Audubon Community Nature Center has a unique educational opportunity, specially designed for children between the ages of 6 and 10 on Thursdays and Fridays in February.

The Audubon Community Nature Center has a unique educational opportunity, specially designed for children ages 6 to 10.

The Outdoor Classroom provides hands-on, outdoor, inquiry-based learning combined with free-choice activities. Registrations are now being accepted for sessions during February.

Each morning and afternoon trained Audubon educators lead lessons based on the Next Generation Science Standards adopted by New York state public schools or the Pennsylvania State Education Standards. These are combined with the hands-on teaching techniques designed by the University of California at Berkeley “Better Environmental Education, Teaching, Learning & Expertise Sharing” (BEETLES) program.

Children spend the remainder of the time in free-choice activities including play, discovery, investigation, a continuation of the lesson, reading, or other outdoor, self-led choices.

The program’s classroom itself is an outdoor space, with tents to provide shelter if needed. There is a dedicated room inside the Nature Center for when weather is particularly severe.

The morning session is 8 to 11:30 a.m., and the afternoon session is noon to 3:30 p.m. Select both the morning and afternoon sessions when registering children to attend the full day. An optional bring-your-own lunch is from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Children must bring their own lunches if they register for lunch or to attend the full day.

Since the same program is offered on both Thursday and Friday each week, children should be registered for only one of the days. Registration is separate for each program.

Students need to come with a face covering, snack, lunch (as needed), water bottle, a complete change of clothes, and gear appropriate for the weather.

The fee for the program is $30 per session, $60 for the full day. Nature Center members receive 10% discount. Scholarships may be available; call 569-2345 for details. Enrollment is limited and paid reservations are required by the Tuesday prior to the program. Reservations can be made by calling 569-2345 during business hours or by going to AudubonCNC.org/Programs and clicking on “Register for Upcoming Programs.” Audubon’s COVID-19 safety precautions require face coverings for all visitors ages 3 and up for indoor programs. Face coverings are also required outdoors when visitors cannot maintain six feet of distance between family groups.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. The first floor of the Nature Center building, including the Blue Heron Gift Shop, is open to the public Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Because not all of the building will be accessible, admission is by donation only. Visitors can view the 600-acre nature preserve from dawn to dusk daily. While practicing safe social distancing measures, visitors can hike, snowshoe, or cross country ski the six miles of trails and view Liberty, Audubon’s non-releasable Bald Eagle.