Explorers Club
Interested in joining Explorers Club in fall 2025? Early Access registration opens June 1. Open enrollment opens July 1. To inquire about current open spaces, email: explorersclub@wildwhatcom.org.
Grades 2-12 | All Genders, Boys, Girls, & High School Groups | 14 Participants/Group
2024-25 EC Members-Group Schedules
Explorers Club (EC) is a cohort-style, outdoor education program for youth. Outings focus on developing naturalist knowledge, cultivating leadership skills, and creating lasting connections to nature and community—all while having a blast outside!
Explorers Club groups meet on a weekend day, approximately eight (8) times during the school year. We strive to cultivate long-lasting relationships between participants and mentors while empowering children to foster a connection to their community and natural landscape. Explorers Club groups are grade-based and follow a curriculum that builds on itself over the eleven (11) years of the program.
New Explorers are encouraged to join each year, even if they have not been a part of the program before. It’s never too late to learn about stinging nettles, practice making debris shelters, or make new friends. Join us!
Explorers Club Early Access and Open Enrollment
Join Explorers Club!
Interested in joining Explorers Club? It’s never too late to learn about stinging nettles, practice making debris shelters, or make new friends. Join us!
Early Access
Complete an early access form between September 1 and July 1. This puts your child’s name in our early access lottery.
Early access registration opens June 1, one month earlier than open enrollment and will help guarantee your child’s spot in a group.
Already Completed Your Early Access Form?
Participants who will be in grade two (2) or higher in September 2024, please note we will be filling spots and forming new groups this summer for the 2024-25 school year. You do not need to resubmit an early access form if you have already completed one.
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment is open July 1-September 1. Register direct today! We will contact you about group placement.
scholarships
Scholarship requests are available during registration. Application deadlines and award dates are below.
Returning Families | Early Access Interest Form Invitees
Applications due July 1. Scholarships awarded July 15.
Open Enrollment
Applications due August 1. Scholarships awarded August 15.
Requests after the initial application date may still be considered depending on funding availability and program enrollment.
Explorers Club Curriculum
Outings range from practicing wilderness, socio-emotional learning, and leadership skills, to ecological stewardship projects in partnership with the City of Bellingham Parks Department and Washington Trails Association, to traverses that wind through iconic trails in our surrounding natural landscape.
Explorers Club curriculum focuses on three main tenets:
Skills-building (naturalist, technical, leadership, and socio-emotional skills)
Connection to community and the natural world
Fostering a sense of curiosity about self, others, and the world around us
Take a look at each season’s curriculum:
Explorers Club Year 1 | Explorers Club Year 2 | Explorers Club Year 3 |
Explorers Club Year 4 | Explorers Club Year 5 | Explorers Club Year 6 |
Naturalist & Technical Skills
Outdoor safety and preparedness
Backcountry mindset and wilderness travel
Observation and identification of plants, trees, rocks, fungi, tracks, and anything else nature reveals
Natural history that is specific to the Salish Sea region and Whatcom County
Nature awareness and connection
Shelter building, camouflage, fire by friction, carving, ethical harvesting, edible and medicinal plants, and more
Socio-Emotional Skills
Confidence in oneself and in one’s ability to venture outdoors
Clear and compassionate communication and personal reflection
Empathy and respect for oneself, for others, and for nature
Collaborative leadership that recognizes the value of all voices
Self-challenge, recognition of needs, and communication of personal boundaries
Creative problem-solving, team-building, and collaborative decision-making
Awareness of, and engagement with, community needs
Stewardship experience of trails and parks
Cost
Payment Plans | Scholarships | $815-845 (dependent on EC group year)
Explorers Club is a cohort-style mentorship program with two (2) Wild Whatcom Mentors. Volunteer(s) may also be present, including an Explorers Mentor Apprentice. Differences in cost across years is reflective of the increased nature hours provided in each subsequent season. Outdoor education and mentorship is provided from qualified, trained, and experienced Mentors for less than $21 per participant per hour of programming.
Autobill payment plans are available during registration.
Free loaner gear is available for all participants.
scholarships
Scholarship requests are available during registration. Application deadlines and award dates are below.
Returning Families | Early Access Interest Form Invitees
Applications due July 1. Scholarships awarded July 15.
Open Enrollment
Applications due August 1. Scholarships awarded August 15.
Explorers Mentor Apprentice
An Explorers Mentor Apprentice (EMA) is an older participant who has chosen to take on the role of mentor for a younger group. Participants in our Wayfinder groups and members of Explorers Club Years 6 and 7 have the opportunity join us for outings with younger Explorers Club groups as space is available.
The goal of the EMA program is to encourage older Explorers to seek their unique style of leadership, create meaningful relationships with the younger Explorers, and tangibly reflect upon the process.