Make a visit to the Schramm Education Center south of Gretna, where educa - tors have scheduled a variety of engaging events for the curious in December.
The center, located within Schramm Park State Recreation Area, is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and ages 4-12, and free for 3 and under.
A vehicle park entry permit is not required to park in the Schramm Educa -
tion Center parking lot.
Get more information at 402-332-3901 or OutdoorNebraska.gov.
Little Saplings — Adults looking to explore the outdoors with their young children are invited to Little Saplings, a monthly early childhood nature discovery program.
The 2025 series, which occurs on the first Wednesday of the month, con- tinues Dec. 3 at 9 and 10 a.m. The topic will be animal colors. The program
is designed for children ages 2-5 and their adult caregivers. The cost is $5 per child and $5 per adult.
See the calendar event entry at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov for more information.
Homeschool Hikes — Homeschool families are invited to join an outdoor educator on a guided hike during the Homeschool Hikes program at 9 a.m. Dec. 17 and 1 p.m. Dec. 18. This month’s theme is rivers.
During the program, participants may ask questions, draw, observe, and make discoveries in nature. They will have the opportunity to observe local phenomena, plants, and animals while exploring concepts such as patterns, cause and effect, and structure and function.
Homeschool Hikes is a monthly nature exploration program hosted by the Schramm Education Center geared toward homeschool families and ages 5 and up.
Participants are encouraged to RSVP in advance through the event listing at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov.
Christmas Bird Count for Kids — Get the family outdoors and help contribute to science by participating in the Christmas Bird Count for Kids from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 29.
Schramm naturalists will lead bird hikes in the prairie and down to the Platte River. Make bird crafts and help tally the results so they can be shared with the annual Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count Project. Reports from each of these counts are sent to the Audubon Society, which compiles the data to help inform researchers about the status of bird populations.
The cost to participate is $5 per person; ages 3 and under are free. That includes the program and admission to the Education Center. Schramm Family Pass Members participate free. Meet at the classroom.
