Mighty Acorns Preschool Educational Programs
The program sessions offer creative, open-ended, exploratory programs developed for children ages 3 to 6 and their caregivers. Our goal is to foster an early love of the natural world and an eagerness to explore and have fun outside! Additionally, these sessions provide a great introduction to the learning environment we cultivate for our Wee Explorers camp experiences, our entry-level camp experience for kids ages 4 & 5.
Program sessions will be held monthly from October - December and February - June. Programs occur outdoors as much as possible. We invite young adventurers to explore the natural world through interactive and hands-on lessons, activities, outdoor adventures, and play. This program is held at The Nature Museum and typically involves exploring and learning in nearby-nature that include forest, meadow, pond, river, the Magic Forest Playscape, and our native plant garden.
Although these sessions are developed for students ages 3-6, older students are welcome if interested. Accompanying siblings/children under the age of 3 are also welcome and free with the registration of a primary child.
Program sessions, 9:30-10:30, one Friday per month
Drop-ins are welcome, but registration is strongly encouraged.
Cost: $20 per singular session; $15 for 3 or more sessions.
Is cost or access a barrier to your participation? We may be able to help. Please email jay@nature-museum.org.
Playgroup sessions, 10:30-11:30, same day
Drop-in welcome. No registration required.
Cost: Free for day-of program session participants. By donation for drop-ins.
2025 Mighty Acorn Sessions
February: Winter Wildlife Detectives
Friday 02/14/25
Program: 9:30AM - 10:30AM
Playgroup: 10:30AM - 11:30AM
Winter Wildlife Detectives
Program Session:
Despite the cold winter wind and snow, wildlife is still on the move in different habitats. In this program we’ll learn more about our wildlife neighbors, how they survive in winter, and how we can discover clues about their winter wanderings! We’ll investigate animal bio-facts (pelts, feathers, track molds, scat, and feet), explore what wildlife clues we’ll want to look for, and then head out on an exploration to discover clues of what some animals have been up to. Bring your detective skills, warm clothes, and a sense of adventure!
Playgroup Session:
If snow conditions allow, snow play is encouraged! Continued wildlife tracking, sledding, snowshoeing, snow fort building, and free play in the playscape will be available. The museum has a limited number of snowshoes and sleds. Feel free to bring your own!
March: Grateful For Maple
Friday 03/14/25
Program: 9:30AM - 10:30AM
Playgroup: 10:30AM - 11:30AM
Grateful For Maple
Maple syrup is a magical ingredient to our taste buds. Maple syrup is a true sweet treat of nature that can only be made at a special time of year. So, where does maple syrup come from? What happens to get it from tree to pancake? There is a lot of science and effort that happens to make this special sweet syrup. Come discover more about the New England tradition of maple sugaring. If the time is right, we’ll visit a local sugar shack to see maple sugaring in action! (Approx. 5 minute drive away to Plummer’s Sugar House). Alternatively, we’ll head out to discover nearby maple trees, thank them for their sweet treat, and taste some maple syrup around a campfire. (Conditions permitting)
Playgroup Session:
If snow conditions allow, snow play is encouraged! Sledding, snowshoeing, snow fort building, and free play in the playscape will be available. The museum has a limited number of snowshoes and sleds. Feel free to bring your own!
April: Who’s Hiding There?
Friday 04/11/25
Program: 9:30AM - 10:30AM
Playgroup: 10:30AM - 11:30AM
Who’s Hiding There?
Wildlife come in all shapes and sizes with a variety of texture and colors. Some live in the trees while others live underwater. Some can do both! Some frequent forests while others frequent meadows. Many live and visit more than one habitat. In nature, the game of hide and seek is essential to find food and avoid becoming food! Wildlife have incredible adaptations that help them blend into their environments to survive and thrive. Come learn about the different ways animals look and behave to blend in with their surroundings.
May: Who Uses a Tree?
Friday 05/09/25
Program: 9:30AM - 10:30AM
Playgroup: 10:30AM - 11:30AM
Who Uses a Tree?
A tree can be home, a buffet, a hiding place, a playground, a water protector, and so much more to all kinds of wildlife. Some wildlife spend their entire life in a tree while other lives depend on trees even if they never touch one. Trees are one of the truest caregivers in our forests. We’ll take a closer look at trees and how they serve as special guardians of their environments.
June: Who Lives In A Pond?
Friday 06/06/25
Program: 9:30AM - 10:30AM
Playgroup: 10:30AM - 11:30AM
Who Lives In A Pond?
Pond habitats provide important resources to all kinds of critters, big and small! We’ll discover more about this important habitat and who relies on it by taking a closer look at a few pond-loving species, explore a nearby pond environment, and maybe even capture some pond creatures to investigate with our own eyes! Be sure to come prepared with rainboots or water shoes and clothes that can get wet and dirty.
Mighty Acorns Playgroups
Playgroup sessions will be immediately after program sessions on the same day.
There is no cost if registered for the educational program on that morning. If attending just the playgroup, the cost is by donation. Suggested museum admission donation: $5 per person or $15 per family.
Mighty Acorns Preschool Club: Playgroup Sessions offer a welcoming environment for structured and unstructured nature-based free-play, and a space for connecting with others kids, caregivers, and families. A skilled Environmental Educator will be present to continue curious learning after the program through additional activities, and help foster play through the museum’s great learning resources, indoor spaces, and outdoor spaces. Our goal: To foster an early love of the natural world and eagerness to explore and have fun, especially outside! Playgroup sessions will occur after each program. Participants will be free to explore inside the museum, the Chapman Meadow, the Magic Forest Playscape, and the nearby Grafton Village Park.