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Contact & Location

Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center

12718 10th Street NE
Spicer, MN 56288
(320) 354-5894

prairiewoods@prairiewoodselc.org

Trail Map

prairiewoodselc

PWELC - center for outdoor education located near Spicer MN. We provide hands-on learning, as well as beautiful facilities for meetings.

We are getting set up for a fun afternoon of activ We are getting set up for a fun afternoon of activities at our annual Earth Day Celebration from 12-4pm! Don't let the cold and wind scare you away! There will be plenty of indoor activities including:

-Hemker Zoo Live Animal Presentations
-Exhibits and activities with Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District, North Fork Crow River Watershed District, Kandiyohi Soil and Water Conservation District, Purple Martin Project, DREAM Academy, and more
-Seed Bomb and Pinecone Bird Feeder Stations
-Project WET Games
-Free Books for the first 100 visitors to the Minnesota Farm Bureau station thanks to the Minnesota Foundation for Agriculture
-Indoor Climbing Wall

If you are looking for a chance to get outdoors, attend one of the pond study, purple martin, or mammals classes, visit the Nature Play Area, or check out the Touch A Truck exhibit with Waste Management!

We hope to see you out at Prairie Woods soon!
Hands-On Fun All Afternoon Saturday, April 18 12: Hands-On Fun All Afternoon 
Saturday, April 18
12:00 – 4:00 PM

Explore activities happening throughout the event:
	⁃	Touch-A-Truck Recycling Exhibit (NEW!)
	⁃	Climbing Wall
	⁃	Rocket Building with Project Scientist & DREAM Academy
	⁃	Seed Bomb Making with Master Gardeners
	⁃	Pinecone Bird Feeders
	⁃	Skulls & Furs with Sibley State Park (MN DNR)
	⁃	Project WET Game Station
	⁃	Wood Duck Box Building
	⁃	Purple Martin Project
	⁃	FREE books for the first 100 guests
	⁃	Exhibits from local conservation organizations
	⁃	Food truck & snacks available

Thank you to our community partners & sponsors! We’re so grateful for the many partners helping make this day possible—come explore, learn, and celebrate Earth Day with us! Hope to see you there
NEW THIS YEAR at Prairie Woods Environmental Learn NEW THIS YEAR at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 18…

Get up close with a real recycling truck at the Waste Management Touch-A-Truck exhibit!

- Explore how recycling works
- Check out the truck up close 
- Perfect for curious kids (and adults too!)

This hands-on experience will be available ALL afternoon (12:00pm - 4:00pm)!

Don’t miss this exciting addition to our Earth Day celebration

#prairiewoodselc#earthdaycelebration
“Zoo To You” Live Animal Experience! at the Prairi “Zoo To You” Live Animal Experience! at the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center’s Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 18 from 12:00-4:00pm

Join us for TWO interactive presentations by Hemker Zoo:

1:30 PM
2:45 PM

Get up close with amazing animals like:
- Tortoises
- Snakes (including a red-tail boa!)
- Joey kangaroo
- Talking cockatoo
- Lizards, armadillo, bunnies & more!

Learn from real zookeepers about where these animals come from, how they’re cared for, and their unique adaptations.

Animals may vary—but the experience is always unforgettable!
Plan Your Earth Day Adventure! Here’s what’s happ Plan Your Earth Day Adventure!

Here’s what’s happening throughout the day:

12:00 – Open
12:30 – 1:00 Pond Study Class
1:00 – 1:30 Mammals / Purple Martins Hike
1:30 – 2:15 LIVE Animal Presentation (Hemker Zoo)
2:15 – 2:45 Pond Study Class
2:45 – 3:30 LIVE Animal Presentation (Hemker Zoo)
3:15 – 3:45 Mammals / Purple Martins Hike
4:00 – Close

Tip: Plan around the live animal shows—they’re always a crowd favorite!

#EarthDay #FamilyFun #OutdoorLearning
Earth Day Celebration Saturday, April 18, 2026 12 Earth Day Celebration

Saturday, April 18, 2026
12:00 – 4:00 PM 
Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center
FREE EVENT

Join us for an afternoon filled with fresh air, hands-on activities, and outdoor exploration for all ages!

Enjoy interactive exhibits, guided hikes, live animals, and more all afternoon long.

Come for an hour or stay the whole time—it’s a great way to celebrate the season with family and friends
NEW! Prairie Woods is excited to offer six weeks o NEW! Prairie Woods is excited to offer six weeks of half‑day nature camps this summer!
Kids can choose from three‑ or four‑day camp options filled with hands‑on outdoor fun. Whether your child loves wildlife, water, survival skills, or just wants to get outside and explore, there’s a camp for them!
Each week features its own theme with activities, crafts, games, and outdoor adventures. You can find the full list of dates, themes, and registration details on our website — just follow the link in our bio!
Join us for our Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, Join us for our Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 18th from 12-4 PM! This free, family-friendly event will include a live animal presentation from the Hemker Zoo, classes led by local experts, hands on activities and more! We hope to see you there!
🌿 Summer Nature Preschool Enrollment is OPEN! 🌿 Ju 🌿 Summer Nature Preschool Enrollment is OPEN! 🌿
June–August only

Give your child a summer spent outside, learning through play and connection with nature. Our all-day Nature Preschool runs 8:00–4:30 PM M-TH. During the summer we are immersed outdoors for most of the day—rain boots, sunshine, and all. ☀️🌧️

🌱 Children will:
• Garden and get their hands dirty
• Play in the mud
• Hike and explore the prairie
• Learn about the plants growing all around us
• Engage in lots of imaginative, child-led play

🗓 Enrollment options:
• Part-time: 2 days/week (M/W or T/TH)
• Full-time: 4-day option (M-TH)
• Add-on: Forest Friday half-day class (8-11:30AM)

✨ This is a summer-only program, so spots are limited!

📧 Email natureschool@prairiewoodselc.org
 to learn more and enroll.

Let summer be wild, muddy, curious, and full of wonder. 💚
NEW! Exploring Art in a Winter Landscape: Step out NEW! Exploring Art in a Winter Landscape: Step outside and immerse yourself in the beauty of winter! Participants will spend time walking or snowshoeing to find inspiration in the landscape at PWELC (equipment included). After this outdoor exploration, we’ll head indoors to create art. Led by instructors Marjorie Nilssen and Jais Lacktorin, participants will explore landscapes through a series of gentle meditations on color. Emphasis will be on exploration and process. Some new mediums will be available for experimentation, including alcohol ink and some dry mediums. Register through the website in our bio!

Date: Saturday January 10th, 2026
Time: 10 am - 2 pm
Age: Adult
Location: PWELC Main Building
Cost: $40

A supply list will be provided upon registration. Feel free to bring your own supplies to use or purchase the suggested supplies from the list.
❄️✨ Snowy days = endless play! Our nature preschoo ❄️✨ Snowy days = endless play! Our nature preschoolers have embraced a week full of winter wonder — from kicksledding and shoveling to tasting fresh snow and admiring tiny snow crystals. Winter weather gives children the chance to build resilience, explore with all their senses, and connect deeply to the natural world around them.

Lower temps don’t slow us down — we bundle up, pop on our cozy neck warmers, and head out for more snowy adventures. So much to do in the snow!
This week, we dove into the story Stone Soup — a b This week, we dove into the story Stone Soup — a beautiful tale about sharing what we have and building community together. Inspired by the book, we invited each family to bring a vegetable from home. The kids loved helping chop everything up (with great care and assistance), and we added all the ingredients to make one big, delicious pot of soup.

Once it was ready, we sat down family-style at the table the children helped decorate. As we enjoyed our creation, everyone shared their Thanksgiving plans, making the moment feel extra cozy and connected. ❤️

And of course… as soon as we got the chance, we headed outside to play in the first snowfall of the season! ❄️☃️ 

Feeling grateful for this wonderful community and all the memories we’re making together. 🥣✨
Kids deserve the chance to learn in nature. 🌳 You Kids deserve the chance to learn in nature. 🌳

Your Give to the Max gift keeps outdoor learning alive for 20,000+ people each year at Prairie Woods, West Central Minnesota’s only dedicated environmental learning center.
Every dollar helps keep trails open, habitats healthy, and outdoor classrooms thriving.

💛 Give today: https://give.mn/2i0ntf
Prairie Woods lit up with a spectacular aurora bor Prairie Woods lit up with a spectacular aurora borealis display this week! The northern lights are caused by charged solar particles interacting with Earth's magnetic field. 

This colorful light show happens when atmospheric particles release all that extra energy from the Sun. Greens in the photos come from oxygen lower in the atmosphere, while reds come from oxygen higher up. Did you notice the blues and purples? These colors are produced by excited nitrogen!

Share your aurora experiences with us in the comments!
Trails Closed Temporarily Due to the Special Limi Trails Closed Temporarily

Due to the Special Limited Deer Hunt, PWELC Trails will be closed Friday, November 14th - Sunday, November 16th, 2025. 

Trails will reopen on Monday.

#prairiewoodsenvironmentallearningcenter#pwelc#deerhunt
🍂 Only 2 Days Left for Our Fall Fundraiser! 🍂 Ther 🍂 Only 2 Days Left for Our Fall Fundraiser! 🍂
There are just two more days to support Prairie Woods Nature School! Please get your orders in by Sunday night (Nov. 9th).
Support nature-based learning in our community by purchasing some Prairie Woods gear — we have shirts, sweaters, and hats in all sizes! All funds go toward our growing school and programs.
Thank you for helping us nurture a love of nature and learning! 🌿
👉 Order here: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/prairiewoodsnatureschoolfallfundraiser
Hi friends! We had such a fun night at Halloween Hi friends!

We had such a fun night at Halloween Haunt! The trails were full of giggles, costumes, and families enjoying a perfect fall evening. The creatures of the enchanted trail came out to greet everyone — the woolly bear caterpillar, loon, bat, and beaver were big hits!

Inside, there was plenty of cookie decorating, games, crafts, cocoa, and popcorn.

Here are a few photos we couldn’t resist sharing — from superheroes scaling the climbing wall to little turtles and princesses exploring the woods.

It was one of those nights that makes you so grateful for this community and all the ways people come together here at PWELC.

#HalloweenHaunt #PWELC #FallFun #Community #NatureCenterMagic #FamilyAdventure
A Prairie in Progress, and a Community in Action A Prairie in Progress, and a Community in Action

Over 40 volunteers came together at Prairie Woods this past weekend to plant 1,000 prairie violet plugs — small plants with a big purpose.

Longtime PWELC supporters and new friends worked side by side. Toddlers knelt beside grandparents, showing that caring for the land starts early — with small hands learning from those who’ve tended it for years.

There was laughter, muddy hands, and a shared sense of purpose. Strangers became teammates, stories were swapped, and everyone left with quiet pride knowing they were part of something bigger.

These violets hold special meaning — they’re essential for the regal fritillary butterfly, a rare and beautiful species that depends on them to survive.

Thanks to Pheasants Forever, whose grant made this possible, we’ve taken a major step toward restoring native prairie right here at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center.

And this is just the beginning.
Later this winter, we’ll plant more native seed and continue nurturing this prairie as it grows into something extraordinary — a living classroom, a haven for wildlife, and a place where people and nature thrive together.

#PrairieWoods #PrairieRestoration #CommunityInAction #NativePlants #RegalFritillary #PollinatorHabitat #PheasantsForever #EnvironmentalEducation #VolunteerDay #NatureConnection
Highlights from the 2025 YES Fall Summit We were Highlights from the 2025 YES Fall Summit

We were thrilled to host over 100 middle and high school students at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center for a full day of hands-on environmental learning!

Workshops included team building, carbon footprint calculations, macroinvertebrate exploration, and prairie restoration — all focused on inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.

A huge thank you to our supporters, LP Building Solutions and Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, for making this event possible!

#YESProgram #EnvironmentalEducation #YouthLeadership #PWELC #PrairieRestoration #Sustainability #HandsOnLearning #CommunityImpact
Today on the Prairie Three volunteers gathered a Today on the Prairie

Three volunteers gathered a large box of native treasures — dotted and rough blazingstar, with a mix of showy goldenrod, purple and white prairie clover, wild onion, and a smattering of other wildflowers. 

These seeds will help enrich the new seeding area on the old grass conversion site — and our amazing volunteers will likely help spread them TOMORROW when we plant the prairie violets!

Volunteer Day: TOMORROW, Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 12:30–4:00 PM
Meet at: PWELC gravel parking lot (past the main building, near maintenance)

Come join us and help the prairie bloom again!

#PrairieRestoration #NativePlants #PWELC #VolunteerDay #WildflowerSeeds #CommunityConservation #GetOutside
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12718 10th Street NE
Spicer, Minnesota 56288
320-354-5894

prairiewoods@prairiewoodselc.org

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