The Nuhop Center is Ohio’s Foremost Outdoor Education Center. Nuhop’s Outdoor Education Program integrates grade level specific Ohio Department of Education academic content standards into our curriculum. After conducting an in-depth needs assessment with our clients, Nuhop collaborates with teachers and administrators to design a unique program that reflects the needs and abilities of your students and each school’s specific culture and curricular needs. Our unique program provides an exceptional balance between experiential, outdoor and environmental education philosophies. We focus on academic and interpersonal skills in an outdoor classroom where students learn from the natural world. We believe that children should experience a safe, healthy outdoor education setting in which to develop a sense of community.

Let Nuhop assist your team in providing each student with an unforgettable learning experience. At Nuhop students “EXPERIENCE” learning, by engaging in a classroom environment that is hand-on and within the natural world.

The Nuhop Center offers a beautiful outdoor education setting in which to learn and develop critical thinking skills. Our academic structure provides an environment where the targeted academic content standards come to life through a variety of classes. Each class takes into account the many different learning styles students exhibit. Our field instructors use an inquiry based, experiential approach to teaching each content area, therefore promoting an interdisciplinary learning model.

The Field Instructors at Nuhop are either retired from full time teaching, have graduated from college as a certified teacher or are college students studying to be educators in child related fields. Many of the Nuhop Field Instructors work during our summer program, therefore they are experienced and trained in working with students how have learning and behavioral differences.

Outcomes of Nuhop’s Outdoor Education Programs include but are not limited to:

• Academic Content Standards are emphasized through hands-on outdoor education experiences.
• Students become aware and more knowledgeable about the natural world.
• Encourages students to be responsible as they respect, care for and appreciate the environment and their peers.
• An increase in self-awareness and an awareness of the natural world.
• Common experiences that build rapport amongst students as well as between students and teachers.

Emphasis on the Development of 21st Century Skills and Environmental Literacy!

The high ropes course involves a series or 8 challenges that take place 25-40 feet in the air. Students are properly fitted into safety harnesses and given detailed instructions in ground school before they begin the ascent to the ropes.  Each student is responsible for setting his/her own goal on the ropes course. Our philosophy is “Challenge by Choice” which means that no once will force a student to go beyond his/her comfort level.  With encouragement, students often are more successful than they first expect, which builds self-confidence and self-esteem. Safety, under the watchful eye of trained instructors is stressed in every aspect of the course.

The Nuhop Center for Experiential Learning (NCEL), the home of Camp Nuhop has provided Experiential Education Programs since 1974. NCEL is a 501 c 3 organization, began as a residential summer camp for children with special needs, including but not limited to:  learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, and behavioral disorders. Since 1974, NCEL has grown into a professional training and educational center that provides summer programs for children with special needs, residential outdoor education, professional development workshops for educators, teambuilding programs for schools and colleges and corporate team development program fro organizations throughout the United States.

We are associated with EECO (Environmental Education Council of Ohio) and ACCT (Association for Challenge Course Technology).

Our Executive Director sits on the EECO state level board. EECO advocated for environmental literacy by helping to promote environmental stewardship and education through its professional development workshops and state level conferences as well as promoting Environmental Literacy through state level organizations. www.eeco-online.org.

Student safety begins with our Mission Statement: “To provide a safe, nurturing, dynamic learning environment where people are empowered to succeed.” We believe that in order to grow, students need to be not only physically, but emotionally as well. This belief is the foundation that our organization was established on in 1974 and continues to be the driving force in all of our programs.

Physical Safety

Students at NCEL are supervised 24/7 by our staff. While the nature of experiential education involves hands on, highly engaged learning in the out of doors, every precaution is taken to ensure student safety. This includes areas ranging from direct supervision at all times to making sure students have proper footwear within the woods or ropes course.

• A Nuhop staff member is assigned as a nighttime supervisor. He/She is responsible for all aspects of operations and safety during evening and overnight hours.
• All Nuhop Field Instrtuctors are required to go through the same background check of all public school teachers in Ohio.
• The Director of Facilities is responsible for ensuring that all facilities and equipment are maintained to OSHA standards. He is also a state certified EMT.

NCEL is located in the heart of The Mohican Valley near Perrysville, Ohio. Our Center borders The Mohican State Forest, which expands our outdoor classroom to include Mohican’s 5,000 acres of forest, ravines, rivers and open prairie. NCEL has a private beach on Pleasant Hill Lake which is great for canoeing and aquatic lessons.