Nature Programs
Explore nature year-round with Delaware Nature Society’s hands-on programs for every age and interest. Across our statewide nature centers and natural areas, you’ll find opportunities to learn, explore, and connect with wildlife, habitats, and changing seasons.
Year-Round Age-Based Programming
These ongoing programs invite people from the youngest to the oldest to connect with nature through exploration and discovery.
Early Learners
Our Knee High Naturalists program helps preschoolers and caregivers explore the outdoors through stories, hikes, and play-based activities that build early learning skills and a love for nature. Explore trails, play games, and discover local wildlife through guided activities.
Classes are offered year-round at Ashland Nature Center, Coverdale Farm Preserve, and Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, with fun weekly sessions for children ages 2–5.
This grownup-and-me preschool group encourages discovery through hiking, games, and sensory play. Activities help preschoolers develop skills like pattern recognition and sorting while learning about the natural world.
Schedule: Wednesdays, 10 AM – 11:30 AM, March–November
Ages: 2–5
Fee: Members $12.75 per class, non-members $15
Adult participation: Required, free of charge
Location: Ashland Nature Center or Coverdale Farm Preserve
Families explore the outdoors through guided hikes and activities that nurture curiosity and movement.
Schedule: Wednesdays, 10 AM – 11:30 AM, March–November
Ages: 2–5
Fee: Members $12.75 per class, non-members $15
Adult participation: Required, free of charge
Location: Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, Milford, DE
School Age-Children
Our Field Trips and Summer Camps are all age/grade banded to ensure the appropriate level of learning for your children.
Teen & Tween Nature Education and Clubs
DelNature offers seasonal programs for middle and high school students that inspire curiosity and leadership through outdoor exploration and environmental projects.
RENEW is a suite of programs that help youth develop a lasting comfort with nature. Participants discover how caring for their environment strengthens their community and their own well-being.
Delaware Nature Society’s Environmental Leaders Program is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to connect with nature and make lasting memories. This program is designed for teens who are passionate about the outdoors and want to develop leadership skills while giving back to their community and the environment. The Environmental Leaders Program strives to empower high schoolers to become leaders in environmental conservation, advocacy, and education! Spend 4 weeks (of your choice!) of the summer as a Summer Camp Aide engaging youth in the outdoors, making connections, and building leadership skills. After summer, choose a flexible schedule of events focused on community outreach, career exploration, naturalist studies, recreation, and more!
Attendance requirements are designed with flexibility for busy teens.
Summer
- Volunteer a minimum of 4 weeks as a Summer Camp Aide. Monday through Friday from 8 am – 4 pm. Weeks do not need to be consecutive.
- Attend the following events in preparation for summer:
- Environmental Leaders Kickoff Overnight: Saturday, May 9th through Sunday, May 10th (Time TBD)
- All Staff and Volunteer camp training: Saturday, May 30th (Time TBD)
- Environmental Leaders Camp Aide training: Thursday, June 4th (Time TBD)
Fall, Winter, and Spring
One event per season attendance requirement. With many events to choose from, teens can create a participation schedule that works for them.
After you apply:
- Acceptances emailed by: April 15, 2026
- $250 tuition due: April 30, 2026 (Members receive 15% discount)
- Scholarships available.
Program Begins: May 9, 2026
Program Year Ends: April 30, 2027
Attendance requirements are designed with flexibility for busy te
Year One
- Environmental Study: Dive into environmental conservation, education, and advocacy with exclusive activities led by DelNature experts
- Adventure: Seasonal trips and outings for all skill levels
- Volunteer: Engage the next generation of environmental enthusiasts as a Summer Camp Aide
Year Two
Why Stop at Year One?
Ambassadorship: Build on knowledge from year one to become an environmental ambassador for your community
Explore Deeper: Dive deeper into your interests with individualized activities and mentorship from DelNature staff
Professional Development: Embark on specialized project opportunities to explore an array of environmental career options.
Adult Classes, Workshops, and Nature Programs
Guided birding walks, photography outings, canoeing & paddling, planting and cooking workshops, and much more are led by DelNature educators at locations throughout the state and year. See our Activities Calendar for specific dates and locations, Eco Tours for excursions to other parts of the country and world, or our programs with the University of Delaware.
Want DelNature to speak for your adult group? Fill out the form here.
Nature-Focused Learning with the University of Delaware
DelNature partners with the University to provide the highest-quality nature-based education for adults through the Delaware Master Naturalist program and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Seasonal Site-Based Programming
Saturdays on the Farm at Coverdale
Enjoy family-friendly farm fun — meet the animals, explore the trails, and participate in hands-on farmstead activities.
Dip-Netting and Paddling at DEEC
Explore the Christina River through hands-on dip-netting and guided paddling, learning about fish, wetlands, and freshwater ecosystems along the way.
Mill Tours at Abbott’s
Step inside historic Abbott’s Mill and enjoy guided tours that bring local history, nature, and seasonal traditions to life. Mill Tours are currently unavailable while the mill undergoes renovations. Check back here for updates.
Hawk Watch at Ashland
Ashland Hawk Watch Hill, Ashland Nature Center’s highest hill, is in the center of the Red Clay Audubon Important Bird Area, designated by the National Audubon Society. Begun in 2007, this raptor migration count station operates September through November annually with migrant birds of prey counted daily. Our findings, along with those of over 200 other hawk watch sites across North America, are reported to the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). Ashland Hawk Watch Hill is ideally situated to see the daytime migration. Hawk Watch Hill is on the eastern edge of the Piedmont, a chain of rolling hills extending from New York to Alabama. This is a flyway for many of these birds heading south.
Each year September – November, daily, 9 am – 4 pm, join our Hawk Watch Coordinator and Hawk Watch Volunteers on Ashland Hawk Watch Hill to help us look for the 20,000 raptors that migrate by in the fall season. All ages welcome.
Get Involved
Our programs thrive through community participation and support. Volunteer, attend an event, or become a member to help connect people with nature across Delaware.