Midwest Museum of Natural History

The Midwest Museum of Natural History has some upcoming events that may appeal to you. If you mention that you heard about it here when you register, you can get the member price (except for Nature Down and Dirty). Details and registration info can be found at www.mmnh.org.

Safari Sprouts, ages 3-5, siblings are welcome

Every Wednesday 10:15-11:15 am

$8/child, adults free, no registration required

Fee includes Museum admission for the day

Games, crafts, stories, and live animal visits!

Storytime, ages 2-5, siblings are welcome

Every Friday, 11:00 am, no registration required

Free with Museum admission

Fossil Workshop: Micro-Fossils, ages 8+

Thursday, July 19, 7-8:30 pm

Thursday, August 16, 7-8:30 pm

Non-members: $12

Members: $10, 1 adult free per family ($5 extra adult)

Learn about the fossils beneath our feet and the clues they give us to Illinois’ past. Find and identify micro-fossils and take home whatever you find! Registration required.

Live Reptile Care, ages 10+
Saturday, July 21, 10:30 am-12:30 pm

Fri, August 17, 1-3:00

Non-members: $18/child

Members: $15/child, 1 adult free per family ($5 extra adult)

Fee includes Museum admission for the day

Learn how to properly feed and handle live snakes, turtles, and lizards. Registration required, class fills quickly.

Jewelry Making, ages 8+
Saturday, July 28, 3-4:15 pm
Thursday, August 2, 10:30-11:45 am
Fee includes Museum admission for the day
Non-members: $12/child, 1 adult free per family ($5 extra adult)

Members: $10/child, 1 adult free per family ($5 extra adult)

Learn about jewelry from around the world and make three pieces to take home. Registration required.

Nature: Down and Dirty

Saturday, August 4, 1-3:30 pm, Ages 7-13

Meet at Sycamore Park

Sycamore Resident: $15/child

Non-resident: $20/child

Registration required through the Sycamore Park District: http://www.sycamoreparkdistrict.com/

The woods are bursting with life – if you know where to look. Learn how to spot animal tracks, nests, and other signs of life. Identify plants, insects, and birds. Dig in and uncover what’s happening underground, and get your feet wet (literally) investigating the river.

Fossil Dig, ages 6-adult

Saturday, August 11, 9:30-11:00 am

Saturday, September 29, 9:30-11:00 am

Dig for fossils at Vulcan Quarry, keep what you find. Registration required, class fills quickly!

Non-members: $20/person or $55 for a family of 3-4

Members: $18/person or $50 for a family of 3-4

Midwest Museum of Natural History

425 West State St, Sycamore IL 60178

815-895-9777 www.mmnh.org

Tues-Sat, 10-5:00

Sunday 12-5:00

closed Mondays

Field Trip Fridays

Often in our homeschool as we head into these last weeks we are wrapping up our books and regular requirements in most subjects. As a result, we find ourselves with some extra time to enjoy the activities that are abundant in this area and the weather often allows us a chance to get out of doors as well.

This begins what will hopefully be a new feature here. Not every week, but a couple times a month on Friday I will share some of our experiences with field trips in the Chicago area with tips on setting up your own.

To kick it off, lets start with a place that we just visited recently, Cantigny in Wheaton (but I always think of it as in Winfield . . .)

What you will find there:

Cantigny offers two museums including a house open for touring and a museum centered around the First Division. They also have beautiful grounds that are beginning to bloom. They are beautiful in each season, especially if you have nature lovers in your group.

We are currently studying the American Revolution and they had a great sample of a revolutionary soldier and various artifacts on display to help my kids really visualize all of what we have been learning, reading about, and discussing lately. If you are studying more recent American history you will find even more to complement your studies, but even going back to the beginning of our nation you will find something.

The Tanks! It’s what I remember from childhood visits, and it’s what my kids look forward to on each return trip as well. Whether they are imagining they are a soldier on a mission of their own, or pretending it is a hideout, or just climbing for the sake of climbing, the tanks are a big draw for kids of all ages. Of course, climb at your own risk, and be careful. These are real tanks. You will want to pick a day with decent weather so you can get a good climb in.

Classes and tours. You are free to roam the grounds and enjoy the signs, information, and displays on your own time and with your own focus, or you can sign up for a field trip or one of their many classes. They offer homeschool classes periodically (look for these to start up again in the fall) for additional fees. They cover various subjects including art, science, nature study, and history. See their calendar of events on their website for more details.

If you are going:

The grounds do have a per vehicle fee, but if you go to your library you can use your card to get a Museum Adventure Pass and get in for free. We chose this option and it was quick and easy and saved us $5.

There are often school groups touring as well. However, we found them fairly easy to avoid so we could enjoy the museums, tanks, and walkways without a crowd.

Cantigny Park Hours:

Feb: Fri-Sun, 9am to Sunset*
Mar-Apr: 9am to Sunset*
May-Oct: 7am to Sunset*
Nov-Dec: 9am to Sunset*

*The in-bound park gate closes one hour prior to sunset.

1S151 Winfield Road
Wheaton, IL 60189
630.668.5161

Cantigny offers a great field trip destination for a mixed age group. Lots of run around space and climbing action, and then opportunities to settle in and really learn from the informative and high quality displays throughout the facilities. My younger kids were a little scared at first of the First Division Museum displays. It is dark and has war sounds in the background. They are really well done though, and you learn so much on your walk through. If you need to split your group to enjoy it, do so, but kids of all ages can really learn quite a bit from the walk through.

And, be sure to bring your picnic lunch to enjoy at their tables near the parking area. We had a full, fun morning packed with new learning opportunities and conversation prompts. Definitely a field trip destination for every couple years or so.

Upcoming events at the Midwest Museum of Natural History

A couple events coming up at the Midwest Museum of Natural History:

Safari Sprouts

Wednesday, April 25, 10:15-11:15 am

$8/child (or purchase a 4-class card for $28), adults free

Call 815-895-9777 to register (walk-ins welcome too)

Spend a morning discovering nature at the Museum through games, crafts, stories, and songs, plus a live animal visit each month! Designed for ages 3-5 with an adult.

Severe Storms and Tornadoes:

the perspective of a storm chaser and scientist

a presentation by Dr. Walker Ashley, Northern Illinois University

Thursday, April 26, 7-8:00 pm

$4/person, Members free
Dr. Ashley will examine the science behind severe thunderstorms in the U.S. to discover how and why they form. He will also discuss the many myths surrounding severe storm hazards and storm chasing.

Free entrance to National Parks

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

(while some parks are free everyday, these are days you can get in free to some that usually charge an admission)

NPS/Dan Ng

Yosemite Falls can be seen from numerous areas around Yosemite Valley. A one-mile loop trail leads to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall.

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.*

Mark your calendar for these fee-free dates in 2012:

April 21-29: National Park Week

June 9
Get Outdoors Day
September 29
National Public Lands Day
November 10-12
Veterans Day weekend

To make the fun even more affordable, check out these discounts and special offers from park partners and neighboring businesses:

Here’s a tip – many of your 397 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

Maple Syrup

No matter what corner of the Chicago area you find yourself in, you will likely be able to check out a maple syrup festival somewhere during this month.

Here are a few of the festivals that I am aware of. Feel free to add any others in the comments. These are generally very educational events that the whole family can enjoy.

North Park Village Nature Center

5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
Chicago, IL , 60646
(312) 744-5472

Bring the family to experience the entire maple syrup making process, from tapping the tree and collecting sap to boiling it down to syrup. Stroll the sugar bush, enjoy storytelling and live music, make a craft, and taste homemade syrup.

Fees: Free

Age Range: All Ages

See the entire maple syrup-making process from tapping the tree and collecting the sap, to boiling it down into syrup. Take a walk through the sugar bush, enjoy storytelling, make a maple craft, warm yourself by the fire, and taste real maple syrup fresh off the fire. The Maple Syrup Festival is a sweet and warm tradition that is free and fun for all ages. No registration required.

Pioneer Fest and Pancake

Breakfast! Enjoy pancakes, sausage, and 100% pure maple
syrup! Come for the maple syrup making
demonstrations and try your hand at pioneer chores
while stepping back into time with our pioneer reenactors.
Age: All
Pilcher Park Nature Center
Sat/Sun 3/24-3/25 8 am-12 pm
$9 Adults/$7 Children under 12 (my understanding is that the fee is only if you are eating, but call to confirm this)

Phone: 815-741-PARK (7275)

Sap Collectors

Fullersburg Woods, Dupage County

Mar. 9, 2012

Hike to the sugarbush to collect sap from sugar maple trees. Ages 6 and up; under 14 with an adult. $3 per person. To register, call (630) 850-8110.

Mar 2, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Fullersburg Woods
Mar 9, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Fullersburg Woods
Mar 16, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Fullersburg Woods

Maple Sugaring Days

Naper Settlement

Saturday and Sunday, March 10 & 11, 2012

The history of maple sugaring
Maple sugaring was an integral part of American life in the 1800s and was the foremost sweetener until the end of the Civil War. A community social event celebrating the arrival of spring, the difficult work involving in collecting and processing the sap required many hands. This festive gathering was a welcome diversion following a long winter. Until the end of the Civil War, maple products were the most important food sweeteners in the United States because they were far less expensive and more available than cane sugar.

Time:
Saturday 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Sunday 1:00-4:00 pm

Ticket Information:
$9 adults
$8 seniors (62+)
$6.50 youth (4-17)
Naperville Heritage Society members and Season Pass Holders receive free admission.

And, the one at Kline Creek Farm already passed, but here is a YouTube video that they took to show the tree tapping. I’m sure the drill is authentic 1840s 😉

And here are a couple more places to find lists of maple sugaring events in Illinois and surrounding states:

http://www.midwestweekends.com/plan_a_trip/touring/spring_scenery/maple_syrup_festivals.html

http://www.chitowncheapskate.com/2012/03/chicagoland-march-maple-syrup-events.html

Farm tours available

I enjoyed a CSA from this farm quite a few years ago now, and here they are with tours of their facilities. Great way to kick of the outdoor growing season and add a unique field trip to your schedule.

From Erewhon Farm:

Visit Our Farm – Learn How to Garden Organically

Edible Farm Tours — 2012 Schedule

February/ March, 2012, Maple Sugaring Tour! (Dates will depend on the weather)

See how we tap the maple trees, collect the sap, and boil it down to make the most delicious, all natural maple syrup! Also, we’re planting and transplanting spring crops in our hoop houses! We’ll show you how to start seedlings for your home garden.

April 28, 2012 @1:30

Early spring crops are growing in our hoop houses and you can taste anything you like. We’ll show you how we grow seedlings indoors, how we fertilize them, and how we transplant them into our garden beds. We’ll show you how to make a low-cost cover for your garden crops so you can start earlier in the spring. Robin Migalla will demonstrate easy ways to cook kale and Swiss chard. Yum!

May 26, 2012 @1:30

We’ll show you how we prepare our growing beds and some techniques for minimizing weeds in the garden. What’s growing in our raised beds and how we make them. Guess how hot is our compost pile. Is anything blossoming in our edible forest garden? We’ll taste a variety of salad greens and share a garden salad. Robin Migalla will demonstrate easy ways to cook kale and Swiss chard. Yum!

Please let Gayle Riley know you’re coming: (630)776-1700 Cost: $10.00 per person, children under 12 are free! CSA subscribers $5.00.

Private Farm Events

Especially designed tours for school field trips, boy and girl scout troops, and individuals from clubs or organizations. This one hour tour will be themed for the specific time of year and your interests. Vegetable tasting encouraged.

Cost per person $7.50 with a minimum of $50.00

Please contact Gayle Riley to plan your event. (630)776-1700.

We can also organize more in-depth farm visits. Contact Tim Fuller (timf7@yahoo.com or 630-485-9963) for more info.

Farm Location:

40W248 Hughes Rd. Elburn, IL 60119

Mailing address: Tim Fuller, 968 Pattee Av., Elburn, IL 60119

www.erehwonfarm.com

Events at Midwest Museum of Natural History

Got this information via email, and looks like some intriguing events! Note that with this first one if you mention that you heard it here, at the Chicagoland Homeschool Network, they will let one adult attend for free! Be sure to tell them thanks from all us homeschoolers.

“Hoo’s” for Dinner: Owl Pellet Dissection

Thursday, February 23, 7-8:00 pm

$7/person, Members: $5/person (adults and kids)

Space is limited, call to register: 815-895-9777

It’s almost time for owlets to begin appearing! And we’re celebrating by dissecting owl pellets. Owl pellets are balls of fur and bones that the bird cannot digest and coughs up. We’ll walk through the dissection of pellets and identification of the remains found inside. Each person gets their own pellet. Designed for ages 6+. Special offer: Mention this blog and get one free adult!

Jack Hanna: Into the Wild Live

Sunday, March 11, 2:00 pm

$20 adults, $15 children and students, premium seats available

Show will be held at the Egyptian Theater in DeKalb: 135 North Second Street, Dekalb, IL 60115

Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild Live show features many of his favorite animal friends, as well as fascinating and humorous stories and footage from his adventures around the world. Everyone from the youngest child to the oldest adult will be entertained and inspired. Tickets on sale now: http://www.egyptiantheatre.org/

The Natural History of Coffee

a lecture by Gene Powers

Thursday, March 15, 7-8:00 pm

$4/person, members free, ages high school to adult

Big Run Wolf Ranch

Saturday, March 31, 1-2:30 pm

Ages 8 and up

$10/person (kids and adults), fee includes Museum admission for the day

Member rate: $8/person

Space is limited, reservations required: 815-895-9777

Big Run Wolf Ranch is a non-profit, federally licensed, educational program which specializes in education and conservation of North American wildlife. During their presentation you’ll meet a live coyote, skunk, groundhog, porcupine, and wolf. Space is limited and reservations are required: 815-895-9777. Ages 8+ by request of the presenter.

Safari Sprouts

Wednesday, March 28, 10:15-11:15 am

4^th Wednesdya of every month

Ages 3-5

$8/child (or purchase a 4-class card for $28), adults free

Call 815-895-9777 to register (walk-ins welcome too)

Spend a morning discovering nature at the Museum through games, crafts, stories, and songs, plus a live animal visit each month! Designed for ages 3-5 with an adult.

For more information: