Volunteer Leaders: Megan McMillan, Marnie Williamson, Krystle Fedak, & Kathy deGrace
Club Email: NorthOkanagan@naturekidsbc.ca
250-545-4743
Check out our club on Facebook
Club Email: NorthOkanagan@naturekidsbc.ca
250-545-4743
Check out our club on Facebook
Meet your Volunteer Leaders!
Hi! My name is Megan McMillan (nature name: Heron) and I'm an educator in Vernon, BC. When I moved to the North Okanagan in 2015 I fell in love with the landscape and the community. I currently teach experiential education to pre-school aged children and volunteer with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program. I have a Bachelor of Science in Ecology & Environmental Biology and a Bachelor of Education in Outdoor & Experiential Education. I've worked as both a biologist and a teacher in public and private settings. I like to think of myself as a facilitator, rather than a teacher, providing experiences for children to take ownership over and direct their own learning. When I'm not working with children, I'm hiking with my dog, watching the sunset at Kin Beach or making food for a potluck with friends. Fun fact: I have a minor obsession with owls. The first time I saw a burrowing owl I cried!
Upcoming Explorer Days
Sunday March 19th, 2017
Seedy Sunday
1-3 PM
Bench Row Road Trail (near the Mission Road end of Bench Row Road)
Note: Please wear clothes you can play outdoors and sit on the ground in
Unfortunately our Nature Mentors with the Silver Star Museum had to cancel so we will be hosting our own event all about seeds! How do they grow? What do they need? Are there different kinds? How do they protect themselves? Join Krystle and I to play games and learn all about SEEDS! This ties in nicely with Seedy Saturday, hosted at the Vernon Rec Centre the day before.
April 9th
Stinky Plants
Coldstream Cemetery
Exploring Skunk Cabbage and other stinky plants. What do they look like? What do they smell like? Why do they smell? Join us with Harold Sellers, the president of the North Okanagan Naturalist’s Club to learn about odorous plants.
April 23
The Dock Side
Gardom Lake
We’ll meet with Jason, a local aFISHionado, to go angling for the afternoon.
May 7
Great Canadian Birdathon
Allan Brooks Nature Centre
Kite building and birding with our local nature guru Aaron Deans.
May 21
Bug Hunt!
Winfield Habitat Conservation
Come prepared to look for bugs of all shapes and sizes! Get down low to look for those tiny ants, use your racoon hands to find insects in tree bark or race to catch up to a dragonfly.
Bug boxes and some nets will be supplied. Bring your own if preferred.
June 11
TBA
June 25
Wild Food Picnic
Join us for a potluck style picnic! Bring one or more dishes featuring a local food (bonus if it comes from a native plant!). The educators will message members to ensure we have appetizer/main course/dessert balance.
Please notify our volunteers if you have any severe food allergies.
Past Explorer Days
Sunday, March 5
Invasive Species
Location: Kal Park, Juniper Bay Parking Lot
Time: 1-3PM
Kara Heal and Tara Diebolt, from the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia will be our Nature Mentors for day. We will be given a short presentation on different types of invasive species, play Invasive Species Tag to showcase how invasive species can take over and go for a scavenger hunt.
February 5
Tracking
Ellison Provincial Park
1-3 PM
Have you ever wanted to be a detective? Have you ever wanted to look for clues to figure out a mystery? How can we tell who’s been here? We’ll learn winter tracking skills in the snow! If we see/decide there's nothing in the forest but dog, deer and human tracks, we could head down to the campground and compare snow vs. sand tracks at the beaches.
January 15
Swan & Eagle Count
Swan Lake Conservation Area
9AM - 12 PM (NOTE THE TIME DIFFERENCE FROM OUR USUAL MEETING TIME)Invasive Species
Location: Kal Park, Juniper Bay Parking Lot
Time: 1-3PM
Kara Heal and Tara Diebolt, from the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia will be our Nature Mentors for day. We will be given a short presentation on different types of invasive species, play Invasive Species Tag to showcase how invasive species can take over and go for a scavenger hunt.
February 5
Tracking
Ellison Provincial Park
1-3 PM
Have you ever wanted to be a detective? Have you ever wanted to look for clues to figure out a mystery? How can we tell who’s been here? We’ll learn winter tracking skills in the snow! If we see/decide there's nothing in the forest but dog, deer and human tracks, we could head down to the campground and compare snow vs. sand tracks at the beaches.
January 15
Swan & Eagle Count
Swan Lake Conservation Area
Place: Butcher Boys Parking Lot
Requirements: Wear warm layers (will be getting in and out of the car), bring binoculars and/or scope if you have one, and map of the area. We will bring notepads and writing utensils.
We will be joining the North Okanagan Naturalist's Club for the annual Swan & Eagle Count this year. We will begin by meeting at the Butcher Boy's Parking lot and travel in caravan with the naturalists.We will stop at several points to observe and count how many swans and eagles we see.
**This event may not be suitable for younger children
Requirements: Wear warm layers (will be getting in and out of the car), bring binoculars and/or scope if you have one, and map of the area. We will bring notepads and writing utensils.
We will be joining the North Okanagan Naturalist's Club for the annual Swan & Eagle Count this year. We will begin by meeting at the Butcher Boy's Parking lot and travel in caravan with the naturalists.We will stop at several points to observe and count how many swans and eagles we see.
**This event may not be suitable for younger children
November 20
Shelter Building
BX Falls
We have adjusted the location of our next NatureKids meeting to BX Falls, NOT Bench Row Road. There are not enough dead trees down at Bench Row Road to warrant shelter building. BX Falls had a number of dead trees down the last time we went, and several members are eager to see if their art installations are still intact. We will meet at the Star Road entrance on Sunday at 1-3PM. Please RSVP if you are able to make it. Please bring rope if you have any.
November 6
Rockin’ the Valley
Turtle Mountain
We’ll meet with Tony, the President of the Vernon Lapidary Club to explore our local rocks.
October 16
Art in Autumn
BX Falls
Approximate trailhead address is 6185 Star Rd, Vernon, BC V1B 3P4
Join us for a beautiful fall hike – we’ll read stories to inspire us to create art using natural materials.
Optional: bring tools to create art with: scissors, hole punch, paintbrushes, small rakes, etc.
October 2
Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
Kal Beach
Park off Husband Rd and meet next to Alexander’s Pub
Welcome back NatureKids! We hope you had a great summer. We’re going to start off our official year with some local stewardship. Bring your gloves and a garbage bag because we’re cleaning up Kal Beach! This well-loved beach deserves some TLC. After our cleanup we’ll have a picnic and catch up with each other. If you’ve completed a nature project over the summer bring it to share.
Please bring a picnic lunch/snack. Vests, gloves and garbage bags will be provided by the RDNO Adopt-A-Stream program.
September 24/25
NatureKids Weekend Getaway
Silverlake Camp (Peachland)
Our first annual weekend getaway! We will join Kate Kutzner and the Kelowna NatureKids for a weekend full of fun and activities. The theme this year is underground. Meals and accommodation included. Approximately $20pp. Send us an email if you would like to attend and we’ll send out more details.
Sunday, June 12
Tadpoles!
1:00-3:00 pm
Silver Star Ski Resort
We plan to go looking for tadpoles in the pond at Silver Star Ski Resort.
Sunday, May 15
Bluebird Nestbox Trail
1:00-3:00 pm
Predator Ridge, near Vernon.
Checking up on nesting bluebirds and other cavity nesters.
1:00-3:00 pm
Predator Ridge, near Vernon.
Checking up on nesting bluebirds and other cavity nesters.
Saturday, April 30
Kalamalka Provincial Park
Twins Bay parking lot
10am-2pm
Unplug and Play week starts on Saturday April 30th and NatureKids is proud to be one of the hosts! We will be using all of our senses to explore the beautiful Kalamalka Provincial Park at the Twins Bay parking lot. If you can't make it, there are a ton of other fun activities throughout the week...but you might have trouble choosing what to do.
Sunday, April 10
What's buddin'?
Looking for birds, insects and plants at Middleton Mountain's Mud Lake, Vernon. 1:00-3:00 pm.
Sunday, March 6th
1-3 pm
Bishop Wild Bird Sanctuary, Coldstream
Bishop Wild Bird Sanctuary, Coldstream
Families, please bring your bird ID chart, binoculars and anything else to help you identify birds. Dress for the weather of the day; we will be outdoors on the trails and by the lake for the two hours.
To reach the Sanctuary come to the corner of Kidston Road and Coldstream Creek Road. Turn on Coldstream Creek Rd towards the lake. The sanctuary will be on your left; you’ll see a prominent sign. Park on the shoulder of the road (please don’t park on both sides of the road). We will meet just inside the sanctuary driveway for the usual greetings and orientation.
What do owls eat? Let’s dissect an owl pellet and find out!
Sunday Nov. 22nd
We will be indoors to dissect owl pellets, and then if weather permits, outdoors for games and hot chocolate around a campfire. Bring your own mug (but it’s okay if you don’t). Wear boots for walking in the garden.
We will be indoors to dissect owl pellets, and then if weather permits, outdoors for games and hot chocolate around a campfire. Bring your own mug (but it’s okay if you don’t). Wear boots for walking in the garden.
Amphibian Road Survey~Be a Citizen Scientist!
Friday Sept. 25th
Our Nature Mentor Nicole Basaraba, biologist/herpetologist, will teach us how to survey Amphibians Fall migration. These surveys are taking place in different areas in BC with NatureKids clubs. Training videos of the Cowichan Nature Kids who did the survey in their area in the spring are available.
Sunday September 27thWorld of Mosses
1:00-3:00 pm
We will meet at Mike's home, where he will show us a collection of mosses and explain where they are found, why they are important, and how to identify mosses and then leading a walk along the BX Creek North Trail (section east of Wal Mart).
Sunday, July 19, 2015
10:00 am to 12:00 Noon
3193 Hill Road, Lake Country
Kangaroo Creek Farm
Our day will start at 10:00 because the morning is best at the farm as the animals are more active during feeding time and the park closes at 2 pm. There will be an optional swim & picnic lunch after at Kaloya Park in Oyama.
3193 Hill Road, Lake Country
Kangaroo Creek Farm
Our day will start at 10:00 because the morning is best at the farm as the animals are more active during feeding time and the park closes at 2 pm. There will be an optional swim & picnic lunch after at Kaloya Park in Oyama.
Check out the website at www.kangaroocreekfarm.com
The address is 3193 Hill Road, Lake Country. From the highway in Winfield, turn left (east) just after the A&W onto Hill Road. Continue past Main St a short distance to the farm. Map on website.
11:30am - 2 PM
Salmon Trail in Lumby
Buggin Out
Ward Strong
Ward, an Insect Expert, will show us interesting bugs on the Salmon Trail in Lumby.
Time 11:30am - 2:00pm. Picnic lunch for the first 1/2 hour. Bring lunch and a blanket or chairs as there are no picnic tables.
This will be a “bring a friend” day, so you can show them what fun things we do on Explorer Days.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
1 - 3 PM
Kal Park Hike & Nature Treasure Hunt
Kal Park Hike & Nature Treasure Hunt
We’ll end the afternoon at the picnic grounds and beach, so if parents want the kids to take a dip, bring bathing suits. Also bring snacks for the kids for a break when we initially make it down to the beach.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
1 - 3 PM
BX North Park Trail
Blue Heron Observations
Bring your binoculars and note/sketch pads. We will have 2 scopes for viewing the herons on their nests. You can attempt to build a nest like the herons and do other activities. Afterwards take a walk along the boardwalk by BX Creek and check out the reclaimed wetland and pond.
Sunday, March 29th, 2015
Animal Signs
Meeting at the home of Pat McAllister to view various teaching items, including casts of animal tracks. If you have any samples of animal signs (feathers, track pictures, etc.) that you’d like to get identified, bring them along.
Meeting at the home of Pat McAllister to view various teaching items, including casts of animal tracks. If you have any samples of animal signs (feathers, track pictures, etc.) that you’d like to get identified, bring them along.
