Classes and Curriculum

Would you be able to find your way through the woods using only a map and a compass?  Reading a topographic map, understanding contour lines, and utilizing compass skills will be essential in this fast-paced class.  Participants will be challenged to work as a team while navigating through the woods to find ten hidden checkpoints as quickly as possible.  

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Using all their senses, students will try to unravel the mysterious lives of Eagle Bluff’s resident wildlife and discover how animals interact with one another and their environment. Time will be spent exploring and interpreting animal signs and acting out animal interactions.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Though they might not turn into Robin Hood, participants will discover the joy behind this long established sport.  Understanding the history, following safety rules, and learning the process of shooting is just the beginning. Through hands-on target practice and friendly competitions, participants will learn about self-discipline and develop sound decision making skills.  Eagle Bluff has both indoor and outdoor ranges available as well as different styles of bows for participants to try.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Humans like fast things—high-speed internet, fast cars and quick-drying paint; It’s no different when it comes to archery equipment. Class will begin with an introduction to archery equipment, range protocols, and safety rules. After hands-on target practice, participants will identify factors on both the bow and the arrow that affect an arrow’s speed then break into groups to generate a hypothesis, carry out an experiment, and draw conclusions based on their results. Finally, the class will discuss their findings, reflecting on their methods, to gain deeper insight into the design of archery equipment and how it applies to sport shooting and hunting.  

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Feeling lost? Once you’ve had this class you’ll never have to worry about that happening again. By combining earth science with practical outdoor skills, participants will navigate Eagle Bluff’s orienteering course. Emphasis will be placed on learning how compasses have impacted human history, understanding the earth’s magnetic field, and learning the parts and proper use of a compass. The culminating activity will be working cooperatively to navigate around an orienteering course in the woods.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

While we are snug in our heated homes, plants and animals are surviving outside in the cold and snow.  Search for signs of life to discover the interesting (and sometimes seemingly strange) ways plants and animals have adapted to endure the harsh conditions of a Minnesota winter.  Conduct winter experiments to determine the conditions necessary for local animals to survive cold temperatures in a variety of habitats.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

This class visits feeders for a close-up view of songbird species explores the woods for a glimpse of canopy dwellers, sits quietly as wild chickadees approach, and enjoys a view of soaring eagles, hawks, or vultures high. Students will observe first-hand what makes birds so diverse, and why diversity matters!

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Cross-country skiing has been around for thousands of years and historically was an important means of winter transportation.  Now, it is not only great exercise but also an excellent way to observe the beauty of the winter landscape. Participants will learn the history of the sport, the correct fitting and usage of the equipment, and the etiquette of skiing before gliding across the glistening snow on trails around a prairie.  Skis, poles, and boots are provided.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Get ready to explore our earth!  Journey to the center of the earth through its layers, transform into a rock for 10 million years, learn about geologic time through major events in the earth’s history, and become a fossil hunter searching for ancient life along the rocky banks of the Root River.  Get to know the Earth in this introduction to geologic concepts.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

The wild world of fungus will be revealed in this exploratory based class. Students will search for mushrooms, molds, crusts, and slimes around Eagle Bluff’s campus as students strive to identify why fungus is categorized in its own kingdom.  Along the way, we’ll visit the “Chamber of Disgust” to see (and smell) fungus decomposing. Finally, we’ll visit the composting station and make a tribute to fungus to understand how essential fungus is in food production.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Students will get a glimpse of just how advanced navigational technology has become over time!  The class will begin by learning about the design of GPS technology. Then, using a Garmin GPS unit, participants will learn the basics of how to use the receiver. Their skills will be put to the test on a small, outdoor practice course before tackling Eagle Bluff’s “Murder Mystery Course.” In this activity, students will navigate through the woods in search of hidden caches to solve the mystery of who killed Marvin the Mouse.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Challenges come in an infinite number of shapes and forms. Participants will utilize the skills of communication, cooperation, trust, and problem-solving while facing a variety of team-building challenges. The skills practiced during this class are building blocks for success. Working on group dynamics provides benefits and advantages in school, work, and relationships with others.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Travel back 12,000 years to a time when the Earth was cooler.  Glaciers covered the land, mammoths walked amongst saber-toothed cats and nomadic humans used their resourceful minds for survival.  Students will utilize simple machines and use teamwork to survive in a Pleistocene environment.

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Using chemical and physical tests students will gain an understanding of the geologic makeup of a karst landscape while visiting the karst features of Eagle Bluff.  Students will use this understanding to evaluate local, real life environmental issues and how human activities impact our karst landscape.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Travel back in time hundreds of years to discover what life may have been like for the Oneota, a pre-contact culture who once inhabited the upper Midwest. Participants will visit a replicated dwelling site where they will grind corn for bread, make fire by friction, play games and other activities.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Minnesota’s rich cultural history comes to life as students learn about the settler colonists’ lives in Minnesota in the 1850s.  Sawing logs, starting a fire with flint and steel, wheat threshing, and making  soda bread are just some of the activities participants will sample at a recreated pioneer homestead.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

To the pond! In this hands-on, boots-in class participants will spend time catching and observing a variety of aquatic organisms. We’ll head back to the classroom to observe our catch up close to learn how their anatomy allows for survival in an aquatic habitat. Finally, we’ll discuss how changes to their environment could impact their ability to survive.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Paddle the Root River! Trained instructors will prepare novice paddlers for this adventure as they navigate 3.5 miles of the scenic waters of the Root River. Understanding the equipment, reading the river and its hazards, executing basic river paddling strokes, and following safety precautions will be essential as participants paddle through both slow and fast-moving water.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

The climbing wall is a venue that promotes personal growth, pride, and self-confidence. Participants will learn the fundamentals of rock climbing while they attempt to meet a climbing goal, challenge themselves, and face individual fears in a safe and controlled indoor environment.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Looking for a class that gets your group comfortable and engaged with nature?  Root River Hike is a great choice for groups of all ages and experience levels. Participants craft their group’s experience in the classroom before heading out by choosing: the length of the hike, scenic locations, and activities (artistic, active, explorative, reflective, etc.). Participants will explore and hike in Southeastern MN’s unique driftless landscape surrounded by majestic limestone bluffs, and the meandering Root River.  By the end of class, participants will have made memorable connections with the natural world and their classmates.  

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Step into the shoes of one of humankind’s oldest inventions. Participants will understand the important role snowshoes have played throughout history, from 3800 B.C.E. to today. Understanding how to fit snowshoes correctly, dressing properly, and learning a few basic skills is just the beginning as students enjoy a frosty hike around Eagle Bluff’s campus. Each hike includes a Naturalist’s Choice element (determined by weather conditions, grade level, and previous experience).  

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Participants will journey to the banks of the spring-fed Root River.  Time is spent at the river taking physical measurements and performing chemical tests to help determine the river’s water quality.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

There are 1,800 plant species in Minnesota and approximately 40 native tree species, which can seem overwhelming to learn at first. By working with a team, participants will learn to use a dichotomous key to identify distinguishing characteristics of some of Eagle Bluff’s trees and discover the many uses people have for trees.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

This confidence building experience promotes personal growth and strengthens group bonds as participants maneuver 30 feet in the air through a series of towers connected by various cables, ropes, and log events. The course itself presents a safe atmosphere that encourages participants to recognize and confront their fears. Experiencing success on the course is a powerful experience with a lasting effect.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Students will investigate the dynamics of wildlife populations and their habitats. Through interactive demonstrations and explorations, students will learn about components of habitat, limiting factors, and biodiversity and see examples of these concepts at work in surrounding natural areas.

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity

Participants are placed in an imaginary survival situation to develop wilderness skills and understand the need for teamwork and a positive mental attitude for survival.  Students will test their survival competence by prioritizing a list of supplies, constructing a shelter, building a fire, conserving limited resources, and guarding against the elements.  Are you a survivor?

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Pre-Visit Activity
Post-Visit Activity