School Programs at The Ginny and John Elam Environmental Education Center

The Elam Center is a year round facility dedicated to providing natural science and outdoor programs to Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, schools and other youth organizations. The center is known for programs that use the natural environment to foster leadership skills, build self-confidence and develop respect for the interdependence of all living things. Elam offers 240 acres of habitat diversity including woods, streams, open fields, wetlands and a pond as well as educational facilities and a team building low-ropes challenge course. Each participant in an Elam program will learn and grow from the experience.

The Elam Center is located on the western edge of Franklin county Ohio along Big Darby Creek, a state and national scenic river. It is a part of Girl Scout Camp Ken-Jockety.

The Elam Center offers more than a dozen short classes for school groups in natural science and outdoor skills. Programs range from one to three hours in length.

Natural Science Programming Options 

Darby Creek Explorers

Students learn the basics of stream ecology before entering the creek to sample its aquatic inhabitants. Invertebrates are compared to determine stream quality.

 

Pond Science

Students study the life cycle in a pond and the relationship between organisms like algae, tadpoles, fish and aquatic invertebrates. Students will get wet and muddy by the shores of Becky’s pond with nets and microscopes.

 

Forest Ecology

Students get a better understanding of the forest ecosystem by comparing a deciduous forest with a coniferous forest through a series of games, role-playing, exploration, experimentation and discovery.

 

Insects

Students are introduced to the basics of insect biology and get to explore a variety of habitats. The program will focus on identification and the roles insects play in their various homes.

 

Bird Ecology

Learn the amazing secrets of birds and flight while going on a bird watching walk with binoculars.

 

Wildlife Ecology

Students will identify common species, the role of adaptations, predator/prey relationships and look for animals in the woods around Elam. 

Amphibian and Reptile Ecology

Get the inside scoop on frogs and salamanders, snakes and turtles as students explore the habitats of Ohio’s herps.

 

Plants

Learn about the ecology, anatomy and identification of our trees and wildflowers.

 

Tracker (Habitat Hike)

Become an old time tracker as you learn to study wildlife from the tracks and traces left behind. 

Outdoor Skills Programming 

Fishing

Students learn the basic skills of angling along with fish ecology and conservation of our aquatic resources.

 

Scavenger Hunt

A general nature hike with a list of items to find that will make our students more knowledgable about the woods and fields around them.

 

Survival Skills

Students develop cooperation skills while learning how to start fires without matches, build shelters, and study woodland lore from past generations. 

Student Leadership Programming 

Challenge Course

Take advantage of our low-ropes course to build teamwork in your group that will last all year. Various team-centered challenges will push your group to communicate and to accept ideas from others while promoting cooperation and leadership. Challenges include The Spider Web, The Matrix, The Climbing Wall, The Trust Fall, The Balance Beam, The River of Fire and others. Contact Grant at the Elam Center for more details. 

For more information or to book a program, contact Grant Lewis, Environmental Center Director, at (614) 878-1382 or email grant@sealofohio.org.