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Nature STEAM Learning Academy

Nature Smart

A hands-in-the-dirt learning academy where science, art, and the environment meet. Kids grow food, run experiments, and discover they are scientists already.

Children learning together in a community garden classroom

Learning that grows with them

Nature Smart pairs a certified educator with a neighborhood garden mentor so every session is both academically grounded and rooted in the block it happens on. Campers rotate through a lab, a field study, and an art studio each day — then take home food they grew.

1:6

Educator to camper ratio

320

Young learners a year

100%

Scholarship available

What campers explore

Science in the soil

Kids test soil, track germination, and run real experiments in raised beds they planted themselves.

Art from the garden

Natural dyes, seed mosaics, nature journaling, and mural work turn observation into expression.

Ecology up close

Pollinator counts, compost critters, and watershed walks make the neighborhood a living classroom.

Food and wellness

Harvest-to-table cooking sessions where every camper takes home produce and a recipe.

A day at Nature Smart

  1. 8:30 – 9:00Arrival & garden check-inWater the beds, log the weather, note what changed overnight.
  2. 9:00 – 10:30STEAM labExperiment of the day — soil chemistry, seed math, or engineering a rain catcher.
  3. 10:30 – 12:00Field studyPollinator surveys, compost turning, or a neighborhood ecology walk.
  4. 12:00 – 1:00Harvest lunchCook and eat with produce picked that morning.
  5. 1:00 – 2:30Art studioNature journaling, natural dyes, murals, and photography.
  6. 2:30 – 3:30Share-out & seed to goCampers present findings and take home a plant or harvest.
Neighbors and young learners building raised garden beds

Sessions & enrollment

Sliding-scale tuition with full scholarships for families in our distribution program. Breakfast, lunch, and all materials included.

Summer Camp — Session A

Waitlist
  • Ages 6–9
  • June 15 – July 3
  • CIVN Garden Campus

Summer Camp — Session B

12 spots open
  • Ages 10–13
  • July 13 – July 31
  • CIVN Garden Campus

Fall Saturday Academy

Enrolling
  • Ages 6–13
  • Sep 12 – Nov 21
  • CIVN Garden Campus

Spring Grow Lab

Opens Jan 5
  • Ages 8–13
  • Mar 7 – May 16
  • CIVN Garden Campus

Request a spot

Send us your camper's details and we'll follow up with enrollment forms and scholarship options within two business days.

Want to help run a session? Volunteer with Nature Smart.