at Carver House at Stryker Nature Preserve, 2315 Angling Road in Kalamazoo
For ages 3 and under with a caregiver
Eight-week Sessions Wednesdays, April 8 – May 19
10-11:30 am
Sprouts One-Day Event:
Maple Sugaring at KNC!
at Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Avenue
For ages 3 and under with a caregiver
Wednesday, Mary 18, 10 – 11 am
KNC Members: $15, Non-Members $12
It’s that sweet time of year to enjoy all that nature has to offer! Our sugar maples are sharing their seasonal gift—sap that becomes pure maple syrup—and we’re excited to welcome Sprouts families to the Kalamazoo Nature Center for a special Maple Sugar Tour. Families will learn how sap is collected and turned into syrup, then visit KNC’s own Sugar Shack to enjoy a taste of this delicious treat straight from the source.
We welcome children ages 0–3 with a caregiver. Please dress for the weather, as there will be some walking involved. Like a typical Sprouts program day, families can expect a story and plenty of fun—just without activity stations due to the shorter time frame.
Spring has arrived, and nature is budding with fresh beginnings! Our Sprouts program is perfect for young children aged 3 and under, with their caregivers, 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! Please register for either the morning or afternoon session—the program will be the same for both.
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 >