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Connect Children to Nature: Donate today to support children learning at Tyler Arboretum!

How do you feel when you hear excited children’s voices exploring the outdoors? Imagine watching and listening to 105 second graders at Tyler Arboretum on the first guided School Field Trip in four years?

On October 27, that’s just what happened. What a thrill to see their interest in learning about trees! We are bringing back School Field Trips for elementary school children this spring.

What does this mean for our children? It means that we can give them a nature immersion experience in just a few short hours. It means that we can give them time to explore the woods and the trees we find there. It means that we can help them connect to the natural world.

On this day, I took my group through our North Woods to look for leaves. I asked my students to look for beech and tulip poplar leaves that had fallen to the ground. With enthusiasm and excited questions, they took to the task. They asked about the trees and their bark. One child took a moment to explore the leaves on the ground with a stick.

Will you help Tyler Arboretum connect children to nature next year? Your Annual Fund gift will help children discover and explore the natural world during school field trips and more.

Without your kind-hearted generosity, it would be impossible to actively teach children to care for and protect the natural world.

As the morning continued, I asked each of them to pick up one beech leaf and one tulip poplar leaf. Then, I asked them to do rubbings of their leaves with crayons to see the full beauty of the veining.

Finally, I asked them to tell me what they enjoyed most about their time in the woods. Here’s what they told me:

“I liked collecting leaves.”

“I loved learning about trees.”

“The monarch butterfly was really cool!”

Their answers inspired me and warmed my heart. That day, I saw them make connections to the natural world around them. I was thrilled to see those sparks of delight and interest.

Will you donate now to help children learn from nature at Tyler Arboretum?

Your generosity helps us bring children back for more.

Because I know that those connections will bring them back. I know that those connections will make them want to learn more about nature and wildlife. I know those connections will inspire them to protect the land around them.

Your gift – received by January 31 – will help us connect children to nature through School Field Trips and much more. With your help, we can create more opportunities for children to explore, discover, and learn from nature at Tyler Arboretum.

Time outside in nature is so important in every season, from winter, to spring, summer, and fall. There is always something to explore outdoors at Tyler Arboretum. With your gift, you can help children discover more about the natural world and to build their connections with it.

I’ve only been Tyler Arboretum’s Executive Director for a short time, but as an ecologist, I believe with all my heart in the power of nature to reach children at their very center.

As I’ve met many of you, I have been deeply moved by the love and loyalty of Tyler’s community. And your desire to support our land and to teach our children. It really is amazing to see how people who care about Tyler will band together to protect and share its many wonders.

I have listened to the stories of so many people who love this special place and want what’s best for Tyler Arboretum and our future. I believe that our future is our children and I know that many of you believe that too.

That’s why it’s my honor, as Executive Director, to ask for your support this year end.

While I’ve been talking about School Field Trips, I can also say that I’m amazed at the way my own children, ages 6 and 8, enjoy Tyler. In walking the meadows, they stop to watch the butterflies and bees, buzzing with life as they pollinate the wildflowers.

Their attention is focused, when young children are so often distracted these days. Nature calms them as they watch the wildlife around them with fascination. I look forward to walking with them at Tyler to discover new things, for them, and for me and their mother.

Because I value teaching children about nature, I put special effort into hiring our newest Education Director, Chris Lauf. He began work in October and is here to help me bring children’s education programs back to Tyler Arboretum. He has much relevant experience teaching children, in the outdoors in California, and locally with the Franklin Institute.

His goal is for our School Field Trips is to help kids feel more comfortable, curious, and connected to the natural world. With a fun mix of hands-on activities and guided experiences, he wants kids to leave happy, inspired, and just a bit dirty. On October 27, they did just that. With your help, we can give children more opportunities to learn from nature.

With your help, we can ensure Tyler remains a place where children can grow and learn from nature. When you donate to Tyler Arboretum, you are doing your part to ensure we can help children connect with nature for years to come. Will you do your part today?

The world today is so focused on technology and screens. Our children and grandchildren need a place to connect with nature, to hike in the meadows and the woods, and to play in the streams. They need a place to roam, explore, and dream. Tyler Arboretum is that place.

As spring arrives, we want to be bustling with school groups learning and growing together. We want to give them an experience that their teachers can build upon in the classroom. And that their parents can build upon at home. Your Annual Fund gift will help ensure we can make that possible for them – in the coming year and beyond!

Thank you for caring about Tyler Arboretum. Your generosity is inspiring.

For the love of children,

Mike Skuja
Executive Director


Tyler Arboretum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. The official registration and financial information of Tyler Arboretum may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. Tax ID: 23-1417540