The Nature Explorer's offer students a unique opportunity to interact with the natural world in challenging and meaningful ways that are also lots of fun. We believe in a positive approach to developing nature skills and awareness, and we have found that children instinctively love the natural world when they have quality "dirt time" with experienced naturalists and educators. Our offerings include a nature skills and awareness day camp, a bay and sea field trip day camp, and a nature explorers surf camp. A student can sign up for a single camp or the entire series, which is designed to provide each student with the opportunity to both learn and apply some powerful nature observation and inquiry skills that will inspire their natural curiosity and put them well on their way to being life-long learners of the natural world.

The Nature Explorer's Camps thrive on providing students with hands-on immersion experiences. With an instructor to student ratio of 7-to-1 and a wide variety of natural communities nearby we are able to create a learning environment which fosters each campers innate curiosity for nature.

The Coast Side Explorers program will offer students a great opportunity to interact with the unique coastal environment through outdoor adventures that are challenging, exciting, and a lot of fun. A core principle behind the program is to provide quality "dirt-time" experiences that allow learning about nature to happen by interacting with it. Utilizing both scientific and indigenous studies and through hands-on outdoor experiences, students develop fundamental naturalist knowledge, awareness skills, stewardship abilities, and personal relationships to the natural environment.

Who : 9-13 year olds
When : 15 weeks every Wednesday, February 14- May 30, 9am-3pm
Where : Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve
Cost : $825. Partial scholarships are available and are offered according to student needs.
Instructor : Sky Snyder
To Apply : Contact Sky Snyder, skysnyder@riekes.org, 650-298-3405

The Surf City Nature Explorers program will offer students a great opportunity to interact with the unique coastal environment through outdoor adventures that are challenging, exciting, and a lot of fun. A core principle behind the program is to provide quality "dirt-time" experiences that allow learning about nature to happen by interacting with it. This unique program will combine nature awareness training, science-based natural history, indigenous studies, wildlife inventory mapping, and hands-on survival skills to create deep connections with nature.

Who : 9-13 year olds
When : 15 weeks every Thursday, February 15- May 31, 9am-3pm
Where : Wilder Ranch State Park
Cost : $825. Partial scholarships are available and are offered according to student needs.
Instructors : Gavin Comstock, Ken Clarkson, Mark Batcheler
To Apply : Contact Ken Clarkson, Nature Awareness Program Director, kclarkson@riekes.org, 650-823-4346

The San Francisco Bay and its surrounding areas are some of the most spectacular places on earth. Filled with an incredible diversity of wildlife, plants and trees, we have a great opportunity in our own "backyard" to learn about the wonders of nature. Each day the Bay-to-Sea Field Trip Camp will take us from exploring different areas around the bay including marshes and foothill forests and then over the Santa Cruz mountains to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean where we will track along the shore, play in the sand, watch birds of prey, and explore riparian river mouths. Students are sure to view the area in which they live with a whole new lens after this camp.
Date: July 10-14
9 am-4 pm
Drop off and Pick-up at The Riekes Center in Menlo Park each day
Ages 9-13
Cost $275

The Riekes Center and Surf Camp Pacifica have teamed up to bring you a great opportunity to experience the Pacific Ocean in a way that only riding one of its waves can bring to you. These camps are designed to bring each student a unique opportunity to learn about the ocean. With a 1:5 instructor- to-student ratio, this program emphasizes ocean safety and water awareness as a core principle. In addition to a healthy love and respect for the water, the program will help to cultivate a lifelong enthusiasm for the ocean. Program learning activities include: Fundamentals of surfing, wave judgment, surfing etiquette, body boarding, ocean rescue techniques, and lots of fun.
June 19-23, 12-5
July 17-21, 8:30-1:30
July 31-Aug 4, 8:30-1:30
Drop off & Pick-up at The Riekes Center in Menlo Park at time indicated Ages 6-18
Cost $350 (Includes gear & travel)

Come spend a week camping in the field while we swim in rivers, sleep under star-filled skies, tell stories around the campfire, and go on fun-filled adventures. During these 5 days and 4 nights together we will learn outdoor living skills, how to track a coyote, how to make a wooden spoon around the campfire, and much more. Most importantly we will learn how to be in a group of people that is moving like a tribe across the natural landscape, cooking, eating, and traveling together. Each student will acquire many transferable outdoor & naturalist skills that will carry over to future outdoor experiences.
Dates: July 24-28
Drop off at 9am on the 24th and pick-up at 4pm on the 28th at the Riekes Center.
Location: Ventana Wilderness, east of Big Sur
Ages 10-13
Cost $550 (Includes food and Travel)

This program aims at the best of both worlds. Part of our time will be focused on developing our primitive skills including fire by friction, bow and arrow making, basketry, primitive musical instruments, traps, bowl burning, tanning hides, and more. When not working on our skills we will be wandering through the woods tracking animals, learning wild edible plants, building shelters, exploring creeks, and increasing our awareness through play.

Who : 9-13 year olds
When : 10 sessions, every other Saturday, January 20 - June 2, 9am-2pm
Where : Drop off and Pick-up at The Riekes Center in Menlo Park
Cost : $700, Partial scholarships are available according to student needs
Instructor : Mark Batcheler
To Apply : Contact Ken Clarkson, Nature Awareness Program Director, kclarkson@riekes.org, 650-823-4346

The Nature Skills & Awareness Day Camp serves as the core for all of our summer camp programs. During this week, students will learn many foundational naturalist tools and outdoor skills while heightening their everyday awareness. Huddart Park provides us with the wonderful opportunity for creek exploration and learning about different forest communities. We will spend our time playing games, creating outdoor crafts and projects, and simply being outside in the warm summer sun having lots of fun.
Ages 6-8 June 19-23
Ages 9-13 June 26-30
9 am-3 pm
Huddart Park in Woodside
Cost $225