This program provides outdoor recreation and fosters awareness of nature in a fun, safe and caring setting. Campers enjoy hands-on natural science labs, up-close animal visits, outdoor games, arts and crafts, and swimming in Big Chico Creek. Your child will experience the wonder of Bidwell Park!

This program runs on the Chico Unified schedule and provides outdoor recreation and fosters awareness of nature in a fun, safe and caring setting. Campers enjoy hands-on natural science labs, up-close animal visits, outdoor games, arts and crafts, and swimming in Big Chico Creek, as the weather allows. Your child will experience the wonders of Bidwell Park! 

Bidwell Park provides an excellent and accessible opportunity to teach valuable lessons of the natural world. For over thirty years, the Chico Creek Nature Center has provided quality educational programs on the natural systems of Bidwell Park to elementary school students, using the park as a classroom.

Come experience the light of the full moon! Join us for a hike in Bidwell Park, as we explore nighttime animals, some of their unique adaptations and the beautiful evening sky under the full moon.

Nature ABC's is a time for families of children ages 0–5 to gather and enjoy an hour of fun free activities with our instructor. Join us Fridays from August 19th through December 16th for an animal visit, story time, singing and dancing, an art project and a nature walk in our beautiful park. This program is offered free of charge through funding from First 5 Butte County.

Join us for an adventurous eight-day experience designed just for our younger kiddos! Campers will enjoy up-close animal visits at our Living Animal Museum and explore beautiful Bidwell Park with daily nature walks focused on local nature identification including plants and animals.

Nature School is a first learning experience for kids ages 3-5, who are potty trained and ready for an experience away from their family. Nature kids get to visit live animals at the Nature Center, go on nature walks daily and practice nature identification along the way. We provide fun themes every two weeks. All units include play-based learning, healthy body movement like yoga and dancing, themed stories, songs, art projects, sensory exploration and sign language.

This program is an opportunity for parents/guardians and their toddlers to spend quality time together making art projects, singing, dancing, meeting live animals, enjoying nature walks, having group picnics, and playing with toys by the creek.