ALNC offers after-school programming for families as well as for site leaders working with existing afterschool programs.

Educators! Scroll down for Nature Nuts.

We are proud to offer the following After-School programs:

 

• OAKS After-School

  This K-5 After-School Program runs Monday through Friday and is for students at Nuestro Mundo, Henderson Elementary School, and Winnequah School. It accommodates early release days and transportation to ALNC is provided.

• After-School Nature Club

  Geared for students in grades K, 1st, or 2nd who are ready for out-of-school exploration, Nature Club meets from 3:30 to 5 pm on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays during the school year. This program is held primarily outdoors and includes a light snack.

Nature Nuts After-School Program

Developed for site leaders at existing after-school programs, Nature Nuts is a comprehensive curriculum developed to guide students through a variety of hands-on outdoor experiences throughout the seasons. The curriculum has a three-year rotating theme so students experience a diversity of thematic elements over time. The goals of the Nature Nuts program are to:

• Develop in children an appreciation of nature
• Enhance children’s academic skills in reading, language arts, and mathematics
• Teach students to embrace a learning attitude outside of the classroom setting
• Help children gain a better understanding of the natural world and their place in it
• Improve children’s self-esteem and leadership skills

Program topics are designed to be seasonally appropriate and focus on phenology activities (seasonal observations of natural events recorded in a journal). Topics may include birding, adaptations, mapping, and orienteering in the fall; glaciers, mammals, and survival skills in winter; and maple syruping, trees and wetlands in the spring. After-School programs in the summer are also available and feature a variety of topics, including water cycles, wildflower identification, and survival skills.

Can’t come to the Aldo Leopold Nature Center? Let us bring the Nature Nuts curriculum to your group! We will take advantage of whatever outdoor features are within walking distance of your site.

Planning your Trip:

• Cost: $45 per Environmental Educator (EE) per hour
  (+ mileage for off-site programs) ($.625/mi round trip)
• Student to EE Ratio: 10 students per EE grades K-2, 12 students per EE grades 3 and up
• Transportation to and from ALNC is the responsibility of the group
• Please let us know if there are any participants with special needs (physical, emotional, behavioral, etc.). This will aid us in planning for the entire group and make our programs educational and enjoyable for all!
• Scholarship funding may be available for groups with a limited budget
• Contact our School Program Coordinator to schedule your trip or for more information at (608) 221-0404 x 1 or schools@aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org.