What’s more idyllic than childhood days spent exploring the forests, meadows and waters of our Green Mountain home? BEEC Nature Explorers are lucky enough to do just that! Our campers spend the majority of each day outside on our 60 wild acres in small groups participating in hands-on activities, non-competitive games, stories, art projects, music, free play, and sledding or water-sliding.
Year after year children return, anticipating fun times and excited to visit special places such as Grandmother Tree, Mossy Rocks, and Frog Pond. They investigate the lives of their wild neighbors, learn naturalist skills, explore wildlife habitats, develop sensory awareness skills, venture off-trail, and discover a sense of magic and wonder in the Great Outdoors!
Exciting news! We have acquired Vermont state licensure and we are now accepting CCFAP, so eligible families can access the state childcare subsidy. We will no longer offer a discount on camp fees, but in-house financial assistance is still an option for families who don’t qualify for CCFAP. Members will still have priority registration on our sell-out camps.
Offered on Teacher-in-Service days and select holidays
For children in grades K – 5
Bring your child during their days out of school for Nature Days of fun at BEEC. We will romp and stomp as we play and learn, and benefit from the fresh air and exercise. Investigating the changing fields and forest around us we will learn through exploration, games and activities. Our adventures will be inspired by what is happening in the natural world.
Drop off 8:45am – 9:00am, Pick up 3:00pm – 3:15pm
$90 per day
Wondering if there is space in a day? Go to the registration form. If a day is full it will give the option of signing up for the waitlist.
What to bring on a specific program day will be shared via email.
For additional information and policies, check out the Nature Explorers Family Handbook.
For each child attending camp, please complete an online Medical Form and Waiver.
Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC) is dedicated to helping make its youth programs accessible and affordable to all. We do this by offering state subsidy through the VT Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CFFAP) and further by offering scholarship funds through BEEC to help families with financial need beyond the Child Care Financial Assistance Program.
Vermont childcare CCFAP subsidies are available for children up to age 12. Learn more about CCFAP here. BEEC is dedicated to making our programs accessible to all. Families can apply for a scholarship with their registration. If you’d like to contribute to the scholarship fund, you can donate online here, or when you make a payment. Thank you!
February 2026 (specific dates TBD)
For children in grades 1 – 5
During Nature Explorers Winter Camp we will…
Drop off 8:45am – 9:00am, Pick up 3:00pm – 3:15pm
Program fee: TBD
Registration coming soon!
Vermont childcare CCFAP subsidies now apply to our programs, and are available for children up to age 12. Learn more about CCFAP here. BEEC is dedicated to making our programs accessible to all. Families can apply for a scholarship with their registration.
If you’d like to contribute to the scholarship fund, you can donate online here. Thank you!
Wondering what to bring to camp? Check out the Winter Camp Welcome Letter (coming soon). For additional information and policies, check out the Nature Explorers Family Handbook.
For each child attending camp, please complete an online Medical Form and Waiver.
April 20-24, 2026
For children in grades K – 4
During Nature Explorers Spring Camp we will…
Drop off 8:45am – 9:00am, Pick up 3:00pm – 3:15pm
Program fee: TBD
Registration coming soon!
Vermont childcare CCFAP subsidies now apply to our programs, and are available for children up to age 12. Learn more about CCFAP here. BEEC is dedicated to making our programs accessible to all. Families can apply for a scholarship with their registration. If you’d like to contribute to the scholarship fund, you can donate online here, or when you make a payment. Thank you!
Wondering what to bring to camp? Check out the Spring Camp Welcome Letter (coming soon). For additional information and policies, check out the Nature Explorers Family Handbook.
For each child attending camp, please complete an online Medical Form and Waiver.
Six Weeks: June – August, 2026
For children ages 4 to 11
Nature Explorers Summer Camp captures the essence of a wholesome, screenfree childhood, but makes it seriously fun and immersive. Each week is dynamic as activities are guided by the theme of the week, interests of the group, and offerings from nature. All camps include exploration and discovery, games inspired by the world around us, naturalist skills including sensory observation and inquiry, hands-on activities, free play, journaling, stories, craft projects, and song.
2026 Summer Dates to be announced come spring 2026
Camp – Monday to Friday: Drop off 8:45am – 9:00am, Pick up 3:00pm – 3:15pm
Aftercare – Monday to Thursday: until 4:00pm
Camp fee = $450 / week
Aftercare fee = $45 / week
Deposit = $90 / week
Vermont childcare CCFAP subsidies now apply to our programs, and are available for children up to age 12. Learn more about CCFAP here. BEEC is dedicated to making our programs accessible to all. Families can apply for a scholarship with their registration.
If you’d like to contribute to the scholarship fund, you can donate online here!
A camp group is for the ages listed, and other ages can join with permission. Each week there will be two groups of children. Each group will have 2 camp staff, with up to 10 children in the younger group and 12 children in the older group.
Registration is by the week, and each week has a theme guiding activities. When both age groups have the same theme they will experience different variations; as the campers grow, the activities grow with them. See last year's theme descriptions here.
Aftercare is offered each week (Mon-Thu) for one group of 12, mixed-aged children.
If a camp group fills, the Summer Schedule will be updated to state “waitlist” next to a full group. You are welcome to sign up for the waitlist, as changes do happen.
Camp is mostly outdoors, with the support of outdoor shelters and indoor classrooms.
For more information and policies, view the Nature Explorers Family Handbook.
For each child attending camp, please complete an online Medical Form and Waiver.
So that camp can be as safe as possible for all participants, we continue to follow evolving COVID-19 protocols. We request that children and staff do a daily health screening at home prior to arrival. Please follow current CDC guidelines on keeping each other safe and healthy.
Questions? Send us a message or call 802.257.5785
Creep, Crawl, and Leap: Blending imagination and discovery, we discovered and became creatures that could creep, crawl and leap, including arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, centaurs, unicorns, and more.
Flit, Flutter, and Fly: Blending imagination and discovery, we discovered and became creatures that could flit, flutter and fly, including insects, birds, bats, fairies, dragons and more.
Amazing Animals: Each day we learned about a new facet of the natural world, phenomenal plants, incredible insects, beautiful birds, amazing amphibians, and mysterious mammals.
Wild Wanderings: Each day visited a different habitat of Heifer Hill, and discovered life in a pond, a vernal pool, the meadows, the forest, and the relationships within our local ecosystems.
Magical World of Nature: Venturing through fields and woodlands in search of nature’s mysteries, magical places, and mystical creatures, together we found and created the magical world around us.
Creative by Nature: We explored nature with art, music, and theater. The forests and fields were our canvas as we look to the landscape and its inhabitants for inspiration to be wildly creative together.
Nature Heroes: We became Nature Heroes by exploring the fascinating connections between plants and animals and learning how to take care of their habitats. Through activities, nature crafts, community science, and an onsite conservation project, we discovered how we can make a difference and help nature thrive.
Adventures of Poppy: We discovered the world of mice, porcupines and owls. We found mouse homes and built our own, dissected owl pellets, tasted porcupines’ favorite foods, and played predator-prey games… This camp was inspired by the book Poppy, by Avi, as we bring the story to life on whimsical adventures.
Bonnyvale Detectives: We journeyed to find the hidden stories of life at BEEC from past to present. Those who came before us inspired our activities and saunterings. We discovered the ancient bedrock that feeds our wild edibles, and found clues from dwellers past, practiced fire skills and built shelters, to add our own stories to the land.
Mountains to Moss: Exploring & Photographing Natural Habitats
August 2026 (dates TBD)
9am – 3pm, Ages 11 to 18
This program will integrate digital photography into nature exploration and discovery, through a collaboration between In-Sight Photography and BEEC. We will use the camera as a lens to investigate the natural world around us. Explorations will take place at natural areas around Brattleboro, including woodland, aquatic and mountain adventures. No prior camera experience needed. Cameras will be provided by In-Sight.
*Drop off and pick up location will vary by the day (rotating between BEEC and In-Sight)
BEEC programs with In-Sight are offered regardless of ability to pay, and no interested youth is ever turned away because of their family’s economic circumstances. Families are asked to recognize the cost to run the program based on suggested pricing tiers, but pledge and pay what they can afford.
Questions? Send us a message or call 802.257.5785
Physical Location:
1221 Bonnyvale Road
West Brattleboro, Vermont
Mailing Address:
PO Box 2318
West Brattleboro, VT 05303
Trails open year round, sunrise to sunset
Office hours 10am-4pm Monday-Friday
