K-12 Education at the Environmental Learning Center
The John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center (ELC) is a place where all ages can learn about the environment through hands-on, interactive activities that are both educational and fun!
We offer K-12 class field trips, day camps and a pre-school program - all designed to enrich student learning through outdoor education. Students get to explore, interact with, measure and create within the lush outdoor surroundings of the ELC, which contains both forest and wetland habitat.
For more information about opportunities, contact ELCfieldtrip@clackamas.edu.
Children attending ELC programs are expected to follow Oregon's immunization policy. Please visit the Oregon Health Authority for more information.
ELC programs for kids
Thanks to support from Clackamas Water Environment Services, the City of Gladstone, and Oak Lodge Water Services, these livestream episodes are available to all.
What: Join us virtually, as one of our instructors leads you on an exploration of a specific aspect of the ELC watershed habitat.
We would love to take comments and questions from you or your students during the programs (if your school allows online interaction)!
Join us on Zoom, or view a recording at your convenience. Using Google Meets? No problem. We have instructions for sharing a Zoom screen through Google Meets.
When: Every Tuesday, Oct. 12-Dec. 14, 2021. Attending all episodes is not required.
WILD ABOUT WATER
When: 9-9:20 a.m.
Grades: K-3
Register for Wild About Water
WILD IN THE WETLAND
When: 9-9:20 a.m.
Grades: 4-5
Register for Wild in the Wetland
Schedule:
- Oct. 19: Mighty, Tiny, Wetland Creatures
- Oct. 26:Plants with Wet Feet
- Nov. 2: Beavers: Nature's Builders (K-3), Watershed Health Art Project (4-5)
- Nov. 9: Are the Wetlands Home to Animals?
- Nov. 16: Wetland Wildlife in Winter
- Nov. 23: Duck, Duck, No Goose
- Nov. 30: Nature's Recyclers (K-3), Raccoon: Masked Bandit (4-5)
- Dec. 7: Water Temperature Check-up
- Dec. 14: Waterflow in the Watershed
Celebrate your child's special day with a nature-themed party and outdoor fun! The ELC's Nature Spy Birthday Party Kits are inspired by some of our most popular Explorer Kits.
A Nature Spy Birthday Party consists of a special Birthday Package for the Birthday Child and a Nature Spy Guest Kit for each of your child's guests. Please choose one theme for the party. Creating the craft and doing the activity should take about an hour. Kits are designed for children ages 4-8 (older kids might enjoy them too!).
Nature Spy Party Themes
- Owl Party Theme: Create an owl diorama and dissect an owl pellet!
- Squirrel Party Theme: Make a play-dough squirrel with a one-of-a-kind tail and play squirrel behavior bingo!
- Bug Hotel Party Theme: Build a bug hotel and play hide and seek with pipe cleaner insects!
The birthday child's special package includes:
- The craft and activity kit for the theme you choose: Owl, Squirrel or Bug Hotel (this kit will be the same as the guest kits).
- An ELC Nature Spy t-shirt with mallard duck art that your child can color.
- Set of fabric markers for coloring the t-shirt.
- Nature Spy Collector series cards.
Scholarships for Nature Spy Birthday Parties are not available at this time.
Questions?
Please e-mail: Jill Sorber, jill.sorber@clackamas.edu
The ELC's Nature Spy Explorer Kits are sent right to your door and have all the supplies your budding naturalist will need to learn, create and play. Engaging crafts, fun facts and playful activities will help them discover the natural world that surrounds them – from the comfort of home and neighborhood! Kits are designed for children ages 4-8 (we hear that older children enjoy them too!).
Each kit includes:
- Easy to follow instructions
- Materials for creating one nature-themed craft
- Nature journal page with fun facts
- Activities to keep them exploring all week long
- A nature guide or storybook
Explorer Kit themes:
- Wiggly Wonderful Worms
- Mosses, Lichens, and Ferns - Oh My!
- Whoo Are The Owls?
- Weather Watcher
- Nature Spy Tracker
Cost:
- Individual kit: $30 (includes shipping)
- Set of 5: $138 (includes shipping)
- Scholarship pricing available - select the "Request a Scholarship" ticket
Shipping:
- If you order a Collector's Series, you will receive one kit a week for five weeks.
- If you order an individual kit, that kit will ship within five to seven business days.
Kits are available for pre-order! The first one will ship on Nov. 24.
If you have questions, email Jill Sorber at jill.sorber@clackamas.edu.
Based on recommendations and mandates from the state and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, we are canceling all non-essential events. For more information on our protective efforts, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Notifications page.
Nature Striders programs will give you and your little one a chance to explore nature together through activities like story time, crafts, and walks in the forest/wetland habitat. Each session includes both indoor and outdoor activities, so be sure to dress for the weather! Snacks are provided, but please bring your own drinks.
Who: Ages 2-5 and their caregivers
Where: Environmental Learning Center at the Oregon City campus
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Cost: Sliding scale $15-25/session (additional child is $5). Your first session is free!
Registration is required and space is limited. Cash or check only. To register, email naturestriders@clackamas.edu.
Nature Striders Themes
- Tracks: Clues That Tell a Story
Join naturalist and educator Sarah Bidwell in learning to "read" the tracks left behind by our wildlife neighbors. - T. rex at the ELC?
Join naturalist and educator Sarah Bidwell in discovering the modern-day dinosaurs living all around us: birds! - Whoo-oo is it?
Join naturalist and educator Sarah Bidwell in learning about owls and their special features that make them silent hunters of the night.
Based on recommendations and mandates from the state and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, all our in-person K-12 programs are canceled. For more information on our protective efforts, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Notifications page.
Our recently restored wetland, fed by underground springs and stormwater runoff from the Oregon City campus, provides critical habitat for wildlife and water quality improvement, making it the ideal location to study wetland habitat.
The following programs for school field trips meet specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) on ecosystems, adaptation, biodiversity and the impact of human activity.
If you are interested in scheduling a field trip, please view our field trip calendar.
You will be asked to:
- Select a date
- Select number of groups. Please note that we can do two groups at a time, with a maximum number of 30 per group.
- Please register and pick your program
We have limited scholarship dollars available. If you are interested in filling out a request for some assistance, or have questions about our field trips, please e-mail ELCfieldtrip@clackamas.edu
ELC Field Trip Programs
Do Coyotes Eat Salad? A Journey into the Forest Ecosystem
Grades: K-3
2.5 hours
Cost: $8/student (minimum $160/group)
The forest ecosystem is a complex web of plants and animals interacting with each other every day to find food, shelter and mates. This field excursion will give your students a better understanding of forest ecology through hands-on learning, interactive role playing and participation in fun education-based games!
Prepare to get ducky! Exploring wetland habitats
Grades: K-3
2.5 hours
Cost: $8/student (minimum $160/group)
Wetlands make up only about 5% of the Earth’s surface, yet they are crucial habitat for a wide array of plants and animals. During their visit, students will learn about wetland plant and animal identification, animal migration and the important role wetlands play in water quality.
Why is my skin green? Adaptations for survival
Grades: 4
2.5 hours
Cost: $8/student (minimum $160/group)
Frogs, birds, bears and even plants have adapted to improve their chances of survival in nature. Students will explore several types of adaptation in the forest/wetland ecosystem, and determine the purpose for each adaptation (growth, survival, behavior or reproduction), then join in a variety of fun, interactive games to reinforce their discoveries.
Web of Life: Food chains in the ecosystem
Grades: 5
2.5 hours
Cost: $8/student (minimum $160/group)
It may not be obvious, but all food ultimately comes from the sun. This engaging program will help your students to develop an understanding for the complex, interdependent relationships within an ecosystem. By exploring different components of the food chain, students will recognize the role of abiotic factors as well.
Based on recommendations and mandates from the state and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, all our in-person K-12 programs are canceled. For more information on our protective efforts, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Notifications page.
Our recently restored wetland, fed by underground springs and stormwater runoff from the Oregon City campus, provides critical habitat for wildlife and water quality improvement. And, as the headwaters to Newell Creek, it's the perfect venue for watershed discussions!
Thanks to support from Clackamas Water Environment Services, the City of Gladstone, and Oak Lodge Water Services, we are able to offer Watershed Health Field Trips for FREE to schools located within their districts, including bussing expenses. Please see our list of Qualifying Schools.
The following Watershed Health programs for school field trips meet specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) on the impact of human activity, natural hazards, land and water bodies, and interpreting earth features from maps.
If you are interested in scheduling a field trip, please view our Field Trip calendar.
You will be asked to:
- Select a date
- Select number of groups. Please note that we can do two groups at a time, with a maximum number of 30 per group.
- Please register
- To find out if your school is eligible to receive this program for free, view our list of Qualifying Schools.
- Pick your program
ELC Field Trip Watershed Programs
The River Starts Here: Exploring Water in Nature
Grades: K-2
2.5 hours
Cost: $8/student (minimum $160/group) or free for schools located in qualifying districts.
Every drop of water around us could ultimately be linked to the life-sustaining waters in our rivers. In this engaging and hands-on field trip, students will explore the wetland and surrounding forest for water in all its forms. Field studies will focus on branching patterns in nature and discovery of the macroinvertebrates living in the wetland. Students will be introduced to the concept of a watershed through nature-based play and learn how our actions can impact water quality.
Healthy Watersheds: How Do We Get There?
Grades: 3-5
2.5 hours
Cost: $8/student (minimum $160/group) or free for schools located in qualifying districts.
We all live in a watershed, but what does that really mean? In this field trip, a variety of activities and games will engage students in learning about the inter-connections that exist within a watershed, including how our actions can impact the water quality, the people, and the wildlife within it. Students will measure the quality of water in our wetland, and experiment with the role that soil plays in filtering pollutants from the water.
Watershed Health: Monitoring Water Quality
Grades: 6-8
3 hours
Cost: $15/student (minimum $300/group) or free for a limited number of schools located in qualifying districts.
Please contact ELCfieldtrip@clackamas.edu for more information on scheduling this program for grades 6-8. This field trip can accommodate groups up to 120 students.
Wetlands function as highly efficient water filtration plants, help to control flood waters and provide vital habitat for many plant and animal species. In this field trip, students will learn sampling techniques and gain hands-on experience collecting data to evaluate the real-world impacts of this wetland on water quality in the Newell Creek watershed. In their role as community scientists, students will contribute to a database that teachers and students can use back in the classroom, allowing them to create charts and compare data over time.
If you have questions about these Field Trips, email ELCfieldtrip@clackamas.edu.
We are excited to offer virtual field trips for educators thanks to support from Clackamas Water Environment Services, the city of Gladstone and Oak Lodge Water Services!
WATER IS LIFE
Grades: K-2
Description: Every drop of water around us could ultimately be linked to the life-sustaining waters in our rivers. In this engaging virtual field trip, students will explore the wetland and surrounding forest at the Environmental Learning Center. They will explore aquatic life, the movement of water in the ecosystem and the concept that healthy water supports life everywhere.
WELCOME TO THE WATERSHED
Grades: 3-5
Description: Watersheds are home to lots of animals, plants and waterways that are connected to each other in interesting ways. In this field trip, students will learn about how trees and other plants provide food, shelter, and places for animals to raise their young, and the special role that wetlands play in cleaning the water. They will also explore what it means for water to be healthy and how to give water a health check-up.
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Notice of ELC K-12 events cancelations on CCC campuses
Based on recommendations and mandates from the state and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, all our in-person K-12 programs are canceled. We will reschedule these events when it's deemed safe to do so. For details on the Return to Campus Guide and on-campus activities, visit the Return to Campus page.