Ryan Stauffer, environmental educator at the Succop Conservancy in Penn Township, leads children in the Babes in the Woods program on an environmental adventure at the conservancy.

PENN TWP — It is never too early to get back to nature.

The Audubon Society knows this and is helping parents introduce their young children to the wonders of the natural world through the Babes in the Woods program.

According to Ryan Stauffer, environmental educator at the Succop Conservancy, 185 Airport Road, “Babes in the Woods is an experiential program that introduces very young children to nature.”

The program allows parents to get their children into nature and explore and learn about their surroundings.

According to Rachel Handel, communications director for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, the program is for children up to age 3, who must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

“We keep the program to an hour or less for the purpose of the kids’ attention spans,” Handel said.

Stauffer leads the children and their guardians through different nature themes. Each meeting will be different and based on the different plants that are in season.

“Since many are preverbal, we touch, smell and look at various elements of the natural world,” Stauffer said.

Stauffer leads the group around the Succop Conservancy and allows the children to use their senses to acquaint themselves with nature.

“Sometimes examining a feather, touching a stone or watching a rabbit can stimulate a curiosity that we hope will continue throughout a lifetime,” Stauffer said.

Chris Davidowski of Cabot is a member of the Audubon Society. She took her granddaughter, Lydia, 2, to Babes in the Woods last month.

“It was really nice,” Davidowski said.

Each session is geared toward a specific age group.

“He [Ryan] got down on their level,” Davidowski said. “When he found an herb, he would crush it and taught the kids to smell it.”

Davidowski said Lydia’s favorite part was the homing pigeons. The children are also given a lesson on the many birds that call the conservancy home.

Davidowski plans on attending the program again. She said there will be new things for Lydia to discover.

There are programs at both the Succop Conservancy in Penn Township on Tuesday, July 2 and Aug. 6, and the Todd Nature Reserve in Sarver on June 19, July 17 and Aug. 21.

The program is from 10 to 11 a.m. and costs $4 for Audubon members and $6 for nonmembers.

For more information about this and other programs, go to www.aswp.org.