Dahlem Environmental Education School Programs
Dahlem offers a wide variety of STEM/STEAM appropriate and NGSS-compliant school programs. All programs are aligned to the Michigan Common Core Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Please contact us for more information and to register.
To Register: Call 517-782-3453 ext. 106 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Our Naturalist Educator will be happy to help you!
Fees: $8 per student and chaperone ($60 minimum/program). Two classes of students maximum per time slot for Field Trips and Outreach Programs. Teachers are admitted free.
Fees are due on the day of the Program. Methods of acceptable payment are cash, credit card, or a check payable to: The Dahlem Conservancy. Cancellations made less than 48 hours in advance of the scheduled program are subject to the $60 minimum charge.
Do you need financial assistance? We suggest you look into these grant providers for programs and transportation. All online – information and applications.
- Wheels to Woods (transportation) https://www.treefarmsystem.org/wheels-to-woods
- Michigan Nature Association (program/transportation) https://www.michigannature.org/menus/education.html
- Meemic Foundation (programs/projects) https://www.meemic.com/the-meemic-foundation/grant-opportunities.aspx
- Ask your PTO or school supporters to help fund your science-based field trip.
- Dahlem has financial assistance available thanks to generous funding from a MIS Cares grant and individual sponsors and donors. Learn more and fill out a financial assistance application form online.
Before You Call:
Check your school calendar and be prepared to provide the following information:
- Program title/theme
- On-site at Dahlem or Outreach at your building
- Date and Time (am or pm), plus alternatives. We are flexible on times to help you coordinate with transportation availability.
- Grade level and number of classes and students, teachers and chaperones
- School name, address, and phone number
- Names of all participating teachers and their email addresses
Printable Brochures are available using the links below.
Thank you for selecting Dahlem as your outdoor science based educational experience. We look forward to meeting and partnering with you.
Our Youngest Naturalist Programs
Share your love of nature with your preschool-aged students. We will explore and play with nature while developing critical early childhood skills and growing self-confidence. Our Youngest Naturalist Programs are appropriate for children 5 years and younger to learn about our changing seasons, animal homes, local birds, insects and mini beasts, winter survival, and more. These themed programs give your class many opportunities for us to share nature with you.
Fee: $5 per child and chaperone ($50 minimum/program); teachers admitted free of charge. Fees are payable on the day of the program. Cancellations made less than 48 hours in advance of the scheduled program are subject to a $50 charge. Outreach programs beyond Jackson County are subject to a mileage fee.
On Site Programs at Dahlem (1 1/4 hour in length)
- Signs of Fall – fall
- Signs of Spring – spring
- The Adventures of Maple Sugaring – February & March
Outreach Programs – in your classroom (20-30 minutes in length)
Program description listed in brochure.
- All About Turtles
- Big Tracks Little Tracks
- Birds, Our Feathered Friends
- How Animals Survive Winter
- The Living Tree House
- The Mitten
- Tree-ific Seasons
- What is Texture?
- Where are the Night Animals?
Printable brochure available using the link below.
Printable Program Brochures
Fall 2025 Programs
Signs of Fall
Preschool & Kindergarten (1.25 hours) – Sept to Nov
Listen! Watch! Touch! Smell! Discover the world around you as summer slowly turns into winter. Let’s go out and explore using our senses! Standards: K.LS1.C K.LS1.1 K.ESS3.1 K.ESS2.2
Nature Prepares
for Winter
Kindergarten & Grade 1 (1.25 hours) – Sept to Nov
People prepare for the chilly weather, and so do plants and animals. Learn how seeds, fur, evergreen needles, underground homes, and “antifreeze” help nature’s creatures survive the winter. Standards: K.LS1.C K.ESS2.1 1.LS1.A 1.LS1.1 1.LS3.1 2.ESS1.B & C
Mini-beasts & Insects
Grades 1, 2 & 3 (2 hours) – Sept to Oct
Fall is a great season to study minibeasts and insects, because they are everywhere! What are some differences between them, their jobs (good & not-so-good), life cycles, and how they survive. After a short presentation, take a guided discovery walk to investigate their living spaces in different habitats, at the bug field use sweep nets to capture insects on the wing, and then study them to observe insect adaptations and family ID. A great program to be ‘bugged’ in a good way! Standards: K-LS1.1 K-ESS3.1 1.LS1.1 1.LS1.2 1.LS3.1 2.LS2.1 2.LS2.2 2.LS4.1 3.LS2.1 3.LS4.3 3.LS1.1 3.LS3.1
Animal Homes & Habitats
Grades 1, 2, 3 & 4 (2 hours) – Sept to Nov
Where do animals live and why do they live there? Explore the habitats of many local wildlife species. Find out how their homes and habitats serve their needs and help them survive. Students participate in a predator-prey game and take an exploration hike. Standards: 1.LS1.A 2.LS2.C 3.LS1.1 3.LS2.1 3.LS4.2 3.LS4.3 3.LS2.C 3.LS4.4 4.LS1.1 4.LS1.2
Bird Beaks and Bird Adaptations
Grades 1, 2, 3 & 4 (2 hours)
Learn about bird adaptations, beaks, feet, feathers, and how to identify field marks during an interactive hands-on STEM lab activities and trail walk. Standards: 1.LS1.1 1.LS1.D 3.LS2.1 3.LS4.B 1.LS1.1 1.LS1.D 3.LS2.1 3.LS4.B 4.LS1-1 4.LS1-2
Aquatic Studies
Grades 3-6 (2 hours) Spring & Fall
All life depends on clean water. A study of the biota at an aquatic ecosystem can be used to determine water quality. In this program, students sample for aquatic life at both a pond and a stream. Identification of living organisms (plants as well as animals) sampled at each site leads to a discussion on the quality of the water at Dahlem. Standards: 3.LS.3.A & B 3.LS4.C & D 4.LS1.2 5.LS2.A MS.LS1.A & D
Skulls, Scats & Tracks
Michigan Mammals
Grades 1-5 (1.5 hours) – Year-Round
Students see and touch Michigan mammal skins and skulls, explore classification, adaptations, and predator/prey relationships. Students also investigate animal signs, such as scats and tracks, that they can find in their own backyards. Standards: 1.LSS1.A A.LS3.1 2.LS3.1 S.LS4.A 3.LS3.A & B 3.LS4.C & D 4.LS1.2 5.LS2.A
How to Build an Animal
Animal Adaptations
Grades 1-5 (1.5 hour) – Year-Round
How do beavers build their dams? Are all bird feathers the same? Do snakes have a tail? Students explore the fascinating array of animal adaptations and learn how each characteristic helps the species survive. Standards: 1.LSS1.A 1.LS3.1 2.LS4.1 3.LS3.A & B 3.LS4.C & D 4.LS1.2 5.LS2.A
Spring 2026 Programs
Signs of Spring
Kindergarten (1.25 hours) – April to June
Discover the wonders of a world awakening to spring! Use all of your senses to experience the changing environment around you. See the shapes and colors, feel the textures, and smell the fragrances of the spring season. Standards: K.LS1.1 K.LS1.A K.ESS2.2 K.ESS3.1 K.PS3.1 1.LS1.A 2.ESS1.C & B
Who Lives There?
Kindergarten & Grade 1 (1.5 hours) – April to June
Search for animal homes. Discover where and why animals make their homes the way they do. Become a careful outdoor observer and discover the animals at Dahlem as they seek to satisfy their basic needs of food, water, shelter, and space. Standards: K.LS1.1 1.LS1.A 2.LS2.A
Frogs and Toads
Grades 1, 2 & 3 (2 hours) – April to May
Find our local amphibians in their favorite spring hideouts. Study their life cycles, and characteristics and learn their language. Does a frog really feel like a dill pickle? Come to Dahlem and find out! Standards: 1.LS3.A & B 2.LS4.1 3.LS1.1 3.LS2.1 3.LS3.2 3.LS3.A & B
Spring Birds
Grades 1, 2 & 3 (2 hours) – April to May
Learn about bird adaptations, feathers, feet, and beaks, and how to identify field marks during an interactive trail hike and hands-on STEM activity stations. Standards: K.LS1.1 1.LS1.1 1.LS1.D 3.LS2.1 3.LS4.B
Aquatic Studies
Grades 3-6 (1.5 to 2 hours) – Spring & Fall
All life depends on clean water. A study of the biota in an aquatic ecosystem can help determine water quality. In this program, students sample aquatic life at both a pond and a stream. Identification of the living organisms (plants as well as animals) sampled at each site leads to a discussion of the water quality at Dahlem. Standards: 3.LS3.A &B 3.LS4.C & D 4.LS1.2 5.LS2.A MS.LS1.A & D
Skulls, Scats, & Tracks: Michigan Mammals
Grades 1-5 (1.5 hours program) offered year round (Ideal for Jan/Feb)
Students see and touch Michigan mammal skins and skulls, explore mammal classification, adaptations, and predator/prey relationships. Students also investigate animal signs such as scats and tracks that they can search for in their own backyards. Standards; 1.LSS1.A 2.LS3.1 2.LS4.1 3.LS3.A & B 3.LS4.C & D 4.LS1.2 5.LS2.A
How to Build an Animal
Animal Adaptations
Grades 1-5 (1.5 hours program), offered year round (Ideal for Jan/Feb)
How do beavers build their dams? Are all bird feathers the same? Do snakes have a tail? Students explore the fascinating array of animal adaptations and how each characteristic helps species survive in the challenging Michigan environment. Standards: 1.LSS1.A 1.LS3.1 2.LS4.1 3.LS3.A & B 3.LS4.C & D 4.LS1.2 5.LS2.A
Maple Sugaring Grades K-6 and Preschool (1.25 Hours) February 17 – March 19, 2026
Grades K-6th
Maple Sugaring school program is designed to allow students a first hand experience in the delicious tradition of maple sugaring. Students will learn basic concepts of maple sugaring, investigate tree characteristics, winter tree ID, how sap flows, taste sap from a maple tree, and see the maple syrup-making process itself at our historic sugar shack. Several outdoor stations and a couple indoor stations allows students a chance to warm up on cold days. Please dress for the weather! This is an awesome science-based discovery program for all ages!
Supports STEM. Standards: K.LS1.C K.ESS3.A K.ETS1.A 2.LS2.1 2.LS2.2 5.LS1.C 5.LS2.A Program aligns to Michigan Common Core Standards, Next Generation Science Standards
Preschool (ages 3 to young 5’s)
Learn about where maple syrup comes from, a visit to the sugar bush, collect sap, take part in hands-on demonstrations, visit the sugar shack for a sweet treat all makes for a fun and educational trip! Program stations are in/out-doors. Lots of hands-on activities. Please dress for the weather!
