Twice a year, Marathon Petroleum plays host to area grade school students at Neal Pit, the private conservation area it maintains near Palestine, Ill.

It's an opportunity for youth to experience the great outdoors by rotating through stations ranging from a nature walk to crafts.

The morning is truly a team effort, with Marathon employees manning the stations and sharing their love and knowledge of nature.

It's amazing to watch these second-graders taste fresh honey for the first time, dissect a flower, and calculate the age of the trees.

Put a pair of binoculars in a child's hands, and the magic just happens.

During the nature walk, the second-graders become detectives, searching for things like deer antlers, hoof prints and other items they don't typically see on the playground.

A solar project has them using stencils and the sun to create artwork, while a nearby pedal-powered station gives them an opportunity to create their own electricity using foot power.

Every station offers hands-on opportunities for the students, and they take full advantage, packing their bags full of crafts and completed projects as they rotate through each one.

After a picnic lunch provided by Marathon, they head back to the classroom, their heads full of new-found knowledge and a more complete appreciation of the world around them.