Tiny Trekkers
Tiny Trekkers is a once a week drop off program for ages 3 – 5. Preschoolers will explore our 450 acre preserve through hands-on experiences out in nature. This program runs from 9 – 11 a.m. on Tuesday mornings. Our Tiny Trekkers group has very limited spaces available. Registration is offered by the month only. Children must be able to use the restrooms independently.
- Home Sweet Habitat: September 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th (2 spots left)
- Creepy Crawlies: October 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th (no session on the 31st)
- Forest Fairy Tales: November 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th
- Who Eats Whom?: December 5th and 12th (no sessions on the 19th and 26th)
Tiny Trekkers is $60/month for non-members, and $50/month for TNI members. December is prorated at $30 for non-members and $25 for members due to the holidays. A morning snack is also included in the program fee. Tiny Trekkers meet 4x a month, except for December. Registration is by the month.
- Our primary Tiny Trekkers staff include our Director of Education, Lauren Scull, and our Environmental Educator, Dave Schiber. Both hold years of experience in education and operate our education department throughout the year. All staff and volunteers are background checked.
- Our small group size ensures a close knit community between preschool-aged children. This unique program will give your child an opportunity to get out in nature weekly and form an attachment to the natural world!
- This program also allows preschoolers to gain independence as they get ready for full-time preschool and kindergarten programs.
Each session will begin with group time to check in about the weather, our topic for the day, and a general rundown of what we’ll be doing for the morning. Activities will coordinate with the month’s theme and may include art, games, activities, hikes, experiments, and nature exploration. We will stomp through waterfalls, build dams on creeks to test cause and effect, search for evidence of animals, and learn about nature! We will end our session with free play at our Nature Explore certified classroom. You can view our general schedule above.
In warmer weather months, the entire session is spent outdoors. In cold weather, a minimum of 50% of the time is spent outdoors as weather allows and the other portion is spent in our indoor classroom. We go out rain, snow, or shine, and ask that all kids come prepared for the elements!
Check out our Flickr albums from past sessions to get an idea of what we do at Tiny Trekkers!
Tiny Trekkers runs throughout the school year, September through May. We do not offer a summer session in June through August – we run our summer camp full time during this season. You do not have to register for the full season – registration is by the month.
Your child must be between the ages of 3 – 5. All children must be potty trained.
You can register for this program through our website or by calling our Main Office at (618) 466-9930. After registering, you’ll need to fill out a health form for your child. This health form is completely separate from our summer camp health forms. If your child attended 2023 summer camp, you’ll still need to fill out a year round health form.
Once all of our spots have been filled, you can call our Main Office at (618) 466-9930 to be added to the waitlist.
Lauren and Dave have been patient with [my daughter] as she learns to navigate through things with me. [My daughter] started in tears and she now feels at home there, talks about TNI and the vultures all the time, and refers to Dave as “Uncle Dave”.
[The staff are] very friendly. Great at communicating and answering any questions. My child loved her TNI teachers.
Coming into Trekkers, [my child] was leary of school. It was hard for him to try something on his own without a parent. Drop-off was difficult. Tiny Trekkers has helped him become more independent. The teachers are always encouraging and welcoming, even with the difficult drop-offs. [My child] now loves going to Tiny Trekkers and can’t wait for Tuesdays to come. He has learned a lot and has gained confidence and friendships.
After registering for program fill out the medical form which can be found below. The form will take you roughly 20 minutes to complete and you will not be able to save and return to it. If you are unable to finish the form right now, you can return to this page to fill it out later. If you have multiple children signed up for a program you will have to fill out a separate form for each child.
Please be sure to complete the medical form at least one week before the program starts.
The information asked for in the medical form helps TNI educator to ensure the health and safety of your child and sets the program up for success. Thank you for cooperation.