Portland Outdoor Explorers After-School Programs
5830 NE Alameda St, Room 8, Portland, OR
About
Portland Outdoor Explorers After-School Programs offers plant identification, fort building, art, storytelling, role-play games, foam sword battles, games, and outdoor education. After-school programs are place-based and student-led, with instructors preparing multiple activities each day while students choose what they want to do. Kids walk from their school to various outdoor spaces nearby as weather allows, and the place they live becomes the primary instructor in the program’s approach.
• Ages: 4–14 years old
• Schedule: After-school pickup from local elementary schools at 2:30 p.m. with pickup available any time before 6:00 p.m.
• Price: Drop In $50. Full Semester (Month) 1 Day a Week $200, prorated. Full Semester (Month) 2 Days a Week $360, prorated. Full Semester (Month) 3 Days a Week $480, prorated. Full Semester (Month) 4 Days a Week $640, prorated. Full Semester (Month) 5 Days a Week $700, prorated.
Portland Outdoor Explorers is a small non-profit with a mission that includes letting kids be kids and giving them space to define what that means for themselves. The organization states that it strives to help participants maintain a foundation of curiosity, emphasizes the importance of consent in play, speech, and property, and wants explorers to know how and when to advocate for themselves, have empathy and compassion for others, and take space for themselves. The mission also includes helping explorers learn about the wider world of people, plants, and animals and building a future where people can rely on each other. As a group primarily operated by queer, disabled, female-presenting people, Portland Outdoor Explorers states that it strives to create a space where families of all backgrounds can feel safe, heard, and treated fairly.
Head instructors for the program are listed as Haylee Wagner, Alex Frost, and Laura Grant. Portland Outdoor Explorers describes itself as a proudly 100% child-led non-profit centered in NE Portland, offering year-round indoor and outdoor adventures for kids ages 4–14. Pricing is on a sliding scale, with the cost per day decreasing as families register for more days, and flexible registration options allow families to select only the days they need.
The program uses the POEmobile, a van used to transport gear and students to program, field trips, and other adventures during summer camp and some no-school days. Portland Outdoor Explorers participates in BottleDrop Give, collecting empty bottles and cans to recycle in order to raise money for gear, field trips, and other needs, while also keeping parks litter-free.
Parent feedback about the program includes statements that “POE is always kid centered,” that it is “a great opportunity for parents to have a date night and kids to do something exiting,” and that one child “loves the freedom to choose creative activities and free play within the safe and caring atmosphere that the instructors provide.” One parent also credits the program as “a big part of allowing them to develop social skills and a sense of self.”
Last updated April 14, 2026.
• Ages: 4–14 years old
• Schedule: After-school pickup from local elementary schools at 2:30 p.m. with pickup available any time before 6:00 p.m.
• Price: Drop In $50. Full Semester (Month) 1 Day a Week $200, prorated. Full Semester (Month) 2 Days a Week $360, prorated. Full Semester (Month) 3 Days a Week $480, prorated. Full Semester (Month) 4 Days a Week $640, prorated. Full Semester (Month) 5 Days a Week $700, prorated.
Portland Outdoor Explorers is a small non-profit with a mission that includes letting kids be kids and giving them space to define what that means for themselves. The organization states that it strives to help participants maintain a foundation of curiosity, emphasizes the importance of consent in play, speech, and property, and wants explorers to know how and when to advocate for themselves, have empathy and compassion for others, and take space for themselves. The mission also includes helping explorers learn about the wider world of people, plants, and animals and building a future where people can rely on each other. As a group primarily operated by queer, disabled, female-presenting people, Portland Outdoor Explorers states that it strives to create a space where families of all backgrounds can feel safe, heard, and treated fairly.
Head instructors for the program are listed as Haylee Wagner, Alex Frost, and Laura Grant. Portland Outdoor Explorers describes itself as a proudly 100% child-led non-profit centered in NE Portland, offering year-round indoor and outdoor adventures for kids ages 4–14. Pricing is on a sliding scale, with the cost per day decreasing as families register for more days, and flexible registration options allow families to select only the days they need.
The program uses the POEmobile, a van used to transport gear and students to program, field trips, and other adventures during summer camp and some no-school days. Portland Outdoor Explorers participates in BottleDrop Give, collecting empty bottles and cans to recycle in order to raise money for gear, field trips, and other needs, while also keeping parks litter-free.
Parent feedback about the program includes statements that “POE is always kid centered,” that it is “a great opportunity for parents to have a date night and kids to do something exiting,” and that one child “loves the freedom to choose creative activities and free play within the safe and caring atmosphere that the instructors provide.” One parent also credits the program as “a big part of allowing them to develop social skills and a sense of self.”
Last updated April 14, 2026.
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