Upcoming Events
Winter Break Camp for Kids
December 29 & 30, 2025
9am-12pm
$15/day or $25 for both days
Drop the kids off at the Outdoor Discovery Center for some fun this holiday season. They'll enjoy nature inspired winter activities including crafts, games, stories, and outdoor exploration. A snack will be provided each day. Children must be 5-12 years old to attend.
Children may attend one or both dates from 9am-12pm. Space is limited and advance registration is required.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE WINTER BREAK CAMP FOR KIDS.
Stump Stories - Children's Storytime (best suited for children 3-5 years old)
January 6, 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.
Intention in Motion: A mindful blend of yoga, reflection, and intention-setting for the year ahead with Lola J Yoga
January 10, 2026
10am-12pm
$20/person
Space is limited
Begin the new year with mindful movement and meaningful pause. Through breathwork, a slow-flow vinyasa practice, grounding yin postures, and guided journaling, we’ll explore how to move with greater intention—on the mat and in life. Leave feeling centered, inspired, and clear about the energy you want to carry into 2026.
Attendees may pay by cash or check made payable to the Armstrong Center for Community Learning the day of the program.
Lola J Yoga is donating all proceeds from the class to the Outdoor Discovery Center!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR INTENTION IN MOTION.
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:
January 13, 2026 – Magic of Electricity
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.
REGISTRATION FOR THE 1:00 PM PROGRAM ON JANUARY 13TH IS FULL. CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 10:00 AM PROGRAM.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE JANUARY 13TH ELEMENTARY HOMESCHOOL NATURE LESSON ABOUT ELECTRICITY.
Armstrong Nature Book Club
January 13, 2026
7pm
FREE
The book selected for discussion at the January meeting is A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE JANUARY NATURE BOOK CLUB MEETING.
Animal Tracks & Traces
January 17, 2026
10am
$8/child
Suitable for children 8-14 years of age. Space is limited.
Often when we head outside in search of animals, we may not actually see any of our furry or feathered friends…instead we may only find tracks or traces (signs) of them having been there.
Become a nature detective, use keen observation skills and creative thinking to better understand our wild neighbors. We’ll start our lesson inside with a Story in the Snow and awaken your senses to solve a mystery. We’ll learn about gait, the unique pattern of limb movement that animals (and humans) use while moving. Different types of gaits leave different track patterns in the snow or mud. We'll test your scat identification knowledge and of course we'll head outside to search for tracks and traces around the Outdoor Discovery Center.
This program was made possible through a grant from the Grable Foundation.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD FOR ANIMAL TRACKS & TRACES.
Climate Change Escape Rooms
January 24, 2026 at 10am at Kittanning Public Library
February 18, 2026 at 6pm at Ford City Public Library
February 28, 2026 at 10am at Worthington-West Franklin Community Library
April 15, 2026 at 6pm at Apollo Memorial Library
This FREE program is for students 8-14 years old - Registration Required
Do you have what it takes to break out of the Climate Change Escape Room at your local library? The Armstrong Center for Community Learning is partnering with several local libraries to offer these fun and educational escape rooms that will challenge you to solve global warming related puzzles and test your climate change and sustainability knowledge. So, grab your friends and head over to your local library for exciting puzzles and prizes. Snacks and drinks will be served too.
This program was made possible through an environmental education grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE CLIMATE CHANGE ESCAPE ROOM.
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].
