Although the calendar says March, parents may already be seeking summertime activities for their children to enjoy. Among the programs being offering locally is Summer Nature Day Camp at Green Valleys Watershed Association (GVWA).

Children ages 4 through 15 are invited to explore natural science and the outdoors during camps that will be held on weekdays from Monday, June 20, through Friday, Aug. 12, with the exception of Monday, July 4. Each of the eight weeks of camp will have unique nature-based themes, including "Plants to Save the World," "Wild Survival" and "Water Wonders."

Camp activities will take place at GVWA's 224-acre Welkinweir preserve, which includes forests, meadows, ponds and streams that are linked by trails. In the event of inclement weather or excessive heat, camp activities will be moved into the educational barn.

Camps will run from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for age children age 6 and older, while camps for the 4- and 5-year-old age group will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Parents can also register their children for before-camp care or after-camp care for additional fees. Campers can attend one, several or all of the weeks of camps.

Leading the camps for the first time this year will be Alex Runde, the new watershed educator, who relocated from the Florida area to take the new position. He learned about the opening at GVWA after seeing it advertised on a job site posted by the North American Association for Environmental Education. Runde received a Bachelor of Science in hydrology from St. Cloud University in Minnesota and a Master of Science in environmental education from Florida Tech.

Last summer, he had the opportunity to experience the nature day camps at GVWA. "I got one of the water weeks and one of the plant weeks. For (the first) week, we planted snap peas and the kids monitored and watered them," he said. "We got to walk around and learn about wild edibles from a local expert and got to eat invasive wineberries. For an upcoming camp, we are planning on incorporating wineberries into an ice cream dish."

Runde will lead a new camp this year, "Weather and Climate." "That is one of my environmental passions - amateur meteorology," he said. "I will do weather presentations on hurricanes and tornadoes and one on historical climate change."

Another camp week will have the theme "Outdoor Skills." "Kids will really focus on survival, like how to make a fire with a magnifying glass - something that you might see on 'Man vs. Wild' or 'Survivorman,'" he noted.

Since moving here, Runde said that he has enjoyed all that Pennsylvania has to offer. He recently visited St. Peter's Village to hike and went ice fishing this past winter on the lake at Marsh Creek State Park near Eagle.

GVWA is located in East Nantmeal Township at 1368 Prizer Road, Pottstown. For complete details about the camp and to register, visit http://www.greenvalleys.org/summer-nature-day-camp. Camp scholarships are available for those in need of assistance.