The OLC is a place where plants and animals live and grow and where science and social studies lessons spring to life as students at all grade levels participate in hands-on activities. The buildings on the property were designed to blend with the natural setting and help students experience life as early Texans. They include living history and science classrooms, a museum and a barn with a blacksmith shop. Lending to the charm of the facility is a barnyard with domestic fowl and animals.
Nature trails meander through the woods leading to a pond stocked with fish.
A living history classroom has been added where teachers and students participate in interactive lessons, and in the science classroom , students explore and discover native plants and animals. Each spring, the OLC hosts the annual Katy Folk Life Festival which is a reenactment of life in Texas in the early 1800s. During the summer, an outdoor education program is offered where children learn while enjoying canoeing, fishing, outdoor cooking, nature crafts and air rifle instruction. On hot summer mornings, students may be found paddling their canoes around the pond or standing on its banks quietly fishing as ducks mill around looking for food. The OLC is an example of how Katy ISD uses its resources to provide quality education for its students.