Programs for Groups
The Discovery Center has earned a reputation as one of the premier education centers in Wisconsin. Our naturalists are deservedly well known for their enthusiastic program delivery and hands-on learning opportunities. We can arrange onsite and offsite programs, tailored to meet the needs of your group. Ideal for resorts, campgrounds, lake associations, libraries, community clubs, families, business groups, conferences, and visitors to the Northwoods.
We offer Naturalist-led hikes, canoe trips, and pontoon tours in half-day and full day experiences. As you enjoy the surrounds, our Naturalist will interpret the landscape and waterways, and point out the flora and fauna of the area. Please contact Education Director Licia Johnson for more information, opportunities and fees.
We also offer programs, which can be 45 to 90 minutes in length, and are available to fit your schedule and your audience. Programs may be indoors or outdoors. Indoor programs offer a photographic slide presentation, as well as a number of props and activities relevant to the topic and audience. Outdoor programs feature a hike, guided activity or outdoor exploration session.
2024 Fees:
$120 per program offsite up to 60 minutes, $160 for 90 minutes, $200 for 2 hours, plus an additional mileage fee at the current government rate.
*Program locations over 1 hour round trip from the Discovery Center will have the additional fee of $50/hour travel time.
*Additional fee of $25 for programming utilizing one live education animal, $50 for 2+ live animals.
*Programs held onsite for groups that are not a full day, are $95 for a one hour program. For full day programming please see pricing structure on "Programs for Schools" page.
*Program discounts: 5% discount when booking 2-4 programs in a season and 10% discount when booking 5+programs in a season (Seasons: May - August and September - April)
*Virtual programming: $95 for a 1 hour live, virtual nature talk.
Birds (photographic slide presentation indoors)
- Common Bird Identification
- Woodpeckers of the Northwoods
- Ravens and Crows
- The Common Loon
- Owls of Wisconsin
- Hummingbirds
- Trumpeter Swans
- Snowy Owls
- Waterfowl
- Shorebirds
- Herons & Cranes of Wisconsin NEW!
- Secret Love Lives of Birds NEW!
Natural History and Mammals (photographic slide presentation indoors)
- Bats of Wisconsin (live bats!)
- Understanding Black Bears
- Wolves of Wisconsin/Michigan
- Magnificent Monarch Butterflies (June-September)- live animals!
- Butterflies of the Northwoods
- Scat, Tracks and Animal Sign
- North America’s Largest Rodent: The Beaver
- Frogs and Toads of Wisconsin
- Herptiles (Reptiles & Amphibians) of Wisconsin- live animals!
- Phenology- customized for the season
- Aquatic Invasive Species
- Secret Love Lives of Animals
- Wild Cats of WI
- Understanding Ungulates
- Moose Mania
- Turtles of WI
- Hidden Lake Creatures
- Discovering Dragonflies
- Winter Animal Survival
- Bog Ecology
- Science of Hibernation NEW!
- Mudpuppies NEW!
- Salamanders NEW!
- Incredible Animal Tongues NEW!
- Carnivorous Plants of the Northwoods NEW!
Just For Kids
- Critters of the Night- Explore the incredible adaptations of all the animals that come out at night- ones that fly and ones that crawl- you will also meet a live big brown bat up close!
- Bats of WI- Learn about the incredible adaptations and benefits of our bats while looking at cool bat artifacts and playing a fun echolocation game. You will also get a chance to meet a live bat up close. *Live animal fee applies
- Slithery Snakes- What makes a snake different from other animals? Learn all about snakes and explore some fun snake artifacts. *Live animal fee applies
- Turtles- By meeting our live aquatic and land turtles, you will learn what makes a turtle a turtle and really find out why they are so awesome! *Live animal fee applies
- Fabulous Frogs- From an incredible life cycle, to skin they can breath through, frogs are fabulous in many ways. We will explore all this and more, and depending on the time of year, you may be able to see live frogs and tadpoles! *Live animal fee applies
- Reptiles and Amphibians- This is a combination program of the snakes, turtle and frog classes- the best of all worlds! *Live animal fee applies
- Bubble-ology - What makes a bubble a bubble? Where do we see bubbles in nature? Become a bubble-ologist as we follow the scientific method developing our own bubble solution, which you will get to take home with you...and did we mention there would be bubble art??
- Worm's World - What good is a worm? You will learn the parts of a worm, what they do, participate in a worm race, and make a wormery to take your new friend home in.
- Oh Deer! - Learn about population dynamics and carrying capacity as we discuss and explore deer artifacts and then play a fun and active game.
- Bird Hurdles - Bird migration is NOT easy - so many things can go wrong. Can you survive migration in this fun and active obstacle course activity?
- Eager Beavers- The architects of the landscape...beavers are incredible animals! Learn about their adaptations as we dress someone up in a costume, explore beaver skulls and even smell what castor smells like- THEN we will create beaver habitats in small buckets so you get an idea of what a beaver needs to survive.
- Loony Loons - Loons are an iconic bird here in the Northwoods - we will learn to identify their calls and what they mean, dress someone up as a loon in our adaptation costume and look at a mounted loon and loon artifacts up close, as well as try and survive the migration of a loon in a fun and interactive game!
- Owls- Learn about these amazing night time flying raptors. Explore owl artifacts, look at owl mounts up close and for $2/pellet you can dissect an owl pellet to find out what an owl eats!
- Life of a Water Drop - Learn about the water cycle during this fun and interactive activity- as you travel through the water cycle yourself you will see that every drop has a different story to tell.
- Living the Pollinator Life - What is pollen? What is pollination? Discover the answers to these questions along with the importance of pollinators and play a fun pollination game!
- Magnificent Monarchs - Learn all about the fascinating life cycle of the monarch butterfly while we explore unique artifacts and meets some caterpillars up close! Learn about the life of the monarch and the challenges they face through a fun and active migration challenge game.
- Black Bears for Kids- Learn all about black bears in this fun program! We will examine black bear artifacts, talk about their cool adaptations and play a year-in-the-life-of black bear game!
- Wolves for Kids- Join us as we explore the unique adaptations, life and communication style of wolves! Discover facts about wolves through artifacts and a fun wolf survival game!
- The Playful Life of the River Otter - As one of the only animals that actually plays, river otters are fun to watch and learn about. Join us as we explore river otter artifacts, learn about their unique adaptations and play a fun river otter game!
- Predator/Prey- This is an interesting relationship in nature- we will learn about how deer and wolves coexist and then play a fun and active predator prey game- where some will be predators and some will be prey!
- Wildflowers for Kids - NEW!- Discover the parts of flowers, look at local species and learn how to identify them!
- Nature Poetry - NEW! - We will create different types of poems, explore metaphors, similes and rhymes - all inspired by the natural world!
- Life of the Lumberjack - NEW! - Learn the fascinating history of the lumberjack era of the Northwoods, figure out lumberjack language, and participate in several lumberjack inspired games!
- Science of Snow - NEW! (winter only)- Investigate how snowflakes form, make your own snow to take home, learn the properties of snow, and for a yummy treat we will make ice cream out of snow!
Crafts
- Environmental Easel- Discover your creative side with three fun crafts inspired by the natural world. Crafts use mostly natural materials and change seasonally.
- Nature Journaling - Capture your time outdoors by making a fun and upcycled nature journal. We will make the journal and go though a few activities to inspire your creative side as you reflect on your time outdoors.
- T-shirt/Bandana Stamping- Using either rubber fish, rubber tracks, or leaves we collect onsite, learn about your topic of choice and make a fun stamped bandanna or shirt to take home. T-shirts must be provided by the group, bandannas can be purchased for $2/each.
- Wood cookie string art - Using small wood cookies, a few small nails, and some crafting thread, create a pattern and make something fun to take home!
- Birchbark Crafts - NEW! - Using sustainably harvested birch bark, we will make magnets and frames out of this beautiful material!
- Scientific Sketching - NEW! - Get inspired by natural objects and learn basic sketching techniques!
We can also customize a program for you. (Additional fees may apply.)
For more information on scheduling and availability, call us at (715) 543-2085 or E-mail at Licia@discoverycenter.net.