Outdoor Education | Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center | SIU

Touch of Nature’s outdoor education program offers positive experiential education opportunities to a variety of groups. Innovative curriculum allow us to provide you or your students with an authentic and effective learning experience. Our instructors utilize a hands-on approach through environmental and adventure education as they create an immersive and engaging educational setting in the great outdoors.

Rolling hills, forests, open lands, lakes, creeks, and rugged bluffs form the unique ecosystem that is Touch of Nature's classroom. Students will gain a better appreciation of the natural world as they experience touching, seeing, and learning in the great outdoors. While we use nature to convey a number of science concepts to students, we also strive to create better stewards and leaders in and out of the classroom. The aim of our leadership curriculum is to not only build character and community, but to also encourage collaboration and critical thinking in the 21st century.

Our goal is to empower students, help them grow as individuals, encourage them to discover the world around them, and evolve into life-long learners. 

School Groups

We provide several opportunities for school groups to take learning beyond the classroom, and blend outdoor recreation activities with educational lessons and give students the opportunities to reinforce their learning in a hands-on fashion.

Our programs and activities will have your children hiking through the forest to discover the wildlife that inhabit southern Illinois, paddling on Little Grassy Lake to observe bald eagles flying overhead and learning from each other in a fun camp-like setting.

Team Building

Team Building courses are a fun way to build camaraderie and cooperation in any group or organization. Our courses are comprised of a series of physical, mental and group challenges that focus on group decision making, communication, trust, and cooperation.

Groups can choose from an array of teambuilding challenges, including ground-based initatives, low-challenge courses, and high-challenge courses.

To find out more information or register for any of our trainings or workshops, contact Touch of Nature at 618-453-1121 or email ton@siu.edu.