you've logged into your new account, you can continue the checkout process.
Waitlists: If a program is full, you can still join the waitlist. You will not receive a confirmation email for joining the waitlist. Your Jumbula shopping cart will indicate whether you are on the waitlist for a particular program. If a space opens up, you will be notified via email to return to your shopping cart and complete checkout.
To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.
— Terry Tempest Williams
713 Elm Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
(802) 229-6206
Hours: Center Open Monday-Friday 9-4
Trails Open 24/7
