Benzie Summer Day Camps, 2020- Canceled

The 2020 Summer Season has been Postponed to the Summer of 2021 Dear Nature Explorers, We have come to the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 summer season at Nature Explorers International. I deeply apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment that this may cause you and your family. After being in communication with state licensing, and carefully Read More …

Summer Day Camps, 2024

    ANNOUNCING: SUMMER DAY CAMPS 2024!   Nature Explorers programming is held in the village of Benzonia, on ⅔ of an acre just off US 31. Participants spend time in the indoor and outdoor classroom spaces, vegetable garden, and wooded area. Nature walks, handling program animals, games, art, science, and experiential play are all Read More …

Summer 2024 Early Bird Discount

Guarantee your spot in summer camps 2024 at a discounted rate! Choose your first pick at dates and age ranges by becoming an Early Bird! Pre-registration is now open for summer day camps 2024 in Benzonia. Dates and age ranges will be announced when regular registration opens on February 1st. Do you know a Nature Read More …

Snow Science Winter Camp at Grow Benzie

SNOW SCIENCE WINTER CAMP Discover our winter water cycle while making snow slime and growing ice crystals. Learn how snowflakes form and take a closer look at microscopic snowflake pictures and the work of Snowflake Bentley. Identify wildlife tracks in the snow on nature walks, go sledding, build snow forts, and learn about winter animal Read More …

Fall After School Classes at Grow Benzie

Nature Explorers International is back at Grow Benzie with after school fun for ages 5-9. Explore natural concepts through science experiments, art, games, outdoor exploration, live animals and more! Weekly themes are below, drop-in when you can, or sign up for either a session or the semester at discounted rates. Tuesdays, 3:30-6pm at the Grow Read More …

Summer Day Camps, 2023

Junior Birdwatchers, Ages 4-8, FULL July 17-20 Practice birdwatching techniques while listening to bird calls, playing games, and creating art. Discover the characteristics of birds through meeting new baby chicks and ducklings. Find out what makes raptors different from other birds, learn to identify common North American songbirds, and start a species checklist and bird Read More …

Outschool Classes, 2023

Live, Online Classes with Ms. Amalia!  Do you know any 5-12 year olds that would be interested in live online classes about animals or fossils? My Outschool classes start next week and run through May. Here is a coupon code for one free class: FERNANDNEI15  Ongoing classes are different each week and kids can come Read More …

Summer Day Camps, 2022

ANNOUNCING: SUMMER CAMPS 2022! Nature Explorers International will be offering two weeks only of summer camps in August of 2022. Registration is now open and space is limited. To register, email: amaliaceleste@gmail.com Nature Detectives, Summer Camp for Ages 4-7-FULL Nature Detectives Summer Camp is currently full, but you are welcome to join the waiting list. Read More …

Benzie Summer Day Camps, 2021

  Announcing in-person classes planned for summer of 2021! All programs are held at 6962 Burr Street in Benzonia, Michigan. State mandated COVID-19 protocols will be carefully followed.    To register for programs, contact: amaliaceleste@gmail.com/231-871-0276   Nuts 4 Nature- FULL July 26-29   Nuts 4 Nature camp is currently full, but you are welcome to Read More …

Benzie Summer Camps 2019

ANNOUNCING: NATURE EXPLORERS SPRING & SUMMER 2019 Summer Camps will be held from Monday through Thursday, 10am-4pm on the following weeks: June 17-20- Nuts 4 Nature for ages 5-10June 24-27- Earth Savers for ages 3-6July 8-11- Water World for ages 7-13July 22-25- Water World for ages 3-6August 5-8- Scales & Slime for ages 7-13 *NEW!~July Read More …

Snow Science Winter Camp

    Learn how snowflakes form and about the different shapes of snow crystals. Look at snowflakes under a microscope, study the water cycle, and look closely at animal adaptations. Find tracks in the snow on nature walks, go sledding, build snow forts, and make snowflake crafts!    Do you know about Snowflake Bentley? The Read More …

Fall Saturday Classes

Art, games, scavenger hunts, nature walks, garden harvesting and interactions with program animals at Nature Explorers indoor and outdoor classroom in Benzonia.    Earthy Afternoons Sept. 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20, Nov. 3 3:30-5:30pm Ages 3-6 Popcorn snack included.  Cost: $12 or $50 for five class series   Nature Nights Sept. 29, Oct. 6, 13, Read More …

Fall Mysteries

  Mondays 3:20-5pm After School At The Children’s House (5363 N Long Lake Rd, Traverse City, MI 49685) Ages 6-10 Sept. 17, 24, Oct. 1, 8 Games, art, program animals, nature walks and scavenger hunts that explore the change of seasons. Why do leaves change color? Where do the insects go? How do amphibians hibernate? Read More …

Pentwater Summer Day Camp

Nature Explorers will be back at Shared Space Studio in Pentwater this summer! July 2-3: Animal Detectives- take a closer look at native wildlife, spend time with  Scaly (the corn snake), Slimy (the tiger salamander), Lizie (the leopard gecko), and Speedy and Sweetpea, the Japanese bantam chickens. Go on nature walks and scavenger hunts, make art, and play Read More …

Nature Explorers Colorado

  A NEW camp is coming to Highlands Ranch, Colorado for three days only! Amalia spent ten years of her childhood living in Colorado, and taught her first Wildlife Ecology class at Outdoor Education Laboratory School in Mt. Evans as a sophomore in High School. She is excited to return to the community to offer Read More …

Benzie Summer Day Camps, 2018

Enrollment is open for Nature Explorers Summer Camps, 2018. Space is limited, and a refundable deposit of half of the registration fee secures your spot. This will be an exciting and pivotal summer to be a part of Nature Explorers! It is the first year at our new location, and will be the first time to Read More …

My New Book “Michigan Wildlife: A Coloring Field Guide” is on Kickstarter!

    Check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nei/michigan-wildlife-a-coloring-field-guide   For several years, I have been working on the text of a coloring book about Michigan wildlife. The project is nearly finished, and I am asking for contributions towards publishing and illustration costs in exchange for original rewards. The books will be printed in early December, and will make for Read More …

Nature Nights at Shared Space

Mysteries of a Michigan Autumn NATURE NIGHTS Saturday’s September 23rd and 30th, 5:30-8:30pm At Shared Space Studio in Pentwater (4391 W. Monroe Rd.) Ages: 6-12 Cost: $22 $40 for both classes Pizza Dinner Included 20% Sibling Discount Early pick-up available by request.   Parents can enjoy a night out while kids have fun learning about Read More …

Fall Programming at Grow Benzie

Mysteries of Autumn Monday’s:  September 25 – November 13 This eight week program will explore the change of seasons through interactive art projects, games, animal interaction, and outdoor exploration. Why and how do the leaves change color? Which birds migrate and where? What are the different methods animals use to store food and hibernate? Children Read More …

Summer Day Camps- 2017

This summer, in Benzie County, Michigan, choose from five weeks of themed nature camps!   There are three different weeks for ages 7-11, and two weeks for ages 3-6.   The week will be split between two great locations that are only a few miles apart from each other. This will give us ample time Read More …

Winter Wonderland

I have to admit, winter really isn’t my season, and I have actively avoided it for most of my adult life. In a current attempt to embrace winter before I leave to teach in Florida for the rest of the semester, I am offering a series of educational programming on the subject. I find that Read More …

Nature Explorers at Grow Benzie

Register for Nature Explorers classes at Grow Benzie by contacting amaliaceleste@gmail.com or 231-871-0276.    My environmental education organization, Nature Explorers International (NEI), has recently found an incredible community partnership at Grow Benzie. At my new office and classroom space, I have the opportunity to both ground NEI in the community, and give it room to flourish. My Read More …

Women Who Travel Solo Series

I’m very honored to have been featured in Something In Her Ramblings travel blog as part of the Women Who Travel Solo Series. I hope that my story about volunteering in Uganda will help to inspire other women to travel solo in Africa. Lauren Salisbury’s travel blog focuses on providing resources and tips for solo travelers Read More …

Sunset Over the Sahara

  Observations from the plane on my first trip to mainland Africa for this week’s Throwback Thursday (January, 2011)…   Vast plains of sand spread below the airplane window as the orange light of the setting sun illuminated sandy peaks and a winding river. The Sahara desert is the largest in the world, covering one Read More …

Make a Leaf Rubbing Poster

  After trekking for two days through a Thai bamboo jungle with a stomach bug, I arrived in a small Karen village. I was sick, muddy, sweaty, and exhausted. But the first thing that I did was find the children and took out the bubbles, crayons, and paper that had traveled all that way in Read More …

Deep in the Colombian Andes

A thick blanket of clouds settles above rolling valleys of green and high peaks of blue. There is a wildness among the calm, a mystery behind the seen, a danger lurking beneath the beauty. The Northern Andes mountains of Colombia are home to incredibly unique animals and vibrant cultures that have been threatened by civil Read More …

To Impact a Community

February 11, 2011   Mud walls, cracked and dry, are packed between vertically stacked sticks that reach about head high. I look over the wall to two similarly constructed classrooms. Children are crowded on benches, bare feet on dirt floors. Uniforms neatly tucked in, they sit obediently and wait. The head master enters, smartly dressed Read More …

The Orangutan and the Seed

Across Indonesia and Malaysia, I taught this lesson to hundreds of children during my year in Borneo. Objective:   Summary:  Students will learn how plants and orangutans are connected through an interactive lesson that includes a science experiment, an art project, and a game.   Concepts:  Parts of a seed, parts of a plant, what Read More …

Beyond Language Barriers

  January 19, 2012   Shades of blue disappear into distant clouds through the layered peaks of the Sierra Madre mountain range in Chiapas, Mexico. Steep hillsides are dotted with the dark green leaves of the coffee plant, and it is upon this land that the Tztotzil Maya have lived for centuries. Coffee has been Read More …

Hello from Borneo

Before I had a blog, I wrote email updates about my travels. For my first Throwback Thursday post, it’s time to get the Borneo section of this blog started.   This was written on December 6, 2014, after my first Nature Explorers class in Borneo. I was lucky enough to return to the same village for Read More …

Snorkel with Seals in New Zealand

Photo provided by Seal Swim Kaikoura   Have you ever wanted to swim with a seal? In Kaikoura, New Zealand, you can! In this unforgettable experience, you become immersed in an underwater forest that sways with the waves as seals twist in and out of massive stands of kelp. Wetsuit, hood, fins, snorkel, and transportation, are all provided Read More …