Imagine being a 6 year-old child walking into a museum that has signs posted that say "Please Touch." The Peg Brazelton Environmental center caters to a child's need to touch, feel and have a hands-on approach to learning science and math. Girls and boys enjoy a variety of environmental programs highlighting our commitment to nature.

Beginning in 1993, the Girl Scout Council of Mount Magazine Area has hosted a collaborative program with University of Arkansas Fort Smith and the Fort Smith School System to provide an innovative hands-on environmental education for the school children of this area. University of Arkansas Fort Smith elementary education majors train to become trail guides and nature center programmentors as a part of their course work. The Fort Smith Public School System buses students to our Nature Center and has endorsed the program as a part of the Arkansas State mandated Math and Science curricula. This is a collaborative effort directed by Girl Scout Council of Mount Magazine Area, and it is provided at no cost to the school system, girl troops and other youth organizations interested in environmental education.

The Nature Center is also a home to over ten different species of animals native to Arkansas. Visitors have the opportunity to see these creatures in a simulated natural habitat, which is crucial in the teaching and learning aspects of the ecological perspective of our ever-changing environment. Throughout the year, the Nature Center offers numerous events in which many professional educators present fun and informative programs designed to instill admiration and understanding for the many different elements in our natural world.