Animals: Learn about different animals and how they appear, act, move and communicate.

Earth & Sky: Take a close look at soil to learn about erosion. Discover how birds, butterflies & bats live on the wing. Study clouds and the wind.

Eco-Explorer: Go on an ecology hunt to learn about food chains. Visit animal habitats. Learn what "endangered" means & how you can make a difference.

Outdoor Adventurer: Learn how to prepare for a hike & dress for the weather. Take a hike through our prairie, wetland, & woods to discover how best to use your senses in the outdoors.

Watching Wildlife: Find out how animals build their own homes, communicate with each other, dress for success, & shop for food. Explore nature in the city, right under your feet or above your head.

Water Everywhere: Learn about water & how to be a water saver. Explore our wetland. Catch & release water-loving animals.

Plants: Learn about different seeds and how they grow. Hunt for different leaves and make a plant rubbing.

Earth Connections: Study an ecosystem & learn about how habitats change over time. Identify five native plants. Explore how wildlife adapts to survive in 3 different habitats: prairie, wetland, & woods.

Finding Your Way: Learn basic map & path-finding skills. Discover natural & various other trail signs in the 26-acre Ruth Park Woods.

Outdoor Creativity: Let nature inspire your poetry and celebrations. Tour our learning & demonstration gardens. Discover the diversity of sun-loving versus shade-loving wildlife.

Outdoors in the City: Connect yourself with nature, just a few minutes from home. Find out how very accessible, safe, fun, & wonderful the great outdoors can be! Discover the city's web of life.

Rocks Rock: Study fossils, soil, & erosion. Learn how to identify the two basic rock types found in Missouri. Visit our eight big boulders for hands-on discovery.

Water Wonders: Learn about water through a variety of activities. Identify water loving plants & animals. Take a journey through the water cycle of our wetland.

Wildlife: Learn about Missouri's state bird, flower, tree, insect, rock, mineral, etc. Identify wildlife. Study three species of birds to learn their behaviors & field marks.

Contact us for more information about classes and projects.

Grow Something: Visit and learn about our greenhouse.

Sharing Your World with Wildlife: Explore the woods, prairie or wetland for different signs of animal life. Discuss animals that have become extinct, reasons for extinction and what animals are on the endangered species list.

Forester: Learn about different forests, the different layers in a forest, identify forest trees and plants native to Missouri, describe how water and minerals help a tree grow, explain how tree rings tell a trees life history and discuss the benefits and harm wildfires can cause to a forest ecosystem.

Naturalist: Visit a bird flyway and discuss what birds use this flyway. Learn to identify poisonous plants and native plants, birds and wild animals. Visit a wetland to learn about an aquatic ecosystem and learn about the different roles in a food chain.

Geologist: Explain how different rock types are formed. Examine different igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and discuss how we use these rocks today. Visit our boulders to examine common rocks found in Missouri and describe what a fossil is how it is used to tell how old a formation is.

Contact us for more information about classes and projects.

Scout programs can be scheduled Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm.

Each Scout program is 1-2 hours with a fee of $7 per scout (there is no charge for scout leaders and adult chaperone's).

For more information please call us at 314-725-8314 X 105 or email us