Community Calendar
Join us for Storytime!
Join us for garden stories and songs with Alexis and Ryan!
Location: The gardens at Lake Merritt
Ages: 0- 5 years
Visit our table at Family Day!
We are excited to welcome you at our table at Family Day!
Join this community event for a day filled with fun activities for the whole family. Stop by our table to create nature bookmarks, book giveaways, and learn more about what Words in the Wild is all about!
Location: Berkeley Public Library ─ Free Admission
Visit our table at the 10th Anniversary Bay Area Book Festival
Stop by our stand to celebrate literacy together!
Location: MLK, Jr. Civic Center Park ─ Free Admission
Words in the Wild Summer Camp 2024
Join us for our Summer Camp Session 1!
There are many ways to participate in Words in the Wild Summer Camp: as a camper, or as a “Sapling” as part of our CIT program for middle school-aged naturalists!
Read all about WITW Summer Camp here.
Camp runs from Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, with options for before & aftercare
*No Camp on June 19
Words in the Wild Summer Camp 2024
Join us for our Summer Camp Session 2!
There are many ways to participate in Words in the Wild Summer Camp: as a camper, or as a “Sapling” as part of our CIT program for middle school-aged naturalists!
Read all about WITW Summer Camp here.
Camp runs from Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, with options for before & aftercare
*No Camp on July 4
Summer Institute 2024
Join our Summer Institute Workshop & Remote 1:1 Coaching Session
Our July 10th workshop will be conducted in-person by Dr. Alexis Filippini at the gardens of Lake Merritt and on the campus of St. Paul’s Episcopal School.
Summer Institute participants will experience how key principles from the science of reading can be taught in a child-centered way.
Words in the Wild Summer Camp 2024
Join us for our Summer Camp Session 3!
There are many ways to participate in Words in the Wild Summer Camp: as a camper, or as a “Sapling” as part of our CIT program for middle school-aged naturalists!
Read all about WITW Summer Camp here.
Camp runs from Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, with options for before & aftercare
Words in the Wild Summer Camp 2024
Join us for our Summer Camp Session 4!
There are many ways to participate in Words in the Wild Summer Camp: as a camper, or as a “Sapling” as part of our CIT program for middle school-aged naturalists!
Read all about WITW Summer Camp here.
Camp runs from Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, with options for before & aftercare
Join us for Storytime!
Join us for stories to celebrate the Earth with teaching fellow Kiku and learning specialist Leah!
Location: Lake Temescal (South Entrance)
Ages: 0- 5 years
Join us for Storytime!
Join us for Multilingual Storytime with teaching fellows Nathalie and Caitlin!
Location: Lake Temescal (South Entrance)
Ages: 0- 5 years
Summer Institute
Join us for Part 2 of Summer Institute.
Part 2 takes place in and around the beautiful Gardens of Lake Merritt.
In this in-person workshop, we will:
Visit our summer program serving K-3rd grade students
Observe word science embedded in a morning meeting routine
Ask and answer questions about implementation
Observe field journal and word science activities in action
Prepare a lesson to bring back to your learning community
Participants will also benefit from our Part 1 introductory session.
Summer Institute
Join us for Part 1 of our 2-day summer institute.
Part 1 is fully remote!
In this introductory session, we will:
Establish a shared understanding of key terms and perspectives
Overview of specific activities to guide children’s morphological, phonological, etymological, and orthographic investigations
Introduction to phoneme walls and field journal variations
Nature Journaling Workshop
Rising K-6th graders and their families are invited to join experienced educator and nature-enthusiast Lindi Shepard as we tap into curiosity through the practice of nature journaling. Nature journaling combines elements of scientific inquiry, drawing, writing, and mindfulness to connect with the wonders of the natural world around us. Participants will construct their own nature journals and then head out for some light hiking to find inspiration to fill their first pages.
Register Here
Words in the Wild Summer Camp
There are many ways to participate in Words in the Wild Summer Camp: as a camper, or as a “Sapling” as part of our CIT program for middle school-aged naturalists!
Read all about WITW Summer Camp here.
Session 1: 06/20/2023 - 06/30/2023 M - F, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Session 2: 07/17/2023 - 07/28/2023 M - F, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Session 3: 07/31/2023 - 08/11/2023 M - F, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Exploring Nature Through Storytelling Traditions with Nathalie Hites
New Rain Date: 5/13 at 1 PM! Teaching Fellow Nathalie Hites will guide children through an exploration of the natural world through time-honored storytelling traditions at Joaquin Miller Park.
Visit our Table at the Bay Area Book Festival
Words in the Wild will be running a table at the Bay Area Book Festival on May 7th! Check out the latest books from local authors, listen to live readings, and be sure to stop by our stand to make a nature bookmark so your kids can hold their place in all the fun new books they’ll be taking home with them!
Mindfulness in Nature with Special Guest Ella Holton-McCoy
Educational Therapist, Ella Holton-McCoy, will read stories to help us tap into the present moment and will lead us in mindfulness exercises at Lake Temescal.
Stories & Songs to Celebrate the Earth with Dr. Alexis Filippini and Naturalist Ryan Nepomuceno
Dr. Alexis Filippini and Naturalist Ryan Nepomuceno will lead us in a sing-along Storytime session to celebrate the earth and our natural surroundings at the Lake Merritt Gardens.
Nature Stories and Yoga Movement with Special Guest Angela Madonia
Berkeley-based yogi Angela Madonia will lead a grounding outdoor yoga class as a part of our free Storytime series on Saturday, April 15.
Poetry in the Park with Teaching Fellow Paige Clark
Words in the Wild Teaching Fellow Paige Clark will lead an exciting, outdoor, poetry-themed Storytime at the Kaiser Rooftop Garden in downtown Oakland.