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.  Classes are either 60 minutes long or 90 minutes long and include both indoor and outdoor components.  Choose the class that fits best for you!

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. cultural history
  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.

Animal Adaptations

How do animals survive in the wild? Adaptations that’s how! Student will explore some of the adaptations that make Minnesota animals so successful.

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!

Decomposers

Recycling happens naturally in wild habitats.  Students will explore the many habitats onsite for evidence of living creatures, waste as a resource, and decomposers.  This hands on class is a blast for the curious at heart.

Habitats

Habitats are essential to life on our planet, but why?  Students will learn the components of all habitats before exploring the pond, prairies and forest in search of evidence of plants and animals and how they thrive.

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.

Pond Study

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!

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.