The Ankeny Hill Nature Center
Exists To Support Learning
All education spaces are now open!
Education is our Focus
The Ankeny Hill Nature Center is a place where people of all ages can gain a greater understanding of nature in meaningful ways. We highlight environmental awareness through use of our outdoor and indoor classrooms, hands-on interpretation, and engaging opportunities to explore and learn about the wonders of wildlife. We also strive to make The Center fully inclusive and accessible to all learners.
Our support of classroom teachers and other group leaders (i.e. scouts, 4-H, organization chapters, etc.) includes access to instructional resources and examples of best practices for nature education. We operate with the belief we are all part of this learning environment so we encourage all users to offer suggestions for improvement, examples of lesson plans and resources, and by abiding by the hiking adage – “Leave it better than you found it.”
We’ve paid careful attention to the educational needs of schools and organized groups by making it easy for instructors to access The Center and its resources.
Our learning facilities include the connected indoor and outdoor classrooms of Gehlar Hall. To request a reservation for use of these spaces, please click button below to open the online request form. Once the form is submitted, it will be reviewed to be sure
Supporting Teachers and Group Leaders
Using our educational resources
In cooperation with our partners and professional educators, Ankeny Hill Nature Center is pleased to offer a catalog of course lesson plans for a variety of student levels, and a list of in-person experiences and online webinars to help with your instruction of conservation education.
The lessons are designed for easy implementation and may be downloaded and modified to meet your particular instructional needs.
Other in-person experiences include scheduled programming at The Center and at partner events. Online webinars and virtual instruction often require advanced registration. The Calendar of Events lists details.