Little Explorers Can Experience Great Moments! 

Preschool Mini Series for
Children Ages 3 and 4

Tuesdays 10am-12pm and 1:30-3:30pm

This monthly three- to five-week series offers engaging hands-on experiences in nature for your preschooler. On Tuesday mornings and afternoons, we’ll meet up for a two hour program packed with crafts, stories, games, and imaginative play. Rain, snow, or sunshine – we will happily go outside! For particularly cold or rainy days we will spend a little time in the Interpretive Center, too. Themes for each month are listed below.

Set off on a preschool adventure!

NLE participants in the fall outdoors.

Changing Seasons

September 9-30 (4 week program)
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$68 members; $80 public

Did you notice that the forest is changing? Leaves are turning colors, days are shorter, and the sun isn’t so warm. Animals are changing too! Birds are flying south, and squirrels are busy gathering nuts. Fall is full of changes, and we should not miss the chance to explore them!

NLE participant in a tree fort at Baltimore Woods.

Nature’s Builders

October 7-28 (4 week program)
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$68 members; $80 public

Nature provides us with so many materials to use our imaginations and create! This month we’ll use all our senses to go on a hunt for different materials found at Baltimore Woods and see what we can make with them!

NLE participants with an environmental educator at Baltimore Woods.

Slime Sleuths

November 4-25 (3 week program)
No meeting November 11
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$51 members; $60 public

November is a weird time for plants and animals – so let’s just embrace it and explore all the weird stuff in the forest! Mushrooms, slime molds, muck, worms that wriggle – all the kinda yucky things that make us giggle! Grab a magnifying glass and let’s explore the weird things in nature.

Nature’s Innovators

December 2-16 (3 week program)
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$51 members; $60 public

Sometimes, being a living thing is just plain hard work! This December let’s learn all about how trees and chipmunks (and everything in between!) have figured out how to stay calm and use their wits and their bodies to make the hard work look easy.

NLE participant in the snow at Baltimore Woods.

Bring on the Snow!

January 6-27 (4 week program)
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$68 members; $80 public

Snow changes everything in the forest, and it’s super fun! From fun experiments, explorations, and playing like otters, come along for a month of wild winter adventures in the snow. Even if the snow is sparse, we’ll enjoy crafts and games as we learn all about snow, ice, and snowflakes.

Winter Survival

February 3-24 (3 week program)
No meeting February 17
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$51 members; $60 public

In winter we find living organisms thriving out on the preserve. Through exploration and play we’ll learn how wildlife meet their survival needs and how humans can be comfortable outside during the frosty season.

NLE participant behind a tree in the snow at Baltimore Woods.

Trees!

March 3-24 (4 week program)
No Meeting March 31
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$68 members; $80 public

Trees are the original storytellers of the forest. As trees awaken from their winter sleep, we can observe the fascinating beginnings of spring. Let’s go on an adventure to meet the trees of Baltimore Woods, explore their stories, and learn about how they work as a central part of the forest. We will even help to tap Sugar Maple Trees!

NLE participant playing in the stream at Baltimore Woods.

Emerging Life

April 7-28 (4 week program)
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$68 members; $80 public

Life at Baltimore Woods is waking up after a long winter! This month, we’ll learn about the lives of frogs, toads, and salamanders, and search the Preserve for sprouting plants. Join us to explore, play, and meet the first creatures to emerge in Spring.

NLE participant walking through a meadow at Baltimore Woods.

Marvelous Migration

May 5-26 (4 week program)
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$68 members; $80 public

As the weather warms and flowers bloom, it’s an exciting time to welcome our feathered friends and other migrating animals! Join us as we learn all about animal journeys and embark on our own adventures through the woods and fields of Baltimore Woods.

Water Adventures

June 2-16 (3 week program)
Offered Tuesdays, 10am-Noon or 1:30-3:30pm
$51 members; $60 public

It falls, it flows, it’s fun to play in! This month we’ll explore water through the eyes of the animals that live in it and play with how water moves. Get ready to dive right into some water adventures!

The Details

Two sessions are available each month, a morning session from 10am-noon and an afternoon session from 1:30-3:30pm. The weekly session content will be identical between morning and afternoon sessions so families should sign up for only one or the other.

This program is planned to be mostly outdoors, so please dress for the weather. Lessons are suited for ages 3-4. Participants must pre-register for the entire series. Parents or caregivers are required to accompany their child for the duration of the program. Bring a water bottle and a small snack. At Baltimore Woods Nature Center, the health and safety of our staff and visitors is of utmost importance. All in-person programming will follow best practices for keeping our participants safe, including health screenings and support for optional masking.

Multiple child discounts ($5) are automatically applied when you register. Discounts apply beginning with the second child. Monthly payment plans are available.

A membership discount is available. Members receive discounted prices on our programs, as well as discounts in our gift shop and early notice of upcoming programs and events, including summer camp registration opening dates. Purchasing a single, one-year, family-level membership during your registration process will allow you to save on all programs you and your family members register for! You can purchase a membership while registering for your programs, or through our website. For more information on memberships, click here.