Homeschool Programs
Lutherlyn has been offering environmental education programs to homeschoolers for over 25 years. The Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program is excited to host another homeschool program series.
Families and groups can sign up via Lutherlyn's Online Registration Portal.
Most of our programs are appropriate for grades 1-12, unless otherwise noted. Each session runs from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM. (The Maple Sugaring event will have an additional afternoon session from 1-3:30pm) The cost is $10 per person for everyone attending ages 4 and over. Siblings ages 3 and under are welcome to come with their family at no extra cost. An adult must register along with the student or students. In the event of inclement weather, some activities may be adjusted or substituted as needed. If a minimum of 10 people are not registered for a session, it will be cancelled and registered participants will receive a full refund.
FALL SERIES
Thursday, November 13th, 2025: Survival Skills – This introduction to survival skills teaches students the basics of survival in a forest. Students learn how to construct a debris shelter, find water sources, practice safe fire-building skills, and investigate sources of wild food and medicine. This hands-on experience pairs well with the novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
Registration Deadline: November 6
Monday, November 17th, 2025: Awareness of the Natural World – Nature and natural places can awaken your senses and provide inspiration for creating art! Students will make nature bookmarks or journals and actively use their senses to come to a better understanding of life around them:
- K to 4th Grade
- Sensory Exploration – There is much more to the natural world than most people perceive. Students will actively use their senses to come to a better understanding of life around them.
- Botanical Bookmarks – Let Lutherlyn’s wonderful natural spaces inspire your creativity! Using a combination of art supplies and natural materials like leaves, twigs, or flowers to create unique bookmarks.
- 5th Grade and up
- Nature Journals – Using a combination of art supplies and natural materials like leaves, twigs, or flowers, students will create nature journals. They will then hike to Chapel Rock (1 mile total round-trip) where they will engage their senses and follow a series of writing prompts that will inspire them to write creatively about the natural world around them.
Registration Deadline: November 10
WINTER SERIES
Thursday, January 8th, 2026: Bird Bonanza – Families will get the opportunity to build a bird house to take home with them! Students will then learn how to use binoculars and what field marks to look for when identifying birds. The students will venture outdoors and use the skills that they have learned to identify the birds they see.
Registration Deadline: January 2
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026: Animal Tracking – Students learn the basics of identifying animal tracks using tracking keys and measuring skills. Students practice on tracking plates and then hike into the forest to use their skills. Required Age: 4th Grade and Older
Registration Deadline: January 15
Thursday, February 12th, 2026: Orienteering – This activity begins with a brief history of compasses and navigation. Students then learn to identify compass parts and how to use a compass, as well as to use their multiplication and division skills to estimate distances. The activity concludes with applying this knowledge on an orienteering course that requires them to be able to use a compass and calculate a distance. Required Age: 4th Grade and Older
Registration Deadline: February 5
Monday, February 23rd, 2026: Maple Sugaring – This program is an interdisciplinary study of tree identification, tree biology, and the cultural importance of maple syrup for the Native Americans and early American pioneers. Students learn how a tree works and how to identify a maple tree in the winter. Then they measure a maple tree, drill the hole, tap in the spile, hang the bucket, and calculate the drip rate. Students collect the sap from many maple trees, take it to the Sugar Shack where it is boiled into syrup, and taste the final product. They also learn about the techniques used by Native Americans and pioneers to make maple syrup and maple sugar. It is a great way to celebrate the coming of spring!
Registration Deadline: February 16
Additionally, most of the activities that are available in our Program Options Guide can be part of a customized homeschool field trip experience for your homeschool group. For more information, to talk to our Environmental Education Director, or to make a reservation, please contact the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Office at leep@lutherlyn.com or 724-865-9079.
