Placer Nature Center

Name: Placer Nature Center
Address: 3700 Christian Valley Road, Auburn, CA, 95602, US
Telephone: +15308786053
Price range: $

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Placer Nature Center

Explore Today...Protect Tomorrow.

Our Mission: Placer Nature Center delivers community-based, volunteer supported environmental education programs to children, families, schools, and community groups. Saturdays are open to the public, reserved 'Green' Birthday parties, and events that will help you connect to nature and the surrounding area.

08/17/2026

We hope you're ready, because Little Tykes Family Nature Program is back this fall at Placer Nature Center!

🧐Never been?
🍂The Little Tykes Family Nature program at the Placer Nature Center is:
🐾What: a family-inclusive (not drop-off) 1.5 hour education class including a story, hands-on activities and games, a nature walk, and a craft to take home!
😊Who: We recommend this class for children aged 2-6 (and their families!) but we do not have strict age limits.
⏰When: 10-11:30am on alternating Tuesdays (1st & 3rd of each month), Mondays or Wednesdays (2nd & 4th of each month) from September 8th - December 9th 2026
🌳Where: Placer Nature Center, 3700 Christian Valley Road, Auburn, CA 95602

Fall registration is open and easy to complete online: https://forms.gle/UrNM6PCnyqNHE2sJA

Our themes this fall will be:
Week 1: Weather & Seasons
Week 2: Towering Trees
Week 3: Squirrels
Week 4: Night & Day
Week 5: Turkeys
Week 6: Marvelous Mud
Week 7: Bears

To learn more about this amazing preschool program, check out our website: https://placernaturecenter.org/programs/little-tykes/

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you all soon!

08/12/2026

Mark your calendars, because next month Placer Nature Center is celebrating 35 years! Since 1991, PNC has been a hub for environmental education in the Sierra Foothills.

On Saturday September 26, Placer Nature Center will be hosting an anniversary party on our property from 10am-4pm. Come early for the wild bird experience at 11am, followed by presentations from local organizations, docent-led trail walks, games and more!

Then, join us on Sunday October 4th @ 4pm for a bingo night at Crooked Lane Brewing! This fundraiser will help PNC stay strong for another 35 years.

We are planning a raffle and silent auction for these events and are still looking for prize donations from the community, and especially local businesses. Contact us to get involved!

08/05/2026

Highlights from our WILD ABOUT NATURE camp last week: experimenting with water filters, tracking birds and mammals, learning cordage and knots, cyanotypes, hammered plant prints, cracking acorns and making sun tea, and so much more!

This was a totally new camp for PNC staff and campers - and it might be our new favorite!

07/24/2026

Highlights from WATER WORLDS camp: exploring aquatic life cycles in the pond, bubble science, building mini beaver dams, the watershed room, water relay, water olympics, water tasting, watermelon from The Natural Trading Company - basically water everything!

07/17/2026

Highlights from this week's ROCKS & FOSSILS camp: PNC docent Gil's seismometer demonstration, building camper's rock collections, moving like dinosaurs, playing "Erosion" with water to beat the heat, rock and meteorite hunts, digging for geodes, apples from our trees and the plums and melons from The Natural Trading Company .

Only two weeks left of camp, and we've only got a couple spots left - contact us to see if there's still room in WATER WORLDS and WILD ABOUT NATURE. Email [email protected]

07/10/2026

Highlights from HOWLERS camp this week: building critter habitats, playing Oh Deer! and animal movement games, investigating tracks, s**t and skulls, and so much silliness.

We're halfway through our summer of camps, and next week is ROCKS & FOSSILS, followed by WATER WORLDS and WILD ABOUT NATURE weeks.

Learn more at https://placernaturecenter.org/programs/summer-camp/

07/08/2026

You can join us in making Placer Nature Center a more beautiful place for our campers and visitors at our July Volunteer Work Day. This Saturday July 11 from 9am-12pm we’ll be working on the grounds, gardens and trails (indoor activities will be available for heat sensitive volunteers).

Reach out to Kira kgreene@placernaturecenter for more information!

07/03/2026

Highlights from BUGS! camp week - hunting for caterpillars, checking our pitfall traps daily, face painting and puppet shows, the presentations from Placer Mosquito & Vector Control District and Jessy the Butterfly lady, finishing our Air'Bee'n'Bees (native bee hotels), investigating the benthic macroinvertebrates in our pond, and identifying the skull we found on the trail.

To join us at next week's HOWLERS camp, or the following three weeks, visit our website: https://placernaturecenter.org/programs/summer-camp/

Space is limited - sign up today!

July 7-9: Howlers

July 14-16: Rocks & Fossils

July 21-23: Water Worlds

July 28-30: Wild About Nature

06/26/2026

Highlights from Dirt Made My Lunch camp: trail adventures, leaf rubbings, the Find a Flower game, iris leaf cordage, grinding acorns, sun tea, uppotting native plants with our intern Brendan, trying ALL the vegetables donated by The Natural Trading Company, aquatic plant capture the flag (on Water Wednesday), spotting soil under microscopes, meeting Herbie the compost worms, & planting seeds (donated by Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply - Grass Valley)

Next week is BUGS - and your child can still join us. Jessy the Butterfly Lady and Placer Mosquito & Vector Control District will be doing special presentations.

A few weeks of camp are nearly full - register today! https://placernaturecenter.org/programs/summer-camp/

June 30-July 2: Bugs

July 7-9: Howlers

July 14-16: Rocks & Fossils

July 21-23: Water Worlds

July 28-30: Wild About Nature

06/18/2026

Our first week of summer camp starts next Tuesday June 23 and the theme is Dirt Made My Lunch - so it's the perfect time to highlight our camp snack sponsor The Natural Trading Company !

Since 2020, Natural Trading Co. has been donating organic fruits and veggies for our campers every summer. Camper favorites have been: carrots, cucumbers, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts. cherry tomatoes, piel de sapo melons, sweet peppers and popcorn.

We may have dirty hands, but we have clean food: join us at day camp - we have a few spaces left! Learn more and register: https://placernaturecenter.org/programs/summer-camp/

Natural Trading Co. prides itself on growing a fantastic variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs – everything from arugula to zucchini. Established in 1995, they are a certified organic farm and greenhouse in Newcastle, CA. They grow their produce using techniques that maintain and replenish the soil for the benefit of current and future generations. Visit them at farmers markets in Auburn, Roseville, Lincoln, and Tahoe City, and look for their produce in local grocery stores and restaurants. www.naturaltradingco.com

(farmer's market photos provided by NTC)

Address

3700 Christian Valley Road
Auburn, CA
95602

Telephone

+15308786053

Website

http://www.placernaturecenter.org/

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