Important Notice: You are welcome to visit our exhibit hall during building hours. Click here for details.
To view our upcoming programs please visit our Calendar.
For our free online nature program series Virtual Nature Explorers please click here.
LITTLE ACORNS
Pre-registration is required.
Let your child explore the sights and sounds of nature through outdoor activities. This program will take place outside, except in the event of inclement weather. You may wish to bring children in strollers sturdy enough for a wood chipped trail.
Ages: 2-4 years
Fee: $5/child; TNS member Fee: $3/child
The adult partner is free and must accompany the child throughout the program – only one adult per child.
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
TNS Members: Use Promo Code MEMBER20 for discount pricing.
LIVE OWL TOURS
Pre-registration is required.
Join us on this tour to visit the 5 rehabilitated owls that call the Stage Nature Center home. This tour gives you a chance to learn more about the different owl species, reasons why they each live in captivity, explore their different personalities, and get your owl questions answered.
Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.
Ages: Recommended for ages 3- Adult
Fee: $3
Space is limited. Registrations may fill before the day of the program. Pre-registration is strongly recommended.
Tour begins promptly at 2:00 pm. There is no admittance after the tour begins. Refunds and exchanges are not available.
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
WALK WITH A NATURALIST
Pre-registration is required.
Check out summer happenings as you take a relaxing walk through the various natural communities at the Stage Nature Center. Exploring our 100 acre preserve with a naturalist will give you an opportunity to discover things that you may not have noticed before! Along the way, the naturalist will answer your nature questions and introduce you to fun facts about the plants and wildlife sighted.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Ages: 3- Adult
Fee: Free; DONATIONS ACCEPTED
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
BAT WALKS
Pre-registration is required.
Join us to step into the world of some of Michigan’s bug busters. Discover the importance of bats as we search for them living on the grounds of the Stage Nature Center. Just one bat can consume 2,000 to 5,000 insects in one night! We will watch these acrobatic creatures swoop through the air catching insects and listen to their echolocation with a bat detector.
This is a family program; children must be accompanied by a registered adult. Each person participating must enroll and pay the fee.
Ages: 5-Adult
Fee: $7; TNS Member Fee: $5
TNS Members: Use Promo Code MEMBER20 for discount
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
PEEK AT THE POND
Pre-registration is required.
Join us as we explore life in the pond. Use one of our nets to catch and observe the small animals living there, like aquatic insects and fish. A naturalist will be available to assist in catching and identifying the animals. We will also use microscopes and hand lenses for a closer look at the small animals caught.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Ages: 3 years-Adult
Fee: $7; TNS member Fee: $5
TNS Members: Use Promo Code MEMBER20 for discount pricing.
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
BEES – WHAT’S WRONG & HOW CAN WE HELP?
Pre-registration is required.
Meet one of our resident beekeepers, Kerry Wysocki, owner of Fat Bottomed Girl Honey and president of the Oakland Beekeepers Club, to discover what it takes to be a beekeeper and why bees are important. You will learn about the problems that bees are facing and what you can do to help bees and other pollinators. You will also enjoy a tasting of some honey samples!
Each person participating must enroll.
Ages: 13-Adult
ADMISSION IS FREE. DONATIONS ARE APPRECIATED
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
KNEE-HIGH NATURALISTS
Pre-registration is required.
Each Knee-High Naturalist session includes a nature story, hike, activities, craft and a snack.
JULY: Children, ages 2-4, with one adult partner will enjoy this July program as they discover beautiful butterflies at the nature center. Coming in August, children will learn about animal homes.
AUGUST: Children, ages 2-4, with one adult partner will enjoy this August program. They will discover what kind of animal homes are found at the nature center. Coming in September, explore which animals live under logs.
Fee: $14/child; TNS member Fee: $11/child
Adult Partner is Free – only one adult per child
TNS Members: Use Promo Code MEMBER20 for discount pricing.
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
Click here to register for Jul 23
Click here to register for Jul 24
NATURE EXPLORERS
Pre-registration is required.
Enjoy some screen-free time while exploring the natural world. Together we will participate in hands-on, outdoor experiences to investigate different nature-related topics.
JULY: Join us in July as we explore one of summer’s fascinating natural light shows: fireflies! We will discover what makes them light up, participate in acting out their glowing dance, and look for them on the trails of the Stage Nature Center.
AUGUST: Join us in August as we learn about owls and their adaptations for predation while meeting a live owl! We will get up close and personal with their feeding habits by dissecting owl pellets to discover which animals they eat. Each person will dissect an owl pellet and have the opportunity to take home the bones found in them. We will then venture out to explore owl habitat on a short hike.
Age: Recommended for Ages 5 & up; All ages welcome
Registration is on a month-to-month basis. Adults must register and remain with their children.
TNS Member Fee: $4; Non-Member Fee: $6
TNS Members: Use Promo Code MEMBER20 for discount
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
PHOTO WALKS
Pre-registration is required.
Troy Nature Society Photo Club volunteers will lead a guided tour through the Stage Nature Center. Meet in the parking lot at the nature center by 8 am and bring your camera. All ages are invited. Dress for the weather as the walk takes place entirely outdoors.
Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.
Ages: All
Fee: $2; TNS Member Fee: Free
TNS Members: Use Promo Code MEMBER20 for discount pricing.
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
STARGAZING AT STAGE
Pre-registration is required.
Join Warren Astronomical Society member Marty Kunz to explore the summer night sky. We will search for summer constellations and deep space objects while keeping a watchful eye out for meteors from the Perseid meteor shower. Telescopes will be provided; however, you are welcome to bring your own. This program will occur regardless of the sky conditions. Dress for the weather.
This is a family program; children must be accompanied by a registered adult. Each person participating must enroll and pay the fee.
Ages: 8-Adult
Fee: $8; TNS Member Fee: $6
TNS Members: Use Promo Code MEMBER20 for discount
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
INTRO TO PHOTOGRAPHY FOR TEENS
Pre-registration is required.
Join photographers from the Troy Nature Society Photo Club for an introduction to photography. We will work on not just looking but SEEING. Any kind of camera is okay, including cell phone cameras. We will start with a brief introduction indoors, and then we’ll go outside and (slowly) walk the trails of the Stage Nature Center. The goal is for you to break out of your habits and take some pictures like you’ve never taken before.
Ages: 13-17
Fee: Free; Donations accepted
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
INTRO TO NATIVE PLANTS & NATURAL LANDSCAPING
Pre-registration is required.
Angela Nelson, Horticulturist at East Michigan Native Plants, LLC, will hold a workshop before the Native Plant Sale to assist you in making your native plant selections! The workshop will provide an introduction to native plants and natural landscaping concepts, discuss environmental and planning considerations, and delve into maintenance techniques, as well as take a look at some of Michigan’s most valuable wildflower and grass species.
Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. Each person participating must enroll and pay the fee.
Ages: 12-Adult
Fee: $5; TNS Member Fee: $4
TNS Members: Use Promo Code MEMBER20 for discount
For safety during this time, please have your face covering and consider bringing hand sanitizer when you attend the program.
NATIVE PLANT SALE
WATCH THIS SPACE – MORE NATURE EDUCATION PROGRAMS COMING SOON!