Upcoming Events
Story Hike with Ford City Public Library
October 29, 2025
11:30am
FREE
Join the Ford City Public Library and Outdoor Discovery Center staff for a fun story hike on the You Can Trail. We'll be reading The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams. The hike will be followed by fun activities and a craft inside the Outdoor Discovery Center.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE STORY HIKE.
Stump Stories - Children's Storytime (best suited for children 3-5 years old)
November 4, 2025
10am
FREE
Bring your little one out for Stump Stories the first Tuesday of the month. We’ll read a nature inspired children’s book, make a simple craft, and go on a short hike.
Registration requested to help us prepare any necessary supplies.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR STUMP STORIES.
Armstrong Nature Book Club
November 11, 2025
7pm
FREE
The book selected for discussion at the November meeting is A Farm Life: Observations From Fields and Forests by Daryln Brewer Hoffstot. We’re excited to announce that the author will be joining us for the meeting—don’t miss this special opportunity!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE NATURE BOOK CLUB IN NOVEMBER.
Creativity in the Kitchen Workshop: Reducing Food Waste
November 13, 2025
6pm
FREE
Join our friends from the Pennsylvania Resources Council for a fun and creative workshop on reducing food waste. At this workshop you'll learn how to find great deals on groceries, recipes that make the most of every ingredient, and tips & tricks for reducing food waste. Together we'll learn more about eating well while saving money, fighting food insecurity in our community & supporting local farmers, and conserving natural resources & lowering greenhouse gases.
Each participating household will receive a pack of reusable food storage bags, a countertop food compost bucket. and a mesh produce bag.
This program is made possible through a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection environmental education grant.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE CREATIVITY IN THE KITCHEN WORKSHOP.
Monthly Nature Lessons for Elementary Age Homeschool Students
Second Tuesday** of the Month - September 2025 through May 2026
10am or 1pm sessions offered
The Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek will offer nature lessons to elementary age homeschooled students each month. The two-hour programs will occur the second Tuesday** of the month, September 2025 through May 2026. **The November class will be held on the third Tuesday.
A 10am-12pm session and a 1pm-3pm session will be offered each month. Sessions will include a fun and hands-on mix of nature lessons, crafts, games, hikes, experiments, and more.
Depending on the topic we will make use of our indoor and outdoor classrooms; our animal room which has an impressive display of mounted, taxidermized mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish; our lawn and trails.
Tentative Class Topics:
November 18, 2025** – Crows
December 9, 2025 – Awesome Opossum
January 13, 2026 – TBD
February 10, 2026 – Igloos & Icicles
March 10, 2026 – Water Cycle
April 14, 2026 – Traveling Seed
May 12, 2026 – Pond Life
Each session is $10/child. You may pay by cash or check (made payable to the Armstrong Center for Community Learning) the day of the class.
Class size is limited.
If you have questions, please contact Rachel Filippini, ODC Program Coordinator at [email protected] or call 724-763-6316.
Homeschool Nature Lessons are supported through a grant from the Grable Foundation.
PA Master Naturalist Certification Training
Registrat
ion is closed for the Fall 2024 PA Master Naturalist training cohort. A cohort is held every other Fall at the Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek.
Do you enjoy learning about the natural world? Are you interested in sharing that knowledge with others? Would you like to know more about supporting natural resource conservation? Pennsylvania Master Naturalists are a dedicated group of people who share a passion for nature, getting outdoors and giving back. If you enjoy hiking, wildlife watching, being outdoors, and volunteering, you’ll love being a Master Naturalist.
Become a Master Naturalist by attending our 50-hour training course at the Outdoor Discovery Center. Classes will be held weekly on Thursday evenings from August 8 – October 24 with four field sessions on Saturdays (August 17, September 7 and 21, and October 5)
Click here to access the Fall 2024 schedule.
Visit the PA Master Naturalist Facebook page by clicking here.
You can also visit https://pamasternaturalist.org/become_a_master_naturalist/ for additional information about becoming a Master Naturalist.
Learn more about PA Master Naturalist training course application at https://bit.ly/PMNtraining.
For more information and registration details, contact Rachel Filippini, ODC program coordinator at [email protected].
