SALT SPRING ISLAND - Middens, Moss and Mergansers
2024-03-17 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Vancouver)
Hey NatureKids let’s mix it up with moss, middens and mergansers at Ruckle Park! How are they connected? We’ll walk in the footsteps of the First Nations’ peoples, looking for evidence of old village sites. With luck, we’ll see all 3 of the different mergansers which hide out in the bays at Ruckle through the winter. The mosses! They are sprouting fruiting bodies. Let’s have a closer look. Using a quadrant, magnifying glasses, graph paper and coloured pencils we will plot the different types and explore how they create wonderful ‘micro-forests’ on the rocks.
This outing may cover a lot of ground, possibly about 2 km, some of which will be challenging. Of course we’ll have marvelous views and lovely places to stop for snacks.
A few pairs of binoculars will be available along with the magnifying glasses.
Dress for the weather with good hiking shoes or boots.
Bring your NatureKids’ passports!
Place: Meet at the picnic tables beside the lower parking lot at Ruckle Park
Date and Time: March 17, 10 – 12 noon
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

WildRoots - Bird Sanctuary Visit
2024-03-19 10:00 - 11:30
We’ll explore the wetlands, natural marshes and low dykes of this beautiful bird sanctuary in the heart of the Fraser River Estuary. This is an area of refuge for millions of birds as a feeding and resting area during their annual migrations along the Pacific Coast. A nature mentor will guide us to explore the sanctuary, and you’re welcome to stay afterwards to explore further on your own.
Registration is FULL but you are still welcome to join the waitlist.
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

MERRITT - Day on the Farm
2024-03-23 10:00 - 11:30
Join the Merritt NatureKids BC club for a day on the farm! Make new friends and meet some fuzzy farm animals.
To register email merritt@naturekidsbc.ca
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

VIRTUAL - Earth Hour with NatureKids BC. A light pollution lights out activity for the whole planet!
2024-03-25 19:30 - 20:30
Join us for a NatureKids BC virtual explorer day and learn more about one of the easiest forms of pollution to fix, light pollution, and have some fun in your own homes before lights out time!
The event will take place on Zoom. Click here to register!
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

BURNABY - Discover the Hidden Traits of Wintering Plants
2024-03-30 10:30 - 12:30
Join the Burnaby NatureKids Club and explore the hidden world of wintering plants!

When seasons change and plants lose their leaves, it may seem like a dull and sleepy time of year— but there is much to observe and get excited about the outdoors! In fact, there are some plant traits that you can only clearly observe in winter. Wintertime is a great time to build your plant identification skills and hone your observational abilities.
In this session, we will begin with an indoor lecture where you will learn the basics of winter plant identification, including key traits and terms. The second part of the class will be an outdoor walk around the garden, where we will stop and observe the interesting features of various native shrubs and trees.
Julia Alards-Tomalin is an instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Burnaby, Canada. She studied Forestry and Ecological Restoration at BCIT and completed a Master of Education at Simon Fraser University. Her background is diverse, including horticulture, arboriculture, invasive species management and ecological restoration, but is united by a common theme of plants.
Starting in 2019, Julia began to work with her students to create an Open Education textbook focusing on the winter identification of plants entitled Buds, Branches and Bark: A Guide to Winter ID in the Pacific Northwest. Buds, Branches and Bark is free to download, and the 2nd edition is currently available on the BCIT website. In 2022, Julia was awarded the Teaching Excellence in Open Education Employee Excellence Award at BCIT for her involvement in this Open Education Resource. In 2023, the 2nd edition of Buds, Branches and Bark was awarded the Open Education Global Award for Excellence in the Open Pedagogy category and the BC Campus Award for Excellence in Open Education.

Click here to register!

This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

KELOWNA - Green Guardians - Kids Clean Up!
2024-04-01 11:00 - 12:30
Join the Kelowna NatureKids BC club for a morning of making new friends and help clean up Kelowna City Park as we head into spring! The more green guardians help protect our nature the cleaner our parks and waters will be!

Gloves and bags will be provided. Parking and public transportation is readily available.
To register for this event email kelowna@naturekidsbc.ca

WILDROOTS - Why should I care about invasive plants?
2024-04-02 13:00 - 14:30
Learn why you should care about invasive plants and see how many invasive plants you can spot. Join us and learn about invasive plants with Erica Mulder from the Capitol Hill Tree Keepers. Erica is a European settler who grew up in Burnaby. Since the beginning of the pandemic, she’s been exploring her relationship and responsibility with invasive plants. She’s passionate about the importance of native plants within our cities.
Accessibility: We will be walking along a dirt trail that is not very accessible. There are some steeper sections and often roots and such along the way. If that is a barrier or if you need additional support, please let me know.
Click here to register!

This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

COWICHAN VALLEY - Junior Birders
2024-04-07 11:00 - 12:00
Join the Cowichan Valley NatureKids Club for a fun morning of birding! What birds can you spot? Join us for a fun morning of learning about birds and making new friends.

Click here to register!
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

NELSON - Primal Skills - Shelter and Fire
2024-04-07 13:00 - 15:00
Inspired by coyote mentoring, bushcraft skills and elemental wisdom – expect forest play, games, songs & stories that reconnect us to our ancestors and to the land.

This Explorer Day is free for members of NatureKids BC. Non members may attend if there is space. Please email us if you are not currently a club member: nelson@naturekidsbc.ca. For kids age 5-12 and their families.

Click here to register!
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

EASTERN FRASER VALLEY - Foraging in the Forest
2024-04-14 11:00 - 12:00
Join the Eastern Fraser Valley NatureKids BC club for a morning of making new friends and learn about foraging in the forest with nature mentor, Raeanna, owner of Foraging in the Forest.

Location: Thompson Regional Park – click here for location map

Accessibility: There is parking and washrooms on site. This park is not accessible by transit.

This explorer day is limited to 20 participants.

Click here to register!

If you register and are unable to attend please make sure to cancel your registration so other families can attend.

This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

DELTA - Rain Garden Walk
2024-04-14 11:00 - 13:00
Spring is coming and let’s have a walk in nature together.

The Cougar Creek Streamkeepers is a volunteer group focusing on protecting waterways in the Delta Area. Their principal projects are stream monitoring, instream improvements, streamside restoration, salmon release and creation of rain gardens to reduce stormwater damage to the creeks.

Our Club invited Deborah Jones, Rain Gardens Coordinator of Cougar Creek Streamkeepers, to have a walk with us at their “Rain Garden Ramble” in the Social Heart of North Delta. It will definitely be a lovely walk!

It will be an almost 2 hours walk activity, please consider before register. Thanks a lot!

Learn more about Cougar Creek Streamkeepers Here
Click here to register!
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

VANCOUVER - Searching for the Elusive Fairy Shrimp!
2024-04-14 13:00 - 15:00
Have you ever heard of a Fairy Shrimp? Pacific Spirit Park Society (PSPS) is conducting monitoring activities for the Oregon Fairy Shrimp, and they have invited us to join them to learn about these invertebrates and to try pond-dipping ourselves. We might be able to catch some fairy shrimp – and perhaps a few other critters! After this activity (time dependent), we’ll take a short walk to the “Beaver Pond” area to listen for frogs and birds.
We are fortunate to have several Nature Mentors for this Explorer Day from the Fairy Shrimp Monitoring Team: Caitie, Emily, Daniel and Lisa, as well as Laura, Program Coordinator of PSPS, and volunteer.
Register here
Please note: If the form accepts your registration, you are confirmed, and you will receive a reminder email a few days before the Explorer Day. If the form is not accepting registrations, it is full. You can be placed on a waitlist by replying to this email with the number of people that would be coming.
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

SALMON ARM - Birding for Families
2024-04-21 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-04-28 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-05-05 09:00 - 11:00
Join the Salmon Arm NatureKids BC club, Shuswap Naturalists club and the Salmon Arm Bay Nature Enhancement Society for a fun morning of birding!
Enjoy a morning walk on the wharf with local nature experts. Bring your family and learn about Western Grebes and other waterfowl and we’ll have several spotting scopes to help children and adults get great views of common birds.
No registration is required. Please meet the group at SABNES Nature House parking lot at the Salmon Arm Wharf.
For questions about this event email salmonarm@naturekidsbc.ca

MERRITT - Earth Friendly Crafts
2024-04-27 10:00 - 12:00
Join the Merritt NatureKids BC club for a morning of crafting with the Nicola Valley Arts Council! Spaces are limited and registration is required.
To register email merritt@naturekidsbc.ca
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

BURNABY - Spring Nature Treasure Hunt!
2024-04-27 10:00 - 13:00
Join the Burnaby NatureKids Club and find the hidden treasurel!

Get ready to run around the beautiful Burnaby Mountain Park and solve the mystery of the hidden Spring Treasure! You will have to solve puzzles, decipher clues, and find our hidden creatures to get to the treasure. To celebrate your triumph, we will gather under the cherry trees and enjoy a perfect spring picnic (make sure to bring your favorite snack and lots of water!) and give away some fun NatureKids prizes.
Make sure to bring a yummy lunch, weather appropriate clothing (probably a hat and sunscreen are a great idea), and a picnic blanket or lawn chair. There will be fruit to share!
You can park for a free at the park, there are public bathrooms, and the park is accessible for strollers.
*Registration is limited to 20 families.
Click here to register!

TEXADA - Spring Celebration
2024-04-27 11:00 - 13:00
Join NatureKids Texada at the Texada Home and Garden Centre for some fun nature-based activities to celebrate the arrival of spring!

To register email texada@naturekidsbc.ca
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

RIDGE MEADOWS - Goodbye Chums Fry Release
2024-04-27 11:00 - 14:00
Join NatureKids BC and KEEPS – Kanaka Education & Environmental Stewardship Society, to release some baby chum back into the Kanaka River!

​Located in beautiful Kanaka Creek Regional Park in Maple Ridge.
Click here to register!
Discover watershed stewardship and the wonders of nature at the Kanaka Creek Watershed Stewardship Centre.
Here, you’ll find:

A fish hatchery
Stormwater management landscaping
Large outdoor education spaces and gathering areas
Indoor facilities for education and community programs

Explore the centre’s grounds, view interpretive signs and venture into Kanaka Creek Regional Park along connected trails. Meet volunteers and join programs to speak with people who work on stewardship projects and lead education activities.
This centre is the result of extraordinary working relationships between Metro Vancouver, the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society (KEEPS) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.​
You will have the opportunity to release some chum and learn about the lifecycle of the salmon from spawning, to eggs, to eyed eggs, to alevins, and finally to fry ready to be released!

This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

NICOMEKL - Rocky Shore Animals
2024-04-27 14:00 - 15:30
Join NatureKids Nicomekl and explore the intertidal life on the rocky shore!

Meet at the Boat Launch at West Beach, White Rock Beach

To register email nicomekl@naturekidsbc.ca
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

NORTH VANCOUVER - City Nature Challenge
2024-04-28 13:00 - 14:30
Join us in the park to find and photograph wildlife in the city! Started in 2016 as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and document wildlife in their own cities.
Click here to register!
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

KAMLOOPS - Baskets and Birds
2024-04-28 13:00 - 15:00
Join Kamloops NatureKids and learn about making baskets and cordage from local plant materials. Learn how to use basic supplies to make loose baskets to contain nest making fluff for birds!
To register and for more information email kamloops@naturekidsbc.ca

This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

JERICHO - Plants & People Making Connections
2024-05-03 13:00 - 14:30
Join the Jericho NatureKids BC club for an afternoon of learning with the Sierra Club of BC.
Invites learners into relationship with the beings just outside their doors. This is done through systems thinking, inviting place-based connections into the broader picture. Learners explore how ecosystems offer many connected pathways between plants, humans, and other beings; celebrating sustainability, biodiversity, and storytelling centered in place-based authentic voice. (anticipated program duration is 1-1.5 hours).
This program from the Sierra Club of BC is recommended for children in grades 3 to 5. Younger or older children who might be interested by the material are also welcome.
Click here to register!

VIRTUAL - Become a Junior Fire Ecologist with FireSmart BC
2024-05-04 10:00 - 10:30
Join NatureKids BC and FireSmart BC for a fun, interactive morning of learning!
Be a Junior Fire Ecologist and learn all about wildfires. What is a wildfire and are they good or bad for our ecosystems? How do wildfires start? All your burning questions will be answered! Enjoy a special visit with Ember the FireSmart Fox and discover how your family can be FireSmart!
The event will take place on Zoom. Click here to register!
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

COWICHAN VALLEY - Junior Fossil Hunters
2024-05-05 10:00 - 12:00
Join the Cowichan Valley NatureKids Club and the Victoria Paleontology Society for an introduction to ancient life on Vancouver Island and fossil collecting in BC.

We will start with a ‘show and tell’ of fossils from this site (hands-on) and discuss what the fossils tell us about the ancient environment at this location. We will cover collecting laws in BC, then go on a walk of the area to see what we find. No equipment is required; the best searching is done with our eyes, and a fair amount of fossils collected on the mountain have been found on the surface. If something interesting is found, we can discuss guidelines for leaving it verses extracting it. If extraction is appropriate, we can provide equipment and instruct the collector on how to approach getting it out. After, we will come together to share and identify anything found and demonstrate proper record keeping.

Registration is now closed for this event as spots are full.
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

VICTORIA - Camas Day Event
2024-05-05 12:00 - 13:30
Join Victoria NatureKids BC at the annual Camas Day event! The celebration will include displays and performances by the Bald Eagles soft rock band, as well as food, drinks, family activities, prizes and guided wildflower walks through Uplands Park. This park is one of the best examples of the endangered Garry Oak Ecosystem and is home to over 26 rare plant species. Uplands Park is also the heart of Oak Bay’s Naturehood. It includes a rocky marine foreshore, Cattle Point.

Click here to register!
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

KELOWNA - Lost Lake Snake Hunt
2024-05-05 13:00 - 15:00
Join Kelowna NatureKids for our annual snake hunting adventure at Lost Lake! We will hike in to the lake from the access point on June Springs Rd (approx. half an hour), learning about plants, animals, and the history of the area. This is in the middle of the burn zone from the 2003 fire, so we will talk a bit about the role fire has on forests and the steps of regrowth. Once we get to the lake, we will ready out nets and catch anything we find; snakes, frogs, bugs, tadpoles, and more! I will bring containers so we can all look at what we find before releasing it back where it was found.
Click here to register!

NICOMEKL - Visit OWL
2024-05-11 10:00 - 11:30
Join NatureKids Nicomekl and visit OWL!

The Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing raptors. The tour will teach us about their permanent residents, the work they do in rescuing the birds, and more about the raptors of BC.

To register email nicomekl@naturekidsbc.ca
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

MERRITT - Tree Planting at Secret Lake
2024-05-11 10:00 - 13:00
Join the Merritt NatureKids BC club and the Merritt Forest Week Committee for a day of tree planting and hiking at Secret Lake.
To register email merritt@naturekidsbc.ca
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!

TEXADA - Beach Glass and Drift Wood Art
2024-05-11 11:00 - 13:00
Join NatureKids Texada and Sandy McCormick to learn how to make beach glass and drift wood art!

To register email texada@naturekidsbc.ca
This event is for NatureKids BC members. Become a member today!
