Nature Discovery Program

We can’t WAIT to explore the Preserve with your child in this drop-off after school program for elementary age students! In this twice-monthly after school class, your child(ren) will discover the Preserve as young naturalists, letting their curiosity guide their hands-on exploration. We’ll provide tools and expertise to go deep into a variety of topics.

While they will always learn something, the focus of this class is fostering a love of nature and creating young scientists.

Here are the topics for this fall/winter:

• September 1 Don’t Bug Me! – Insects are all around us, let’s learn about them together.
• September 15 Rolling Down the Reedy – Learn stories of the history of the Reedy and discover what can we do to protect it.
• October 6 Bye, Bye Blackbird! – All about birds and migration.
• October 20 Treerific! – Discover why trees are important and how we can help the environment! We may even plant a few!
• November 3 Doe, a Deer…– The white tail deer is our state mammal. Let’s celebrate them and some of our other state animals.
• November 17 Freezing, Frigid, Frosty – We’ll study specialized adaptations that help animals get through winter.

Ideally, students will attend multiple Nature Discovery sessions. Since topics and exact class locations change, each time is new and they can build on what they know. It is also OK to jump in at any point!

**Change this year**. You will register for your child(ren) by age group. K5-2nd grade will be in Group 1 and 3rd-5th will be in Group 2. We think this small change will help us ensure age-appropriate experiences for all!

REGISTRATION CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT THE TUESDAY BEFORE CLASS. This allows us time to plan. If you miss the deadline, you may email [email protected] to determine if there is still space for your child. CLASS SHOWING FULL? We can start a wait list. Please let us know, and we’ll do our best to accommodate!

Every parent must fill out this form for their child/children once each season of Nature Discovery prior to their first class.

WHO: K5-5th graders

WHEN: 3:00-4:30 1st and 3rd Thursdays

COST: 1st child is $10, and additional children are $8 each. This year, those with more than one child must enter a discount code to get the reduced sibling rate. If you have two children, enter the promo code “Add1” for $2 off. If you have three children, enter the promo code “Add2” for $4 off.

WHERE: Conestee Nature Preserve – 840 Mauldin Rd. Please add [email protected] to your contact list so that the event emails do not get lost in your spam folder.

WHAT TO BRING: Please bring a water bottle. Sunscreen and bug spray should be applied before class if needed.

HEALTH AND SAFETY: All of our classes are taught entirely outdoors, where the chances of COVID-19 transmission are drastically reduced. Please do not bring your child if they are sick. We are happy to provide a refund in cases of illness.

CANCELLATIONS: We will cancel if we have less than 6 participants, so encourage your friends to sign up with you! We will notify participants by noon the day of the class if we are cancelling due to weather. Cancellations by participants must be made 1 week prior to the event for a full refund, with the exception of cancellations due to illness. If the event is cancelled by CNP or due to illness, full refunds will be issued.