Sprouts Summer Series
at Carver House at Stryker Nature Preserve, 2315 Angling Road in Kalamazoo
For ages 3 and under with a caregiver
June 10- July 22, 2026, 10-11:30 am (no session on July 1)
Fee: KNC Members $139.50; Non-Members $155
With the start of summer just around the corner, we’re ready for another season of discovery! Our Sprouts program is perfect for young children aged 3 and under, with their caregivers to get outside and explore. Sprouts will meet at Stryker Nature Preserve, 2315 Angling Road in Kalamazoo. On Wednesdays for 6 weeks; we will gather to explore, climb, get messy, observe, build, craft, and tell stories while fostering an early love of nature. Each session will have a small group size of 12 children with a caregiver. Dress for the weather!
Each session will focus on:
Physical Maturation & Wellbeing | Multiple opportunities to coordinate the use of big and small muscles within the embrace of nature.
Language Development | Using authentic, personal, and natural experiences to encourage language production for the simple joy of expressive and connective purposes.
Creative Experiences | Experiencing the influence of nature’s beauty and the joy of community to experiment with artistic expression.
Social & Emotional Development | Blending encounters of wide open spaces with captivating moments of tiny wonder to give outlet to both the tenacity and tenderness of toddlerhood.
Executive Function | Using the power of attachment to reinforce skills that foster poised, capable, and empathetic human beings.
Cognitive Growth | Exploratory play in the outdoors naturally creates opportunities for children to question, investigate, problem solve, and reflect on their experiences.
Financial assistance is available
We recognize there is significant variability in what families in our community are able to afford. Financial assistance can be applied for by answering a few simple questions during the registration process. Please contact the KNC Registrar at for questions regarding registration or financial aid applications or fill out the Program Financial Assistance Application Here >