School Programs PreK–8th Grade

School Programs PreK–8th Grade at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center includes activities such as apple cidering, maple syruping, prairie ecology, water ecology, and learning about seeds, habitats, birds, and parts of a tree. The program also offers orienteering with cardinal directions, studying stars and planets, and seasonal activities like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, shelter building, fire building, and scooping the pond or creek. Curriculum is available for preschool through middle school, and classes are offered to home school groups and to other public and private schools outside of Austin.

• Ages: 4–14 years old
• Schedule: Half-day programs run 2 hours; full-day programs (on a limited basis) run about 5.5 hours long

The Hormel Nature Center has been serving the Austin community for over 40 years. The mission of 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. The program also notes unique features such as free golf cart tours, free tracked power chairs, and the Sola Fide Observatory. Within Austin Schools, the contact is Sydney Weisinger ([email protected]), and for schools outside of Austin, the contact is Kelly Bahl ([email protected]).

Last updated February 21, 2026.