Riverbend Environmental Education Center

Celebrate the longest day of the year and the kickoff to summer!Pond exploration! Marshmallow roasting! Crafts! Field Games! and much MORE!This is a family favorite Riverbend event. All are welcome to attend! Bring your own picnic and enjoy a lovely evening here at the preserve.Join us for this family friendly event!!This is a Riverbend FREE Event:This is a Riverbend Free Event, but the true cost to Riverbend to offer this educational event to the public is $45 per family. We recognize that for some families emerging from pandemic, this is unaffordable. Therefore, we are accepting voluntary donations to Riverbend Environmental

We believe that joy comes from time spent outdoors. Budding Naturalists aims to foster a connection with nature for our youngest learners.Join Riverbend educators every Monday or Wednesday for a fun, preschool-friendly, nature-based program that includes a story, craft, nature activity, and a “hike” around our preserve. Every week we’ll gather in Riverbend’s Snider Barn to begin the fun. Program Details: This program is designed for children ages 2-5. A caregiver must accompany each child. Siblings under 2 are welcome at no additional charge. Fall Session 1 will be offered on Monday afternoons and Wednesday mornings: Mondays: September 11, 2023

Join Riverbend educators on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00-5:30 to take time after school to be with friends outside.Participants will explore the many habitats on the preserve, meet our barn animals and connect with nature through a variety of activities including games, stories, and crafts. Program Details:This program is 1.5 hours each week and is designed for children in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The fall 2023 session will be six weeks beginning on September 12th and runs through October 17th. The cost is $180 per child for the session. Enrollment is capped at 14 participants. A minimum of 5 registrations is

In collaboration with Bird Town, PA, Riverbend invites you to our Fall Bird Walk.In collaboration with Bird Town, PA, Riverbend invites you to our Fall Bird Walk with birder and conservationist, Phil Witmer. Mr. Whitmer will lead families on a leisurely walk around Riverbend's preserve to check out the many species of birds that call it their home.Phil Witmer is an avid birder and conservationist with over 30 years birding experience. He is a past board member of Bucks County Audubon Society, past president of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, one of the oldest birding clubs in the country, and

Join us for a fun-filled day with your family to adopt and plant trees at Riverbend.Fall is a wonderful time to plant trees just before it turns colder in the winter months. Planting trees at the preserve helps to combat climate change and helps to maintain our local water supply as the trees we plant keep runoff from heading to the Schuylkill River watershed.This event is open to ALL ages! Registration is required as spaces are limited.Please bring your own water and work gloves to the event.

Take your homeschooling experience to the outdoors with Riverbend Environmental Education Center.Visit Riverbend’s 30 acres to explore animal adaptations, ecosystems, life cycles, and more using hands-on science skills.  During our hour-and-a-half program each month, trained Riverbend Educators will lead students through outdoor explorations, science experiments, and student-driven and inquiry-based crafts. Our programs align with NGSS standards and enhance student learning at home.Time: Every Wednesday, 2:00 pm -3:30 pmAge: 5-10Cost: $25/person/program, $20/sibling/programMax: 20 participants Minimum: 10 participants for the program to runLesson Overview:Nov 8 - Tour The Aquaponics GreenhouseLearn how Riverbend is using fish waste to grow food, then do some scientific

Take your homeschooling experience to the outdoors with Riverbend Environmental Education Center.Visit Riverbend’s 30 acres to explore animal adaptations, ecosystems, life cycles, and more using hands-on science skills.  During our hour-and-a-half program each month, trained Riverbend Educators will lead students through outdoor explorations, science experiments, and student-driven and inquiry-based crafts. Our programs align with NGSS standards and enhance student learning at home.Time: Every Wednesday, 2:00 pm -3:30 pmAge: 5-10Cost: $25/person/program, $20/sibling/programMax: 20 participants Minimum: 10 participants for the program to runLesson Overview:Nov 8 - Tour The Aquaponics GreenhouseLearn how Riverbend is using fish waste to grow food, then do some scientific

Join us for a Winter Solstice walk that celebrates the season and its many natural symbols. Led by local Naturalist Mike Weilbacher.In December, natural symbols celebrating the holidays abound: evergreens, hollies, mistletoe, even branching menorahs and the first fruits of Kwanzaa. What exactly happens at the solstice? And what is the strange and wonderful history of these– and other– symbols? On a guided walk around Riverbend's preserve, Mike Weilbacher, shares the science, legends, and traditions of the season from around the world and across time, from the famous Stonehenge to less-known Native American woodhenges. And at long last, you’ll finally

Join us for a natural gathering called For The Love Of Bluebirds, where we celebrate these beautiful creatures with hiking & more!Join us at the Riverbend Environmental Education Center for an event that celebrates our love for bluebirds! If you're a fan of these beautiful creatures, this is the event for you. Come and learn all about bluebirds, their habitats, and how you can help protect them. This in-person event will be filled with exciting activities, informative talks, and the chance to meet fellow bluebird enthusiasts.Bluebird numbers were once in decline, but thanks to the efforts of conservation-minded individuals and

We believe that joy comes from time spent outdoors. Budding Naturalists aims to foster a connection with nature for our youngest learners.Join Riverbend educators every Wednesday for a fun, preschool-friendly, nature-based program that includes a story, craft, nature activity, and a “hike” around our preserve. Every week we’ll gather in Riverbend’s Snider Barn to begin the fun. Program Details: This program is designed for children ages 2-5. A caregiver must accompany each child. Siblings under 2 are welcome at no additional charge. The Winter 2024 session will run Wednesday mornings from 10:30am to 11:30am beginning on January 17th. The final

Join us in welcoming children’s book illustrator, Kate Garchinsky, to Riverbend to share her book "The Secret Life of the Red Fox."Riverbend is excited to host local illustrator Kate Garchinsky for a reading of "The Secret Life of the Red Fox" followed by an art workshop. This fun, educational story is perfect for a winter's day. The story begins on a snowy February afternoon and follows the mother fox’s life cycle as the seasons change around her. Following the book reading, Kate will lead participants through an art project.This event is intended for children ages 6-12. A parent or guardian

Join us for a volunteer-led conversation with other local residents about living a more sustainable lifestyle.Many of our traditional ideas and practices need to be reconsidered to facilitate the swift transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy. We will consider the impact of our built environment, transportation, the natural environment, food, our stuff, disinformation, and individual actions on carbon pollution. We will rethink more sustainable practices that are more consistent with our values. Our goal is to give every participant actionable information that they can incorporate into their lives right now. Pre-registration is required. Please visit Riverbend’s website for more

Join us on Zoom to educate yourself on the pros and cons of switching to an electric vehicle (EV).Join the Main Line Carbon Pollution Reduction Initiative (MLCPRI) amd Riverbend on Zoom to educate yourself on the pros and cons of switching to an electric vehicle (EV). This volunteer-led workshop and panel discussion will provide you with helpful tips on shopping for an EV, finding and using incentives, and will feature Lower Merion residents who have already made the switch to an EV. There is no cost to attend, but we ask that attendees register. The Zoom link will be provided

Riverbend and the MLCPRI want to help families have conversations about climate change and take action together.Do you feel overwhelmed by the news about climate change? Do you talk to your kids about how they feel about it? Riverbend and the Main Line Carbon Pollution Reduction Initiatve (MLCPRI) want to help families have these conversations and take action together. Join us in Riverbend’s Snider Barn where you and your family will find a safe space to tackle these tough issues together. We’ll help you frame the discussion and provide every family with actions they can take right now to help

It’s that exciting time of the year again when our ponds fill to the brim with squirming tadpoles!Join Riverbend's Educators for this annual rite of spring that happens right  here at Riverbend. Learn about the lifecycle of the amphibians that live at the preserve and see the tadpoles in action. This fun event is open to individuals and to families with children of all ages.Guests will explore the preserve and visit activity stations to learn all about frogs.  Depending on the weather and other natural factors, we may see a lot of tadpoles or none at all, but there will