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.
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:
May 12, 2026 – Dragonflies
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.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 10:00 AM OR 1:00 PM PROGRAMS.
Armstrong Nature Book Club
May 12, 2026
7pm
FREE
The book selected for discussion at the next book club meeting is The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship with our Wild Neighbors by Pennsylvania native Erika Howsare.
Story Hike with the Ford City Library
May 13, 2026
11:30am
FREE
We'll go on a story hike on one of the trails at the Outdoor Discovery Center and read The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle, by Sy Montgomery and Matt Patterson. The story will be followed by fun activities.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR STORY HIKE WITH FORD CITY LIBRARY.
Join us for a Forestry Health Series with the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources! Levi Thompson, DCNR Service Forester supports Armstrong, Clarion, and Jefferson counties and will lead this three-part series. You'll learn about sustainable forestry practices, cost-sharing programs, tools, funding, and assistance available to landowners to increase the health of their forested areas. These programs are free but please register. Light refreshments will be served.
April 20, 2026 at 5:30 PM - Tree Care - Registration Closed
This program will teach the audience how to plant a tree - the planting process, maintenance, how to protect it, and the commonly overlooked: proper tree selection.
May 18, 2026 at 5:30pm - Invasive Species - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
This presentation will talk about invasive plants, why they're a problem, and how we can stop them. Mr. Thompson will go over many of the most common invasives in Armstrong County, and discuss ID and control methods. We'll search the Outdoor Discovery Center grounds to see if we can identify any invasive species.
June 29, 2026 at 5:30pm - Timber Harvesting - Stay tuned for registration details!
Mr. Thompson will talk about many of the pitfalls that surround timber harvesting and teach landowners how to properly assess their forest, and how to make sound management decisions that will benefit them and their property for generations.
An Evening with Jason Bittel
May 20, 2026
6pm
FREE
All Ages Welcome
Jason Bittel is a National Geographic Explorer, an author of several kids’ books, and most recently the author of GRIZZLED: Love Letters to 50 of North America's Least Understood Animals. It’s a new kind of wildlife book that leaps off the page & lights a fire in your heart. It's rigorously scientific, slightly hilarious, & written for everybody -- young & old, rural & urban, scientist & layperson. Get a sneak peak of his new book as well as some of his other writings at https://www.bittelmethis.com/
Jason considers it his mission to help everyday people reconnect with the wonder all around us. While learning about exotic animals in far away places is exciting, it is just as easy to be wowed by creatures in your own backyard.
Books will be available to purchase.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR AN EVENING WITH JASON BITTEL AT THE ODC!
Bringing Natives Home: Designing Native Gardens
May 23, 2026
10am
$10/person
Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Armstrong County, Stefanie Zukowski, will present Bringing Natives Home: Designing Native Gardens.
During this session, you will take a virtual tour of Stefanie's Armstrong County yard and follow her journey as she transforms hills and turf into a sustainable, beautiful habitat for birds, bees, beetles, Stef, her husband, and their pets.
This class will help you think differently about your gardening journey, and help you plan for native gardens in a manageable way. Participants will learn simple, practical, and budget-friendly steps for creating an eco‑friendly landscape in their own home gardens. There will be hands-on activities to help you learn the basics of Native Garden Designing, with feedback from local Master Gardeners.
All proceeds from this event will benefit our local outdoor community at the Outdoor Discovery Center and the Armstrong County Master Gardener program.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR BRINGING NATIVES HOME: DESIGNING NATIVE GARDENS.
Yoga on the Lawn
Thursdays, May 28th, June 4th, and June 11th
6pm
$10/class
Join LolaJ for Yoga on the Lawn. Step into the slower rhythm of early summer with a three-part outdoor yoga series designed to help you unwind and reconnect. Each session invites you to explore gentle, intentional movement paired with mindful breathing, creating space for both ease and awareness. Surrounded by fresh air and the natural world, we’ll practice softening tension and settling into a steadier, more grounded pace. This series is an opportunity to transition into the season with calm, clarity, and a renewed sense of balance.
Attendees will pay the $10 class fee to the instructor the evening of the program.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR YOGA ON THE LAWN.
Forest Bathing
May 30, 2026
10am
FREE
Learn the art of "forest bathing", just another way to say immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere, with PA Master Naturalist Kay Owen. The practice encourages people to simply spend time in nature. This is an opportunity to slow down, turn off your devices, and give yourself the best chance of relaxing, being mindful, and enjoying a sensory forest-based experience.
Did you know, spending time outdoors, especially in green spaces, can improve health - lowering stress, blood pressure and heart rate, while encouraging physical activity and improving mood and mental health?
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR FOREST BATHING.
Stump Stories - Children's Storytime (best suited for children 3-5 years old)
June 2, 2026
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.
Young Explorers Camp
June 8–12, 2026
⚠️ Morning Session (9:00 AM–12:00 PM) is FULL. Registration is now only open for the afternoon session (1:00 PM–4:00 PM).
Half-Day Session Available: 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
$100 per child | Ages 5–7
Children ages 5–7 are invited to join us for the Young Explorers Camp this summer! This half-day camp will be offered from Monday, June 8 through Friday, June 12, 2026. Campers will enjoy a variety of nature and environmental-themed games, crafts, hands-on experiments, and outdoor exploration.
Activities will take place both indoors and outdoors at the Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek.
A snack will be provided during each session, and every camper will receive a camp t-shirt.
Camp Fee: $100 per camper. A 15% sibling discount is available when siblings are registered at the same time. The discount applies to the second and each additional child enrolled in camp.
Registration is payable by check to the Armstrong Center for Community Learning. Registration must be received by June 3rd to secure your child’s spot in the Young Explorers Camp.
Refund policy: Registration fees will only be refunded if withdrawals are received prior to the registration deadline.
Please click the link below to download, print, and complete the registration packet for the Young Explorers Camp. If you have any questions please contact [email protected] or call 724-543-2599.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION PACKET FOR THE YOUNG EXPLORERS CAMP.
Pollinator Event
June 13, 2026
9am-12pm
FREE
We are teaming up with the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Armstrong County to celebrate pollinators. Join us for this fun and free event where you'll be able to:
Tour the Master Gardener Pollinator Garden
Meet beekeepers and learn about honeybees & wild bees
Learn about native and pollinator plants
Learn about bees, butterflies, moths & hummingbirds
View the milkweed and winter sowing display
Participate in arts, crafts, and other children's activities
Participate in Story Time & Nature Walk
Learn how to start your own pollinator garden
REGISTRATION IS REQUESTED BY CLICKING HERE.
Armstrong County Junior Naturalist Camp
June 22–24, 2026
9am–2pm
$100/student
The Armstrong County Junior Naturalist Program introduces students ages 8–12 to a variety of nature and conservation topics through fun games, crafts, and outdoor exploration. Over three full days, students will learn from certified Pennsylvania Master Naturalists and other experts, sharpening observation skills, recording and sharing their findings, and working as a team with fellow young naturalists. This program is designed to inspire a lasting passion for exploring and protecting the natural world.
Each student will receive a backpack filled with naturalist tools to use during camp and take home, including a field journal, pencils, hand magnifier, flashlight, rain poncho, pocket naturalist guide, and more. Students will explore the Outdoor Discovery Center’s animal room, classroom, outdoor classroom, trails, and nearby ponds throughout the program.
Students should bring their own lunches. Morning and afternoon snacks will be provided by the Outdoor Discovery Center.
Scholarship Opportunity
Thanks to the generous Junior Naturalist Fund, one full scholarship is available this year for a student who might not otherwise be able to attend. The scholarship is awarded based on financial need.
Families interested in applying for the scholarship should:
- Download, print and complete the Scholarship Application (click here), and
- Complete the Camp Registration Form linked below (do not include payment with the scholarship application).
Scholarship Deadline: All completed materials must be received by April 30, 2026. Mail forms to:
Outdoor Discovery Center, 142 Kerr Rd., Ford City, PA 16226
If your child is awarded the scholarship, the full cost of camp will be covered. If not selected, families may choose to complete registration and submit payment to secure a spot before June 16, 2026.
Registration
To register your child (with or without a scholarship), please click here to download and print the Camp Registration Form. Completed forms and payment (for non-scholarship registrations) must be received by June 16, 2026.
PA Master Naturalist Certification Training
Registrat
ion is open for the Fall 2026 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 (6:00 - 8:30 PM) from August 13 to October 29 with four field sessions on Saturdays (August 22, September 12, October 3, and October 10)
Click here to access the Fall 2026 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].
