Junior Naturalists Club
The Riverwood Conservancy’s Junior Naturalists Club (JNC) gives kids from Grades One to Eight the chance to explore the wilderness, connect with nature, and learn skills they can put to use everywhere they go.
Junior Naturalists learn about reptiles, identify wildflowers, walk through nature, give back through a service project, and much more!
Each semester is full of fun and educational experiences that see Junior Naturalists venture to different natural areas to grow their knowledge, build confidence, and make new friends.
Dates, times, and topics for the Fall 2026 Semester (topics subject to change)
September 5 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Nature Walk
September 19 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Butterflies & Monarch Tagging
October 3 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Microscopic Natural History or Salmon Run
October 17 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Service Project
October 31 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Trees
November 14 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Restoration Ecology or Fossils
November 28 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Night Hike
December 12 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Excursion (TBD)
Pricing and Cancellations
$250 per participant.
Registration cancellations can be made any time up to Saturday, September 5, 2026 and are subject a processing fee of $50. No refunds will be given for no-shows following this date.
Accommodations may be available in the event that registration fees constitute undue financial hardship for a family. Please contact our Community Program Coordinator, Sarah Gunnell, to inquire.
Locations
Session locations will vary, depending on the topic to be covered. Junior Naturalists regularly visit Riverwood, the University of Toronto Mississauga campus, Erindale Park, Hewick Meadows, the Small Arms Inspection Building, and Jack Darling Memorial Park to name a few.
Organizers will notify parents on the Thursday prior to each Saturday session about the location and provide additional session information.
Important Information
We have two distinct cohorts for each semester. Cohorts may convene at different locations for certain sessions. Cohorts are typically organized by the grade levels of the participants.
We are unable to accommodate requests for cohort changes. Registered siblings will be placed together, but we cannot guarantee registered friends will be placed in the same cohort.
No friends, siblings, or relatives of your child may participate in programming unless they are registered separately.
This is a child drop-off program. For everyone’s safety, parents and guardians may not accompany the sessions.