Visiting Naturalist in the Schools

collage of visiting naturalist in the schools field trip photos - kids outside looking at trees, writing in journals, drawing pictures of trees, looking through microscopes

The Visiting Naturalist in the Schools Program connects professional naturalists with fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms in western Montana. The program includes:

  • Monthly class visits in September, November, December, January, February, March, and April
  • Full-day field trips at a local natural area in October and May
  • Journals for each student in the program to record observations, practice science journaling, and develop reading and writing skills
  • Ongoing science inquiry and encouragement of the students’ natural curiosity about the natural world
  • 19 hours of direct instruction by a professional MNHC staff Naturalist
  • Curriculum aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards that also contributes to curriculum goals in literacy, critical thinking, and communication: see an overview here.

Instruction
Naturalist instructors include Montana Natural History Center staff members and seasonal teaching staff.  All naturalist instructors have completed undergraduate study in a related topic, and many of them have completed graduate degrees as well. Instructors begin the program with prior teaching experience and a wealth of natural history knowledge and training.

Program Cost
Foundations, grants, and donations support 90% of the program cost. Schools pay the remaining cost.

Interested in participating in the program? Fill out the online registration form here.

VNS Evaluation Report
In 2018 we had Cedar Lake Research Group LLC perform a formal evaluation of the VNS program.

front cover of the 2018 Visiting Naturalist in the Schools evaluation report, with pictures of children outside on field trips

Click here for the full report (122 pages) and here for the summary (10 pages).

2023-2024 Program
Naturalists are currently teaching in 70 classrooms in the region, working with 1636 students. VNS is in most of the schools in Missoula, as well as schools in the Mission, Blackfoot, and Bitterroot valleys:

 

Watch this video to learn more about our VNS program and see it in action!

Read what students and teachers are saying about VNS!

“Thank you for letting us be real naturalists.”

“I loved looking at things in the binoculars!” ~VNS 4th grader

“Thank you, Montana Natural History Center, for giving me a huge interest in birds!”

“Thank you sooo much for teaching us this year! I had a blast!  I liked, wait, not liked, loved yesterday’s field trip!” ~VNS 4th grader

“I’m planning on being a naturalist when I’m your age . . . I was wondering, what did it take to be a naturalist? Did someone inspire you? I know that you, my dad and mom, and nature did for me!” ~4th grader, Franklin Elementary

“Many thanks for your great presentations. The kids are still talking about all the things they learned and saw. ” ~Teacher, Lowell Elementary

 

Meet our staff naturalists:

Kate Folkman (she/her)

Kate Folkman (she/her)

Teaching Naturalist

Kate spent her childhood outside skiing, swimming in the lakes of Minnesota, and camping with her family throughout the Western U.S. Kate is looking forward to continuing to explore and be curious about the natural world with her VNS students!
Andrea Panagakis (she/her)

Andrea Panagakis (she/her)

School Programs Manager

Andrea’s life has always revolved around science and nature. She is excited to share her commitment to connecting people with nature by cultivating new generations of environmental stewards through experiential, place-based education.

Emma Swartz (she/her)

Emma Swartz (she/her)

Teaching Naturalist

Emma grew up connecting with nature on bikes, skis, and feet. She’s excited to slow down and explore the natural world with her students through experiential learning and lots of smiles.
Erin Vielbig (she/her)

Erin Vielbig (she/her)

Teaching Naturalist

Growing up, Erin found herself exploring the wilderness any chance she got. She feels most at peace when sharing her love for the outdoors and looks forward to learning more about the natural world with her VNS students.

VNS Spring Field Instructors

Ann Bonniwell (she/her)

Ann Bonniwell (she/her)

VNS Field Instructor

Ann’s love of the outdoors started in her youth, chasing her brothers around the tennis court and building forts in the woods behind her family home in Minnesota. After earning her B.S in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ann jumped right into the classroom. She taught preschool-6th grade in schools across Montana and California for over 20 years, gravitating towards schools with an outdoor education focus. In addition to classroom teaching, Ann worked for several years as a traveling tutor, developing place-based curriculum for locations from Beijing to Europe.  More recently, she has been working as a freelance curriculum designer, creating educational content for elementary students. Ann completed Nature Docent Training at Topanga State Park in California, where she grew to love the chaparral ecosystem of the Santa Monica Mountains. Now that she is back in Montana, Ann loves being outside and on the trail as much as possible, and is eager to share her love of this stunning landscape with the youth of Missoula.
Nora Christy (she/her)

Nora Christy (she/her)

VNS Field Instructor & Summer Seasonal Naturalist

Nora grew up in central Ohio, attending and volunteering at STEAM day camps and programs, where she developed her love of sharing the natural world with others. She moved to Missoula in June 2020 to pursue a B.S. in Ecology and Organismal Biology at the University of Montana. While studying, she worked as a research assistant for several projects at the university. Most recently, she worked on a study of pine tree sapling survival and regeneration after wild fires in Gold Creek, Montana. In her free time she likes to go hiking with her two dogs, attending concerts in town, and crocheting.
Kaylin Lilly (they/she)

Kaylin Lilly (they/she)

VNS Field Instructor

Kaylin grew up in the mountains of Colorado skiing and finding love for the natural world. They spent a couple years studying ecopsychology with a focus on the intersection of mycology, gender, and indigenous leadership. She lived in Washington doing outdoor education, and guiding as well as doing wilderness therapy in Idaho. They enjoy mindfulness and identification in nature as well as outdoor recreation like whitewater kayaking and downhill skiing.
Ryan Mahar (he/him)

Ryan Mahar (he/him)

VNS Field Instructor

Ryan moved to Missoula in the spring of 2019 and has no plans to live anywhere else. In early adolescence, he fell in love with the lakes and mountains of New Hampshire, and devoted most of his time studying the natural history of the Northeast. He loves teaching, especially outdoors, and spent five summers instructing at several different summer camps around New England. He developed a particular fondness for birds since moving out West but enjoys finding–and learning about–all manner of Rocky Mountain flora and fauna. Most recently, he spent five years researching the physiological and genomic mechanisms allowing small mammals to persist in extreme, high-altitude environments. Ryan is excited to devote more of his time to environmental education and community building. In his free time, you can find him hiking, biking, skiing, birding, and playing soccer.

Montana Natural History Center trips are permitted on the Lolo National Forest (Clause VII.B).

Montana Natural History Center is an equal opportunity service provider.