As our largest and longest-running program, ANTS provides year-long, field-trip-based programming to elementary school students in Billings and the surrounding area.
Grade-specific and standards-aligned, ANTS is an interdisciplinary science and Indian Education for All program, combining content and pedagogical approach in a way that is responsive to land and culture.
Most of our ANTS classrooms are 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade.
The program has been featured at a number of professional conferences in Montana and the region as a model of connecting classrooms with nature.
What is the ANTS program?
ANTS is a year long program that provides students with place-based nature education. “Place” includes both natural landscape and human cultures.
Each class participates in either the full or partial program. The full program includes 3 full day field trips at the Audubon Center or a natural area near Billings, combined with 4 in-class visits by Audubon Center teacher naturalists. The partial program includes 2 field trips and 3 in-class visits.
Curriculum focus is seasonal, with continued emphasis on learning through sensory observation, exploration, and personal experience.
Standards Alignment
The ANTS program is closely aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, Montana Content Standards, and NAAEE (North American Association for Environmental Education) guidelines as well as the Indian Education for All program.
All of these structures emphasize creativity, critical thinking, imagination, teamwork, and perseverance, which are provided for by the structure of the lessons and the unique nature of outdoor, place-based
4th Grade Schedule
For both schedules, activities may vary by location
5th Grade Schedule
Why Nature Education?
Kids excel when they spend time outdoors, including in an academic setting. A growing body of research reveals that outdoor education experiences are a great way to engage kids in learning. These experiences increase academic success and develop non-academic skills like creativity, problem-solving and social interactions. Outdoor education also fosters a sensitivity for nature and respect for the environment, helping to combat “nature deficit disorder.”
Because the students in the ANTS program are able to learn in the same outdoor setting multiple times throughout the year, their outdoor experiences are fully integrated into their education. These students deepen their connection to place as they learn about the natural world of South-Central Montana.
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