Nature Kids for Every Season!

Nature Kids is Green Venture’s nature-based, drop-off program for children aged 5 - 13, with space for youth volunteer guides ages 14+! Nature Kids aims to increase access to nature in childhood, providing opportunities for children and youth to get outside, engage with nature, and stay active.

We run outdoors all year round! During the school year, Nature Kids runs as an afterschool program and is free of charge for all participants. Priority is given to children who identify as belonging to one or more equity-deserving groups. The Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons run weekly after school, and new in 2025, the summer season was run as a full-day day camp with potential for future years to follow. We share program dates and registration details on this page when registration opens each season. Feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any questions.

Our Nature Kids Summer Camp is a paid camp. This series registration is now closed.  

 

PLEASE NOTE: Our program runs in English, but we have a Spanish registration form available for those who need it. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions or to request support in other languages.

Sign Up for Nature Kids Updates

Spring 2026 Season

Registration is now closed. Your next opportunity for Nature Kids is our summer camp.

We'll publish information about Fall Nature Kids in late summer. 


 

Summer Camp  

It's back for 2026, and registration is now open! This is a paid camp. Register your child for 1 or both of our weeks offered! Registration closed June 15 at 11:59 PM. If you have questions about this please email [email protected]


Nature Kids Summer Camp will run for two weeks July 20-24 & July 27-31 daily from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm. 
Participants may request to register for one or more weeks, but your spot is not confirmed until we send you a notice and we receive your payment. In cases of high demand, you may not be able to sign up for multiple weeks as we try to accommodate as many families as possible. 


Details & Accessibility 

Nature Kids is for children ages 5-13*, with priority given to individuals belonging to equity-deserving groups. Please reach out to us if you would like to discuss any barriers to participation that you or your child may experience. Owning appropriate outdoor gear is not a requirement to participate as we are able to lend this to participants as needed. Snacks are provided and are included in the program fees but children should bring a nut-free, low-waste lunch each day. More details on what to bring will be provided to registered families.
 
Week 1: July 20 - 24 
Week 2: July 27 - 31
Drop off: 9:00 am - 9:30 am
Pick up: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm


Pricing Options

We follow the Green Bottle” sliding scale framework for our program costs.

  • Full Price
    You are comfortably able to meet all of your basic needs.
    $385 
  • Partially Subsidized (Hamilton residents only)
    You may experience some stress meeting your basic needs.
    $180 
  • Fully Subsidized
    You frequently experience stress meeting basic needs and may not always be able to meet them.
    No charge
    Must be referred by a partner organization. Confirmation is subject to available funding.

Extended Care

  • Before Care (8:00 – 9:00 AM)
    $30.00 per week
  • After Care (3:30 – 5:00 PM)
    $50.00 per week


Important (please read)


  • Registrants who receive a place in our program will be sent a follow-up form. You must sign off on our policies and state the optional consent for photography. (Signing these forms is a requirement for participating in our program.)
  • We will also collect emergency contacts at this time.
  • All potential participants who we are unable to accommodate will be added to the wait list and notified if a spot opens up.
  • We will let all families know if they have a spot in the program or if you've been put on the wait list by the first week of June (specific date pending)
  • We will also send information on how to pay at the time of acceptance. Your spot will be held for 2 business days, and if we do not receive payment within that time frame we will release the spot to the next person on the wait list. 
If we do not receive sufficient registration, we reserve the right to cancel the affected week(s). 


Contact:

Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or for more information.

*Children must be turning 5 by the end of this calendar year. Children between the ages of 11 and 13 can register for a regular spot, or, if they are interested, they can request a "helper" spot and act as a role model for the younger participants.


 

Volunteer with Nature Kids

Summer Camp 2026
It's back, and we need volunteers!

Summer 2026 Nature Kids will run for two weeks in July, daily from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm. We will need volunteers with us from 8:30 am - 4 pm. Volunteers can choose to sign up for one or more weeks in the program. There will be a mandatory training day in-person on July 17, 2026 from 10 am - 3 pm. 
 
Please reach out to us if you would like to discuss any barriers to participation that you may experience. Owning appropriate outdoor gear is not a requirement to volunteer as we are able to lend this to volunteers as needed. Volunteers should bring a lunch, a reusable water bottle, and a snack each day. More details on what to bring will be provided to registered volunteers. See camp dates below: 
 
Week 1: July 20 - 24 
Week 2: July 27 - 31
Volunteers who are accepted into our program will be sent a follow-up form to sign off which will include space for some follow up information such as emergency contacts, as well as some things to sign off on such as our policies, and optional consent to take pictures. Signing these forms is a requirement for volunteering in our program. 
If we do not receive sufficient registration we reserve the right to cancel the affected week(s) of camp, and will notify scheduled volunteers immediately should this occur. 
Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or for more information.

*volunteers must be 14 years of age to volunteers. Children between the ages of 11 and 13 can register for a regular spot, or, if they are interested, they can request a "helper" spot and act as a role model for the younger participants. Volunteers 18 and older are required to submit a police background check.

 

Nature Kids Through the Seasons

Nature Kids runs in all seasons!

Summer 
In 2025, we ran a a summer camp! Summer is a wonderful time to spend quality time outdoors. Kids join staff and volunteer helpers at EcoHouse and enjoy fun, engaging activities. Some of our favourite nature activities included: visiting the local creek to explore and splash in the water, creating nature crafts, building shelters and forts, and simply having time and space to play, observe, get dirty and make connections in nature.

Fall
The crisp air, bright leaves and abundance of insects and seeds make fall an exciting time to be outside. Some of our favourite activities included: bug observation, scavenger hunts, shelter building, leaf mask painting, fall hikes ,and so much more!

Winter
Yes, we still run in the winter! Campers bundle up and we embrace the cold and the snow. We’ve gone box sledding down our small hill, built snow forts and castles, played winter animal games and made clay paints using natural materials. We also take time to warm up and get cozy playing games and creating indoors in our heated yurt.

Spring
The world is waking up again! In spring, we’ve searched for signs of frogs, made seed balls, sang frog songs, built shelters, hunted for crawfish, created nature art and planted in the garden. We love the joy of mud season and observing bugs, buds and birds in the warmer weather.

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