School Programs 2026-27

School Programs

Yampatika is the only non-profit organization in Northwest Colorado committed solely to inspiring environmental stewardship through education. We offer free science and standards-based programming in multiple subjects with the goal of helping students connect to their local environment.

Our programs can take place indoors or outdoors at school or local public open spaces, on field trips to various locations, and at Legacy Ranch in Steamboat Springs. We offer a large library of existing lessons and are always happy to try and help teachers meet their goals with new ones! Take a look at our list of program offerings below. If you don’t see something that aligns with your goals and curriculum but think there’s something Yampatika can help you do, please let us know!

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ELP = Environmental Literacy Program

Our premier offering for each grade level is our 3-part Environmental Literacy Program. This is an in-depth three-part program with three aspects: exploration, reflection, and action. Each program typically requires Yampatika to schedule 3 programs, one of which happens either outdoors at school or at a field trip location.

PreK: Exploring Nature
Kindergarten: Weather Changes Everything
First Grade: Bird Adaptations: Beaks, Feet, and Wings
Second Grade: The Shape of the Land
Third Grade: Maps and Navigation or Mindfulness in Nature
Fourth Grade: Changing Earth
Fifth Grade: Drinking Our Food
Middle School: Natural Disasters or Mindfulness in Nature
High School: Hydrology (Physical Science) or Riparian Restoration (Life Science) or Mindfulness in Nature

In addition to our ELPs, Yampatika offers several single-session programs that are also aligned with state standards and have been developed with input from local teachers. Each of these is designed to be done either in a classroom or outdoors over a 45-60 minute session. To see a full list of our program offerings by grade, please scroll down below.

Any grade level may request outdoor nature explorations, mindfulness in nature, nature journaling, Leave No Trace Ethics, guided walks with a school topic focus, snowshoeing, and more.

Want to build programs into a field trip? Teachers often request multiple programs for field trips with two or more classes so that we can offer multiple simultaneous rotations and engage all classes at once!

Teachers – please review the guidelines below before requesting programs.

Teachers should submit all program requests through our request form to ensure we get the correct information when scheduling and planning programs.
Yampatika offers programming to 4 different counties and 7 different school districts throughout the area of Northwest Colorado. We do our best to be accommodating with complex school schedules throughout our service area. That being said, in order to reach students across our service area, once a program is scheduled and confirmed, we cannot continue to reschedule programs more than once due to changing school schedules. For weather-related programming cancellations, we will continue to do our best to reschedule or provide alternative programming.
In order to reach as many students as possible within our service area, we are limiting the number of programs for each class to no more than 4 per semester. This could be one Environmental Literacy Program with a field trip component and one individual program, or 4 individual programs.
Yampatika’s programming for all public schools in our service area remains free to teachers and students! In order to maintain our offerings, we ask that teachers give us post program survey data and feedback. This data informs our future programming, ensures our ability to provide quality Naturalists, and is shared with funders to show the impact and value of our programs.
We ask that teachers share information about their class, the number of students, any student needs or accommodations, and any particular program outcomes or curriculum goals so that we can assign the correct number and best Naturalists to each program.
We love taking students outdoors! Most of our programs can be done outdoors and might have a field component depending on the subject. Let us know if you’d like us to go outside at school, stay in the classroom, or schedule a field trip at another location.
If we are going outside, please ensure that students have appropriate layers and footwear for the expected weather conditions.
Yampatika may take photos as part of their programs to help advertise and share about the great work we are doing! If you have any students who do not have photo permissions, please make sure to let your Naturalist know.
Yampatika is always happy to come into your classroom or meet outside and provide programming to your students. We do ask that teachers or substitute teachers remain present during Yampatika programming and prepared to assist with behavior and classroom management.

We love taking students outdoors! Most of our programs can be done outdoors and might have a field component depending on the subject. Let us know when making your request if you’d like us to go outside at school, stay in the classroom, or schedule a field trip at another location.

Field Trip Sites include but are not limited to:

Yampatika’s Environmental Learning Center at Legacy Ranch
State Parks & Wildlife Areas
Medicine Bow – Routt and White River National Forests
City Parks and Open Spaces
Cedar Mountain in Moffat County
Private Ranches
More sites are being identified all the time

Additional Resources, Discovery Boxes, and Lending Library

Yampatika has a variety of portable resources available for check out for FREE. Discovery boxes are themed resources on specific topics. They include activities, books, posters, specimens, and more. Lending library materials include books, skulls, furs, compasses, maps, binoculars, magnifying glasses We can tailor specimens and materials to suit your needs. Request materials on a topic and grade level of your choice, and we will compile a resource kit for your classroom. ALL are available for use in your classroom free of charge.

Equipment Yampatika can offer your class:

Snowshoes
Fly Fishing Equipment for Cast a Fly, Catch a Student Curriculum
Waders and Nets
Avalanche Rescue Equipment (Beacons, Shovels, Probes)
Water Quality Testing Kit
Enviroscape
NRCS River Trailer
Rock Hammers
Much more…

To request a discovery box or to borrow equipment, please contact us by email detailing what you’d like to borrow, when you’d like to borrow it, and any special requests. We’ll work with you to arrange either for the materials to be picked up at our office in Steamboat Springs or to be dropped off at your school.

School Programs Calendar

Please use this calendar to help make program requests. If there’s a day where there’s nothing on the calendar, we likely have Naturalists available! When we are scheduling programs, we typically are not able to accommodate more than 6 staff and 6 programs on any given day. If a day is marked as full, then we are not able to schedule any additional programs on that day.

If you see that we’re already at your school on any given day, please request more programs so we can see as many classes as possible wherever we go!

Please use the expansion buttons on the right to explore programs for specific grade levels.

Lessons for PreK are designed to occur over 30-45 minutes. All other lessons can be adjusted based on class availability or field trip rotations, but are typically designed to occur over 45-60 minutes.

Programs Available to All Grades:

Snowshoeing and Winter Exploration

If there’s enough snow on the ground, we can help your students get out and experience snowshoeing! We have plenty of snowshoes in various sizes to get students outside in the Winter. This can happen outdoors at school if conditions allow or at other locations. Common topics covered include Identifying Animal Tracks, Winter Ecology, How Animals Handle Changing Seasons, the Subnivean Zone, and Winter Survival Skills.

Leave No Trace Ethics

How do we protect the outdoors? What principles help us minimize impacts and how are they determined?

Water Quality Testing

A local field investigation of the chemical, biological, and physical characteristics measured to determine the water quality at one or more sites.

Nature Journaling

Looking to just get kids outside and engaging with nature? We’ll come and help your students focus on making good observations and connecting with their environment through Nature Journaling.

Birding 101

Birding can happen anywhere outdoors and is a great way to get your kids outside and connecting with nature! Our Naturalists will bring enough binoculars for all students and help them understand what to look for when identifying different birds.

PreK:

ELP: Exploring Nature (SC.P.3.1, SC.P.3.2, and SS.P.2.1)

Three-part hands-on inquiry program to explore and understand the natural world.

We Are Water (SC.P.2.1 and SC.P.2.2)

An exploration into the water that is contained in every living thing, including us! Students will learn through song, games, and hands-on inquiry.

Bears (SC.P.2.1 and SC.P.2.2)

Bears live all around us. Find out what they eat, their physical features, and how to protect them.

Trees (SC.P.2.1 and SC.P.2.2)

Discover the fascinating world of trees by exploring their fundamental needs and the distinctive traits that make them so remarkable!

Incredible Insects! (SC.P.2.1 and SC.P.2.2)

Dive into the fascinating world of bugs and discover how they grow and what they need to survive.

Friends of the Yampa River Center Visit (SC.P.3.1, SC.P.3.2 and SS.P.2.1)

Take your class to visit Friends of the Yampa’s River Center in downtown Steamboat! Learn how the Yampa River connects to all water on Earth and provides a fundamental need as water creates habitats from rivers to oceans and back through the continuous flow of the water cycle.

Kindergarten:

ELP: Weather Changes Everything (SC.K.3.1 and SC.K.3.2)

A three-part program including field exploration. How do animals prepare for changing seasons?

We Are Water (SC.K.2.1)

An exploration into the water that is contained in every living thing, including us! Students will learn through songs, games, and hands-on inquiry.

Animal Needs (SC.K.2.1)

Students will explore the amazing animals that thrive in our local area and discover what they need to live.

Plant Needs (SC.K.2.1)

What do plants need, and how do they get it? Dive into the wonderful world of flora.

Beavers! (SC.K.2.1 and SC.K.3.1)

Beavers are nature’s engineers. How do they change their environment to meet their needs?

Places We Live (SS.K.2.1 and SS.K.2.2)

Explore where we live and why. What do we need to survive here? Students will learn about what makes a habitat and how animals choose or create their homes.

First Grade:

ELP: Wings, Beaks, Feet: Birds! (SC.1.2.1)

How do birds live? What are their habitats and adaptations?

The Incredible Journey (RW.1.1.1 and RW.1.1.2)

Explore the water cycle by traveling as a water droplet and embark on a storytelling journey.

Sound On! (SC.1.1.1)

Exploring sound waves through a series of exciting experiments.

Leaf Party! (SC.1.2.2)

Are all leaves the same? What characteristics make different leaves unique?

Phases of the Moon (SC.1.3.1 and S.C.2.1.1)

Students will learn about the phases of the moon and the interstellar wonders of the solar system.

Second Grade:

ELP: Shape of the Land (SC.2.3.1 and SC.2.3.2)

This three-part program investigates weathering and erosion and how they shape our land.

Properties of Water (SC.2.1.1)

Demonstrating some of the unique properties of water.

Properties of Matter (SC.2.1.1)

Experiment with different substances to see how matter acts when a variable changes.

Awesome Aspens (SC.2.2.1)

What makes the way aspens live and grow so unique?

Colorado Habitats (SC.2.2.2)

Colorado is home to a diverse range of habitats, each supporting unique wildlife. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Bee a Pollinator (SC.2.2.1)

Bees are an integral part of our ecosystem. Learn more about their importance.

Third Grade:

ELP: Maps and Navigation (SC.3.1.2 and SS.3.2.1)

How do maps and compasses work, and how do we navigate with them?

ELP: Mindfulness in Nature (CH.3.3.1)

How does stress affect our bodies and how can nature help us regulate our highs and lows? Students will be introduced to the idea of mindfulness in nature, practice practical applications, and focus on how nature can be a friend that helps you through hard times.

Natural Hazards (SC.3.3.2)

What natural hazards are a concern in our area, and how do they form? How do humans deal with natural hazards?

Animal Teamwork (SC.3.2.2)

Animals survive better by working together and staying in groups. Explore some specific animals and how they do this.

Fun with Fossils! (SC.3.2.4)

Investigate fossils and how they are formed.

A Day in the Life of a Mayfly (SC.3.2.1)

Experience the thrilling journey of a mayfly as it progresses through its life cycle.

Fourth Grade:

ELP: Changing Earth (SC.4.3.1, SC.4.3.2, and SC.4.3.3)

A three-part program exploring the changes that occur in Earth’s spheres. The field session of this program includes use of the NRCS River Trailer to model how healthy rivers function and affect ecosystems.

Hydropower (SC.4.1.1, SC.4.1.2, SC.4.1.4, and SC.4.3.4.)

Experiment with different types of energy and discover how a hydroelectric power plant works. Hydropower dam field trips at Stagecoach or Kenny Reservoir are available in September, October, and May.

Avalanche! (SC.4.3.5)

Learn about avalanches and the conditions that create them.

Owl Adaptations (SC.4.2.1)

Explore great-horned owl adaptations and dissect owl pellets to see what they eat.

Bats! (SC.4.1.5 and SC.4.2.1)

Explore unique bat adaptations and discover why they are important to our ecosystem.

Ute Education (SS.4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.2.2)

Build understanding about the original stewards of this land through the Nicuu Strong Curriculum from History Colorado. Students will learn about the history of the Ute People in Colorado and explore how they used Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to thrive in Colorado’s different environments.

Fifth Grade:

ELP: Drinking Our Food (SC.5.3.3 and SC.5.3.4)

A three-part program exploring the importance of water in the food we grow and eat.

Water Treatment Plant Field Trip (SC.5.1.2, and SC.5.3.4.)

Tour a wastewater treatment plant, discover pollutants that enter our water, and design your own water filters.

Food Webs (SC.5.2.2)

Ecosystems are complex. Build a local food web to identify the flow of energy in the system and how everything is interconnected.

Water Conservation (SC.5.3.4)

How much water do we use every day? Learn why water conservation is important to our planet.

Thirst – Literary Connections (SC.5.3.5)

Lessons to enhance the reading of Thirst by Varsha Bajaj, a book about limited water availability, water quality, and equity. Students will compare water conditions and availability in Colorado with Mumbai, India.

Mineral Identification (SC.5.1.1)

Identifying minerals through their physical properties.

Middle School:

ELP: Mindfulness in Nature (MS.CH.6.3.1, MS.CH.7.3.1, MS.CH.7.3.2, MS.CH.8.3.2)

ELP: Natural Disasters (MS.3.7, MS.3.8, MS.3.9, MS.3.11, SS.6.2.1, SS.6.2.2))

Students explore local natural disasters through climate modeling, a field investigation of geologic forces and impacts of human and environmental interactions through a civic engagement project.

Snow Science and Avalanches (SC.MS.1.5, SC.MS.3.7)

Students will explore snowpack, crystal formation, and avalanches through field investigations, data analysis, and interactive demonstrations.

World Without Fish – Literary Connections (SC.MS.2, SC.MS.2.7)

Students will investigate how threats to global fish populations relate to threats to local fish populations through a cross-curricular multi-lesson program with optional literary connections, field investigation, and a civic engagement project.

Papermaking (VA.6.3.2, VA. 6.4.3, VA.7.4.3, VA.8.3.2)

Students will make their own paper while exploring sustainability, recycling, and the water usage involved in paper production

Carbon Sequestration – How Much Carbon is Stored in a Tree? (SC.MS.2.6)

Measure and analyze trees to determine the carbon they contain.

Water Distribution and the Continental Divide (SC.MS.3.8, SS.6.2.1, and SS.6.2.2)

Resources are distributed unevenly across the globe. Explore the concept using water distribution in Colorado.

High School:

ELP: Hydrology (Earth Science) (SC.HS.3.6, SC.HS.3.9, SC.HS.3.11)

Students investigate how stakeholders affect riparian ecosystems through engagement projects that evaluate data and results, water quality monitoring strategies, and streamflow observations at local field sites. Throughout this three-part ELP, students apply the processes of Hydrology, Ecology, and Geomorphology in riparian ecosystems.

ELP: Riparian Restoration (Life Science) (SC.HS.2.4, SC.HS.2.5, SC.HS.2.6)

Students investigate how riparian ecosystems respond to disturbance, evaluate restoration strategies, and participate in authentic restoration by creating and dispersing native seedballs. Throughout the three-part ELP, students progress through Exploration, Reflection, and Action while applying exosystem science to a local conservation issue.

ELP: Mindfulness in Nature (HS.CH.3.1, HS.PE.3.1)

The overall goal of the Mindfulness in Nature ELP is to provide students
with tools to manage stress, practice mindfulness, and develop self-regulation skills in an outdoor setting while fostering a deeper connection to nature. This program emphasizes facilitation, reflection, and student choice over direct instruction or content mastery.

Measuring Streamflow (SC.HS.3.6, SC.HS.3.9)

A field investigation to calculate streamflow and identify river characteristics.

Snow Survey (HS.SC.3.9, HS.SC.3.6, HS.SC.3.11)

A field investigation into snow survey methods and their impact on our basin, in partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Forests after Fire – Secondary Succession (SC.HS.2.6)

The importance of fire in forest ecosystems and examining the succession of different species in the aftermath of wildland fire.

Fish Genetics (SC.HS.2.1, SC.HS.2.8, SC.HS.2.9, SC.HS.2.11)

Introduce the concept of hereditary genetics through the study of local endangered and non-native fish.

Green Careers

Explore the various jobs and skills in the green sectors to discover if one might be the right fit for you!

Impact of Our School Programs

Learn about the impact of our programming by reviewing our 25/26 School Year Evaluation Report.

25/26 SY School Programs Evaluation Report

Inspiring environmental stewardship through education for 30 years!

Yampatika supports educators in NW Colorado with an array of affordable and free, science-based, environmental education resources. Contact 970-871-9151 or email us for more information and scheduling.