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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, K-5 livestream programming and a preschool 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 habitats.
For more information, please contact Sarah Bidwell, kids education coordinator, at sarah.bidwell@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
The Environmental Learning Center offers three field trip options, all
providing interactive, hands-on learning at the ELC’s wetland and forest
ecosystems. Field trips are two hours long.
Thanks to generous support from the agencies listed below, and their commitment to healthy watersheds, some field trips are available at no cost for schools in their districts.
- Who: Ages K-5 (classroom with teachers)
- When: Two-hour field trips are offered in fall 2024 and spring 2025
- Where: Environmental Learning Center, Oregon City campus
- Cost: Pricing varies depending on school district and class size.
For more information, email Sarah Bidwell, ELC kids education coordinator, sarah.bidwell@clackamas.edu.
LET'S GET DUCKY: DISCOVERING WETLAND WILDLIFE
Grades: K-1
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 several species of wildlife that live in and around our wetland. Field trip activities include solving wildlife mysteries, playing wildlife games and observing the wetland.
WELCOME HOME: EXPLORING WETLAND AND FOREST HABITATS
Grades: 2-3
Wetlands and forests are important habitats to a diversity of plants and animals. This field excursion will give your students a better understanding of how these habitats provide clean water, food, shelter and space. Field trip activities include discovering macroinvertebrates in the wetland, going on a habitat safari, building wildlife shelters and observing the wetland.
HEALTHY WATERSHEDS: HOW DO WE GET THERE?
Grades: 4-5
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, experiment with the role that soil plays in filtering pollutants from the water and sample the water for macroinvertebrates.
For more information, contact Sarah Bidwell, ELC kids education coordinator, sarah.bidwell@clackamas.edu.
These hands-on field trips will introduce students to three professionals working in careers related to the water industry. Students will learn about their day-to-day job activities, skill sets needed and the joys and challenges encountered on the way. As part of this learning, students will also participate in hands-on science inquiry activities that demonstrate aspects of each career, and may lead to increased awareness of individual aptitudes and career interests.
All field trips are two hours long and take place within our beautiful wetland and forest environment.
- Who: Grades 6-12
- When: 10 a.m.-noon, fall 2023, Sept. 11-Nov. 17 and spring 2024, April 1-June 14
Presentations and activities may include:
- The Pipe Challenge: A professional explains infiltration and inflow in sanitary and stormwater systems and students build model systems with pvc pipes.
- Plant Identification: A professional explains the use of plant identification in natural resource management and students practice identifying wetland plants.
- Drone Technology for Natural Resource Management: A professional demonstrates the use of drones and students examine mapping data.
- Water Quality Investigation: A professional explains why water testing is important and students measure temperature and pH in the wetland.
- Scope it Out: A professional demonstrates the use of robots for inspecting sanitary and stormwater pipes and students operate the robot.
Clackamas Water Environment Services sponsorship
These programs are available to all, but thanks to support from Clackamas Water Environment Services, we are able to offer a limited number of free career exploration field trips to schools located within its district. See supported schools list.
For more information on grades 6-12 field trips, contact Michelle Scholz, ELC program coordinator at michelle.scholz@clackamas.edu.
Nature Striders is the Environmental Learning Center's preschool program for ages 2–5. This program 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!
For more information, email Sarah Bidwell, ELC kids education coordinator, sarah.bidwell@clackamas.edu.
- Who: Ages 2-5 and their caregivers
- Cost: $15 per child (caregivers are free)
- When: Programs are held on the third Wednesday of the month, and some Saturdays, 10-11:30 a.m. Pre-registration is recommended to secure your place. Limited Drop-in spots will be available.
- Where: Environmental Learning Center at the Oregon City campus
Upcoming programs
- Nov. 23, 2024: Raccoon, Masked Bandit
- Dec. 21, 2024: Winter's Welcome
- Jan. 15, 2025: Tracks: Clues that Tell a Story
- Feb. 19, 2025: T-Rex at the ELC?
- March 19, 2025: Whoo-oo Is It?
- April 16, 2025: Frogs Hop to It!
- May 21, 2025: Mamma Built a Little Nest
- June 18, 2025: The Salamander Room
Thanks to our sponsor Clackamas River Water providers!
These programs are designed primarily for children in grades K-5.
- What: For teacher-led classrooms in grades K-5. Join us virtually at the Environmental Learning Center to discover the diversity of wildlife living in and around the wetland. Join us virtually at the Environmental Learning Center to explore the wetland in winter. Student activity sheets accompany each program.
- When: Tuesdays, Jan. 7 - March 11, 2025
- Grades K-3: 10-10:20 a.m.
- Grades 4-5: 10:30-10:50 a.m.
- Where: Join us on Zoom or view a recording. We have instructions for sharing a Zoom screen through Google Meets. Prior to each episode, we will email the Zoom link and student activity sheet. After the program, registrants will receive a recording of the episode.
Wild About Water, Grades K-3
- Jan. 7, 2025 - Go with the Flow
- Jan. 14, 2025 - Mighty Tiny Wetland Creatures
- Jan. 21, 2025 - Plants with Wet Feet
- Jan. 28, 2025 - Beavers: Nature's Builders
- Feb. 4, 2025 - Animal Homes
- Feb. 11, 2025 - Wetland Wildlife in Winter
- Feb. 18, 2025 - Duck, Duck, No Goose
- Feb. 25, 2025 - Nature's Recyclers
- March 4, 2025 - Water Check-up
- March 11, 2025 - Water on the Move
Wild in the Wetland, Grades 4-5
- Jan. 7, 2025 - Where Are You in the Watershed?
- Jan. 14, 2025 - Mighty Tiny Wetland Creatures
- Jan. 21, 2025 - Plants with Wet Feet
- Jan. 28, 2025 - Watershed Health Art Project
- Feb. 4, 2025 - Are Wetlands Home to Animals?
- Feb. 11, 2025 - Wetland Wildlife in Winter
- Feb. 18, 2025 - Duck, Duck, No Goose
- Feb. 25, 2025 - Raccoon: Masked Bandit
- March 4, 2025 - Water Temperature Check-up
- March 11, 2025 - Waterflow in the Watershed
For more information, email Sarah Bidwell, ELC kids education coordinator, sarah.bidwell@clackamas.edu.
Thanks to support from Clackamas Water Environment Services and Oak Lodge Water Services for making these programs accessible to students in their districts!
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, although we hear that older children enjoy them too!
Five Summer Explorer Kits to Choose From!
- Bug Safari
- Squirrels Are Everywhere
- What’s Living in Your Soil?
- Be a Bird Lookout
- I Spy a Butterfly
Each kit contains:
- Easy-to-follow instructions
- Materials for creating a nature-themed craft
- Nature journal page with fun facts
- Activities to keep children exploring all week long
- A nature guide or storybook
- Nature-themed memory card game
Cost: $35, includes shipping
A limited number of scholarships (free kits) are available.
Interested in donating to the ELC?
Your donation is tax deductible, and your generosity helps us continue to offer all our programming and scholarship opportunities.