A static picture of a creek just doesn’t adequately convey erosion to second graders, but Marty Trujillo knows taking kids to see a giant felled tree lying in the bed of Fountain Creek and shadowed by its receding banks will leave a lasting impression of the mighty power of water.

“There’s no better way to teach kids other than active engagement,” Trujillo, the executive director of the south region of the nonprofit Colorado Youth Outdoors, said Thursday, while giving a behind-the-scenes tour of an outdoor learning lab he’s creating with the curriculum team at Colorado Springs School District 11.

That’s the point of the new Nature Navigators program: for students to learn about nature in nature. It’s part of D-11’s Peak Experience initiative that enables each grade level to participate in an educational yet fun activity as an annual capstone project.

Last year’s rocket day for fifth graders in conjunction with the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Lockheed Martin and Colorado Springs Rocket Society was a hit, he said.

There also have been a pinewood soapbox derby for kindergartners to understand gravity, a trip to a philharmonic performance and sidewalk chalk art for a social studies lesson on freedom and liberty, for example, said Jessica Wise, executive director of engagement for D-11.

The newest offering debuts next week, when the first wave of 1,300 second graders from 33 elementary schools in the city’s oldest district will spend several hours at Venetucci Farm in Security learning about key elements of the environment in which they live.

A swath of the western portion of the 188-acre farm that’s conserved to the Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation is being cleared of dead trees, trash and other safety hazards and transformed into a creekside classroom, complete with a mess hall and porta-potties.

The new program is a way to expand Venetucci Farm’s community involvement and activate a portion of the farm that has remained largely unused, said Sam Clark, executive director of the Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation.

Until now, the lush land shaded by mature trees primarily has been occupied by wild turkeys and mule deer.

Four outside stations are being built using logs and upright trees to form a driveway and boundaries, where school buses will pull up and drop off students. Participants will move from station to station for hands-on activities, such as pretending to be bees to replicate how apple blossoms are pollinated and seeing wild animal traps, furs and a 24-foot teepee.

Native American elders from the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes who populated the area will speak about how their ancestors used the land.

The study of water is the focus of the third station, where kids will see bugs come to life in tubs of mud and look closely at erosion. Colorado Parks and Wildlife representatives will be at the final stop, talking about how they help the environment. Children will receive wild grass seed to take home and might find turkey feathers on the woodland grounds.

Children have been learning about the subjects in their schools, and the new outdoor lessons adhere to Colorado academic standards for second graders, Wise said. The specific educational component is what separates Nature Navigators from a typical field trip, she added.

“In 2026, kids need to feel more connected to the learning they’re doing,” Wise said, “and the trick is how do you make it come alive for them. We can’t do enough real-world learning in 2026, getting them out of the classrooms and away from their tablets and into the community.”

Venetucci Farm, formerly a working family farm that the Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation stewards at the late owners’ bequest, also leases land to a flower-growing business, Gather Mountain Blooms, and an alfalfa farmer. Previous underground water contamination in the area prevents the farm from growing vegetables or other edibles.

The farm also hosts a fall festival and educational pumpkin giveaway along with Catamount Institute, an environmental nonprofit, each year.

Drinking water for students will be trucked in, Clark noted.

The Nature Navigators project has taken a village of effort, organizers said, and has involved numerous volunteers, including Cody Cocas, president of TSF Construction. He said the company is relocating its headquarters from Castle Rock to Colorado Springs.

His crew will spend about a month as volunteers, grooming the area. That includes clearing about 80 trees.

“We’re excited about everything this is going to do for the community,” he said.

Clark said a one-year contract will determine if the land fits the goals of D-11 and Colorado Youth Outdoors, which has an office in Colorado Springs that connects families to the outdoors with programs about conservation, stewardship and enjoyment of the environment.

Wise said D-11 officials are hoping the project will grow and be replicated by other school districts.

“This is something the kids will be able to carry forward with them as they grow, or all of a sudden they’ll be adults and not know how to set up a tent,” she said.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated from the original to reflect that Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation stands independently at this point, apart from the Pikes Peak Community Foundation.