Pat Summeral, the famous voice of the NFL for years, authored a book entitled, “Business Golf: The Art of Building Relationships Through Golf”  In it he wrote, “personal experience has taught me that golf can break down barriers between people and serve as a catalyst for a free exchange of ideas as well as a way of building lasting relationships”

We want you to take advantage of this opportunity.

You CAN do business on the golf course.

Come join us on June 22, 2012 at Kimberton Golf Club at 1PM for an afternoon of being outdoors, having fun, and helping a great cause.

Your fee of $85 includes:

Green fees, cart, soda, beer, hot buffet dinner, and lots of prizes including closest to pin and long drive.  Following the tournament and dinner a live Bird of Prey program will be presented.  Golfers will have the opportunity to meet these majestic birds up close and personal.

To register, click here.

I was in line at a grocery store recently and overheard a conversation between two sets of parents, the topic being, “Where am I going to send my kids to camp this summer?”
The usual suspects were bandied about, Phillies, Science, Tennis, Theater, Magic (OK that’s not that usual), but all of these choices missed the point. It’s not about what you want, it’s about what your kids want.

Now I’m not saying that the kids that come to our camps at the Great Valley Nature Center didn’t have their parents permission, but after the kids have visited Center through their science class in school, or through the Boy or Girls Scouts, or even by attending one of our many outreach sessions in their own school,  they say one thing, “Wow, can I go there again? So the first step in  choosing a camp for your child is:

Ask your kids.

Camp should be fun. If that means playing with toads in a stream, eating home made maple syrup for snack, or petting a bald eagle then so be it.

Ask other people.

Sure you can see glossy brochures, a slick websites, but if your friends kids had a great time someplace, find out about it. Here at the Great Valley Nature Center, we get comments from parents like: “We’ll be back next year.” “My kids had a great time.” We love our neighbors for telling us.” And if they took their neighbors’ advice I hope they:

Take a Tour

We welcome visitors and are always proud to show them the wide range of programs we offer. As a responsible parent you can see where your child is going to be, if it rains, it is too hot, or if he/she doesn’t feel well. And while your there:

Talk to the Staff

Besides the Executive Director, is there someone else who actually runs the camp? We have a wonderful certified teacher, Lynn, who has been with us for over 15 years. She is with us all year round and interviews other teachers so your children get the best possible experience. And the experience has to be good for you to so ask about:

Saftey

Are the grounds secure? Will a counselor be with my child all of the time? Does someone need to show ID to pick up my child if I can’t? All of these are important and practical questions. And speaking of practical:

Convenience

With the way all of our schedules are, we need to have that calendar in front of us to make decisions. Does the camp you and your child have chosen offer convenient dates? How many days? Is there early drop off or late pick up? And what about the:

Cost

Can I really afford it? Is it worth the money? Are there multiple discounts if my child goes to more than one camp? Imagine this, the non adventure camps at the Great Vally Nature Center are less than $6/hour. How does that compare to the average teenage babysitter? And we offer discounts for multiple camps. So what else should I know?

Awards

Our camps have been voted best on the Main Line for quite a few years. And you know the competition we face.

I hope you found this information useful. If you have any questions, just call us. With a mantra of “Teaching our children today, saving their environment tomorrow,” the Great Valley Nature Center is dedicated to delivering educational programs that increase awareness and appreciation of the natural environment.
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Celebrating our 38th year, the Great Valley Nature Center has a long and proud history of serving the surrounding community and region in providing fun, interactive and quality environmental education programs for all ages, abilities and needs.

​Celebrating our 38th year, the Great Valley Nature Center has a long and proud history of serving the surrounding community and region in providing fun, interactive and quality environmental education programs for all ages, abilities and needs.

Whether it is an feeding a bald eagle in a school, splashing in a stream for summer camp, or floating down a local river, our expert educators appeal to all audiences, individuals and corporations.

Why not come see for yourself, and

• feed our Birds of Prey
• enjoy our Natural Habitat Displays
• explore our Lenapi Village
• taste our homemade syrup from our Sugar house
• or even enjoy communing with Nature

We look forward to seeing you soon.​

Arnold Bartschi (owner of Swiss Pines, an adjacent botanical garden) provided the land and start-up operating support to establish a nature center. The French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, Dr. & Mrs. Clarkson Wentz and the initial executive director, John Christie, were instrumental in developing the gift into a functioning environmental education organization.

A colonial-era fieldstone bank barn serves as the education building, having undergone renovations in 1986 and 2001. A converted farmhouse provides administrative, teaching and meeting space, and houses the executive director and his family. A nearby two-storied springhouse probably predates the barn.

The Nature Center’s 10½-acre site includes a stream, a pond, and wetland, field, and woodland habitats. Also featured is a Birds of Prey Center, a replica Native American Lenape village, a Pennsylvania wildflower garden, a maple sugar house, and a please-touch exhibit area.

Great Valley Nature Center serves annually more than 35,000 participants (most of whom are children) throughout the communities of Chester County and the Greater Philadelphia region. The majority of participants receive environmental education programming either on-site or at off-site locations that include public, parochial and independent schools, scout camps, daycare centers, retirement communities and other facilities. Student participation, which represents the region’s entire socioeconomic range, encompasses pre-school through grade 12; and also includes programs for special needs groups.