Wednesdays • 10:30am–12:00pm 

Dates: January 4 - March 1 | 8 weeks to choose from 
Location: Lafayette Nature Center 
Cost: 5-Pack for $150 (drop in any week—no need to attend consecutively!) 

Buy your 5-pack or register for a class here!

Join us for wintertime nature play mornings designed for young children and their caregivers. Each session includes songs and story time, seasonal nature-based crafts, exploration invitations for open-ended free play with nature materials, and opportunities to play together at Thorne’s beautiful Lafayette Nature Center and adjacent Coal Creek open space. 

Winter nature play offers young children and their caregivers a chance to explore the outdoors in an exciting season, sparking curiosity through fresh sensory experiences—crunching snow, spotting animal tracks, feeling cold air on cheeks, and tasting warm tea. Even simple winter play supports learning: children practice balancing as they navigate slippery ground, build resilience in the face of chilly weather, and observe seasonal changes in plants and wildlife. Sharing these experiences side-by-side strengthens caregiver-child relationships and reminds adults that nature play isn’t just possible in winter—it can be joyful, energizing, and deeply nurturing. 

Led by Erin Saunders, this program fosters children’s innate sense of curiosity and belonging in nature while also supporting caregivers with ideas and inspiration to continue nature connection at home, in all seasons. 

This is a drop-in program; use your 5-pack on any Wednesdays that work for your family.