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