The world around us is filled with natural wonder, and it is this world that first intrigues youngsters and fosters their curiosity. The Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) sponsors youth programs to promote and support interest in natural history.
Junior and Teen Naturalists programs follow the school year beginning in September, and include both indoor and outdoor activities.
A wide variety of natural history topics are investigated every year — from ferns to fossils, and from birds of prey to bats! Conservation, and advocacy aimed at understanding and protecting our natural world are also important club interests.
The cost for individual membership in the Junior or Teen program is $20.00.
Registration forms will be accepted each year from August 15 to September 15 and by December 15 for January entry.
Registration forms are available to download here or by contacting Anne Robertson at n8ture.anne@sympatico.ca or 613-389-6742 .
Junior Naturalists (6 to 12 years old in four age groups)
Program Objectives
⚘ to foster natural history interests in youth
⚘ to enhance awareness of the natural world
⚘ to provide enjoyment for young people through program activities
Registration
Online registration is NOT available for the Junior Naturalists Club as express parental consent is required. Please fill out the registration form and mail with fee (address on form).
T-shirts and sweatshirts with the Junior logo may be ordered at meetings in September and October only.
Meetings
Indoor meetings are normally held on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evening of each month, 6:30 to 8:00pm, from September to May. When the conditions for indoor meetings permit we will return to this schedule.
Field trips are held on a Saturday once a month.
Activities
The themes for meetings and trips are natural history oriented — the emphasis is on investigation and fun! Hands-on activities, games and discussions are used to reflect the topic of each meeting. Club members are encouraged to keep up their natural history interests over the summer months. The Roland Beschel Prize and the Nan Yeomans Prize are presented once a year to junior naturalists who complete nature projects. The Stirrett Scholarship is available each year to a worthy junior naturalist to attend a nature camp.
Summer Projects. Projects completed over the summer will be due by the end of October.
- Roland Beschel Prize. This prize is for a project done over the summer. A collection or observing and recording something in nature are suitable
- Nan Yeomans Prize. This prize is for a diary recording observations over the summer. Once a day or once a week- your choice
- Photo Competition. Up to three photos taken over the summer with a short description.
Camp Scholarship The Stirrett Scholarship is available for a Junior Naturalist to attend a Nature Camp. Application deadline is April 1. Please ask Anne for details. Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority Nature Explorers Camp is for 6-11 year olds, eight week long sessions. Google: CRCA Nature Camp Day Camp. Eco Adventure Camp is for 8-14 year olds at ELEEC (Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre); seven week long sessions. Google: Eco-adventure Camp Kingston
Teen Naturalists (13 to 17 year olds)
Program Objectives
🌳 to appreciate and learn about local natural history
🌳 to enjoy the natural environment
🌳 to experience various research and field techniques
🌳 to be comfortable out of doors in any weather at any season
🌳 to be involved in advocacy and projects to benefit the natural environment
Registration
Online registration is NOT available for the Teen Naturalists Club as express parental consent is required. Please fill out the registration form and mail with fee (address on form).
Meetings
Indoor meetings are normally held once a month from September to June. We are still hoping to have twice monthly indoor Thursday evening meetings but securing rooms is not yet possible. As of August 17 Ontario will not lift pandemic restrictions for the foreseeable future.
Field trips will be held at the end of each month on a Saturday.
Activities
Teen naturalists participate in a wide variety of activities. These have included excursions to bird banding and butterfly tagging sites, geology (rock and fossil) identification and collection, plant identification, and habitat investigations. Participants take part in hiking, canoeing and cross country skiing along the way! Learning about habitat restoration, inventory techniques and preservation of species in a hands-on way are important activities.
2023-2024 activities will include:
Canoe trip Saturday 9 September to Landon Bay. A slow paddle to notice nature in this habitat
Owl Banding planned for Friday 29 September. An evening trip to Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory to learn about the banding process and natural history of these birds.
Christmas Bird Count Sunday 17 December A chance to join this world wide citizen science activity in Frontenac County.
Wood Duck Nest Box cleanout Saturday mid-February A winter trip to record the past seasons’ use and prepare the boxes for next nesting season.
Night Hike in spring for frogs and evening birds.
Teen Naturalists Logo
The Teen logo of a migrating Canada Goose represents the migration of a Teen Naturalist from the Junior program to an adult membership. It was developed by the Teens of 2014-2015 from an idea by Michael Jaansalu and has been produced as a patch to sew onto a cap, pack or sweatshirt.