Dedicated to Enchancing our Understanding of Planet Earth

The not for profit Earth Explore Foundation supports and encourages activities that provide young people with enriching, educational experiences in nature.  Through its field programs, the Foundation provides meaningful opportunities for young people to explore Planet Earth in an active way, to gain an awareness of how the world works, and the interrelationships between the natural world, and human cultures.

By encouraging hands-on exploration of Planet Earth, the Foundation provides an interdisciplinary approach that combines science, environmental studies and cultural interaction, and is aligned with National Educational Standards.

The Foundation oversees all educational activities undertaken on Earth Explore programs.  This work insures continuing excellence in content, quality and academic standards on all of our hands-on field adventures.

At the heart of the Foundation is the Earth Explore philosophy.  This is the belief that young people care about that which they understand, and that real understanding comes best through hands-on experience.  The Earth Explore Foundation supports and encourages inquiry-based learning, through which our participants will become active, passionate, and involved adults who contribute to, and make a difference in the world around them.

The Earth Explore Foundation works cooperatively with our many program partners and educational advisors to design the finest adventure learning curriculum available anywhere.  Activities focus on experiential study of science, history and the environment, and are based upon national curriculum standards.  Because of the outstanding educational content of our programs, all students and teachers are eligible to earn academic credit through their participation.

The Foundation also allows Earth Explore to offer limited scholarships and other assistance to deserving students each year through our Jill Dayton Scholarship Program.  The program is named in honor of an outstanding Illinois educator whose contributions to Earth Explore as a Leader and field educator continue to inspire us.

The Foundation actively supports programs that protect and preserve natural resources, and help connect young people to nature.  Each year the Earth Explore Foundation chooses two main beneficiaries whose work furthers these goals.