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, take amazing photographs, and much more!
The Junior Naturalists Club is made possible through the generosity of the University of Toronto Mississauga Centre for Urban Environments.
If you have any questions about the program or registration, please contact our Community Programs Coordinator, Stephanie Keeler.
Dates and topics for the Fall 2024 Semester (topics subject to change)
Cohort 1
October 5 – Salmon Migration
October 19 – Service Project
November 2 – Excursion to University of Toronto Mississauga teaching labs
November 16 – Weather
November 30 – Trees
December 14 – Night Hike (6:30 – 8:30 pm)
Cohort 2
October 5 – Trees
October 19 – Salmon Migration
November 2 – Excursion to University of Toronto Mississauga teaching labs
November 16 – Fungi
November 30 – Service Project
December 14 – Night Hike (6:30 – 8:30 pm)
Locations and Times
Session locations will vary, depending on the topic to be covered. Junior Naturalists regularly visit Riverwood, the University of Toronto Mississauga campus, Rattray Marsh, and Erindale Park.
Sessions are generally held from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, but timings may vary based on the topic covered or the location of a particular session.
Organizers will notify participants well in advance the location and timing of each session.
Pricing and Cancellations
$150 per participant.
Registration cancellations can be made any time up to September 14, 2024 and are subject an administrative fee of $25. No refunds will be given for no-shows.
Accommodations may be available in the event that registration fees constitute undue financial hardship for a family. Please contact Stephanie Keeler to inquire.
Important Information
We cannot accommodate siblings or friends that are not selected through the random draw process (details below).
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, and we cannot guarantee siblings and friends will be placed in the same cohort.
This is a child drop-off program. For everyone’s safety, parents and guardians may not accompany the sessions.
Registration
To allow greater accessibility and equitability to the community, Junior Naturalists Club participants will be determined by a random draw.
Entries for the draw will close on August 12, 2024 at 9:00 am. Participants will then be randomly selected, and parents will be notified by email on August 12, 2024 at 3:00 pm if their child has been selected or not. Please check all email folders, including junk and spam folders, for that notification email; courtesy phone calls will not be made.
Parents of selected participants will then have 24 hours to complete registration and payment via the link they will receive by email. Failure to complete registration and payment within 24 hours will result in your spot being given to another draw entry.
Please fill out the form below to enter the draw. Please note that separate draw forms must be submitted for each child you wish to enroll, and only one draw entry per child is permitted. Multiple entries for the same child will be disqualified.