Note: half-day options can also be combined with the Biomes of Minnesota hike to make a full-day trip.
One Small Square
Time: 4 hours - Season: April - November
How do make observations when everything around you is SO INTERESTING? After going on a nature hike and learning how to make observations as a group, we'll gather around a big square: a huge PVC quadrat with room for everyone to peer in. The group naturalist will model how to use scientific equipment like magnifying glasses, rulers, soil corers and thermometers to investigate what's in the big square. Then, pairs or trios of students will get their own "small square": a kid-sized quadrat that sections off the perfect amount of land for little hands and eyes to explore. Armed with their own bag of tools, students will count, measure, draw, collect and get their hands dirty in their squares. We'll come back together as a group to share the most exciting and surprising things from our squares. The day will wrap up with a game of Food Web Tag!
Water Water Everywhere
Time: 4 hours - Season: year-round
Learn about the importance of water to people through a game, an observational hike and a hands-on demo. Students will experience the water cycle through stories and a game of water cycle tag. They will then visit either a wetland or a swamp, and spend some time observing and drawing what they see. They will also get to get their hands wet using our stream table, where a naturalist will demonstrate the way water shapes landscapes through processes like erosion and deposition. Students will be tasked with building houses along the watershed and making real-world engineering decisions related to flood control, development and landscaping.
Leaves and Forests
Time: 4 hours - Season: April – October
Students explore and investigate two of Minnesota’s three biomes – the coniferous and deciduous forests. Go on a hike that passes through several forest types, learn how to identify trees, and discuss the importance of trees and forests for humans. Collect a leaf of your own, and then learn how the shape a leaf tells you something about its function as well as the type of tree it came from. Wrap up the day with a leaf art project or a game of forest tag.
Focus on Food Webs
Time: 4 hours - Season: April – October
Did you know that the first scientist to study how energy moved through food webs worked here at Cedar Creek? Expose your students to Lindeman’s legacy through Food Web Tag, a hike out to his research site (~1 mile total), and an investigation of adaptations in either animal skulls or pinned insects.
Animal Adaptations
Time: 4 hours - Season: year-round
What animals live in Minnesota, and what makes them unique? Students will learn how to reconstruct the story of our local wildlife by looking for clues on a nature hike, and will investigate some of the adaptations found in Minnesotan animals. We'll play games, design our own adapted animals, look at skulls and pelts, go tracking and more!
Biomes of Minnesota
Time: 2 hours
Season: year-round
The Cedar Bog Lake trail is a unique experience that lets students walk through natural representations of all three biomes present in Minnesota before emerging at the shores of Cedar Bog Lake. Deciduous forest, tallgrass prairie and boreal coniferous forest, as well as swamps and a lake – they all contribute to make this a “Walk Across Minnesota!” Depending on the teacher’s goals, students can do this hike as a “color walk”, finding natural items that match paint chips as they traverse the trail, or as a purely observational walk with hand lenses and basic field guides. There are lots of opportunities along the way to stop and ask questions about the different types of nature the students are exploring, as well as some great snack spots! Total distance is ~1 mile.
Sort like a Scientist
Time: 2 hours
Season: year-round
Students observe and/or collect a variety of items from around Cedar Creek and use their observational skills to measure, describe and sort them and to come up with a basic classification scheme (dichotomous key). They then test out their key with a handful of surprise items or a visit to a new area.
Animal Adaptations
Time: 2 hours
Season: year-round
What animals live in Minnesota, and what makes them unique? Through a game, a story and lots of items to touch and explore, students will learn about adaptations our local animals use to make it through to spring. Most of the program will be indoors, but we will be going outside to look for signs of life - dress for the weather!
The Power of Observation
Time: 2 hours
Season: April - November
The most important tool in a scientist's toolkit is their ability to look closely at the world around you. Hone your students' observation skills with a color-based scavenger hunt in nature! We will read a story, then go on a nature hike armed with paint chips and work together to see how many different shades and colors we can find. Once we are expert observers, we'll turn our attention to the plants and animals found around Cedar Creek's main campus building.
Note: Half-day options can also be combined with the Biomes of Minnesota hike to make a full-day trip.
One Small Square
Time: 4 hours
Season: April - November
How do make observations when everything around you is SO INTERESTING? After going on a nature hike and learning how to make observations as a group, we'll gather around a big square: a huge PVC quadrat with room for everyone to peer in. The group naturalist will model how to use scientific equipment like magnifying glasses, rulers, soil corers and thermometers to investigate what's in the big square. Then, pairs or trios of students will get their own "small square": a kid-sized quadrat that sections off the perfect amount of land for little hands and eyes to explore. Armed with their own bag of tools, students will count, measure, draw, collect and get their hands dirty in their squares. We'll come back together as a group to share the most exciting and surprising things from our squares. The day will wrap up with a game of Food Web Tag!
Water Water Everywhere
Time: 4 hours
Season: year-round
Learn about the importance of water to people through a game, an observational hike and a hands-on demo. Students will experience the water cycle through stories and a game of water cycle tag. They will then visit either a wetland or a swamp, and spend some time observing and drawing what they see. They will also get to get their hands wet using our stream table, where a naturalist will demonstrate the way water shapes landscapes through processes like erosion and deposition. Students will be tasked with building houses along the watershed and making real-world engineering decisions related to flood control, development and landscaping.
Leaves and Forests
Time: 4 hours
Season: April – October
Students explore and investigate two of Minnesota’s three biomes – the coniferous and deciduous forests. Go on a hike that passes through several forest types, learn how to identify trees, and discuss the importance of trees and forests for humans. Collect a leaf of your own, and then learn how the shape a leaf tells you something about its function as well as the type of tree it came from. Wrap up the day with a leaf art project or a game of forest tag.
Focus on Food Webs
Time: 4 hours
Season: April – October
Did you know that the first scientist to study how energy moved through food webs worked here at Cedar Creek? Expose your students to Lindeman’s legacy through Food Web Tag, a hike out to his research site (~1 mile total), and an investigation of adaptations in either animal skulls or pinned insects.
Animal Adaptations
Time: 4 hours
Season: year-round
What animals live in Minnesota, and what makes them unique? Students will learn how to reconstruct the story of our local wildlife by looking for clues on a nature hike, and will investigate some of the adaptations found in Minnesotan animals. We'll play games, design our own adapted animals, look at skulls and pelts, go tracking and more!