Environmental Education

Making the natural world come alive!Tapping Maple Tree

Springbrook Nature Center programs allow students to learn about the natural world in a hands-on, inquiry based, entertaining way.  Our high quality classes are designed to fit into your classroom curriculum, scout requirement, or homeschool standards.  All classes are 90 minutes long and include both indoor and outdoor components.  Choose the class that fits best for you!

COVID-19 Adjustments

Our in person instruction looks a little different during a pandemic.  We are limited numbers of participants, we are teaching outside only, and are requiring a day-of waiver and health screening for each participant.  Please contact the nature center directly to discuss how we can work with you to create a meaningful environmental education experience during the 2020-2021 school year.  Please note:  All participants and teaching staff are asked to remain masked during the program.

Scheduling

SNC provides both on-site (at the Nature Center) and off-site (at your school) programs. Programs are specific to ages and location. 

We will need the following information to schedule your group: name, address, phone number, number of participants, program topic, arrival time, and special needs/requests.

If you have specific dates in mind, please call early at 763-572-3588.

Class Topics

Onsite program topics are listed below in three categories.  Please take a look and see which class you think is right for you.  If you have questions about specific content, our staff are ready to help you make the right choice!

  1. Science & Natural history
  2. Outdoor Skills & Recreation
  3. Teambuilding
  4. Printable Flyer

Animal Signs

Students will use detective skills to find out about the secret lives of animals! Learn to recognize the signs that animals leave behind and what they tell us about the critters that left them.

Birds

Explore the  world around you through the eyes of a bird.  Discover  bird adaptations, senses, the science of flight, bird identification with binoculars, and more!

Forest Ecology

Students will learn about parts of a tree, tree ID, forest structure, and how both flora and fauna work together to make an intriguing system.

Fungus

Check out some of the amazing fungi found in Springbrook’s forest.  Unearth the special characteristics of fungi and what makes them different from plants.  Discover the important jobs that fungi do for people and for nature.

Insects

Learn about insect adaptations, ID tricks, and the role of insects in the food chain.  We will be collecting live samples as a part of this class.

Mammals

Do you really know enough about mammals? Students will use games, stories, songs, and scientific study to learn more about this group of our closest animal relatives.

Reptiles & Amphibians

This class should be called scaly and cool.  Recognize the fascinating ways these creatures survive in Minnesota.  This class is very hands-on and includes live animals.

Wetlands

There’s water and there’s land.  Put them together, and you have a super cool ecosystem that’s tons of fun to explore.  Critters found in the wetland will be seen larger than life on our video projection system.  Students have the opportunity to look at wetland functions, animals of the wetland, wetland composition, water quality in the wetland, the possibilities are endless!