CONNECTING YOUTH TO NATURE
Environmental Education is about learning skills, developing character and making friends. It teaches self-reliance, a love for nature and the outdoors, and the development of attitudes and practices that build character and leadership.
YOUTH & FAMILY PROGRAMS
Our Environmental Education programs combine indoor and outdoor components with stories, crafts, hikes and activities for the best hands-on exploration and learning.
OUTDOOR EXPLORATION CAMP
Outdoor Exploration Camps teach kids all there is to love about nature! These four-day camps offer a variety of themes for kids ages 3-13. All camps are held at the Apple Creek YMCA and Bruce B. Purdy Nature Preserve.
FIELD TRIPS
The Apple Creek YMCA and Bruce B. Purdy Nature Preserve provide the perfect field trip destination for students of any age, from pre-school through high school. We offer 2-hour and 4-hour options for most field trip programs, and can accommodate multiple classrooms during the same visit. Field trips are led by our trained naturalist staff and cover a variety of grade appropriate topics during all seasons of the year.
For more information contact Shane Vondracek, Environmental Education Director.
NATURE KIDS
Nature Kids is a program offered through the Apple Creek YMCA that brings nature to children right in your own classroom-No buses or field trip forms needed!