LEARN WITHJUNIOR NATURE CLUB

Junior Nature Club is a pre-school focused, family-friendly program emphasizing nature, curiosity and the using of our senses to explore Crossroads and learn about the wonders of the natural world around us. It is ideal for ages three and up but open to any age.

"I Promise to be a friend of nature,

of the soil and the water,

of the plants and the animals,

for as long as I live."

- Junior Nature Club Pledge

Fall 2023 Registration is Closed. Check Back for Spring 2024

Junior Nature Club is a free, six-week series aimed at connecting pre-school aged children and their families to the natural world around them. Through the use of storytelling, games, activities, and play in nature, the Junior Nature Club promotes physical well-being, social engagement and curiosity about nature in both children and their parents or guardians.

Classes start on October 27, 2023, and occur every Friday morning from 10 to 11a.m. through December 1. This is a family program so parents or guardians are expected to remain with the group throughout each class. Siblings and family members are welcome to participate. The class meets rain, snow or shine. Come dressed for outdoor exploration. If the weather is too bad to be outdoors, we will do nature-related activities inside.

Connect With Nature

Access to nature is an exceptional way to promote healthy habits, develop motor skills, problem solve, and create lasting connections with siblings and friends. Crossroads’ Junior Nature Club promotes a consistent connection to nature through various activities, games, and unstructured play all within natural settings.

Even during the worst weather Wisconsin can provide, Junior Nature Club can offer indoor activities that connect to the nature around us. Whether we are painting in the snow, digging through the soft dirt, making birdsongs, or making nature art, kids will get a chance to connect with nature in meaningful and fun ways.

Explore With Your Senses

Young children readily learn through using their senses to engage with the world around them. Its our goal to provide experiences that allow young children as many opportunities to use and develop their senses through the activities we provide.

We may work with listening skills through story time or sounds in nature. We may explore colors and our sense of sight through color walks or matching games. Or we might get our hands involved by building a bird’s nest or digging in the dirt. We might even explore our sense of smell and taste through garden exploration!

Engage With Other Families

Junior Nature Club is not a pre-school or daycare, instead it’s an hour-long program allowing children and parents or guardians to socialize and connect with each other to build lasting bonds of friendship and community bonding.

Children playing and exploring together are fast to form friendships, problem-solve challenges, and develop social skills. Meanwhile, parents and guardians can find connections to other family groups, learn about nature themselves, and take a few moments out of their day to explore nature as a community of people.