Join instructors from the Outdoor Recreation School to explore the sport of archery. Learn the fundamentals of archery in a safe and supportive environment. Participants will learn proper form, safety techniques, and target shooting through practice, games and challenges. Whether you are a beginner or looking to improve your skills, our club fosters confidence, patience and empowerment. No prior experience is necessary. This is a youth drop-off program. $48/person.

Explore the textures, patterns and stories hidden within the natural world through hands-on discovery and sculptural artmaking. Participants will investigate materials shaped by time, pressure and natural forces while experimenting with texture and form. Participants will learn clay techniques and skills to create sculptural artworks inspired by rocks, fossils and geological forms. $48/student.

Drop off your homeschool student to be immersed in outdoor discoveries. During the six-session series, students will explore the world of environmental science through questioning, discovery, information sharing, record keeping, evaluation and reflection through nature journaling. Designed for curious kids who would enjoy working in a group; must be able to attend most sessions. Each class is held almost entirely outdoors. $75/person.

Drop off your child for an exploration of the habitats in the park. Hike, play games, do experiments, and discover what lives in the fields, forests and river. Activities are student-led and take place entirely outdoors whenever possible. $155/Student.

Become a field biologist. Students will learn how to research an ecology project, produce a hypothesis and perform a study to test it. Students will also learn about their individual leadership styles and practice teamwork with other individuals. This is a drop-off series and part of a multi-year study. Students must be able to take accurate measurements and attend all nine sessions. $204/student.

Discover the many ways animals move through the world by exploring motion, balance and energy in nature. Participants will investigate how animals jump, glide, crawl, swim and fly while learning how movement helps them survive. Using interactive and moving art techniques, create kinetic artworks that shift, spin and respond to motion. This class blends creativity, engineering and hands-on exploration through playful artistic experimentation. $48/student.

Explore the exciting world of animals and discover how they use color, patterns and camouflage to survive in the wild. Participants will investigate animal tracks, signs and behaviors while learning how creatures hide, communicate and adapt to their environments. Dive into a wild mix of paper artworks inspired by our discoveries. $48/students.

Dig into spring and explore how healthy soil helps plants and animals grow! Discover the basics of animal and garden care, and learn how farms provide food for both people and animals. Spend time tending to the gardens, caring for the animals and exploring the connections between healthy soil and life on the farm. $110/student/5 sessions.

Discover the systems that bring the farm to life each spring! From plant and animal life cycles to seeds, soil and weather patterns, explore how everything on the farm is connected to the world around us. Through hands-on animal care, garden activities and guided observation, students will build critical thinking skills and gain a deeper understanding of how farms function as living, interconnected systems. $110/student.

Take a closer look at the tiny details hidden in the natural world using microscopes, magnifiers, light and shadow. Participants will discover amazing textures, shapes and patterns that are often too small to see with just our eyes. Transform tiny discoveries into glowing shadow art and light-filled creations inspired by the incredible hidden details revealed through magnification and light. $48/student.

Work alongside Gale Woods farmers to explore how we plan for and make livestock care decisions for our sheep. Assist as we select for high quality traits and move sheep into our breeding groups. Learn animal diets and annual movements that help maintain the health of the animals and the pastures throughout the year. $26/student.

Explore the world of fiber art as you learn about sheep and the wool they provide. Discover how wool is processed after shearing and the various ways fiber can be transformed. Create a wool craft of your very own and meet the sheep where that wool came from. $26/student.

Join us for a unique experience that combines creativity, connection with nature and delicious farm-fresh treats. Create one-of-a-kind, handcrafted gifts using farm products and recycled materials, and share your creations with loved ones. Explore the farm while enjoying a winter wonderland activity and meet the animals. $50/student.

Learn the basics of preparing and preserving small mammal skins. In this tutorial, each participant will skin and preserve a mouse, creating a “mouse rug” to take home. All materials and tools provided. $8/person.

Enjoy a day full of the wonders of wool! Learn fun facts about sheep and wool through hands-on activities and visiting them in the barn. Learn various ways to work with and create crafts with wool from Gale Woods' sheep. $26/student.

Bring the family and explore the art of felting. Learn how wool can be shaped and transformed into a three-dimensional creation using simple felting techniques. Families will discover the process from start to finish while creating their own unique project to take home. Beginners welcome. $18/person.

Though we can’t normally feel it, air is all around us. Come learn about the power air pressure has through hands-on experiments. Observe air crush a pop can and learn how it helps birds fly. $6/student.

Bushcraft is the set of outdoor skills that allow you to survive, thrive and enjoy being in nature. In this series we'll learn skills around fire building, foraging, cordage, knots, simple tools, shelters and more! $24/student.

Learn basic candle making skills using natural beeswax and soy wax. Create several different projects using various techniques, such as dipping, rolling and pouring. An adult must attend to assist children. Only ages 8+ are allowed in the classroom for safety reasons. $18/student.

Get tips from a Gale Woods farmer and learn what you need to know about raising chickens at home. We'll discuss legal requirements, coop designs, feed, breed selection, biosecurity and more! Take a tour of the chicken coop at Gale Woods to get design ideas of your own. $10/person.

Bring a historic diary to life as we follow Benedict Schmid's experience in the Civil War. This German immigrant farmer once lived in what is now Carver Park Reserve. Read from his diary entries before he was drafted into the war, during his time as a soldier in Company G of the 2nd Minnesota Regiment and his return to his family and farm in Carver County. Enlist in the Union army, set up camp and learn to march and drill like a soldier. Cook over an open fire and write letters to loved ones back home as we immerse ourselves in the life of a Civil War soldier. $24/student.

Did you know a bird's wing acts a lot like an airplane wing? Learn how birds and planes fly as you examine the four different kinds of flight. Study bird wings to improve the planes you make through the process of biomimicry. $6/student.

Let’s get out our seed catalogs, it’s planning time! Dream up ways to enhance your garden by creating a vision board. Choose varieties based on your space and food preferences while also providing habitat for our pollinator friends. $12/person.

Enjoy quality time with family or friends to learn the art of needle felting. Create three small holiday sculptures to use as decorations or give as a gift. All materials provided. Beginners welcome. $18/person.

Discover the hidden world beneath the winter landscape. Families will learn how animals survive winter, search for life under the snow, explore frozen lakes and try out ice fishing. $24/student.

Why do birds fly south for the winter? How far do they go? Get all of your migration questions answered by participating in games and activities that will get you ready to fly south. $6/student.

Experience life in a one room school as we learn about the historic school that once stood near the Lowry Nature Center entrance. From 1912 to 1918, the Gerdsen School served students in the area, including many who lived in what is now Carver Park Reserve. Discover what daily life was like for these students as we follow lessons, write on slate boards and recite passages. Practice penmanship and test your spelling with a spelling bee. Take a break with popular recess games from the time. $24/student.

Work as a family to use locally milled flour to make your own pasta dough, then turn it into ravioli. Choose between different farm-raised products for your ravioli filling. Cook up your ravioli and enjoy it with freshly-grown, late season greens or garlic. $18/person.

Why does a sled go down a hill? Why does ice float? How do snowshoes work? Each week we'll head out for some winter rec fun while learning about the physics behind each activity. $24/student.

Get ready for a hands-on baking adventure the whole family will love! Work together to create delicious hand pies from scratch and choose your filling: sweet fruit, savory meat or hearty vegetables. Discover the secrets behind flaky, flavorful crusts as you compare baking with butter versus lard. $18/person.

Why are raptors such effective predators? Examine owl artifacts, compare your vision and strength to raptors, and determine what other adaptations raptors have to catch their prey. Meet our live great horned owl. $6/student.

Learn about the unique adaptations snakes have to help them survive. Learn what it is like to be a snake through games. Meet a live snake. $6/person.

Blast off in to space as we explore our solar system and beyond. Learn about the moon, the other planets in our solar system, stars and many other celestial bodies that are floating throughout the universe. The second week (March 8) will be an evening session for stargazing. The last week (March 22) will be an evening session for a full moon hike. $24/student.

Can a turtle leave its shell? Find out as you explore the world of turtles. Go searching for turtles at the pond, then meet a live turtle up close and assist with enrichment activities that help Eastman's turtles thrive. $6/student.

What drives our weather? Will it be sunny or snowy? Learn how to use weather tools such as anemometers to answer these questions, become a meteorologist and learn how to predict the weather. $6/person.

Embrace the winter season with your family at an adventure series with the Outdoor Recreation School! Each month you’ll explore a new recreation skill while spending time in nature with your family. Activities may include snowshoeing, kicksledding, cross-country skiing, geocaching and fire building. Activities are subject to change based on snow conditions. $18/person.

Bring a historic diary to life by following in the footsteps of young Ezra "Fitch" Pabody, a teenager who lived near what is now Lake Minnetonka Regional Park in the 1880s. Using his daily diary entries as inspiration, we'll explore the woods, cook maple syrup and visit the historic Schmid Farmhouse Ruins. Fish from the shores of Lake Minnetonka, net and observe insects, and more as we learn about nature and the history of the area. $24/student.