YNC Activities

YNC member families receive resources that help provide structure and inspiration for children’s nature education that encourage them to be creative and inquisitive. There are YNC Home Activities as well asExplorer Days. Parent/guardian participation in YNC is important, as children will need assistance and supervision with the activities. Furthermore, YNC is meant to be a fun learning experience for the whole family!

YNC Home Activities are outlined in the booklets sent out in the family membership package and are divided into categories of Nature Detective, Leading Others, and Environmental Detective. Any materials needed for the activities are either provided in the membership package or are common, inexpensive, household items.

There is a broad range of nature activities to work through, such as bird watching, insect identification, hiking, star-gazing, and many more. In addition to activity instructions, the activities in the booklets are designed to develop:

• knowledge of nature and natural history
• scientific investigation skills (such as recording data and testing hypotheses)
• healthy living habits (such as healthy recipes for camp-fire cooking)

• leadership, service, and environmental stewardship (such as tips on recycling and composting, participating in recycling and environmental clean-up projects, and teaching others about what we’ve learned)

YNC Explorer Day field trips or activities will be organized by Nature Alberta or volunteer club leaders for groups of YNC families to do together. Explorer Days may be led by a volunteer club leader or an expert local naturalist.

Explorer Day outings will be exciting opportunities to learn from experts and other YNC members by gathering for such activities as:

• bird walks or hikes
• pond dipping
• environmental clean-up or monitoring projects