Outfitted with a bug-printed rain jacket and an outdoors-themed scavenger hunt card, three-year-old Dixon Oliveira is a pro at spotting insects.

The New Bedford resident pointed out crawly things, feathers, and plants alongside four other kiddos at the New Bedford Garden Club Reserve on May 22. Engaging kids in the outdoors is exactly what the Puddle Jumpers program is about, explained Buttonwood Park Zoo's Conservation Education Specialist Hannah Hamilton.

"Getting kids outside, it creates a passion for conservation and a love for nature. It's really important to start them off early," said Hamilton.

For the Puddle Jumpers program, the zoo has teamed up with the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. Each Monday, a representative from each leads a group of two- to five-year-olds and their families through a different DNRT property for about an hour to explore the outdoors. Sessions run in the spring and fall, said Hamilton.

"It's just like being in the jungle," said Oliveira. While hiking, the group spotted a kettle pond, rhododendrons, and a former beehive.

The day's activities included a nature-themed scavenger hunt, and painting using specimens found along the .16-mile hike. Other such outings have consisted of animal and plant identification, color matching, and clay molding in the outdoors, said Hamilton.

"It's a good learning experience for him," said Dartmouth resident Sue Twarog, who had brought her four-year-old grandson Zander Medeiros to the event. "He likes walking in the woods and climbing."

The next Puddle Jumpers meeting will be on June 5 at 11 a.m. at Destruction Brook Woods. The cost is $14 per child for zoo members, and $22 per child for non-members. Online registration is required; visit dnrt.org/calendar.