Kalamazoo Nature Center

Come dressed to explore the outdoors while developing early childhood readiness skills. Each week participants will enjoy a nature inspired program based on a monthly theme with a story, a movement activity and a craft. Learn more about this popular program and register here > Fee: $8/Member child, $10/Non-Member child, 1 adult included in price. Members receive 30% off programs; log in during registration to receive discount. Registration: Registration is preferred so we can plan for

Enjoy KNC at a whole new speed! Hop on the golf cart as we take a binocular tour of some of our most beautiful habitats. Binoculars will be provided. Register for June 18, 10:00 - 11:00AM Register for June 18, 12:00 - 1:00PM Register for July 23, 10:00 - 11:00AM Register for July 23, 12:00 - 1:00PM Register for August 13, 10:00 - 11:00AM Register for August 13, 12:00 - 1:00PM Meet: Visitor Center Fee: KNC Members $12; Non-Members $15 Audience: Adult

Looking for ways to keep your brain going all summer long? The Summer Exploration series is a great way for elementary and middle school scientists to get involved in ecology alongside their grown-ups. Register for June 4- Slime and Scales: Learn about salamanders, snakes, turtles, and all things cold-blooded Register for June 18- Feathered Friends: The sounds, colors, and behaviors of the avian world Register for July 2- The Great Bug Hunt: Discover and identify the incredib

There’s life all around us, finding niches and resources to survive in every corner. We’ll hike through one of our trails and talk about what makes a habitat, which habitats we have here, and how we can encourage healthy habitats in our own homes and neighborhoods! Meet: Visitor center front desk Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free! Audience: All ages & families Date: Saturday, June 20 at 2:00PM KNC Trail Map >

Linocut is a great beginner’s step into the world of printmaking, producing beautiful stamps with just a little dedication and patience. Come learn a new art form, and take home something beautiful to print with again and again! Saturday, June 20 from 10:00 - 11:30AM Meet: Visitor Center Classroom Fee: Non-members $15, Members $12 Please Register > Audience: Adults

Come see an assortment of short, nature-themed plays written and performed by local artists! The catch? The artists will only have 12 hours to write, direct, and rehearse, based on a prompt given that morning! When curtain rises, you’ll be able to see the ways that the artists have innovated, problem-solved, and blossomed while compressing the theatre process into just half a day. Tickets are name-your-price at qtk.ludus.com or at the door, and all proceeds go to Queer Theatre Kalamazoo

Come dressed to explore the outdoors while developing early childhood readiness skills. Each week participants will enjoy a nature inspired program based on a monthly theme with a story, a movement activity and a craft. Learn more about this popular program and register here > Fee: $8/Member child, $10/Non-Member child, 1 adult included in price. Members receive 30% off programs; log in during registration to receive discount. Registration: Registration is preferred so we can plan for

Do you fancy yourself a jigsaw genius? Gather a team of puzzle picassos for another Jigsaw Puzzle Night! Teams will have 2 hours to complete a 550 piece puzzle from our collection, with the fastest team winning a prize. Just here to take your time? No worries! All teams will take home their puzzle, and you can always take it slow with provided snacks and drinks. While we have many puzzles, if you have your eye on something special, all puzzles will be first come first served! Limit 5 m

Experience the magic of a prairie at dusk on our Firefly Night Hike! Stroll along the broad, winding trail through the prairie on a unique adventure that highlights the wonder of the natural world and shows why protecting our prairies can keep the sparkle in our summer nights, and stop by the amphitheater at 8:30 and 10:00 for a talk on these bioluminescent marvels. Audience: All Ages Meet: Emma Pitcher Prairie at KNC Camp Date: Friday, June 26 from 8:00 - 11:00PM, entry one at 8:00, En

Drop by the classroom to explore the vibrant art form of cyanotype! We’ll use natural materials and the power of the sun to make captivating prints for a fun and easy craft. Date: Saturday, June 27 from 12:00 - 1:00PM Meet: Visitor Center Classroom Audience: Adults Fee: Included with regular KNC admission, members are free!

We live in one of the most vibrant freshwater ecosystems in the world, with over 130 species of fish here in our state. We’ll walk out to the Kalamazoo River, and talk about the rich diversity of our fishy neighbors. Meet: Visitor Center front desk Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free! Audience: All ages Date: Saturday, June 27 at 10:00AM

Come dressed to explore the outdoors while developing early childhood readiness skills. Each week participants will enjoy a nature inspired program based on a monthly theme with a story, a movement activity and a craft. Learn more about this popular program and register here > Fee: $8/Member child, $10/Non-Member child, 1 adult included in price. Members receive 30% off programs; log in during registration to receive discount. Registration: Registration is preferred so we can plan for

Looking for ways to keep your brain going all summer long? The Summer Exploration series is a great way for elementary and middle school scientists to get involved in ecology alongside their grown-ups. Register for June 4- Slime and Scales: Learn about salamanders, snakes, turtles, and all things cold-blooded Register for June 18- Feathered Friends: The sounds, colors, and behaviors of the avian world Register for July 2- The Great Bug Hunt: Discover and identify the incredib

Come dressed to explore the outdoors while developing early childhood readiness skills. Each week participants will enjoy a nature inspired program based on a monthly theme with a story, a movement activity and a craft. Learn more about this popular program and register here > Fee: $8/Member child, $10/Non-Member child, 1 adult included in price. Members receive 30% off programs; log in during registration to receive discount. Registration: Registration is preferred so we can plan for

Dive into a deeper level of foraging and learn how to enjoy the abundance of cattails. This advanced level foraging program will take a deep look at cattails, how to harvest an abundance of them and enjoy their edible parts. Participants will join conservationist and foraging leader, Shaina, in a hike out to source pond fen where they will harvest cattails. On the hike back, foragers will learn how to clean and eat the cattails and will leave with some recipes to make at home. This is a semi-ard

Insect pinning exists at the intersection of science and beauty, an art form with a rich history in the sciences. We’ll learn to pin spotted lanternflies, a beautiful yet damaging invasive species spreading across North America, and take home vibrant pinned insects. Saturday, July 11, 10:00 - 12:00PM Meet: Visitor Center Classroom Fee: Non-member $15, KNC members $12 Please Register > Audience: Adults

Join acclaimed science author Leigh Ann Henion for an exploration of KNC’s nocturnal habitats! We’ll hike by red light flashlight to see and hear how the trails come to life after dark, and experience firsthand the magic that can only happen after dark. Saturday, July 11, 2026, 9:00-10:30 pm Meet: Visitor Center Classroom Fee: KNC Members $12; Non-Members $15 Please Register > Audience: All ages

KNC is proud to present New York Times Bestselling Author Leigh Ann Henion as part of 2026’s Terry Todd Speaker Series! Henion’s book, Night Magic, is an exploration of the nocturnal life happening all around us. From bioluminescent insects to migratory salamanders, Henion will talk about her studies of the night, and the beauty that sits just past the sunset. Saturday, July 11, 2026, 12-1:30 pm Meet: Cooper's Glen Auditorium inside the Visitor Center Fee: Included in regular KNC admiss

Who lives in our dirt? We’ll examine the soil at our Delano Farms to investigate just how much life finds home in the ground beneath our feet and talk about how the bugs in our soil help us and our ecosystems thrive. Sunday, July 12, 2026, 2-3 pm Meet: DeLano Farm, 555 W. E Avenue Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free! Audience: All ages

Come dressed to explore the outdoors while developing early childhood readiness skills. Each week participants will enjoy a nature inspired program based on a monthly theme with a story, a movement activity and a craft. Learn more about this popular program and register here > Fee: $8/Member child, $10/Non-Member child, 1 adult included in price. Members receive 30% off programs; log in during registration to receive discount. Registration: Registration is preferred so we can plan for

Earthworms are more than garden helpers — they shape soil, ecosystems, and even forests in surprising ways. Our guest lecturer Ellen, a scientist and interpreter with EnviroSpeak, will uncover their biology, origins, benefits, invasive counterparts, and their hidden impacts. Saturday, July 16, 2026, 11 am-1 pm Meet: Cooper's Glen Auditorium inside the Visitor Center Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free! Registration recommended, drop-ins welcome Audi

Looking for ways to keep your brain going all summer long? The Summer Exploration series is a great way for elementary and middle school scientists to get involved in ecology alongside their grown-ups. Register for June 4- Slime and Scales: Learn about salamanders, snakes, turtles, and all things cold-blooded Register for June 18- Feathered Friends: The sounds, colors, and behaviors of the avian world Register for July 2- The Great Bug Hunt: Discover and identify the incredib

Join KNC staff to learn some foraging basics of summer. Grab your basket and enjoy finding the edible treasures around us on a guided hike. Dress for the weather as this program will be entirely outdoors. Registration is recommended as these popular programs often reach capacity; drop-ins welcome if space is available. Please click on each date to register: Thursday, July 16, 2026, 5-6:30 pm Saturday July 18, 2026, 10-11:30 am Meet: Visitor Center Main Parking Lot Sundial Fee:

While we might think of fish, birds, or mammals when we think about our aquatic ecosystems, really these habitats rely on bugs! We’ll head to the creek and see what life thrives in the stream bed, learning how to identify the many aquatic invertebrates we have here at KNC. If you’d like to step in the stream, wear waterproof shoes! Saturday, July 18, 2026, 2-3:30 pm Meet: Visitor Center Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free! Drop-in program. Audience: