Nature As Teacher
What is “Nature as Teacher”?
Our program's mission is to connect communities to nature. We strive to provide outdoor education experiences for all ages by facilitating and supporting nature focused programs and practices. Many of our programs take place at the Nature as Teacher Preserve for Education located in Camden, SC. The preserve features about 800 acres of varying habitats along the Wateree River. Our programs can also be held at your community event, school or park. When planning a program you can review our menu of developed programs for k-12, homeschool pods or community groups. You may also choose to work with a facilitator to develop something for your specific needs.


PROVIDE Connections
- With nature
- With community
PRACTICE Stewardship
- Of ourselves (our project, and persons)
- Of nature
- Of community
PROMOTE Respect
- Lead with compassion and reverence for nature and all people
- Intentional inclusion
Nature as Teacher programs are made possible by the donation of Hardscramble nature preserve by Margaret H. Lloyd who coined the phrase “Nature as Teacher”. To learn more about Margaret H. Lloyd and other projects made possible by her gift, visit the Lloyd Project endowment site. To explore the preserve’s landscape visit the Hardscramble page.
Margaret’s Guiding Principle:
The motivation for activities at Hardscramble is always compassion and respect for Nature, which is to be the primary inspiration for exploring the interconnectedness of learning, teaching and practicing environmental, community and personal stewardship.
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To learn more about our project, schedule programming or get involved on the preserve contact Nature as Teacher’s Education Specialist Leoncia Cruz at leoncic@clemson.edu or 610-715-2788