Cub & Scout BSA Workshops
Upcoming Workshops
For general scout information, please visit the Scouts page.
Scout Rules and Registration Policy
Please read carefully prior to registering.
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.
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.
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 20%. Registrations refunded via electronic gift card are not subject to a processing fee. 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.
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.
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.
Cub & Scout BSA 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.
Multi-Age Groups
Location: Penningroth Barn (6665 Otis Rd SE)
Cost: $5 per person (3 and older)
Contact us to schedule a private workshop.
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. 1 hour.
Merit Badges
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024
Time: 1-4PM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Cost: $12 per scout
Scouts will attempt requirements 1-3, 4a1, 4b, 4c and 4e at this workshop. Scouts will be responsible for one other requirement from 4 (d, f, g or h) and 4a2 on their own. Click here to access current requirements.
Registration opens January 2, 2024.
Lion Workshops
Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023
Time: 12:30-2PM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
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!
Registration opens October 1, 2023.
Tiger Workshops
Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
Time: 12:30-2:30PM
Location: Penningroth Barn
(6665 Otis Rd SE)
Work on two required adventures in one workshop! Take a hike around the Nature Center and experience the sights and sounds, and look for plants and animals. Along the way learn about birds, and go on a one foot hike. Meet some of the animals that live at the Nature Center. Don’t forget to bring your Cub Scout six essentials!
Registration opens August 15, 2023.
Contact us to schedule a private workshop (subject to availability).
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! (You will be responsible for Requirement #3). 90 minutes.
Wolf Workshop
Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
Time: 9:30AM – 3:30PM*
*Includes 1 hour lunch break on your own.
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Cost: Scout ($25); Scout Leader (free); Adult Chaperone ($5)
We’ll have great fun making our way through requirements from four adventures (Call of the Wild, Paws on the Path, Finding Your Way and Howling at the Moon! (Finding Your Way is an Elective Adventure, the other three are Required Adventures.) Tie knots and play games. Learn about animals, bugs and birds. Learn what items you need for camping and hiking. Gather around the campfire and create your own exciting campfire skit! End the afternoon with a one-mile hike and put your compass skills to the test. Includes 1 hour lunch break on your own.
Registration opens August 15, 2023.
Bear Workshop
Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024
Time: 1-3PM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Go for a hike — rain or shine! — and look for signs of animals, birds and plants on this Required Adventure. Look for signs of wildlife outside. Do you know who’s endangered and why? Investigate the species that no longer live here and have a closer look at plants with a magnifying glass.
Registration opens October 1, 2023.
Webelos Workshops
Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024
Time: 9:30-11:30AM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
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.
Registration opens October 1, 2023.
Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024
Time: 1-3PM
Location: Amazing Space
(5300 Otis Rd SE)
Have you ever wondered what supplies you would need if you were stranded on a desert island? Come learn which tools and skills would come in handy in an outdoor emergency. Light a fire, make a shelter, learn about outdoor survival kits, and cook a snack over a campfire.
Registration opens October 1, 2023.
Contact us to schedule a private workshop (subject to availability).
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). 2 hours.
Contact us to schedule a private workshop (subject to availability).
Learn about birds and flyways, and practice your bird watching skills. Play a food chain and food web game to learn about ecosystems and connections. Explore wetlands and the importance of aquatic ecosystems. (Note: we will not complete every requirement for this adventure). 2 hours.