After-School Programs, SOMa
Registration for this spring is now open and being handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please see registration details below.
New York City families! Please go here:
Gear up for weekly South Mountain Reservation EDventures, including shelter building, bird tracking and fun-filled woodlands quests -- plus an original variety of awesome games & activities! This exhilarating outdoor program builds confidence, while encouraging teamwork, creativity and open-ended education.
The possibilities? Endless. The experiences? Memorable.
The FUN? Guaranteed!!!
We will be outdoors; please be prepared for all types of weather.
If you did not receive the registration e-mail, you can access it below. Moving forward, the best way to find out when registration opens each season is to sign up for our e-mail list, which you can also access below.
DETAILS & INFORMATION, SPRING 2023:
- Our Monday Open Group starts April 10 and runs for 10 sessions through June 19.
- Our Wednesday Open Group starts April 12 and runs for 11 sessions through June 21.
- Our Friday Open Group starts April 14 and runs for 9 sessions through June 23.
- Our South Mountain School Group runs on Thursdays, starts April 13 and runs for 10 sessions through June 15.
- This is an outdoor program (rain, snow or shine), drop-off only. Please note: Other weekdays may also be possible, by request, so if anyone wants to put a group together on another day, just let us know.
- The Open Groups run from 3:45-5:30 p.m. Because enrollment is limited, each child can enroll in one group per week, per season only. Participants must also enroll for the entire season; no daily drop-ins will be permitted.
- Drop off and pick-up for dismissal afterwards will be at the Tulip Springs Parking Lot, just off of Cherry Lane.
- For the South Mountain School Group, we will be picking up the kids at the school and dismissal afterwards will be at the Bramhall Terrace Parking Lot, on Crest Drive. This group runs from 2:45-4:45 p.m.
- Our program is available to girls and boys, from grades K-5. We do not split the kids up by age and always keep everyone all together. We cannot accept anyone younger than 5 and everyone needs to be bathroom independent.
- The minimum is 5 participants, the maximum is 20. Space will be limited and we are unable to provide any financial aid or sibling discounts.
- We will assign kids as best we can in the order requests are received, but please note that there may not be enough demand for each of the offered days. If you sign up with friends, siblings, etc., we will attempt to place in them in the same group, by request, if possible.
- Masks are optional. Washing hands is not possible where we are in the Reservation, but all instructors will have plenty of hand sanitizer on hand for whenever it is necessary.
- We will not be providing any food. Please make sure your child has eaten a snack prior to arrival. The only thing you need to pack is a water bottle.
- To pre-register, just e-mail Mike to reserve your spot on the list, but please check your school/group flyer below first for what information needs to be included. Registration will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Once you receive your initial confirmation e-mail, you will be asked to fill out and submit the registration form (link below), if you are new to the program. Your child's spot cannot be reserved without a completed Registration Form, but please note...ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN IN THE PROGRAM THIS SCHOOL YEAR DOES NOT NEED TO FILL OUT ANOTHER FORM.
- The cost will vary, depending on the group's calendar, but it is $40/child/session. Payment is not due until you receive a separate payment e-mail, which will be sent out once it is confirmed that your group will run. We do not accept credit cards, but details for electronic payments will be included in your payment e-mail. Those who wish to pay by check, please make them payable to Mohr's Explorers, LLC.
- Once the confirmation and payment e-mails have gone out, registration will not be official until the form and full payment have been received.
HOW TO SIGN-UP:
If you have any questions, or if you wish to enroll your child, please e-mail Mike.
We provide continuously updated and original activities throughout each session and season. On any given day, we will be able to hike 1-2 miles, within the South Mountain Reservation. This affords ample opportunities to...
- discover interesting rocks, bridges, water bodies, wooded areas, fields and even waterfalls!
- learn about areas of the Reservation they never knew existed.
- study a few edible plants.
- memorize various types of birds and trees.
Explorers are expected to arrive with a positive attitude, a desire to have fun and be ready to adjust to new settings and situations. Full participation is encouraged and we will provide a safe emotional and physical climate so that it feels OK to try new things. However, we will never ask anyone to do anything that he or she is uncomfortable doing. In addition;
- Children are continuously supervised.
- We maintain at least a 1:10 staff-to-child ratio.
- We teach Leave No Trace, which promotes responsible outdoor recreation. We are conscientious to at least leave the park the way we find it, minimize our impact, respect all wildlife and be considerate of other visitors in the park.
- All group leaders are trained in First Aid & CPR and carry a First Aid Kit at all times.
- Pick-up and drop-off are at the Tulip Springs Parking Lot, just off of Cherry Lane.
And yes, we definitely go out in the winter! For 20+ winters, Mike has been taking groups of kids this age outdoors -- as long as everyone properly prepares for the weather and bundles up on cold days, the elements are rarely an issue. We enthusiastically take what Mother Nature bestows and plan snow activities whenever possible. If you are not sure what to wear during the after-school program or if you want a refresher on our rules, just click the links below! Those concerned about it getting darker earlier at this time of the year, it's really only our last few sessions in December and our first few in January and then we already have more daylight again. We are usually making our way back when it starts getting dark anyway.
As with anything, please e-mail Mike with any questions, comments or concerns.
Enrollment fees are fully refundable until the first session. 75% will be refunded until the second session and 50% will be refunded until the third. Fees are non-refundable after the third session, regardless of the reason for withdrawal. In order to ensure quality staff each week, the cost is the same, regardless of how many sessions your child ends up attending. There are no daily drop-ins, no refunds or credits will be issued for absences or dismissal and we cannot offer any make-up sessions. We also will not cancel sessions because of weather. Except in extreme cases, there is always a back-up plan, even if school is cancelled. Just e-mail Mike to find out what we are doing!