PRINCE GEORGE
2019-10-12 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Vancouver)
Hug a Tree
Join us and our Nature Mentors from Adventure Smart Canada as we learn about how to stay safe outside and what to do if we ever get lost in a forest.

RIDGE MEADOWS
2019-10-13 12:00 - 15:00
Scales, Talons and Claws
We will be learning about salmon, aquatic invertebrates and other river-roaming wildlife. We plan to catch and release some fish for inspection and possibly even dissect a dead salmon or two. We are very excited to have been invited to join Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society (K.E.E.P.S.) for this event.
The event will be from 11am until 3pm but NatureKids will be joining at noon. So you can come and go as it fits your schedule anytime between 11 and 3.
Location: This event is at the fish fence at the bottom of 240th street in Maple Ridge, 240th and Kanaka Creek Rd.

DELTA HL
2019-10-17 11:00 - 14:00
Cougar Creek Exploration!
We will be learn about the geology of the area, look for wildlife and maybe spot some salmon! We will meet David Smith, our guide, at the access point on Lyon Road, between Ryall Crecent and Stewart Road/ Newport place, just a few blocks from Seaquam High School.There are no signs on the street, just a pathway opening.
Rubber boots are highly recommended, otherwise be prepared to get soaking feet. If it hasn’t been raining, it might be possible for athletic people in hiking shoes to avoid getting soaked, but no promises ;). Bring water and snacks.
If it is raining heavily we will do a shorter walk and will enter the canyon from a different spot.

LANGLEY
2019-10-19 13:30 - 15:00
Ninja Sports Training!
Join us for a morning of climbing and jumping during this family Ninja training session! Feel free to dress in your Halloween costume for this one! Activities are restricted to ages 5+.
Location: Ninja Sports Club Langley (near Langley Costco).
To register follow this link: https://form.jotform.com/92257519444261

NICOMEKL
2019-10-20 10:20 - 12:00
Agate Hunt
We will be hunting for agates with rock hounder Trevor Christie!
Gumboots are not required but please wear firm-soled shoes as “it can get tough on the feet walking on the rocks after a while”. Dress for the weather – this event will happen rain or shine – and bring a lunch and/or snacks & drinks.
Location: Gill Bar on the Fraser River, near Rosedale (east of Chilliwack). Meet at the Rosedale Traditional School at 50850 Yale Road, which is not far from the Annis Road exit off Hwy 1.

KELOWNA
2019-10-20 13:00 - 15:00
Bats with BEEPS!
We will learn about bats and their role in the local ecology, watch a live feed of the colony, and do a craft! Afterwards, families who want can walk the bat trail.

SALMON ARM
2019-10-20 13:00 - 15:00
Shelter Building

Create shelters in small groups. Play games and make mini-shelters. Dress for the weather. Bring rope if you have. Bring a snack and water.

Location: Coyote Park, Salmon Arm

COWICHAN VALLEY HL
2019-10-22 10:00 - 11:30
Mushroom Hunting!

We will meet in the parking lots of the store and our mushroom naturalist Rob Garbutt will lead us via car caravan to the spot where we will learn about and hunt for mushrooms! There some beautiful chanterelles that we can pick and bring home! So bring a bag and proper foot wear! Can’t wait for our treasure hunt!!
Location: we’ll meet in the parking lot of the Masons’ Store in Shawnigan Lake

DELTA HL
2019-10-24 09:30 - 12:00
Bird Box Cleaning
Join us at the Kings Links Golf Course where we will be helping the Delta Naturalists examine and clean bird boxes!

OTTER HL
2019-10-25 10:00 - 12:30
BioBlitz! Wetland Planting in Aldergrove Regional Park
Come join as as we do some planting in a newly constructed wetland in the park. Metro Vancouver will provide tools (gloves, shovels, etc.) and refreshments (water, snacks, pizza.) The event will run rain or shine so participants should dress appropriately for the activity and weather. Site conditions will like be muddy. It is after all a wetland! As such, rubber boots or waterproof hiking boots are highly recommended.

NELSON
2019-10-26 18:30 - 20:00
Astronomy Night!
Come and join us and mentor Wayne Holmes while we take a look through his telescopes. He will have a quick talk and then he will position the scopes so we can see a variety of interesting things (cluster, double stars, planets, etc). He has a variety of nice telescopes and will introduce the kids to many cool things to see. An event worth checking out!

This event is outdoors only so come dressed appropriately. I’ll try to have a warm drink station available to keep up toasty, but hats, mitts and coats are a good idea!
Location: Taghum Hall

KAMLOOPS
2019-10-27 10:00 - 11:30
Nature Art

Please bring your arty ideas as we’ll be creating art with found objects in the park. We will supply glue and paper, but feel free to bring your favourite notebook or other art supplies. We can even practice drawing leaves and bugs!

It might be chilly out and we’ll be staying in one place, so please bring cosy clothes. We’ll have tea to warm you up. Please RSVP here and remember you can feel free to bring friends along. Just look for the guest pass on the website.

Location: Alberta McGowan Park

VICTORIA
2019-10-27 12:00 - 14:00
Creepy, Crawly Critters at Swan Lake
Are you squeamish, or do you mind having critters crawl on you? Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is putting on a public event sponsored by the Victoria Natural History Society and the Victoria Bug Zoo. Come join us on this Explorer Day to learn fascinating facts about spiders and other insects. They may introduce you to the bug zoo’s famous tarantula. If the bugs are too much, you can take in the local wildlife by taking a walk along the nature trails throughout the park.
WHERE to meet and park: Follow the signs to the Swan Hill Sanctuary off McKenzie Avenue and you will get to a parking lot close to the Nature House. The event will be set up in the Nature House, so we will meet in there.
RSVP HERE
MAP LINK: https://www.swanlake.bc.ca/visit-explore/hours-location/
OTHER LOGISTICS: Admission is by donation and the suggested donation is $5 per person.
Dogs are not allowed in the park so please leave your animals at home.
MORE INFORMATION: https://www.swanlake.bc.ca/about-us/the-sanctuary/

NORTH VANCOUVER
2019-10-27 12:00 - 16:00
Reptile Hissss-travaganza!
Open House at the Ecology Centre from Noon to 4 pm
Help us celebrate reptiles! Join the Westcoast Reptile Education Society for our annual visit with these beautiful and often misunderstood animals. You’ll discover that reptiles aren’t as scary as you might think.
Suggested donation: $2 per person or $5 per family

COMOX VALLEY
2019-10-27 13:00 - 15:00
Focus on Fungus!
We are lucky to have Alison Maingon from Comox Valley Nature joining us as our guest leader, helping us to find and learn about various forest fungi located in the park. It might be fun to bring a magnifying glass on this trip as mushrooms can look pretty cool close up! Mushroom photos are fun too if you have a camera or phone you want to use for pictures.

Please come prepared for the weather as we tend to go out rain or shine. If the weather is looking “iffy” I will send out an email confirming whether or not we are going out by 11am. Generally speaking, we only call it off if there is a heavy wind making it potentially unsafe in the forest.

Location and directions: Nymph Falls Nature Park. Take Piercy Road from Condensory Road heading to Inland Island Highway 19. Turn Left on Forbidden Plateau Road. The main parking lot is on the left hand side.

VANCOUVER
2019-10-27 14:00 - 15:30
Fall Walk at Deer Lake
On Sunday October 27th at 2 pm, the Vancouver Club will meet for a walk around Deer Lake. Please bring your binoculars and bird field guides (we’ll bring some too) and we’ll have a look at the ducks that are on the water. Also in honour of fall, we’ll look for all things nature-related that are red. We may see some red-breasted or common mergansers (they have red bills), and there might be some pretty maple trees as well.

We’ll meet at the parking lot off of Sperling Ave where there is the small beach and boat rental location. It is about a 3 km walk around the lake and should take us 1 – 1.5 hours. Register here.

VANCOUVER
2019-10-27 14:00 - 16:00
A Fall Walk at Deer Lake

The Vancouver Club will meet at Deer Lake on Sunday October 20th at 2 pm for a walk around the lake. Please bring your binoculars and bird field guides and we’ll have a look at the ducks that are on the water. Also in honour of fall, we’ll look for all things nature-related that are red. We may see some red-breasted or common mergansers (they have red bills), and there might be some pretty maple trees as well.

We’ll meet at the parking lot off of Sperling Ave where there is the small beach and boat rental location.

It is about a 3 km walk around the lake and should take us 1 – 1.5 hours. Register here.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

BULKLEY VALLEY
2019-11-01 15:00 - 16:30
Interpretive Bat Walk
Join us for an interpretative walk, Friday, November 1st, 3:00-4:30pm. Led by our nature mentor: Ashleigh from Skeena BC Bats, to check out a local bat habitat.
We will be learning more about bats in our area, the importance of them, why they are in danger, and what we can do to protect them in their environment.
Meet at Willowvale Marsh trail, this is beside Elks Park and behind Ambleside Subdivision (behind Canadian Tire).
Bat Week is Oct 24-31, 2019. For more fun citizen science activities check out the links below to explore with your family.
https://batweek.org/
https://1d50c56e26.nxcli.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/13_Bat-Champion-Explorer-Day.pdf

Looking forward to learning alongside you and your kids –

Sarah Wright and Alethia Perry

VICTORIA
2019-11-02 13:00 - 14:00
Mushroom Walk and Talk
The weather is cooler and the days are becoming shorter. This coincides with the emergence of mushrooms, or fungi. Mushrooms are a vital part of the forest ecosystem. On this Explorer Day, we will go on a mushroom hunt. We will learn about the different kinds of mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest. Some are safe to eat and others are not. Can we figure out how to tell the difference?
We will be joining our Nature Mentor Katie Turner from the CRD on a walk through the beautiful Francis/King Regional Park. The park is home to some of the largest Douglas fir trees in the Victoria area, and hopefully a lot of mushrooms!
WHERE: We will meet at the Francis King Nature Centre (next to the parking lot) Saanich, Francis/King Regional Park.
COME PREPARED: Wear warm layers for being outdoors in the woods; it can get chilly among the trees.
Bring your magnifying glass if you have it and don’t forget your NatureKids passports!
Please RSVP here if you can make it.

COMOX VALLEY
2019-11-04 08:00 - 17:00
Rosewall Creek Provincial Park Exploration

We’ll go on a hike in the forest and then have some creek based activities, look for evidence of spawning chum salmon, and we’ll also check out the recent work BC Parks has been doing to restore streambanks and protect from erosion.

I hope many of you can make it. There are some picnic tables, or we might find another spot along the trail for a little snack – so pack a little something and maybe a thermos of hot chocolate and we can enjoy a “year end” snack together as well, as this is the last Explorer Day scheduled for 2019.

Location: The park is about 30mins south of Courtenay and can be accessed by the Cook Creek interchange off Hwy #19 or from Hwy #19a.

Guests are welcome to try out an Explorer Day, so feel free to bring along family or friends.

DELTA HL
2019-11-07 12:00 - 13:30
Farm Tour
Plans have changed and on this Explorer Day we will be touring a farm with Earthwise mentor Jessica. The kids will get to explore the farm and get their hands dirty with a fun activity.

Please RSVP to deltahl (at) naturekidsbc.ca
Directions to the farm:
The farm is behind Southpointe Academy in Delta. You will enter through the South Delta Baptist Church entrance off of 56 St. Once you enter, turn right and then take the first left to remain in the church parking lot (if you continue into Southpointe Academy’s parking, the entrance to the farm will be blocked by the orange cones I’ve marked on the map). Take a left at the end of the parking lot to head north, and follow the dirt road to the right around the bushes into our parking area. After parking, you’ll see a path through the trees that will lead you right out to the farm. As long as you make it behind the church, we’ll find you! If anyone is having trouble finding their way, have them give me a call at 778-681-0655

NICOMEKL
2019-11-09 10:00 - 12:00
Tree Planting
Come plant trees and shrubs to help grow Surrey’s urban forest. Gloves, tools & training provided. Wear sturdy shoes and be prepared to get muddy! We’ll be lead by Kirin from Surrey Parks.
Location: Chantrell Creek Park, 2451 137A Street, South Surrey

RIDGE MEADOWS
2019-11-09 10:00 - 12:00
Fun with Fungi!
We have planned a nature walk to explore the park and discover and learn about our fungi friends! Please dress appropriately for the weather!
Location: We’ll meet at the Kanaka Creek Fish Hatchery Parking Lot – 11450 256th Street, Maple Ridge.
Please RSVP to ridgemeadows (at) naturekidsbc.ca for your families attendance. This is a free event so please feel free to bring other family and friends.

NANAIMO
2019-11-09 10:00 - 14:00
Riparian Planting

Join us and the Walley Creek Streamkeepers for another one of their Riparian Planting days. First we will explore the area to see how the plants we planted last year have fared, and to think about why they may or may not have done well how and where we planted them. Then we will be planting native plants in special polygons that our biologist has helped us to set up.

We will be meeting at Morningside Park, along Morningside Drive. Bring Shovels and gardening gloves if you’ve got them. If you don’t – No worries, we will have extras. We will have refreshments for afterwards.

Please fill out the RSVP form in the link to let us know if your family plans to attend the explorer day.

EASTERN FRASER VALLEY
2019-11-09 14:00 - 16:00
Bear Aware
It’s that time of year again when all of our furry friends are getting ready to hunker down for a long winters nap and we thought “what better time to learn?”. Thankfully we have our good friend and Nature Mentor Lydia Koot to tell us about what to expect from our bear friends right now and how to keep ourselves “Bear Aware” so that everyone stays safe.
Please join us at 2pm at the Mt.Thom trail head in Ryder Lake where we will go for a short hike and learn about bear activity and other interesting and useful ways to protect ourselves and bears. At the end of the hike we will have some snacks but please remember to bring your own water bottles and dress appropriately for the weather. This event will take place rain or shine so be prepared so that you can enjoy the event and learn lots of new stuff while being comfortable.

NORTH OKANAGAN
2019-11-10 13:00 - 14:30
Creek Walk and Games
We will walk along the creek, by the Rose Garden. We will do some migration games in the open lawn area
Location: Polson Park, Vernon, BC

COMOX VALLEY
2019-11-10 13:00 - 15:00
Rosewall Creek Provincial Park Adventure
Join us for a hike and a few forest and creek based activities! We’ll look for evidence of spawning chum salmon, and we’ll also check out the recent work BC Parks has been doing to restore stream banks and protect them from erosion.
There are some picnic tables, or we might find another spot along the trail for a little snack. Pack a little something and maybe a thermos of hot chocolate and we can enjoy a “year end” snack together as this is the last Explorer Day scheduled for 2019!
Directions: The park is about 30mins south of Courtenay and can be accessed by the Cook Creek interchange off Hwy #19 or from Hwy #19a.
Weather: We typically head out rain or shine – but if the weather is looking “iffy” – I’ll make sure to send out a confirmation email by about 11am on Sunday morning.
RSVP: Please RSVP to comox (at) naturekidsbc.ca if you are planning to attend.
Guests: Guests are welcome to try out an Explorer Day, so feel free to bring along family or friends.

NORTH VANCOUVER
2019-11-16 13:00 - 14:30
Restore the Outdoors
Join us for a fall planting event in Lynn Canyon Park. Bring your strong arms and enthusiasm and plant native plants that local wildlife will enjoy. We will be joined by one of the Trail and Habitat coordinators from the District of North Vancouver.
Register Here

VANCOUVER
2019-11-17 09:00 - 11:00
Birding Survey at UBC Farm
Join us for a birding survey at UBC Farm with Nature Mentors from Nature Vancouver. Over 100 species of birds have been seen at this site during monthly surveys. On this bird focused Explorer Day, we’ll be looking for wintering birds. You may want to become familiar with some of these before our tour, such as the Northern Flicker, Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Spotted Towhee, and American Goldfinch. Our approximately 1.5 km walk will take us through farm fields, the children’s garden area, a mature second growth conifer forest, and a young alder forest.
We’ll meet at 9 AM at the main gate to the UBC Farm, located on South Campus, at 3461 Ross Drive. If you are taking the bus, consult Translink for directions from your home. The farm gate is locked so please be punctual, as we will all need to enter together.
Bring binoculars if you have them. We will have some to share. Also, there will be a spotting scope (a small portable high-power telescope) set up at low height to accommodate our kids. Remember to dress for the weather as bird watching often involves some standing around.
RSVP here.

KAMLOOPS
2019-11-17 10:00 - 11:30
Orienteering

Join us for some orienteering fun! We will learn how to use compasses and follow a fun course to find some prizes.

We’ll meet at the main parking lot for Kenna Cartwright Park at 10am.

Please RSVP here to let up know how many supplies to bring.
