Clare Butterfly, an Indigenous knowledge keeper, will be at Ellis Nature Centre on Saturday, July 27 to teach two hand drum creation workshops. With Clare’s guidance, participants will get to make their own hand drum using materials that Clare has harvested for the workshop. This workshop is beginner friendly and anyone aged 12+ is welcome to participate. Younger children are also welcome to participate so long as an adult is accompanying them to help them make their drum. Spots are limited to 15 people per session.

Clare Butterfly, an Indigenous knowledge keeper, will be at Ellis Nature Centre on Saturday, July 27 to teach two hand drum creation workshops. With Clare’s guidance, participants will get to make their own hand drum using materials that Clare has harvested for the workshop. This workshop is beginner friendly and anyone aged 12+ is welcome to participate. Younger children are also welcome to participate so long as an adult is accompanying them to help them make their drum. Spots are limited to 15 people per session.

Join Ellis Nature Centre for an inside look at the process of owning honey bees! In this one and a half hour program, you’ll work alongside our bee keepers to remove the honey combs from our hives & then harvest the honey from them. If you want an inside look at a bee hive & the work of bee keepers, this is the session for you! Proper equipment, including protective gear, will be provided. All participants will even get to take a small jar of honey home with them! All ages are welcome, only $5 per person. Pre-registration is required as spots are limited.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Bees on July 30 from 2-3pm! We’ll learn about bees, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre for Junior Naturalist day camp on July 31 from 9am-3pm! This camp will have an outdoors and hands-on focus. We’ll also spend more time exploring the birds we have on our site during this day.

The fee for the camp is $30 per child and is open to children aged 7-12. Please note that we do allow drop-off beginning at 8:30am and pick-up until 3:30pm, but there will not be direct instruction at this time.

An email with the information you need to prepare your camper will be sent 1 week before the camp.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Badgers on August 1 from 11am-12pm! We’ll learn about Badgers, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Badgers on August 1 from 2-3pm! We’ll learn about Badgers, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre for Junior Naturalist day camp on August 2 from 9am-3pm! This camp will have an outdoors and hands-on focus. We’ll also spend more time exploring nature art during this day.

The fee for the camp is $30 per child and is open to children aged 7-12. Please note that we do allow drop-off beginning at 8:30am and pick-up until 3:30pm, but there will not be direct instruction at this time.

An email with the information you need to prepare your camper will be sent 1 week before the camp.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about snowshoe hares on August 6 from 11am-12pm! We’ll learn about snowshoe hares, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about snowshoe hares on August 6 from 2-3pm! We’ll learn about snowshoe hares, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre for Junior Naturalist day camp on August 7 from 9am-3pm! This camp will have an outdoors and hands-on focus. We’ll also spend more time exploring Indigenous knowledge about land & nature during this day.

The fee for the camp is $30 per child and is open to children aged 7-12. Please note that we do allow drop-off beginning at 8:30am and pick-up until 3:30pm, but there will not be direct instruction at this time.

An email with the information you need to prepare your camper will be sent 1 week before the camp.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Chickens on August 8 from 11am-12pm! We’ll learn about Chickens, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Chickens on August 8 from 2-3pm! We’ll learn about Chickens, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre for Junior Naturalist day camp on August 9 from 9am-3pm! This camp will have an outdoors and hands-on focus. We’ll also spend more time exploring our nature trails during this day.

The fee for the camp is $30 per child and is open to children aged 7-12. Please note that we do allow drop-off beginning at 8:30am and pick-up until 3:30pm, but there will not be direct instruction at this time.

An email with the information you need to prepare your camper will be sent 1 week before the camp.

A day dedicated to insects!

This all-day event on August 10th is full of activities and interactive learning.  Come explore and learn all about the beautiful and wondrous world of bugs!  These tiny creatures are essential part of our ecosystems and make up the diet of mountain bluebirds, purple martins and many other birds.

Guest entomologists including John Acorn, a.k.a. “The Nature Nut”, share their expertise and show off their collections of butterflies, beetles and more.  

Fun for all ages! Go on a bug hunt, a butterfly walk, use nets to find aquatic invertebrate in the pond and learn about native bees and pollinators! 

Send your kids for a whimsical village art workshop with Ellis Nature Centre & local artist Sally Towers-Sybblis!

Discover the art of whimsy by learning how to draw quaint buildings, rolling hills, trees, streets and sidewalks to create an entire whimsical village scene. Learn how to use water soluble markers to infuse bold bright colors into your village painting. This class is for children & youth aged 8-17. The workshop will take place on Sunday, August 11 from 10am-12pm. Only $45 per person & 20 spots available.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre for a whimsical village art workshop with local artist Sally Towers-Sybblis!

Discover the art of whimsy by learning how to draw quaint buildings, rolling hills, trees, streets and sidewalks to create an entire whimsical village scene. Learn how to use water soluble markers to infuse bold bright colors into your village painting. This class is for adults. The workshop will take place on Sunday, August 11 from 1-4pm. Only $45 per person & 20 spots available.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Owls on August 13 from 11am-12pm! We’ll learn about Owls, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Owls on August 13 from 2-3pm! We’ll learn about Owls, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre for Junior Naturalist day camp on August 14 from 9am-3pm! This camp will have an outdoors and hands-on focus. This camp is designed to be sensory friendly with smaller group sizes and engagement in activities on the quieter areas of our site.

The fee for the camp is $30 per child and is open to children aged 7-12. Please note that we do allow drop-off beginning at 8:30am and pick-up until 3:30pm, but there will not be direct instruction at this time.

An email with the information you need to prepare your camper will be sent 1 week before the camp.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre for an AWE Walk on August 14 from 11am-12pm! The purpose of an AWE Walk is to walk in a place of meaning & beauty, where your sole task is to encounter something that amazes you, be it big or small. The leader of our walk will cue people to purposely engage in the nature around them as they lead the walk around our site. This event is free but pre-reg is encouraged. Only 10 spots available!

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Squirrels on August 15 from 11am-12pm! We’ll learn about Squirrels, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre to learn all about Squirrels on August 15 from 2-3PM! We’ll learn about Squirrels, do a craft, read books, and of course explore our site to look for them. This program is for children 3-6 years of age and we request parents accompany them for the program. Cost is $8 per child.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre for Junior Naturalist day camp on August 16 from 9am-3pm! This camp will have an outdoors and hands-on focus. We’ll also spend more time looking for birds on our site during this day.

The fee for the camp is $30 per child and is open to children aged 7-12. Please note that we do allow drop-off beginning at 8:30am and pick-up until 3:30pm, but there will not be direct instruction at this time.

An email with the information you need to prepare your camper will be sent 1 week before the camp.

Medicine River Wildlife Centre will be visiting Ellis Nature Centre on Saturday, August 16 from 11am-12pm! During their time here, they’ll give a presentation about the work they do & what wildlife rehabilitation is. They’ll also be bringing their educational owl Olive to assist in the presentation.

This event is free, but pre-registration is encouraged & donations for Medicine River & Ellis Nature Centre will be gladly accepted at the event. Medicine River will also be bringing copies of their Otis the Owl book to sell. Please reserve a spot for each person who will be attending, both children & adults.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre as we welcome Daisy & Dill for a Harvest Workshop on Sunday, August 18 from 1-3pm! In this workshop, we’ll cover different harvesting techniques as folks prepare to head into the harvest season. This will include how to harvest your garden, store your harvest, and different preservation techniques.

In addition to a presentation, there will be a hands-on demonstration in one of our gardens. The fee for this workshop is $15 per person & only 25 spots are available.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre with host Gavin McKinnon for an evening dinner & birding walk on Saturday, August 24 from 7-8:30pm.

We’ll start the night with a dinner prepared by the Ellis Nature Centre cafe, where folks can ask Gavin their questions about birding, his experiences, and more. After dinner, Gavin will lead the group on an evening birding walk around our site, giving tips about best practices for birding in the evening.

The fee for this event is $50, which covers dinner & the fee for the walk. There are only 15 spots available, so don’t wait to register.

Visit Ellis Nature Centre with host Albertan author, biologist, & conservationist Lorne Fitch for a discussion of his book “Streams of Consequence”. Lorne will be visiting on Sunday, August 25 from 11am-12pm to host a discussion of his book & the insights he gained about conservation as a biologist in Alberta for decades. This talk is free! Copies of Lorne’s book will be available for purchase & he’ll host a book signing after the talk.

Ellis Nature Centre is thrilled to be hosting Susan Nielsen of Eliza Jane Studios for another soap making workshop on Sunday, September 22! Many will recognize her lovely soaps from our gift shop, so this is the perfect opportunity to make your own, unique soap bars. Susan will guide people through the soap making process at every step. You’ll get to choose your own scent & will take home roughly 6-8 bars of soap. This workshop is $80 per person. Adults only. Only 12 spots available!