Education Programs

The Hormel Nature Center offers curriculum for preschool through middle school. We have been serving the Austin community for over 40 years! We also offer classes to home school groups and other public and private schools outside of Austin. 

  • We offer half-day programs that run 2 hours long. 
  • We also offer full day programs (on a limited basis) that run about 5.5 hours long. 

Curriculum Focus

  • Preschool: Animals, colors, and senses
  • Kindergarten: Number of legs on living things and seasons 
  • 1st Grade: Living vs. non-living
  • 2nd Grade: Apple cidering and seeds 
  • 3rd Grade: Habitats and cardinal directions 
  • 4th Grade: Parts of a tree and maple syruping 
  • 5th Grade: Prairie ecology and birds 
  • 6th Grade: Orienteering and stars/planets 
  • 7th Grade: Water ecology 
  • 8th Grade: Cross-country skiing, shelter, and fire building 

Seasonally Offered Programs

Fall: Apple Cidering 
Winter: Cross-country skiing / snowshoeing 
Early Spring: Maple Syruping 
Summer: Canoeing and scooping the pond/creek 

Within Austin Schools

Contact Sydney Weisinger
 sydney@hormelnaturecenter.org

Outside of Austin Schools

Contact Kelly Bahl
 kellyb@hormelnaturecenter.org

Within Austin Schools

Contact Sydney Weisinger
 sydney@hormelnaturecenter.org

Outside of Austin Schools

Contact Kelly Bahl
 kellyb@hormelnaturecenter.org

Thanks to funding from the State of Minnesota’s Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund and the Friends of the Hormel Nature Center, we are now able to host more environmental education programs for schools outside of the Austin.

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