Before & After School Care & Clubs

Artworks Studio - Eco Explorers - STEAM - Nature Nuts

Award Winning After School Eco Explorers Club

*Voted 1st Place for Best Afterschool Program 2016-2019 by the Severna Park Voice

Take a walk on the wild side with the Eco Explorers club--an adventurous alternative to the traditional afterschool program! Students will have the opportunity to interact with different animals, assist with animal care, develop their own projects, connect with nature, play games, occasionally go on field trips, and much more! Each day of after school will include homework help and snack time before students begin their afternoon activities. Every Eco Explorer will be then be assigned an animal care/chore that they work on each day they are at Eco Adventures. Students also learn life skills that can ultimately assist them in their future goals. We even had our first after school alumni going to University of Maryland in the Fall! He became a Jr. Assistant, then a volunteer, and is now a staff member!

There will also be a weekly theme and activities that tie to each theme.

Mon-Tues: On top of animal fun, activities include hands-on STEaM activities, art, cool science experiments, games, and more!

Wed-Thurs -will offer a range of activities for all students, but it is a great day for aspiring Junior Assistants!We will spend time working on presentation skills, learning to present animals, "how to" chores needed for summer camps, work on ongoing projects- learning about animal care and animal careers. Perfect days for students who want to focus on animal care and husbandry. Feed animals, including feeding scorpions, gators, lizards, tortoises, and playing with our new baby kinkajou! Help clean enclosures, make enrichment toys, take weights and measurements, walk, bathe and feed our 50 lb Sulcata tortoise, Max, & much more!

Thurs- Let's face it- we get daily calls for people trying to give up their pets- Let's try to solve this problem- and find a solution! Help give "Responsible Pet keeping Classes" for the public- Now that you know the animals, let's educate others about how to take care of animals, research and know your animals- BEFORE you get them. Help develop the classes for various popular pets and give presentations to the public t help create awareness for a more responsible commitment before kids get pets. Help develop an "adoption" page on our website to help connect donors with responsible future pet owners.

Fridays- a day of mixed up fun! Eco Explorers will get hands on with animals, participate in crafts or games, bounce on the moonbounce, do the fossil dig, go on field trips, and most importantly - have fun!

* Activities subject to change. If registering for van pick up, please call us first to make sure our vans pick up at your school.

Call or Register Online

Session Pricing Table 2019 - 2020: Jan 2nd - Feb 28th

Discounts: Military 5% discount, sibling discount 10%
May only use one discount

Day(s) Attending If attending multiple days, add the Prices For Session to find your total. Example: If attending Tuesdays & Thursdays with out van pick up, Total Session Price would be $442 ($216 + $226)	Price For Session ( Rates Below Calculated using: $28/Day 4-6pm $38/Early Dismissal Day 2-6pm)	Price with Van Pick Up From School (Rates Below Calculated using: $33/Day 4-6pm $46/Early Dismissal Day 2-6pm)
Mondays	$168	$198
Tuesdays	$229	$277
Wednesdays	$234	$290
Thursdays	$224	$264
Fridays	$252	$297
All 5 Days	$941	$1089 *%15 Discount

* must check for pick up at your school

Eco Explorers Policies

Please note that some of our animals may eat peanuts and other varieties of nuts.
Please be on time to pick up your children. Parents will be subject to a late pick up fee after 5 minutes.
Do not bring any toys & electronics.
Notify us if your child will be absent (especially if your child is scheduled for van pick up).
Sick Policy: You may make up to 2 days of missed class anytime during the same session. You must give advance notice to make up class & it is dependent on availability. If that does not work out you may get one pass to a Jungle Express. If there is a closing due to snow/weather you may make up the day. No refunds or credits.
Vacation Policy: You may make up to 2 consecutive days for miss vacation days. You must give advance notice to make up class & it is dependent on availability.
You may add on a day (a la carte). You must give us 2 days advance notice to do so & it is dependent on availability for that day.
Snow/Inclement Weather Policy: If Anne Arundel County Schools close, Eco Adventures is closed. If AACPS let out early, you are responsible for pick up. If AACPS cancels afterschool activities, Eco Adventures is still open unless we notify you otherwise.
Special Needs: We welcome special needs students to learn and thrive in our hands-on learning style at Eco Adventures. In order to maintain the quality of our programs and for your children's and animals' safety, we require parents notify us of special needs such as ADHD, autism, behavioral problems, physical or medical disabilities, or allergies) Failure to do so, may result in cancellation of registration without a refund if the child becomes disruptive or fails to follow program rules, safety rules, and policies. We are not special needs experts as stated in our camp policy form.
Payment plans must be paid in full before starting the next session.

Nature Nuts After School Program

The Nature Nuts program brings the excitement and fun of the new Eco Adventures right to your school! Using a hands-on approach to learning, our goal is to empower students to take action on issues concerning conservation and the environment. Students will encounter a variety of live animals such as tarantulas, toads, lizards, giant roaches, snakes, crocodiles, frogs, small mammals, turtles, and much more! *This program counts towards the requirements for GREEN SCHOOL CERTIFICATION* Please write the dates on your calendar as there will not be weekly reminders. Remember to send in a note to your child's teacher and pack a peanut free snack/drink. Please email us if your child is going to be absent or if they are in SAAC. Special Needs – We welcome special needs students to learn and thrive in our hands on learning style at Eco Adventures. In order to maintain the quality of our programs and for your children's and animals' safety, we require that special needs students have adult supervision to assist. Failure to do so, may result in cancellation of registration as we are not special needs experts. Classes can be 4 weeks-6 weeks,once a week or once a month. One hour long up to 30 participants. Students sign up through our online registration system. School sends out a flyer. First come first serve on dates- so hurry and let us know!

Themes

Prehensility: Talented Tails

Ever have both your hands full and wished you had an extra? Meet some special animals who have tails that can act like an extra hand! Students will learn about prehensile limbs and how these special appendages help animals survive in their arboreal environment.

Camoflage/Coloration

Did that leaf just walk? Or do you feel like something is watching you, but you can’t quite see it? Well don’t look away or you just might miss these animals hiding right in front of you! Together, we will look at why animals are the colors they are. Not all our animal friends are masters of disguise after all, some like to stand out with BRIGHT colors. But every color and marking has a purpose. It will be your job to learn what they mean. Be sure you have a sharp eye, or you might miss something. for??

Deep Water Life

You see a creature with a light on its head, and huge sharp teeth. Next to it is another with huge eyes and a pitch-black body. Are these two bizarre beings’ aliens? Why, of course not, but they are from a world unlike ours. Dive on in to the strange, and sometimes creepy, world of the deep dark ocean. Here there is hardly any light, freezing cold temperatures, and immense pressure. How could anything live in such extreme conditions? Let us take a closer look at the adaptations these animals use to survive.

Venom vs. Poison

We've all heard the stories... crazy animals whose bite or sting is full of VENOM and can make you deathly ill... Or other animals who make POISON that can slay the most fearsome predator... These are no ordinary adaptations! Come explore some of nature's deadliest cocktails as you discover WHY so many animals have evolved these abilities, the different between poison and venom, and more!! Scientists are still struggling to uncover this enigmatic adaptation, and we need YOUR help and ideas too--just try not to get stung...!

Important Information

If you would like to sign up after the program has already begun, you will need to call our office to sign up at a pro-rated cost.
Please let us know when a child is absent and write dates on calendars as there are no reminders and no credits or refunds for missed classes.
Let us know if your child has SAAC/after school care or any other person pick up other than parent. Must sign out student and have photo ID.
Please pack a light snack
Let us know of any special needs.
For the safety of your children and our animals, repeated behavioral or not listening problems that hinder the quality of the program for others can result in child's registration cancellation without a refund. We will notify parents when there is a problem.
Please note themes will vary from school to school.

Click Here to Register

Full Steam Ahead

NATURE NUTS AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS AT YOUR SCHOOL OPTION:

NEWS FLASH!!! Eco Adventures has done the impossible!!! They've made STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), super exciting and…wait for it…..kid friendly!! That's right kid friendly, meaning that kids simply cannot get enough of what we're offering. Drawing upon Eco Adventures' unique resources, special talents, and keen minds, our education team has created a dynamic, kid approved, set of STEAM activities that get kids excited! We know…because we've already run them by young inquiring minds, and they gave us two thumbs up. We're proud to be offering our Kid Approved STEAM activities in an all new after school Program. And, as always, Eco Adventures will bring it all together with fun, inquiry based, hands on learning, in a dynamic and high tech fashion. In each class, kids can interact with animals, create experiments, test theories, formulate questions, utilize gear and gadgets, incorporate artwork, and even devise creations. This is Eco Adventures at its best…it's STEAM…and most importantly it's KID APPROVED! This is a session you simply cannot miss!