Nature at School offers a slate of free, live, interactive, virtual lessons with DNR educators that are developed for formal classroom teachers.
Sessions are free, but we require a minimum of 10 students. For smaller groups, or homeschool students, our recorded webinar series allows any student, parent or teacher to participate and can be seen in this YouTube playlist.
Live virtual programs are available from after Thanksgiving through spring break each year. Check back this fall for 2025-2026 school year programs.
Homeschoolers, co-ops, pods, scouts and families - want to enjoy these great lessons? We have several recorded for you to enjoy! Check out recordings on YouTube.
Live from southeast Michigan: Learn to observe, identify and record birds in your neighborhood and why biologists use these skills, from downtown Detroit to the wilds of the Upper Peninsula. This session is for third through 12th grade.
Join DNR educator Craig Kasmer and explore the world of the Kirtland's warbler and the unique jack pine forest habitat it needs to survive. This session is for kindergarten through 12th grade.
Join us from Hoffmaster State Park to learn all about fungi of the forest! We will take a closer look at how these organisms are classified and what makes them so unique. This session is for fourth through fifth grade.
Live from Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery: Learn about fish biology and how the DNR raises fish to release into Michigan waters. This session is for third through 12th grade.
Your eighth through 12th grade students can discover how the New Deal shaped Ludington State Park through the Civilian Conservation Corps in this program.
Join us from Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, which is part of the largest freshwater coastal dune ecosystem in the world. Discover the greatest freshwater sand dunes in the world and their role as host to a vast diversity of plants and wildlife. This session is for third through 12th grade.
Why do mammals have different types of fur? How can you tell what a mammal eats by looking at its teeth? How does a skull tell you about the bite strength? Find out in this session for third through 12th grade.
Join us from Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon to learn about a few reptiles that call the dunes their home. This session is for third through 12th grade.
As an area that escaped the axes of Michigan's white pine logging era, Hartwick Pines boasts stands of enormous white pines and is the perfect setting to learn about how trees grow, what benefits they provide us and wildlife, and how forests are managed in Michigan. This session is for kindergarten through 12th grade.
We will discuss the difference between these troublemaker species and the native species whose spaces they invade and what you can do to help. This session is for sixth through eighth grade.
What is a watershed? Why are they important and how do they impact me and where I live? Find out in this session for kindergarten through 12th grade.
Discover the unique world of Michigan’s wetland habitat through an interactive virtual classroom visit! This session is for kindergarten through 12th grade.
In this program, your kindergarten through 12th grade students will explore how Michigan’s plants and animals survive the cold winter months.
The Nature at School programs have been well-received by teachers all over the state. See which programs are most popular, what teachers had to say and program statistics below.
2022-2023 Nature at School summary report
2021-2022 Nature at School summary report
2020-2021 Nature at School summary report
