Wildlife Education

If you’re looking to add more wildlife into your lesson plans, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve gathered fact sheets, lesson plans, activity books, teaching guides, and more to help you teach your students about Minnesota’s wildlife.

DNR resources

We have a variety of resources available for educators:  

Facts about Minnesota’s wildlife

• Minnesota’s animals
• Rare Species Guide
• Minnesota’s pollinators
• Wild Bees in Minnesota
• Minnesota's birds
• Wildlife success stories

Wildlife web cameras

• EagleCam
• FalconCam
• FishCam

DNR resources for Teachers 

• Teachers' Resources
• Teacher Professional Development Calendar
• Natural Resources Education 
• Environmental Education Calendar

Educational Events

• MN DNR outdoor skills calendar
• Minnesota State Parks and Trails Events Calendar
• Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas | Events Calendar

Teaching guides, lesson plans, trainings, and other educational resources

We've searched the web for all things wildlife and learning! And here they are: 

Teaching guides and lesson plans

• National Wildlife Federation education tools and resources
• Young Naturalist articles and teaching guides  
• Minnesota Master Naturalist Explorers 
• Teach Outdoors Minnesota Curriculum Resources 
• Wolf Ridge Learning Resources
• Penn state wildlife lesson plans
• Hennepin County Environmental Education Resources   

Resource libraries 

• Minnesota Association of Environmental Education resource library
• National Wildlife Federation Educator Tools
• Department of Education Outdoor and Nature-Based Learning Resources
• US Fish and Wildlife Service Education Library
• World Wildlife Foundation education tools
• Minnesota Children & Nature Connection Education Resources

Activities and games 

• Audubon Adventures
• Nature Play Ideas
• Wild and Rare Species activity booklet
• Scientific and Natural Areas coloring book
• Interactive bird song poster
• Big-Eared bat finger puppet
• The Raptor Center’s Reading with Raptors series
• US Fish and Wildlife Service Coloring Pages
• US Fish and Wildlife Service Puzzles and Games 
• US Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Webcams 
• Grand Portage Coloring Pages
• National Wildlife Federation Fun Wildlife Facts   
• MN DNR Just for Kids Page 

Teacher trainings

• Wolf Ridge Teacher Institute
• Teach Outdoors Minnesota Wednesday Webinar series
• Project Wild
• Project Wet
• Project Learning Tree
• Jeffers Foundation Workshops

Environmental Education Organizations 

• Teach Outdoors Minnesota
• Minnesota Association for Environmental Education
• Minnesota Children and Nature Connection
• Jeffers Foundation
• Minnesota Early Childhood Outdoors
• Project Get Outdoors

Educational adventures 

Want to expand your learning and explore the outdoors with your students/children? Try visiting a State Park, National Wildlife Refuge, State Forest, Scientific and Natural Area, or one of the many environmentally-focused sites around the state!

(Sites are organized alphabetically by the city they are located in). 

Northwest Minnesota 

• Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, MN. Features exhibits, prairie, wetlands, programs, events, trails, and birding.
• Agassiz Environmental Learning Center in Fertile, MN. Features 640 acres, dunes, oak savanna, prairie, woodlands, river, school groups, offsite programming, citizen science, birding, camping, skiing, hiking, and events
• Deep Portage Learning Center in Hackensack, MN. Features environmental and conservation education programs, youth camps, interpretive programs, tours, school groups, and events.
• MSU Regional Science Center in Moorhead, MN. Features 400 acres, field station, observatory, trails, interpretive center, exhibits, bird observatory, school groups, and programs.

Northeast Minnesota

• Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center in Duluth, MN. Features 18,000 acres, programs, summer camps, events, and guided experiences.
• Hartley Nature Center in Duluth, MN. Features 660 acres, school groups, camps, preschool, trails, and events.
• Hawk Ridge in Duluth, MN. Features an overlook, live birds, programs, and hiking.
• research.
• International Wolf Center in Ely, MN. Features programs, school groups, exhibits, webcams. The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.
• North American Bear Center in Ely, MN. Features live cams, live animals, and programs. Dedicated to replacing old myths with facts, it lets people learn from the bears themselves about bear behavior, ecology, and their relations with humans.
• Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, MN. Features 50+ classes and experiences, overnight school trips, summer camps, teacher training, events, school groups, learning resources, family camp, organic farm, trails, lakes, streams, and forest.
• Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center in the Gunflint Trail. Features 50 acres, nature cams, exhibits, and trails.
• Houston Nature Center in Houston, MN. Features hands-on nature displays, live observation bee hive, 17 acre native prairie and wetland planting, picnic shelter, wooden observation decks and walkways, access to the Root River Trail System, a Natural Playground, and Houston’s Community Garden.
• International Owl Center in Houston, MN. Features owl-themed programming and events.
• Long Lake Conservation Center in Palisade, MN. Features nature school, summer camps, retreats, hike and ski, events.
• Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center in Sandstone, MN. Features programs, camps, family camps, events, overnights, camping, live animals, and trails.
• Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center in Schroeder, MN. Features 24 acres, programs, nature trail, geologic formations, artifacts, interpretive center, exhibits, and events.   

Central Minnesota

• Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington, MN. Features hiking, biking, hiking/walking, wildlife viewing, hunting, programs, guided tours, exhibits, and two visitor centers.
• Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington, MN. Features colorful clay mosaics and sculptures, live animals, events, programs, and a young birders club.
• Rudy Kraemer Nature Preserve in Burnsville, MN. Features 75 acres, nature trail, and picnicking.
• Oxbow Park Nature Center in Byron, MN. Features a class area, an exhibit of some of the more common snakes of the region, and displays and artifacts.
• Tashjian Bee & Pollinator Discovery Center in Chanhassen, MN. Features displays, art, and many exhibits.
• Eden Prairie Outdoor Center in Eden Prairie, MN. Features classes, workshops, trips and activities in outdoor recreation and environmental education, scout groups, and day cares.
• Bailey Point Nature Preserve in Elk River, MN. Features bird watching, fishing, picnicking, prairie, scenic views, trails, forest.
• The Raptor Center in Falcon Heights, MN. Features programs, events, research, education, training, tours, live animals, volunteering, school groups. Specialize in the medical care, rehabilitation, and conservation of eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons
• Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley, MN. Features 3 miles of hiking trails, oak and aspen forests, prairies, wetlands, floating boardwalks, live animals, educational programs, events, and summer camps.
• Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings, MN. Features day camps, school groups, 725 acres of protected habitat, trails, programs and events, apple orchard, rentals, and summer camps.
• Sally Manzara Nature Center in Lake Elmo, MN. Features programs, events, summer camp, biking and hiking trails, exhibits, and a family nature day.
• Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in Lanesboro, MN. Features 250 acres, events, outdoor school, programs, classes, preschool, trails, camps, school groups, discovery center, and overnights.
• Wargo Nature Center in Lino Lakes, MN. Features classes and events, classroom, conference room, multipurpose room, and an outdoor amphitheater.
• Maplewood Nature Center Preserve in Maplewood, MN. Features demonstration gardens, nature play area, trails, and a 600 foot floating boardwalk with two observation decks.
• Voyageur Environmental Center in Mound, MN. Features year-round environmental education center that is owned and operated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities. Residential camp for Boys & Girls Club youth during the summer and offers the youth opportunities to visit camp throughout the school year.
• Southwood Nature Preserve in North St. Paul, MN. Features 28 acres, emergent shoreline, wet meadow, mesic prairie, savanna, upland prairie, oak forest, basswood forest and a cottonwood/silver maple flood plain.
• Cascade Meadow Wetlands and Environmental Science Center in Northwest Rochester, MN. Features  formal and informal learning and event spaces indoors and outdoors. Walking trails, wetlands, school groups, and a LEED Platinum certified center.
• Oakdale Discovery Center in Oakdale, MN. Features an art gallery, basketball and tennis courts, trails, picnicking, playground, bees, and exhibits.
• Wood lake Nature Center in Richfield, MN. Features geocaching, trails, adult/child classes, weekend programs for all ages, and special events like Half-Haunted Halloween, Candlelight and Ice, and the Friends of Wood Lake Fundraising Dinner.
• Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester, MN. Features live animals, exhibits, raptors, bees, programs, bird study, trails, fossil hunting, bird watching, events, and a summer camp.
• Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville, MN. Features 52 acres, marsh, prairie, forest, boardwalk, day camps, school groups, programs, events, preschool, interpretive center, exhibits, live animals, bees, and a library.
• Eastman Nature Center at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Rush Creek, MN. Features floating boardwalk, hiking and snowshoeing trails, nature center, programs, and events.
• Wildlife Science Center in Stacy, MN. Features live animals, programs, private photography, after dark programs, wildlife handling class, and events.
• Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary in St. Paul, MN. Features river bluffs, wetlands, birdwatching, native American history, outdoor classroom, interpretive markers, hiking.
• Westwood Hills Nature in St. Louis Park, MN. Features 160 acres, marsh, woods, prairie, programs, events, camps, and school trips.
• Lowry Nature Center at Carver Park Reserve in Victoria, MN. Features seasonal interpretive displays, live animals,  wildlife viewing area, Nature Exploration Area, photography club, young birders club, events, and school groups.
• National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN. Features field trips, river cruise, habitat tours, displays, wild animals, programs, and group visits.
• Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, MN. Features trails and explore prairies, woodlands, and wetlands, farm animals, raptors, outdoor classroom, experiences, classes, and camps.
• Tamarack Nature Center in White Bear Township, MN. 320 acres, programs, events, discovery hollow, day camps, nature preschool, and volunteering.

Southern Minnesota

• Jay C. Hormel Nature Center in Austin, MN. Features 500 acres of prairie, forests, and wetlands, 9+ miles of trails, Interpretive Center, summer adventure classes, free programs, equipment rental, and a fire observatory.
• Ney Nature Center in Henderson, MN. Features  446 acres forests, prairie, meadows, bluffs, creeks, programs, day camps, and a fall festival.
• Williams Nature Center in Mankato, MN. Features overlooks, interpretive stations, outdoor classroom, and an interpretive center.
• Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center in Spicer, MN. Features 500 acres, programs, events, rentals, challenge course, time travel programs, trails, and overnights.