Give your classroom or community group a one-of-a-kind experience with KNC. Check out the programs below to learn more about KNC’s educational offerings. Bring your group for a field trip to KNC, or we’ll come to your location.
See the programs and details on planning your trip below. Please call the Registrar with any questions. We look forward to seeing you!
Email for details and to book your school or group’s field trip.
Grade: All ages, but specifically well-suited for PreK-First grade
When: Fall/Winter/Spring at KNC or anytime at your site
Investigate many of nature’s wonders using your five senses and gain a new perspective. Observe the colors, shapes, patterns and textures of natural objects and get curious about the world around you!
Topics: Living & non-living, observations, questions & patterns, senses
When: Winter at KNC or Anytime at Your Site
They’re green and all around us, but often overlooked. Take a closer look at plants with KNC, learning about what plants need to grow, how they grow, their different parts and why they’re so important.
Topics: Earth materials, living and non-living, plant parts, seeds, seed transportation
Grade: 1st-3rd grade
When: Fall/Winter/Spring at KNC or Anytime at Your Site
Insects may be small, but they can be found thriving in diverse and amazing habitats. Learn what sets insects apart from other bugs by learning about their different characteristics and the life cycle of an insect. Catch your own bug and compare it to what you’ve learned about insects. Meet a live bug brought by the educator.
Topics: insects, insect body parts, life cycle, adaptations, metamorphosis
Grade: All ages
When: Anytime at KNC or Anytime at Your Site
Indoors portion in cold weather
Learn about the habitats, diets, and adaptations of our animal ambassadors. Get an up-close look at different bio facts and meet a live animal(s) handled by one of our trained educators. Programs include a related story and craft you will get to take home with you.
Ambassadors to choose from:
Snakes
Salamanders
Turtles
Bugs (Insects and Non insects)
Grade: 1st-3rd grade
When: Fall/Spring at KNC or Anytime at Your Site
Learn about parts of a tree and their function. In the woods, we will examine each stage of a tree’s life. As we move through the tree’s life cycle, learn how each stage is important in its growth and how each stage contributes to the forest habitat in which it lives. Discuss why and how we should preserve a healthy and well balanced forest.
Topics: form and function, energy flow, photosynthesis, ecosystem
Grade: 1st–3rd grade
When: Fall/Winter/Spring at KNC or anytime at your site
We are on a search for seed travelers! Discover the secrets of the plant life cycle, how they grow and reproduce, and why a plant’s flowers and seeds are so different.
Topics: Animal and plant needs, life cycle, plant characteristics, plant parts and importance of sunlight (photosynthesis)
Grade: All ages
When: Fall/Winter/Spring at KNC or Anytime at Your Site
Learn how the practice of paying attention to the present moment can train your brain to focus. Learn how nature can help you be mindful. Practice breathing and noticing outdoors. Practice a mindfulness art technique called Zentangle that helps promote mindfulness, calm and focus.
Topics: Mindfulness, brain function/focus, calming techniques, benefits of nature on nervous system, Zentangle introduction
When: Fall/Winter/Spring at KNC or Anytime at Your Site
Learn about carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores using actual animal artifacts. Students will have the opportunity to observe and feel various animal furs and skulls to identify and differentiate various mammals in Michigan.
Topics: carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, animal adaptations, animal tracks
Grade: 4th-6th grade
When: Fall/Spring at KNC or Anytime at Your Site
Discover some of our most important natural resources from water and timber to rocks and minerals. Learn where they come from and how we depend on them. Onsite, focus on how our landscape was formed long ago by glaciers, and what clues to our past we can find in the very rocks around us!
Topics: Local geography, maps, identification of natural resources, human use of natural resources, renewable vs nonrenewable resources, Michigan history
Grade: 4th–5th grade or 1st–3rd grade (2 versions)
When: Fall/Winter/Spring at KNC or anytime at your site
Build a food chain from the ground up and follow the flow of energy from producers to consumers and from sunlight into soil. Get active, meet a live animal and discover who eats whom in the forest.
Topics: Flow of energy, trophic levels, food chain components, habitat characteristics, environmental changes, animal traits & survival
Grade: All Ages
Where: KNC’s DeLano Homestead, 555 West E Avenue
Length: 2 hours
Travel back in time to a historic 1850’s homestead to learn how settlers used domesticated animals and natural resources to make a life. From cabin to farmhouse, help with seasonal chores, use 19th-century tools, and take part in living history!
Grade: All Ages
Where: at KNC
When: February 24 – March 28
Walking tour on the Fern Valley trail ending at the Sugar Shack with syrup tasting.
Grade: 6-12
Where: at KNC
When: September – October & May
Length: 2 hours
Sample for Benthic Macroinvertebrates and learn how they can help indicate the health of a stream.
Financial assistance may be available for schools/programs with a high percentage of free and reduced lunch students. Please contact Jen Rice for more information.
On-site programs last for approximately 1 ½ hours and include a guided hike or outdoor movement activity. Groups are welcome to stay on KNC’s campus after their program to take a self-guided hike, play or eat lunch. Please let us know your plans.
Program Fees
On-site Program Add-ons
10% discount will be applied if you book 2 or more class/programs for the same day. A maximum of 4 classes/programs can be accommodated in one day.
Programs are held outside so please come prepared for the weather!
Off-site programs are approximately 1 hour and can be held indoors or outdoors. Please dress for the weather.
Financial assistance may be available for schools/programs with a high percentage of free and reduced lunch students. Please contact us at for more information.
Off-site program fees:
Off-site Program Add-ons
Our Pop-up Programs are also available at a lower price on your site with groups of 10 or less. These programs are great for birthday parties or small daycare groups. Learn more here >
Self-directed group rates offer discounted admission for larger groups, allowing them to explore at their own pace without KNC staff facilitation. For those who prefer a guided experience, facilitated tours are available for an additional fee. Trail maps available upon request.
To receive the self-guided group rate, advance registration is required. Please call (269) 381-1574 ext. 0 or email the visitor services desk, , at least two weeks prior to your visit. A minimum of 10 participants is needed to qualify for the group rate. If fewer than 10 people attend, the minimum fee will apply: $35 for children’s groups and $50 for adult groups. Please note that group rates are not available for festivals or special events
Self-Directed Group Rates:
For more information and to schedule your self-guided group, please call (269) 381-1574 ext 0 or email
