Signups start soon for Arboretum youth programs
![Kids meet one of the wild inhabitants of the N.C. Arboretum grounds. N.C. Arboretum photo](https://smokymountainnews.s3.amazonaws.com/media/k2/items/cache/e83bbbc38a834b06e1ae354ab64da7fd_XL.jpg?javer=2409070754?t=20240105_141449)
Registration opens soon for several upcoming outdoor education opportunities at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.
• Wee Naturalists, a program that lets kids ages 2-5 delight in short nature walks, stories, crafts and possibly animal visits from the Arboretum’s classroom critters, opens for registration at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 4. Spring and winter sessions are available, with morning and afternoon options each session. Cost is $100.
• Outdoor Adventure Kids, or OAK, is a safety-first approach to explore the natural world with other kids ages 6-13 that opens for registration at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 4. Five-week winter and spring sessions are available, offered Fridays 12:30-4:30 p.m. Cost is $260 per session.
• Registration opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, for spring field trips that blend outdoor education with inquiry-based STEM education. Field trips are offered Tuesday through Thursday each week Feb. 27 through May 16, except for April 1-5.
• Kids in kindergarten through eighth grade can apply for need-based scholarships to attend Discovery Camp this summer or spring break Jan. 12-31. During Discovery Camp, kids spend a week exploring the great outdoors in the Arboretum’s 434-acre campus. Scholarship awards are based on household size and annual income.
Learn more at ncarboretum.org/education-programs. Members receive a 10% discount on all classes and registrations.