Workshops

This season we will be hosting our regular workshops for kids grades 1-6! Please scroll down for details!

Nature Explorers Workshops (Grades 1-6)

These FUN and EDUCATIONAL workshops provide children with unique learning experiences on days off from school.  Animals, Science, Hiking, Team Building, Music, Crafts and more! Workshop participants get to go behind the scenes and learn what it takes to become a professional animal caregiver at the Barn Nature Center! During all Workshops, students will assist the Barn Nature Center staff in performing our daily animal care routine. In addition, each workshop features interactive and experiential activities designed to engage students in the Workshop's theme. We have both full day and half day workshops! Workshops are $64 per day and run from 9am-4pm. We recommend students bring a packed lunch (snack is provided), a refillable water bottle, and closed-toe shoes! 

Each Nature Explorers Workshop is unique. Here is a list of our upcoming 2023 Workshops:

Water Warriors
​​​Tuesday, May 16th, 2023 9am-4pm

Splish splash, it's time for the Water Warriors Workshop at the Barn Nature Center! Water is an essential part of human, plant, and animal life. Have your child dive into the world of water to develop a deeper understanding of our bodies of water, the importance of water, and how we are impacted by it. Attendees will gain this understanding through hands-on interaction with the animals housed in the nature center, crafts, and activities. Be sure to register now and be ready to pack a pair of dry clothes!

Vet for a Day
​​​Monday, April 10th, 2023 9am-4pm

Does your child aspire to be a Veterinarian one day? Do they love learning and taking care of animals? Perhaps our Vet for a Day Workshop is the place for them! In this workshop students will learn and experience what Veterinarians do to keep animals healthy and thriving. Bandaging, weighing, heart rates, respiration; students will get to learn what animals need to be healthy and how to recognize and determine the health of an animal. 

Nature Explorers
​​​Thursday, April 6th, 2023 9am-4pm

Warm weather is right around the corner which means it’s the perfect time to explore the great outdoors. The natural world has so much to offer us from plants to animals and more. Workshop attendees will discover nature through hands-on interaction with our exotic animals, participate in themed activities, and create beautiful crafts. This workshop is indoors and outdoors if the weather permits. Register now to have your child develop a deeper understanding of the natural world we live in!

Love the Earth
​​​Monday, February 20th, 2023 9am-4pm

Explore ways to sustain and protect our planet Earth and the amazing living-beings that reside here! Workshop attendees will learn in depth about the world they live in, the impact of anthropogenic practices, and sustainable practices. Throughout the day attendees will get to work hands on with activities and many of the wonderful animals housed here in our nature center. We hope to see you here to share our love for Mother Nature!

Animal Relations
​​Friday, February 17th, 2023 9am-4pm

The magnificent circle of life is impossible without numerous animal and human relations. Some may be wonderful, while others are not nearly as beneficial. The three symbiotic relationships seen within the natural world will be the key focus of this workshop. Attendees will also get the opportunity to learn about the role of humans in relation to animals. Here at the Barn Nature Center, your child will get to form new relations with our adorable animals, participate in themed activities, and craft their hearts away. We hope to see you here for this lovely Animal Relations Workshop!

Mammal Mayhem
​Monday, January 16th, 2023 9am-4pm

Does your child love furry friends? If so, then you have come to the right place! The Mammal Mayhem Workshop focuses on the many mammals we have here at the Barn Nature Center. Attendees will learn how to properly take care of and enrich these sweet little guys along with a multitude of crafts and other activities. We hope to see you here!

Art of Nature Workshop
​Monday, January 2nd, 2023 9am-4pm

​Welcome to the Art of Nature Workshop where attendees get to admire and create beautiful works of art with and around nature. This program is open to varying levels of art skills. At the workshop, attendees will enhance their knowledge of multiple styles of art, observe it in nature, and explore their own creative side. Register your child today to see what they can achieve!​

Zookeeper Workshop Week
​Monday, December 26th - Friday, December 30th, 2022 9am - 4pm

Does your child have an affinity exotic animals? Well, bring them down to the Barn Nature Center for our Zookeeper Winter Camp. This camp provides the opportunity for your kids to have an enjoyable time over their winter break while providing educational structure. You are able to register for a single day, multiple, or the entire week to suit your schedule. Each day focuses on an important aspect of a Zookeepers job. Activities will be focused towards animal grooming and handling, enrichment, habitat/enclosure design, nutrition, and animal communication with keeper talks. We look forward to shaping your youth into a stellar keeper while spreading the holiday cheer!

Zookeeper Winter Camp Schedule
  • Monday: Grooming and Handling
  • Tuesday: Enrichment
  • Wednesday: Habitat/Enclosure Design
  • Thursday: Nutrition
  • Friday: Communication

*$40.00 off for full week registration! Contact BNCEducationProgram@gmail.com or call (445)-205-0793 for more information*
​

Arctic Animals Workshop
​Friday, December 23rd, 2022 9am - 4pm

Brrrrr… it has been quite chilly outside! Come to the Barn Nature Center to stay warm and learn about all the unique animals that prefer this cold weather. Throughout crafts, games, and hands-on animal time, attendees will get the opportunity to discover how arctic animals thrive in harsh weather environments. The world of cold has a lot to offer, come see for yourself! ​

Superhero Senses & Awesome Adaptations Workshop
​Friday, November 25th, 2022 9am - 4pm

Sticky like Spiderman! Strong like Wonder Woman! Soaring like Batman! The animal kingdom is full of amazing adaptations that help animals survive life in their environment, defeat their predators and sneak attack prey! During this workshop students will get to test the strength of their own senses and explore how animals living in the Barn Nature Center use their own. ​

Talking Turkeys Workshop
​Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022 9am - 4pm

Gobble gobble! What do you know about turkeys? These native birds are one of the only domesticated North American species in existence, and have embraced their role alongside humans. Meet some of their avian cousins and enjoy hands-on experience with all of our North American animals!

Animal Husbandry Half Day Workshop
​Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022 2pm - 5pm

Food, water, and shelter! These are a few of the necessary things we must provide our animals with in order to keep them healthy, happy and thriving! During this half day workshop, students will get to help our staff perform our daily animal care duties and spend some quality time with our animal residents for the day! They will learn how to feed, water, and handle the animals, as well as other things that we do to ensure their health and wellbeing. PLEASE NOTE: This is a HALF DAY Workshop!! 2-5pm!

Mad Scientist Workshop
Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 9am - 4pm

Let your kids put on the costume of Mad Scientist for the day! Come and join us for this workshop where students will learn all about chemistry! We will be getting hands on experience with all things chemistry, students will learn about subjects like reactions, elements, energy, chemical pheromones and much more. By participating in hands on experiments students will be able to see what it really takes to make a rocket launch and what makes up super sticky slime! We will also take an up-close look into how our animals use chemistry in their everyday life and use it to survive! Don't worry, there is a lot of chemistry pertaining to animals too! We'll still get plenty of hands-on fun with our animals as well and get to help with some of their care for the day as well!

Moody Mammals and Raging Reptiles Animal Behavior Workshop
Monday, October 24th 9am - 4pm 

Does your child aspire to be a Veterinarian one day?! Do they love learning and taking care of animals?! Perhaps our Vet for a Day Workshop is the place for them! In this workshop students will learn and experience what Veterinarians do to keep animals healthy and thriving. Bandaging, weighing, heart rates, respiration; students will get to learn what animals need to be healthy and how to recognize and determine the health of an animal.  

Radical Reptiles Workshop
Wednesday, October 5th 9am - 4pm

​This Workshop will dive deep into the world of our scaly friends. Participants will learn what a reptile is, how they differ from other types of animals, what they need to thrive, and more! Throughout the day, they’ll get the opportunity to watch a reptile feeding show that will include some of our snake, lizard, and turtle friends! They’ll also be able to participate in a much-needed bath time for some unlikely reptile friends. Don’t worry, the nature center’s other animal groups such as the birds and mammals will not be forgotten! Workshop participants always get the chance to provide all of our animal residents with their daily care.

Set-Up for Success Workshop: All about Habitat Design
Tuesday, September 27th 9am - 4pm

​Has your child been asking for a new pet? Want them to be a responsible animal parent and provide them with the best care possible? Students attending this workshop will learn all of the necessary components that go in to providing our animal friends with the best home possible and best quality of life. Cage design, enrichment, food, temperature and humidity, all of the things that help animals live their best lives. Participants will make enrichment for our animal residents and they’ll even get to help re-design and set up a new exhibit for Melvin our Ornate Box Turtle! We can even help them learn what they need for whatever potential future pet they are hoping for!

Vet for a Day Workshop
Monday, September 26th 9am - 4pm

Does your child aspire to be a Veterinarian one day?! Do they love learning and taking care of animals?! Perhaps our Vet for a Day Workshop is the place for them! In this workshop students will learn and experience what Veterinarians do to keep animals healthy and thriving. Bandaging, weighing, heart rates, respiration; students will get to learn what animals need to be healthy and how to recognize and determine the health of an animal.  

World of Water
TBA

Better bring a change of clothes today, because it's all about water! We will learn about water chemistry and conduct fun (and safe!) chemical tests of the Nature Center's tanks. We'll have lots of water-based activities, while we learn all about watersheds and what water means to our animal ambassadors! You'll even get to go behind the scenes and give our animals water (and a shower)!

Fantastic Fossils!
TBA

It's dinosaur day! Come learn about extinct animals, fossils, and visit with today's living dinosaurs! We will build a paper titanoboa together and set off a volcano!

Animal Adventure
TBA

Discover the wonders of the Animal Kingdom! Reptiles, mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, invertebrates – oh my! Explore predator and prey relationships, amazing adaptations, fascinating behaviors, and so much more with our friendly animal ambassadors. We'll discuss what makes a bird a bird, a mammal a mammal, and all the awesome adaptations that our animal friends have!

Birds of Prey!
TBA

It's a day all about raptors! We will have a visit from the raptors at Hawk Mountain, dissect owl pellets, and discuss how these predators use their adaptations to stay at the top of the food chain! DUE TO OUR VISITING AMBASSADOR ANIMALS AND SPECIAL ACTIVITIES, THIS WORKSHOP IS $80 PER CHILD. 

Zookeeper Day
TBA

Is your child a future zookeeper? Do they love taking care of animals? At our Animal Keeper for a Day workshop they will learn in detail what it takes to care for the Nature Center's amazing animal residents! They will learn what animals need to survive, as well as what the need to thrive! They'll help with diet prep, grooming, and even design their own enrichment project!

Naturalist Day
TBA

Learn about surviving in your own backyard! We'll learn to identify dangerous plants (like poison ivy), explore the outdoors safely, predict hazardous weather, and meet several species native to Pennsylvania! We will also have a science experiment to see a leaf breathe! 

Half Day Workshops! (Temporarily Unavailable)

Animal Husbandry!
March 13, 2020 & April 2, 2020

Students will learn about the daily care that goes into maintaining our over 140 exotic animals! They will learn how to feed, water, and handle the animals, as well as other things that we do to ensure their health and wellbeing.

Adventure!
March 17, 2020

Students will focus on our indoor high ropes course elements and rock climbing wall in the Barn's Adventure Center, challenging themselves to work as a team and climb to new heights!

Art of Nature!
April 3, 2020

Students will learn how art is expressed by nature, and be able to express that themselves! There will be crafts and art projects utilizing natural materials and subjects, as well as drawing from life utilizing some of the animals at the nature center!
For more information or to register, please call 445-205-0793 or email BNCreceptionist@gmail.com. Students must be registered one week prior to the workshop date. Once your registration is confirmed, you must pay a deposit for your workshop. Payments may be made by cash, money orders, or credit card. 

To register on-line, please click the link at the bottom of the page. Please include: your name, child's name, contact number, email address, and which workshop date(s) you would like to register for.

Advanced Workshop Series (Temporarily Unavailable)

Our Advanced Workshops are for students in 6th through 10th grade, and teach more in-depth concepts about teamwork, animals, and the natural world. They are perfect for any students that are interested in animals, science, and the great outdoors! Here are the workshops for this semester:

Adventure Teamwork ($60)
January 20, 2020

Students will learn valuable lessons about teamwork and pushing themselves through a series of fun and challenging activities and climbs in our Adventure Center! We will also spend some time downstairs with the Nature Center's animal residents.

Indoor Gardening ($60)
February 17, 2020

At this exciting new workshop, students will get to learn about different methods of keeping plants indoors, and some reasons why you might want plants in your house! They will get to do some planting, and assist with some of the plants that the Nature Center grows to help feed the animals! We will also spend some time with the Nature Center's animal residents, and do some climbing in the Adventure Center!

World of Water ($60)
April 10, 2020

Better bring a change of clothes today, because it's all about water! We will learn about water chemistry, conduct fun (and safe!) chemical tests of the Nature Center's tanks, conduct a study of a local stream, and even try to clean a fake oil spill! Some time will also be spent with the Nature Center's animal residents, and climbing on the rock walls in the Adventure Center!

Field Studies: Herpetology ($60)
May 25, 2020

Today is for the animals lovers! We will learn how to identify native species of reptile and amphibians, comparing them to some of the animal residents of the Nature Center, and then taking a hike to conduct some citizen science! Every reptile and amphibian we find on our trip will be catalogued and submitted to the PA Amphibian and Reptile Survey, a real scientific organization that studies the distribution of herps in PA!
For more information or to register, please call 445-205-0793 or email BNCreceptionist@gmail.com. Students must be registered one week prior to the workshop date. Once your registration is confirmed, you must pay a deposit for your workshop. Payments may be made by cash, money orders, or credit card. If you sign up for all four a discount will be provided.

To register on-line, please click the link at the bottom of the page. Please include: your name, child's name, contact number, email address, and which workshop date(s) you would like to register for.

New! Weekend Workshops! 

By popular demand the Nature Center will now be hosting short workshops on the weekends! These workshops will be 4 hours long, and are for students grades 1-6. Each theme will contain the same lesson as the corresponding Nature Explorer's Workshop!

For more information or to register, please call 445-205-0793 or email BNCreceptionist@gmail.com. Students must be registered one week prior to the workshop date. Once your registration is confirmed, you must pay a deposit for your workshop. Payments may be made by cash, money orders, or credit card.

To register on-line, please click the link at the bottom of the page. Please include: your name, child's name, contact number, email address, and which workshop date(s) you would like to register for.

    Workshop Registration 

Full Day Nature Explorers & Advanced Workshops

​$25 deposit to reserve workshop registration + additional PayPal fees. If you do not wish to pay these fees, you may pay over the phone when we are in the office. 
This is a non-refundable deposit and is due upon registration.

Half Day & Weekend Workshops (Temporarily Unavailable)

$15 deposit to reserve workshop registration + additional PayPal fees.  If you do not wish to pay these fees, you may pay over the phone when we are in the office. 
This is a non-refundable deposit and is due upon registration.