About
School Programs PreK–8th Grade at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center include hands-on activities such as apple cidering, maple syruping, prairie ecology, water ecology, and scooping the pond or creek. Students may also take part in lessons on seeds, habitats, birds, cardinal directions, parts of a tree, orienteering, stars and planets, shelter building, fire building, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and canoeing. The program offers curriculum for preschool through middle school and includes classes for home school groups and other public and private schools outside of Austin.
• Ages: 4–14 years old
• Schedule: Half-day programs about 2 hours long and, on a limited basis, full-day programs about 5.5 hours long
The Hormel Nature Center has been serving the Austin community for over 40 years. Its mission, through the Friends of the Hormel Nature Center, is to enhance and encourage environmental education, scientific opportunities, and the enjoyment of nature at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. Thanks to funding from the State of Minnesota’s Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund, the Hormel Nature Center is able to host more environmental education programs for schools outside of Austin. Within Austin Schools, the contact for these programs is Sydney Weisinger (email: [email protected]), and for schools outside of Austin, the contact is Kelly Bahl (email: [email protected]). A related quote shared with the program is, “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.” — Baba Dioum.
Last updated July 25, 2026.
• Ages: 4–14 years old
• Schedule: Half-day programs about 2 hours long and, on a limited basis, full-day programs about 5.5 hours long
The Hormel Nature Center has been serving the Austin community for over 40 years. Its mission, through the Friends of the Hormel Nature Center, is to enhance and encourage environmental education, scientific opportunities, and the enjoyment of nature at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. Thanks to funding from the State of Minnesota’s Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund, the Hormel Nature Center is able to host more environmental education programs for schools outside of Austin. Within Austin Schools, the contact for these programs is Sydney Weisinger (email: [email protected]), and for schools outside of Austin, the contact is Kelly Bahl (email: [email protected]). A related quote shared with the program is, “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.” — Baba Dioum.
Last updated July 25, 2026.
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