The Boys & Girls Club of Wareham is pushing kids into the great outdoors with their Summer Fun Program. On Wednesday, a dozen children from first to sixth grade trekked through Lyman Reserve clutching butterfly nets and magnifying glasses to study wildlife.

The club’s Kukoo Program incorporates events through the week that teach kids about nature. The Audubon has done programs on osprey, showing the kids a nest. On Wednesday’s hike, children learned to identify bugs and plants and how to avoid ticks on the trail.

The students captured a gypsy moth in a jar and studied it, determining it was a male because of the size of its antenna.

“It’s mating season right now, so they use their big antenna to find females,” said Lauren Miller-Donnelly of Mass Audubon South Coast Sanctuaries.

“Eww! They want to date them!” A little girl exclaimed.

The Summer Fun Program takes children to baseball games and water parks during the summer, providing them with fun and educational outings five days a week. The outdoor exploration is a favorite for the kids, said Sherbie Worthen, a board member of the Boys & Girls Club.

“This is the stuff they remember later on,” Worthen said. “We want them to help preserve the land and water.”