Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College

09/03/2026

Slither, crawl and explore with us as we search for reptiles at Merry Lea during Homeschool Series #1: Remarkable Reptiles! 🐢 From sunbathing turtles to secretive snakes, you'll discover the amazing adaptations that help these creatures survive. Bring your curiosity and get ready for a hands-on outdoor adventure. 🔎

When: Thursday, September 10
Time: 9a - 12p OR 1p - 4p
Cost: $8/child
Who: 6 - 10 year olds
Where: Farmstead

🌳 AM Registration: https://goshen.doubleknot.com/event/homeschool-series-1-remarkable-reptiles-am/3150937
🥾 PM Registration: https://goshen.doubleknot.com/event/homeschool-series-1-remarkable-reptiles-pm/3150938

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Join Merry Lea, fellow gardeners, and local growers for our first-ever Produce Swap on Saturday, September 26 to exchange the bounty of the season! Harvest your extra produce and trade it with others. The swap will include fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers and home-preserved foods.

Don't have produce to swap? We've got you covered! Everyone who attends will be able to participate and take produce home. This is a great event to meet other plant and food enthusiasts in our community, learn new preservation techniques, and celebrate the harvest.

Time: 9a - 12p
Where: Rieth Village
Cost: Free!
*Registration not required

Note: Participants are NOT required to bring items to attend, but if you do have extra produce, frozen goods or canned goods that you grew or prepared yourself, please bring them along! All swap items must be clean, safely sealed and clearly labeled with the product name, full ingredients and processing date. By participating, attendees acknowledge that items are prepared in home kitchens that are not subject to public health inspection.

09/01/2026

This fall on Tuesday, October 13, Merry Lea is having a Nature's Recyclers field trip day just for homeschoolers (K-12) and their families! 🥾

During this program, homeschoolers will make close scientific exploration of worms as an example of a decomposer, as well as explore the ecosystems of Indiana to identify the ways that cycles of energy and nutrients can take place. Parents will stay and chaperone their child(ren). Learn more about what this field trip by visiting: https://merrylea.goshen.edu/natures-recyclers-field-trip/

Time: 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Where: Learning Center
Cost: Students: $6 each, Adults: $3 each
- Younger Siblings: Children 4 & under are free when accompanied by a paying adult.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, October 6. To register for this field trip, please visit: https://goshen.doubleknot.com/event/homeschool-family-day-fall-2026-natures-recyclers/3140860

08/31/2026

Are you passionate about the planet and our environment? Do you feel inspired by the natural world and driven to protect it? Join us during our Field Day - an awesome way to meet others who, like you, are motivated to transform the world we live in.

During the Merry Lea Field Day you will:
- Explore the Merry Lea Teaching Farm
- Visit the Reith Village dormatories
- Canoe on Kesling Wetland
- Make apple cider
- Go on a natural history hike
- Meet other students with your interests in the environment
- Connect with GC faculty and staff
- Explore how GC can further your passion for the planet.

Who should attend?
- High school students, especially juniors and seniors
- Prospective college students
- High school groups are welcome!

To register, visit: https://events.blackthorn.io/en/1Up1CR6/merry-lea-field-day-5a6SVrAqvvi/overvie

08/28/2026

Experience Merry Lea by the light of the Full Corn Moon. 🌕 We will learn lunar facts as we traverse the trails around the Farmstead by moonlight. As we explore, our senses will guide us through the evening. All ages are welcome, though please note the trails are uneven and not suitable for strollers. Dress warmly and wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes.

When: Saturday, September 26
Time: 7:30p - 9:30p
Cost: $7/adult, $5/child
Where: Farmstead

Registration: https://goshen.doubleknot.com/registration/calendardetail.aspx?activitykey=3151932&orgkey=4606&ReturnURL=//goshen.doubleknot.com/app/calendar/month/4606/2026-09-01/4606/0/

08/27/2026

Upcoming Stewardship Opportunity - Native Seed Collecting 🥾

Help Merry Lea collect native seeds for use in restoration projects throughout the property! No experience necessary. We'll go over how to tell when seeds are ripe and what we'll do with them after collection. Meeting location will be determined a few days before this event based on where the greatest need is at that time. Clippers, buckets, and gloves will be available for volunteers to use.

Dates & Time:
-Sept. 8, 2p - 4p
-Sept. 9, 5:30p - 7:30p
-Sept. 16, 2p - 4p
-Sept. 17, 5:30p - 7:30p
-Sept. 22, 2p - 4p
-Sept. 29, 2p - 4p

To register or express interest, visit: https://goshen.doubleknot.com/app/calendar/month/4606/2026-10-01/4606/0/
& click on the dates you are interested in or email Freya at [email protected].

08/26/2026

Become a certified Jr/Teen Indiana Master Naturalist! 🌳

Jr/Teen Indiana Master Naturalist can provide students with many hands-on opportunities to learn about our Hoosier natural resources. It also provides a way for them to discover, through volunteer service, the land trusts, soil and water conservation districts, state and local parks, or other natural resource and conservation agencies in Indiana. This school year, sessions include bird banding, forest bathing, Indiana's trees, rock cycle, ice fishing, frogs & toads, owls and invasive species.

When: Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12, Dec. 10, Jan. 7, Feb. 11, March 11, April 8
Ages: 10 - 17
Cost: $125/child for all 8 sessions
Where: Merry Lea & Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site
To learn more or to register, visit: https://goshen.doubleknot.com/registration/calendardetail.aspx?activitykey=3151253&orgkey=4606&ReturnURL=//goshen.doubleknot.com/app/calendar/month/4606/2026-09-01/4606/0/

08/25/2026

Join our for our Homeschool Family Field Trip day in October - open to students K-12! 🌳

Through interactive exploration, students will visit forests, prairies, and wetlands to learn that everything in the natural world is eventually broken down into its basic parts. Get face-to-face with some wriggly recyclers, and discover why decomposition is such an important process in nature.

When: Tuesday, October 13
Time: 9:30a - 1:30p
Where: Learning Center
Cost: $6/student, $3/adult
*Children 4 years and younger are free with a paying adult/student.

Registration & more details: https://goshen.doubleknot.com/registration/calendardetail.aspx?activitykey=3140860&orgkey=4606&ReturnURL=//goshen.doubleknot.com/app/calendar/month/4606/2026-10-01/4606/0/

08/24/2026

Happy ! We are excited to introduce Jason Kissel, our new Executive Director! 🎉

Jason is looking forward to getting an in-depth knowledge of the people and places of Merry Lea – both seem very diverse and interesting. He is also excited about increasing the use of Merry Lea by the public, schools, and every student of Goshen College. Currently, his favorite place at Merry Lea is the esker overlooking Luckey's Landing.

At the age of five, Jason declared that his life would be spent caring for God’s trees. He’s done just that with his life – taking care of God’s trees and creation as an arborist, urban forester, natural resources administrator, executive director of a land trust, and now in his leadership role at Merry Lea.

Along the way, God added caring for His people to his calling, so he earned a degree in ministry and serves as an ordained pastor. Jason is most motivated while combining both callings – utilizing nature to introduce, or deepen, one’s relationship with God.

Jason and his wife have two adult children. In his free time, he enjoys creating stacks of firewood, tackling the occasional long bicycle ride or run, fishing, reading, and gardening.