Riveredge Nature Center 

The sap is running and sugarin' time is here. Head into the sugarbush with a naturalist to tap a tree, collect sap and gather around the evaporator to see how boiling sap becomes syrup. Enjoy the final product on a pancake before heading home. 

Daisy-Clover Petal          Brownie-Outdoors-Hiker Badge.

Meet “Jenny” Appleseed and learn how to make apple cider, hunt for seeds in the forest and field, and learn about a current project at Riveredge to manage invasive plants.  You will also make a creative masterpiece to take back to your troop meeting place to remind you of your adventures.  This program helps your troop earn Clover Petal (learn about natural areas). Find out how to register.

The sap is running and sugarin' time is here.  Head into the sugarbush with a naturalist to tap a tree, collect sap and gather around the evaporator to see how boiling sap becomes syrup.  Enjoy the final product on a pancake before heading home.  This program helps your troop earn their Clover Petal (learn about natural areas).  Find out how to register.

Looking for a project for your Rosie (make the world a better place) or Clover Badge?  Join us for Earth Day Work and Learn to help protect natural areas at Riveredge.  Get your hands dirty planting seeds in the organic children’s garden, help remove invasive species from our prairies and forests, or embark on a trash treasure hunt to clean up our grounds. Find out how to register.

In this hands-on program, you will discover the world of water at Riveredge as you embark on a magical adventure following a drop of water through the water cycle.  Along the way, you will conduct an experiment to see how water filters through soil, search for critters that depend on pond ecosystems and pay a visit to Riveredge’s Engineered Wetland Wastewater Treatment System.  This program is a great introduction to the water cycle and the journey of water through natural systems.  This program helps your troop earn their Naturalist-Bugs or Outdoors-Hiker Badge.  Find out how to register.

Discover the importance of water in our winter landscape as you try out snowshoes, conduct watery experiments, explore a frozen pond and more.  You’ll also get a chance to warm up inside as you delve into the microscopic world of water to take a closer look at your pond discoveries.  This wintry water exploration will help your troop earn their Naturalist-Bugs or Outdoors-Hiker Badge. Find out how to register.

Learn how to use a sky chart, search for constellations and planets in the night sky and perform experiments to better understand light pollution and its effects on humans and wildlife.  After exploring the night sky, your girls will combine their creative energies to produce a collage of their discoveries. 

Learn the basics of geocaching and how to use a hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) device.  Then we'll explore the trails and look for hidden geocaches.

Come out to Riveredge for a high-tech scavenger hunt and learn to use a hand-held GPS unit. We’ll also make this geocaching experience something you’ll never forget by adding snowshoes to our hike.  This program is designed for beginners, but all skill levels are welcome.  Hand-held GPS units will be provided or bring your own. 

These programs help your troop earn the Adventure-Geocaching Badge

Find out how to register.

Fee: Adult $6, 12 & under $4

Wondering what to do with all that plastic?  Join us for a hands-on craft session as we weave, knit, or crochet plastic waste into treasures.  Along the way, we’ll discuss the problem of plastic and its over-use in packaging. After we finish our craft projects, we’ll head outside to see what sustainable packaging ideas we can get from nature! 

The sap is running and sugarin' time is here.  Head into the sugarbush with a naturalist to tap a tree, collect sap and gather around the evaporator to see how boiling sap becomes syrup.  Enjoy the final product on a pancake before heading home.  This program helps your troop to understand how trees make and use energy... and how we can use their energy too!

Build your own shelters and camp out in the backwoods at Riveredge.  We’ll identify wild edibles and cook over an open fire.  Once the sun sets we’ll explore the land under the stars. Your troop brings dinner and breakfast and Riveredge will provide an evening snack.  Sleep under the stars in a shelter you create, or pitch a tent.   An indoor sleeping option will be available in case of inclement weather. This program will help your troop earn the Outdoors-Trailblazing and Adventure-Night Owl Badge.

Find out how to register.

Fee: $20 per child

Imagine snowshoeing under the clear, crisp winter night sky with the moonlight reflecting off of the snow.  Listen to the frogs calling in spring, or the owls calling in fall. Pick your season and discover the creatures active after dark. We’ll investigate the nocturnal world in the prairie and forest to see who is prowling around in the night, and whose eyes are shining back at us.  Come and explore if you dare.  This program will help your girls earn the Adventure-Night Owl Badge

Find out how to register.

Fee: Adult $7, 12 & under $5

Encounter the giants of the forest and discover their value to wildlife and people, and the many ways trees are used.  We’ll hike the forests of Riveredge, and with the help of a tree guide, identify tree species and their special characteristics and adaptations for survival.  We’ll also keep a look out for all the animals that call the forest their home.  This program will help your troop earn the Naturalists-Trees Badge.

Fee:  Adult $ 6, 12 & under 4

Find out how to register.

Do you want to be a voice for animals?  Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts have many opportunities to get involved at Riveredge: 

Annual winter Bird Count, Bird-a-thon, Band-a-thon, Butterfly and Dragonfly Count, Sturgeon Rehabilitation program, and the Water Action Volunteer (WAV) Citizen Stream monitoring http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/wav/monitoring

Theses programs can help earn the Animals-Voice for Animals (Senior), and the Naturalists-Water (Ambassador) Badge

Have a passion for justice?  Girl Scouts are invited to attend Riveredge Science for Everyone lecture to further their understanding of justice-related issues.  Check our website for topics, dates, and times.