Scout Workshops
Our workshops, held throughout the school year, allow Scouts to meet nature-based requirements for badges and journeys. Individual scouts or small groups can participate in one of our public workshops. Alternatively, groups may schedule their own private workshops, subject to the availability of staff – contact the Nature Center for more information or to schedule. Pre-registration is required for all scouts and adults planning on participating in workshop activities.
Don’t see the badge or program activities your group is looking for?
We are always looking for ways to improve our program offerings, so please contact us to let us know what you’d like to see and do!
Join us on Indian Creek Nature Center’s beautiful campus for exciting workshops led by teacher-naturalists and tailored toward the advancement requirements for Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts! Our workshops, held throughout the school year, allow Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts to meet nature-based requirements for badges and Journeys (Girl Scouts) and adventures (Cub Scouts).
Cub & Scout BSA
Multi-Age Groups
Maple Syruping (March Only)
Location: Penningroth Barn (6665 Otis Rd SE)
Cost: $5 per person (3 and older)
Bring the family for a maple syruping experience! Discover how easy it is to tap maple trees and make delicious maple syrup. This is a great family STEM science experience to learn about weather, tree physiology, and the chemistry of syrup making. Use the sugar maker’s tools to tap a tree, visit the Sugar House to learn how sap becomes syrup, and enjoy a taste of ICNC’s real maple syrup. Programs are 60 minutes. Contact the Nature Center for more information or to schedule a program for your group.
Habitat Exploration (New!)
Dates: Saturday, November 15, 2025, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM OR Saturday, May 9, 2026, 12:30 PM – 2:3o PM
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Rd SE)
Cost: $5 per person (3 and older)
Capacity: 20 people
Lions, Tigers & Wolves: Hit the trails to hike and explore the habitats at the Nature Center and search for some of the wild plants and animals that make their homes here. Learn about how to prepare for outdoor adventures. Meet live animals up close.
Merit Badges
Nature Merit Badge
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
Time: 1-4PM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Cost: $12 per scout
Capacity: 15 people
Scouts will attempt requirements 1-3, 4a1, 4b, 4c, 4e, 5 and 6 at this workshop. Scouts will be responsible for one other requirement from 4 (d, f, g or h) and 4a2, and either 7 a or b on their own.
Lion Workshops
Mountain Lion
Time: 1.5 hours
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Find out what you can do to prepare and stay safe while hiking and exploring outside and then put your new skills to use! Hike and explore the Nature Center trails with a naturalist. Don’t forget to pack your curiosity and sense of adventure. Be prepared for an afternoon of fun!
Tiger Workshops
Tigers in the Wild
Time: 2 hours
Location: Penningroth Barn
(6665 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Take a hike around the Nature Center and experience the sights and sounds, and look for plants and animals. Along the way, learn about trees and practice the art of leaf rubbing. Meet some of the animals that live at ICNC. Don’t forget to bring your Cub Scout six essentials!
The Sky is the Limit
Time: 1.5 hours
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Road)
Explore things in the night sky from the moon to planets and stars. Observe the night sky and try using binoculars and telescopes. Create your own constellation and give it a name!
Wolf Workshops
Paws on the Path
Time: 2 hours
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Take a hike and explore nature! Before you go, learn what items you need for outdoor activities. Dress for the weather – we’ll go outside rain, snow or shine! Learn about and meet animals up close.
Finding Your Way
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026
Time: 1-2:30pm
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Learn how to navigate with maps and compasses. Create your own map, and then practice your map & compass navigation skills out on the trails!
Bear Workshops
Bear Habitat
Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026
Time: 9:30-11:30AM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Pick a path, and go for a one-mile hike – rain, snow or shine! – and look for signs of animals and other interesting nature sights along the way. Learn about and then practice the principles of Leave No Trace out on the trail.
Webelos Workshops
Earth Rocks!
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026
Time: 9:30-11:00AM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 30 total people
Have you ever wanted to know more about rocks? Come to the Nature Center to find out why geology is important to you! We’ll identify rocks, test minerals and learn about Moh’s hardness scale. You’ll find out about Iowa’s geologic past, and get to take home a little souvenir. (You will be responsible for requirement #4 on your own)
Arrow of Light Workshops
Into the Wild
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 9:30-11:30AM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 people
Learn about and meet animals up close. Explore animal habitats. Play a food chain and food web game to learn about ecosystems and connections. Explore a model of human interactions on wildlife habitats. (You will be responsible for requirement #2 on your own)
Into the Woods
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 12:30-2:00PM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 people
Trees are everywhere! What kind are they? Learn how trees work, how we use trees and more. Search for and identify trees, plants and animals of the forest (You will be responsible for Requirement #4).
Girl Scouts
Multi-Age Groups
Maple Syruping (March Only)
Location: Penningroth Barn
(6665 Otis Rd SE)
Cost: $5 per child ages 3 and over, $5 per adult
Bring the family for a maple syruping experience! Discover how easy it is to tap maple trees and make delicious maple syrup. This is a great family STEM science experience to learn about weather, tree physiology, and the chemistry of syrup making. Use the sugar maker’s tools to tap a tree, visit the Sugar House to learn how sap becomes syrup, and enjoy a taste of ICNC’s real maple syrup. Programs are 60 minutes.
Citizen Science Sampler
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 1:00-3:00PM
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Daisies, Brownies and Juniors: Learn about what scientists do and see how you can do science in your own backyards and communities by participating in a sampler of citizen science projects. Go on a hike to observe the phenology of the seasons, observe and record bird sightings or help us monitor water quality.
Daisies Workshop
Animal Explorations
Date: Saturday, November 8, 2025
Time: 9:30-11:30AM
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Play animal games and explore different animal habitats found at the Nature Center. Search for clues animals leave behind and make your own animal nest or home. Meet animals up close and make a bird feeder to share with the wild animals in your backyard. This workshop will take you on part of the 5 Flowers, 4 Stories and 3 Cheers for Animals Journey.
Nature Senses and Art
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 12:30-2:30PM
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Your senses come alive in nature! Come participate in an exciting nature scavenger hunt, listen to nature sounds, sniff out some interesting smells, and feel the different textures found around the Nature Center. We’ll have a snack to explore our taste buds and make nature inspired art creations. Activities from this workshop may be applied towards parts of the Between Earth and Sky Journey and/or the Outdoor Art Badge.
Design with Nature
Time: 1.5 hours
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Road)
Nature has lots of different parts. We’ll spend time exploring outside, looking for some of those parts and sorting what we find into categories like plants, animals, clouds, birds and more! We’ll also make our own animal footprint art. This completes most of the Daisy Design with Nature badge.
Brownies Workshops
Bugs
Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Time: 12:30-2:00PM
Location: Penningroth Barn (6665 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Insects are everywhere and an important part of our world. Become an amateur entomologist and learn all about bugs. Observe bugs in nature and learn the usefulness of many insects. Capture bugs in our prairie and learn about their role in nature. This completes most of the Bug badge. Meet at the Penningroth Barn.
Hiker
Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026
Time: 12:30-2:30PM
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Explore the Nature Center’s trails with an expert hiker to learn to read a map, interpret trail signs, leave no trace and learn what to take on a hike. Make your own snack and enjoy a day in nature! This completes most of the Hiker badge.
Space Science
Time: 1.5 hours
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Road)
Make a model of our solar system and a start chart, and model the phases of our moon. Practice using binoculars and telescopes. Listen to constellation stories and create your own constellation and give it a name! This completes most of the Space Science Adventurer Badge.
Outdoor Adventurer
Time: 2 hours
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Road)
Practice and learn how to tie knots, and how to build a fire safely. We’ll also play and explore near some of the water habitats found at the Nature Center. This completes part of the Outdoor Adventure badge.
Juniors Workshops
Geocache
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 9:30-11:30AM
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Come to a geocaching event to learn how the Global Positioning System (GPS) works. Learn to enter waypoints in a GPS receiver and find a geocache! Bring your own GPS unit or borrow one of the Nature Center’s units. This completes most of the Geocache badge.
Animal Habitats
Date: Saturday, November 8, 2025
Time: 12:30-2:30PM
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Who lives in your wild backyard? Discover several animal habitats at the Nature Center. Explore animal homes and create your own bird feeder to help the birds. Investigate endangered prairie habitats. How can we help protect them? Discover who lives in your own backyard habitat. This completes most of the Animal Habitats badge.
Shapes in Nature
Time: 2 hours
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Road SE)
Nature has many different patterns and shapes. Explore together outdoors to see which patterns we can find in nature. Create your own symmetrical art based on leaf shapes and patterns, and use various found natural items to create temporary, symmetrical art outdoors.
Outdoor Skills
Time: 2 hours
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Road SE)
Learn about what to bring and prepare for your outdoor adventures. Build your skills by navigating with a compass and tying knots. Practice building and lighting a fire, and try your hand at setting up a tent. This workshop will help you get started on the Camper badge.
Cadettes Workshop
Night Owl
Date: Friday, January 30, 2026
Time: 6:30-8PM
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Rd SE)
Capacity: 20 total people
Learn about and meet a nocturnal animal. Explore the Nature Center trails at night with all of your senses. Examine the night sky and constellation stories. This completes most of the Night Owl badge, except for step #3.
Trees
Time: 2 hours
Location: Amazing Space (5300 Otis Road SE)
Trees are far more beneficial to us than we realize. We can’t live without them, but how do they work? What kind of tree is behind your house? Come learn about trees and do art inspired by trees. Find out about how we – and other animals – depend on trees, and how they depend on us. We will complete all but #5 of the Trees badge.
Scout Rules and Registration Policy
Please read carefully prior to registering.
Registration Policies
Registration and payment are required prior to the event and can be done online, in person, or by phone with a credit card. Registration is required for all scouts and all adults planning on attending workshops. Walk-in participants will not be admitted.
Fees
Public program fees are $10.00 per scout, per workshop, unless otherwise noted. Scout leaders are admitted for free (up to 2 per group); any additional adults are $5 per person.
Private program fees are $80 minimum per program for groups of up to 8 (or fewer) scouts and 2 adults for most programs. Any additional scouts are $10 per scout and additional adults are $5 per person.
Weather
Most scout workshops include outdoor activities.Many program activities can be adapted to the indoors in cases of severe weather (extreme heat, cold or thunderstorms). Weather cancellations or reschedules are mostly limited to cases where the weather makes travel dangerous. In the event of a weather-related cancellation or reschedule, ICNC will contact registered program participants. Please dress appropriately for the forecasted weather conditions, and make sure to provide accurate parent guardian contact information with your registrations.
Awards
Patches are not sold or awarded on site at ICNC. Scout leaders are welcome to attend workshops with scouts to monitor progress. All participants are provided a list of workshop activities and their corresponding requirements.
Cancellation Policy and Refunds
To be eligible for a fee refund or transfer, ICNC requires a 48-hour advance notice for all cancellations. Eligible canceled registrations can either be refunded or applied to another registration. All registrations refunded via credit card or check are charged an administrative processing fee of 10%. Only in cases of extreme weather or other extenuating circumstances will ICNC cancel a scheduled program. All programs canceled by ICNC will receive a full refund via original payment method.
Types of Scout Programs
Public Programs
Individual scouts or small groups can participate in one of our scheduled public workshops. Register online to sign up for a public workshop by selecting your preferred workshop from our events calendar.
Private Programs
Groups of scouts may schedule their own private workshop time and date, subject to availability of staff. You can select from any of the workshops we offer. Call or email Emily Roediger at 319-362-0664 x312, emily@indiancreeknaturecenter.org if you have any questions.
Service Projects
Scouts can also earn higher achievements through conservation projects, such as Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards for Girl Scouts and Eagle Scout Awards for Boy Scouts. Contact us for more information on these special outdoor projects. We also offer a special informational session on Eagle Scout project opportunities to learn more and get the process started.