The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center welcomes home school groups from all over to participate in our home school days. We offer multiple options throughout the year.
You must register online and pay before hand. Classes are non-refundable.
Cost: $5 for kids. You will need to complete the online waiver as part of your registration. Classes have a minimum requirement to run. Parents are not required to attend with their child but are welcome to.
Click on the registration link and it will redirect you to our Park and Rec website; Civic Rec. If you do not already have an account, please make one to register.
Classes Offered
Fall
K-2nd Grade: Apple Cidering and Seeds
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Fall is the perfect time to learn about the importance of seeds and their different modes of transportation. Apples are great transporters of their seeds because they are so tasty! So tasty in fact that we will be making apple cider the old fashioned way from them!
3rd-5th Grade: Animal Habitats
1:00 – 3:00 pm
What do animals need in their habitat to make it a home? Play an interactive game of “Oh Deer” to find out. Then walk through the different habitats at the Nature Center while trying to guess which animals live in each habitat.
6th and Up: Orienteering
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Orienteering can be a life saving skill if you ever get lost but it can also be a fun activity to get you out and exploring the woods. The Hormel Nature Center has an orienteering adventure course with three different difficultly levels. Even if you have done orienteering before, it is a skill that is best honed by practice!
Cross-Country Skiing
All Ages
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Bring the whole family to learn how to cross-country ski. Staff will teach you the basics of cross-country skiing and then fit you in boots, skis, and poles. We will then go out on the trails as a group for about an hour and a half. The youngest we can fit in skis is 5 years old.
Cost: $8 for adults, $5 for kids. If you do not want to ski but would like to participate, we recommend trying snowshoes for $8.
*When you register for this class the price will say $8. When you register your child, based on their age (5-18), they will get a discount of $3 to bring the cost down to $5 at check-out.
Maple Syruping
All Ages
1:00 – 2:30 pm
Learn the history of maple syruping and the ins and outs of the whole process. Immerse yourself in the experience by collecting sap from maple trees and picking out a tree to tap as a group.
*This is one of our typical family classes so anyone participating must pay (kids age 3 and under are free)
$5 per person
Spring
Date: Wednesday, May 28; 1:00 – 3:00 pm
K-3rd Grade: Living vs. Nonliving
Students grade kindergarten through 3rd grade will learn what makes living things living vs. nonliving. Get to meet one of the Nature Center animals. We will be digging in the soil outside for living things.
4th – 6th Grade : Bird Adaptations
Students grade 4th through 12th grade will learn about bird adaptations through a hands-on relay race activity. Then head outside with binoculars on a bird hike. This class is best suited for 4th through 7th grade.
7th Grade and Up: Canoe down Dobbins to East Side Lake
Enjoy the beauty of Austin’s waterways by canoeing down Dobbin Creek to East Side Lake. Naturalists will instruct and guide you, while also providing some natural interpretation on the way. We provide paddles and lifejackets.
There may be a backup activity due to storms or water levels. Otherwise, if Nature Center staff cancel class due to unsafe conditions, you will be refunded.