Nature Lessons for Elementary Age Homeschool Students
November 10, 2026
10:00 AM Session - Full
1:00 PM Session - Registration Open
$10/student
With generous support from the Grable Foundation, the Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek will offer nature lessons to elementary age homeschooled students. The approximately two-hour program will run the second Tuesday of every month, September 2026 – May 2027. Sessions beginning at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM will be offered each month, and 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.
Upcoming Class: November 10, 2026 – Let’s learn about bobcats! Though they may look cute and cuddly, these North American felines are fierce predators. Also called the bay lynx, wildcat, red lynx, or swamp tiger, the bobcat is Pennsylvania’s only feline predator. Bobcats thrive in diverse habitats, including forested mountains, swamps, agricultural areas, and suburban woodlots. Students will explore basic bobcat biology, examine a taxidermized bobcat and replicas of a skull, scat, and claw, create a fun craft, and take a hike.
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.
If you have questions, please contact Rachel Filippini, ODC Program Coordinator at [email protected] or call 724-763-6316.
Nature Book Club
November 10, 2026
7:00 PM
FREE
The book being discussed at the November meeting is On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor.
The book is a New York Times Bestseller. On Trails is a wondrous exploration of how trails help us understand the world - from invisible ant trails to hiking paths that span continents, from interstate highways to the Internet. While thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Robert Moor began to wonder about the paths that lie beneath our feet: How do they form? Why do some improve over time while others fade? What makes us follow or strike off on our own? Over the course of seven years, Moor traveled the globe, exploring trails of all kinds, from the miniscule to the massive.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE UPCOMING NATURE BOOK CLUB MEETING.
Nature Lessons for Middle School Age Homeschool Students
November 17, 2026
1:00 PM
$10/student
With generous support from the Grable Foundation, the Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek will offer nature lessons to middle school age homeschooled students. The approximately two-hour program will occur once every month, September 2026 – May 2027. 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.
Upcoming Class: November 17, 2026 – Bobcats: Though they may look cute and cuddly, these North American felines are fierce predators. Also called the bay lynx, wildcat, red lynx, or swamp tiger, the bobcat is Pennsylvania’s only feline predator. Bobcats thrive in diverse habitats, including forested mountains, swamps, agricultural areas, and suburban woodlots. Students will explore basic bobcat biology, examine a taxidermized bobcat and replicas of a skull, scat, and claw and then take a hike.
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.
If you have questions, please contact Rachel Filippini, ODC Program Coordinator at [email protected] or call 724-763-6316.
Stump Stories
December 1, 2026
10:00 AM
FREE
Bring your preschooler out for Stump Stories where we'll read a nature inspired story, make a simple craft, and go on a short hike.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR STUMP STORIES.
Return of the River Otter Program
December 10, 2026
6:00 PM
FREE
Once nearly wiped out by unregulated trapping & habitat loss, the playful river otter is making a remarkable return to Pennsylvania’s waterways. Dive into the hidden world of these intelligent carnivores to understand how their recovery marks a turning point in our state’s conservation history.
Join local Naturalist Educator Char Ross to uncover the ecological importance of otters, what their presence tells us about waterway health, and how Pennsylvania’s rivers are rewilding.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE RETURN OF THE RIVER OTTER PROGRAM.
Full Moon Hike & Program
December 23, 2026
7:30 PM
$5.00 per child
Bring your kids out for a reading of the book Full Moon Lore by Ellen Wahi, a craft, and a peaceful moonlit hike on our 1/2 mile You Can Trail. The cost is $5.00 per child. Children must be accompanied by an adult. There is no charge for adult chaperones.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE FULL MOON HIKE & PROGRAM ON DECEMBER 23, 2026.
PA Master Naturalist Certification Training
Registrat
ion for the Fall 2026 PA Master Naturalist training cohort is full and closed. 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 with four field sessions on Saturdays.
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].