Junior Naturalist afternoons take place Monday to Friday (1:30 to 3:30 pm) from June 24th to August 30th.
Since 1998 Friends of Riding Mountain National Park has offered a Junior Naturalist education program for children between the ages of 5 and 12. The focus of this program is to provide children and families with the opportunity to learn about nature; wildlife; ecological integrity and the cultural/archaeological history of Riding Mountain National Park, the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve, and the province of Manitoba. To date, over 24,000 children from around the world have participated in this summer education program.
Objectives of the Junior Naturalist Program
The Junior Naturalist Program is an important educational tool for Riding Mountain National Park and the Parkland region. To this end, it has two main objectives:
1. To enhance the appreciation, understanding and commitment of children to the ecological and cultural heritage of Riding Mountain National Park and the surrounding Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve.
2. To offer seasonal visitors, travelers, and local residents with the opportunity to have their children and grandchildren take part in a “learning while experiencing” summer education program.
Junior Naturalist Programs are divided into three theme weeks, offered on a rotational basis over the two months of operations. Each theme week is comprised of daily topics that are presented as a combination of experiments, nature hikes, hands-on workshops and talks. Each program is a “stand alone” program, meaning that kids can be registered for any program of any week. A registration fee of $10.00 per child per afternoon program (10% discount for Friends members) is charged.
Class sizes in our Junior Naturalist programs is limited to a maximum of twelve (12) participants. As a result, ADVANCED registration and payment is required!
The following Junior Naturalist programs are already FULL for 2024:
Monday July 8
Tuesday July 9
Wednesday July 10
Thursday July 11
Friday July 12
Monday July 15
Tuesday July 16
Wednesday July 17
Thursday July 18
Tuesday July 23
Wednesday July 24
Thursday July 25
Friday July 26
Monday July 29
Tuesday July 30
Wednesday August 7
Forest Adventures
June 24 – 28
July 15 – 19
August 5 – 9
August 22 – 30
Exploring the Past
July 2 – 5
July 22 – 26
August 12 – 16
When Nature Calls
July 8 – 12
July 29 – August 2
August 19 – 23
Printable Junior Naturalist Form 2024
For more information about the Junior Naturalist Program, contact Friends at (204) 848-4037 or email friends.rmnp@mymts.net.