The Glen Helen Outdoor School is a residential environmental education program for children grades 4-7. Students and their teachers come to the Glen for a 3-day or 4-day experience, where they are immersed in the natural world, exploring and investigating, the wonders of nature. Our curriculum is aligned with Ohio Academic Content Standards in science, social studies, math, and language arts to complement classroom instruction. 

Each day, trail groups venture into our 1,000 acre outdoor classroom with their naturalists. They explore, investigate, and learn about the environment and how to protect it. Students search for macroinvertebrates in the streams to determine water health, explore native ecosystems to connect with their natural environment, and work together to meet wasted food goals in the dining hall in an effort to understand the importance of conservation. Our emphasis on cooperation and teamwork is carried back to the classroom - students leave the Glen more tolerant and trusting of their classmates, and more willing to work together.

Before schools arrive at the Glen, we work closely with teachers to design a program that is appropriate for their particular group of students. We also work to ensure classroom learning objectives are central to the experience provided at the Glen. Naturalists facilitate instruction with the students out on the trails, while teachers provide behavior management support, and supervise students during dorm time. Please contact the Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center at 937.767.7648 for more information.