5th grade students recording observations at Cedar Bog Lake.

The boardwalk to Cedar Bog Lake with a teachers group.

7th graders studying ecosystem components after an October blizzard

Education at Cedar Creek

The education arm of Cedar Creek strives to be an inspiring catalyst and outstanding resource for lifelong science education in Minnesota and beyond. Our goal is to build a pathway of science literacy and learning through engaging hands-on experiences at a world-renowned field station. Our activities are standards-driven and use the ecology of Minnesota and the unique challenges posed by current environmental issues to teach core science concepts. Our education work is financially supported in part by the National Science Foundation's Schoolyard LTER supplement.

We are now scheduling in-person field trips for fall 2022 and spring 2023!

We also encourage you to explore our digital resources to support your teaching and learning, and are happy to work with you to do a custom online program.

For questions about Cedar Creek's education programs, please visit the links below or contact Caitlin Barale Potter at caitlin@umn.edu.

"Without this fantastic opportunity, our students would not be exposed to relevant science in the field, interaction with real scientists and a chance to live authentic science. The opportunity to collect genuine data and observe the results gathered was eye-opening. They all walked away with a greater appreciation for nature and the many interactions that occur on a daily basis. The reflections heard on the bus ride back to school and as students returned to classes were very touching."

- 7th grade teacher, 2017

Student groups visiting Cedar Creek engage in a variety of activities ranging from tours of various ecosystems and research studies to investigations exploring core ecological concepts. More than passive observers, students are encouraged to actively “do science” and ultimately grasp core ecology ideas. Programs are either full-day (4 hours) or half-day (2 hours: morning or afternoon only) and include a combination of tours and field investigations. In order to provide the highest-quality experience and instruction, there are fees associated with field trips. More details are on grade-specific pages. You may need to have transportation available during your field trip to reach the various sites.

Click the grade level(s) you instruct for program descriptions and to schedule your field trip!