Upcoming Events
Monthly Nature Lessons for Elementary Age Homeschool Students
Second* Tuesday of Every Month - September 2024 through May 2025
10am to 12pm OR 1pm to 3pm
The Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek will offer elementary age homeschool students a nature lesson each month. The two-hour program will run the second Tuesday of every month, September 2024 – May 2025. Classes are held during the morning (10-12pm) or afternoon (1pm-3pm) at the Outdoor Discovery Center. Each program includes 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.
* The March 2025 classes will be held on the third Tuesday of the month.
Tentative Class Topics:
- March 18, 2025: Animal Camouflage - Camouflage is an essential survival tool that animals use to hide from predators, hunt efficiently, and adapt to their environment. Students will learn about different types of camouflage that animals use and try to spot camouflaged animals.
- April 8, 2025: TBD
- May 13, 2025: TBD
Each session is $10/child. Advanced registration is required so that we may plan accordingly. 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.
A special THANK YOU to the Grable Foundation for providing the funding to offer these homeschool nature lessons at the Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek!
If you have questions, please contact Rachel Filippini, ODC Program Coordinator at [email protected] or call 724-763-6316.
Armstrong Nature Book Club - Deeply Rooted
March 18, 2025
7pm
FREE!
Open to all, this monthly book club focuses on nature-themed books and is particularly suited for those with an avid interest and curiosity in nature-related topics, human interactions with nature, and how these concepts can personally relate to each individual reader. The book club will be facilitated by a member of the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program.
The book that will be discussed is The Dancing Bees: Karl von Frisch and the Discovery of the Honeybee Language by Tania Munz. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND.
All meetings will be at the Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek, 142 Kerr Rd., Ford City, PA 16226.
Upcoming Armstrong Nature Book Club meetings and featured books:
April 8, 2025 - TBD
May 13, 2025 - TBD
Painted Pinecone Project
March 24, 2025
6pm
$30/person
Best suited for participants ages 8 and up
Join Louisa from Basket Full of Posies to make this beautiful 14" x 14" pink and yellow flower craft using pinecones and twigs. No experience necessary. All materials supplied by organizer. Participants are welcome to bring their own snacks and drinks.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE PAINTED PINECONE PROJECT ON MARCH 24, 2025.
Geocaching Community Celebration
March 29, 2025
10am-2pm
FREE!
Whether you're new to geocaching or have been doing it for years, you're invited to a Geocaching Community Celebration event at the Outdoor Discovery Center. Food, prizes, and lots of fun.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE GEOCACHING COMMUNITY CELEBRATION ON MARCH 29, 2025!
Stump Stories - Children's Storytime (best suited for children 3-5 years old)
April 1, 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.
Nature & Wellness: Veggie Fermentation
April 10, 2025
6pm
$20/person
Dive into the world of microbes in this introductory fermentation workshop! Join Trevor Ring, owner of Community Cultures, to learn all about the benefits of consuming live cultured foods, and about the process of lactic acid fermentation. Participants will learn how to make sauerkraut and pickles, and walk away with a jar of veggies to ferment at home.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR VEGGIE FERMENTATION.
Earth Day Celebration
April 19, 2025
10am-2pm
FREE!
Hop on over to the Outdoor Discovery Center to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Earth Day! We will have tons of fun and educational activities for the whole family to enjoy. Every family will receive an Earth Day children's book and bookmark, while supplies last. This event was made possible through a grant from the Baker Family Charitable Fund and Bocinec and King Families Fund at the Armstrong County Community Foundation.
Check out the activities we have going on that day:
In the Morning:
- Listen to enchanting stories by Starla the Storyteller
- Visit the animals at the Quack-a-Doodle-Doo Mobile Petting zoo
All Day:
- Learn about reptiles & amphibians at the Leap Into Herpetology Program
- Explore the Carnegie Museum of Natural History mini museum
- Visit the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Woodmobile
- Meet the Easter Bunny
- Make nature crafts and participate in a variety of nature activities
- Hike one of our trails
- Learn about mushrooms from the Western PA Mushroom Club
- Learn about bees & beekeeping from the Beekeepers of ABCI
- Purchase & Enjoy Food from Bugsy's Pizza and The Coffin Bean & Co.
- Search for spiders with the Spider Mentor!
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED. COME FOR ONE ACTIVITY OR STAY ALL DAY!
Nature & Wellness: Forest Bathing
April 24, 2025
10am
FREE
Learn the art of "forest bathing", just another way to say immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere. The practice encourages people to simply spend time in nature -- no actual bathing required. 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. Led by PA Master Naturalist, Kay Owen.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR FOREST BATHING.
Young Explorers Summer Camp
June 9-13, 2025
Two Sessions to Select From: 9am-12pm (FULL) OR 1pm-4pm (OPENINGS AVAILABLE!)
$100/child (ages 4-7 years of age)
UPDATE: The 9am-12pm camp is full. However, registration remains open for the 1pm-4pm camp! Register today!
Your 4-7 year old is invited to join us for our Young Explorers Camp this summer. This is a half-day (9am-12pm OR 1pm-4pm) camp, running from Monday, June 9 to Friday, June 13, 2025. Camp will include a variety of nature & environmental related games, crafts, experiments, and outdoor exploration.
Camp activities will be held both inside and outside the Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek.
We will supply a snack during the morning and afternoon sessions and each camper will receive a t-shirt.
Camp cost: $100/camper. A 15% discount given when registering a sibling(s) at the same time. This sibling discount applies to the second, third, etc. child being registered for the camp.
Registration is payable by check to the Armstrong Center for Community Learning. Registration must be received by June 2nd to secure your child’s spot in the Young Explorers Camp.
Refund policy: Registration fees can only be refunded if withdrawals are received prior to the registration deadline.
Please print and complete this registration packet for the 1pm-4pm session (click here) for the Young Explorers Camp. If you have any questions please contact [email protected] or call 724-543-2599.
Youth Water Quality Education & Engagement Projects for High School Students
Upcoming Engagement Projects will be announced soon!
FREE
Learn more about the Youth Water Quality Education and Engagement projects for high school and middle school students by visiting https://www.armstrongcenter.org/odc-events/youth-water-quality-education/. Here, you will learn about our water quality education and engagement projects, such as building and installing catfish spawning boxes, designing water quality games and activities for elementary students, tree planting for stream bank stabilization, touring an environmental laboratory, etc.
PA Master Naturalist Certification Training
Registrat
ion is closed for the Fall 2024 PA Master Naturalist training cohort. A cohort is held in each 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].
