Education Programs

We offer classroom nature programs, guided hikes, outdoor skills lessons, afterschool programs, and more for Scouts, classrooms, homeschool groups, and clubs. Thanks to our generous funders, these programs are FREE!

Classrooms or organizations can schedule up to four (4) programs per year. Some exceptions apply.

Please reach out to Lindsey@mtwatershed.com to schedule!

Download the Program Guide
Contact Lindsey to Schedule!

Program Guide

Program Highlights

Here are some of our favorite programs! We've rooted our program development in the Pennsylvania STEELS Standards and adapt these programs to each age group and grade that we're teaching.

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Become a wildlife detective! Learn how animals leave clues behind—tracks, scat, and other signs—in their ecosystem. If the space and time allows, we will work with a partner to search the classroom or outdoors for realistic animal tracks and scat using guides just like real scientists.
Fishing without the water? Yes, please! In your gym or outdoors, students cast fishing rods to catch plastic fish and reel in fun facts about our local fish species once they make a catch.
Bats aren’t spooky—they’re super cool! Discover why bats are important nocturnal hunters and how they’re built to thrive in the dark. Then put your own senses to the test in a ears-on echolocation game.
Meet the sky’s top predators! Learn how owls, hawks, and vultures hunt, where they live, and what makes each one unique. Students get an up-close look at real taxidermy birds of prey brought by our educator.

Think like a beaver! Learn how these busy builders shape ecosystems, then team up to construct your own working beaver dam using sticks, clay, rocks, and water—and see if it can hold back the flow.

Discover how animals use colors and patterns to survive in our local ecosystems! We’ll explore how camouflage and bright colors help animals hide, stay safe, or send signals in nature. This lesson can stand on its own or be paired with an indoor craft where kids design their own camouflaged critter, or an exciting outdoor game searching for “hidden” native animals with our educator.

Dive into an entire stream ecosystem! From tiny bugs to amphibians and mammals, students learn how everything is connected and why clean water matters—using interactive materials and engaging discussion.

Learn about the mammals that live right here! Learn about local species while touching real skulls and pelts to see how their bodies help them survive.

Silent flyers, super listeners! Learn about native owls, observe real taxidermy specimens, and uncover the amazing adaptations that make owls such successful nighttime hunters.

  • Related: Owl Pellet Dissection (with shortened Owls of our Area) - What’s on the owl menu? After a brief introduction to native owls, students dissect a real owl pellet to discover what these birds eat—and piece together clues from bones inside.

Slither, crawl, and hop into the world of reptiles and amphibians! Learn about native snakes, turtles, and salamanders while examining shells, skulls, and skeletons—including our state amphibian, the eastern hellbender.

Can dirt clean water? Find out how soil layers filter pollution and slow stormwater. Students build and test their own mini filtration systems using natural materials.

Tiny creatures, big jobs! Search for live stream bugs and learn how they fit into the food web. Students get hands-on experience identifying real macroinvertebrates collected from a local stream.

Winter Animals - What happens to animals when it gets cold? Explore hibernation, brumation, and torpor to learn how wildlife survives winter’s chill—and who stays active when the snow falls.