Tag: Field Trips

Homeschool class in Lake County

Homeschool Companion—Chicago Blues

Join other homeschoolers to take a closer look at the temporary exhibit “The Blues: From the Heart and Soul” and learn about Chicago Blues music through hands-on activities.

Price includes Museum admission for a participant child. No program charge for chaperones.

24-hour hotline for directions and program updates: 847-968-3113

Instructor: Nicole Stocker

When: Wednesday April 18, 2012
10:00AM – 12:00PM
Where: Lake County Discovery Museum (Wauconda)
Ages: 5 – 12
** Adult Supervision Required for this Program **
Cost:
$3.00 per child (Lake County Residents)
$5.00 per child (Non-Residents)
Regular Registration Deadline: April 17, 2012
Registration Options: Register online, by telephone at 847-968-3321 or by mail or fax using this form

TeenPact Illinois

A unique opportunity in Springfield.

A blurb from the TeenPact website:

TeenPact is a dynamic, hands-on leadership school for Christian students. Our mission is to train youth to understand the political process, value their liberty, defend their Christian faith and engage the culture at a time in their lives when, typically, they do not care about such things.

The TeenPact experience is one of intentional growth, education and encouragement. We believe that God gives every young person a great spiritual capacity as well as a scriptural mandate to cultivate and use their talents – even before they are old enough to drive, work or vote!  TeenPact trains these young people to embrace their call as the next generation of leaders by giving them tools, teaching and opportunities.

Each TeenPact program is marked by spiritual discipleship, student leadership, parental involvement and a commitment to excellence. Our loyal base of parent volunteers and student leaders keep the vision alive and growing as we continue to expand nationally. Founded in 1994 by Tim Echols, TeenPact currently offers classes in 38 states and counting.

“Changing lives to change the world” is more than a motto to us. It’s literally what we do every day.

TeenPact Illinois

Four Day Class: (ages 13-19)

April 23-26, 2012
Mon: 1pm – 5pm
Tue – Thu: 8:45am – 3pm

First Time Students: $225
Returning Students: $185

Host housing may be available

Please contact your State Coordinator

Guest Director: Ned Williams

Political Communication Workshop: (ages 13-19)

April 27, 2012
10am – 4pm

Price: $50
($40 with 4-Day Class Purchase)

One Day Class: (ages 8-12)

April 27, 2012
10am – 4pm

First Child: $40
Siblings: $30

All the rest of the details:

http://teenpact.com/state-classes/illinois/

Blacksmith available for demonstrations

Received this via email:

Steven Helis, Blacksmith

Are you looking for a knowledgeable Demonstrator of the Art of Blacksmithing?

Look no further!

Steven Helis has been practicing the craft for 30 years. He has participated in historical reenactments, living history demonstrations and served as the Blacksmith for the Will County Historical Society’s Pioneer Settlement.

He is well versed in the history of Blacksmithing from ancient times to the modern age. His skill level is sufficient to demonstrate the various aspects of forging iron into useful implements, tools and works of art. He can show how his abilities come together by giving a live exhibition using his portable forge, anvil & tools. He also has examples of things made by blacksmiths. His fees vary on travel time and references are available on request.

If you or your organization would like to have a live presentation on the History & Art of Blacksmithing please contact him at his email address, stefanhelis@gmail.com or Pager # 815-241-5497.

You can also enjoy his demonstration as part of the Pilcher Park Nature Center’s annual Pioneer Fest & Pancake Breakfast on March 24- 25th.

Free Educator Screening!

You and one (1) guest are invited to a Free Educator Screening of SEA REX 3D: JOURNEY TO A PREHISTORIC WORLD. Additional guests will be charged $7.00 per person.

Date: Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Time: 5:30pm – (please arrive a half hour prior to showtime to check-in and register)

Place: Randall 15 IMAX – 550 N. Randall Road, Batavia, IL 60510  Get Map

RSVP: Email or Call 630-659-6762. RSVP by noon on Tuesday February 28th. IMPORTANT – Please leave us your first and last name, school name, theater, email address, and number of people attending. If registering via email, you will receive an email confirmation. If registering via phone, you will not receive a phone call to confirm your space.
Through the power of IMAX 3D, experience a wondrous adventure from the dinosaur age. Join Julie, an imaginative young woman, in a unique voyage through time and space. Explore an amazing underwater universe inhabited by larger-than-life creatures which were ruling the seas before dinosaurs conquered the earth. See science come alive in an entertaining manner and get ready for a face-to-face encounter with the T-Rex of the seas!
Website & Trailer Educator Guide Classroom Guide
SciTech Hands-On Museum is bringing hands-on exhibits & novelties to purchase

Paleontologist Rob Sula is bringing fossils of prehistoric sea creatures & dinosaurs, and hand-drawn dinosaur artwork.
Teachers!  Book your Group Today! Call 630-659-6762 or email
MOVIES BELOW ARE AVAILABLE FOR GROUP RESERVATIONS!
Visit our website for more information on IMAX and Teacher Resources at www.GQTI.com/IMAX

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

4th 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:

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

Free Things on MLK Day

From Free Things to do in Chicago:

There are lots of great free things to do on Martin Luther King Day in Chicago.  Three of the leading museums have free admission on this holiday:

FREE Museum of Science and Industry on MLK Day – Jan 16martin luther king 197x300 Free Admission to Chicago Museums on Martin Luther King Day Jan 16
Come on out on MLK Day and enjoy the health-focused new “You! The Experience” gallery, and the awesome  “Science Storms.” Science Storms reveals the science behind seven natural phenomena—lightning, fire, tornados, avalanches, tsunamis, sunlight and atoms in motion. Investigate the basic scientific principles behind nature’s power as you try more than 50 amazing experiments that take two floors and 26,000 square feet to contain … barely. It’s a perfect storm of physics, chemistry and curiosity. Also take in the renovated U-505 German submarine, a simulated coal mine and a glass-covered hatchery of chicks. Illinois residents can take advantage of free general admission on Monday, January 16.

Museum of Science and Industry – 773-684-1414
5700 S Lake Shore Dr
msichicago.org
9:30am–4pm.

FREE Shedd Aquarium on MLK Day – Jan 16
The Shedd aquatic galleries are home to creatures from the Waters of the World – rivers and reefs, Great Lakes and small ones, and the global ocean. So take a tour of the water planet. Want to explore a little deeper? Immerse yourself in the Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising’s flooded forest, the Oceanarium’s Pacific Northwest coast and Wild Reef’s Indo-Pacific reef. Go totally polar in Polar Play Zone and be sure to see Shedd’s aquatic show.   Admission to original exhibits “Waters of the World,” “Caribbean Reef” and “Amazon Rising” is free to Illinois residents on Monday, January 16. Discounts are also available for packages that include entry to exhibits such as “Abbott Oceanarium,” “Wild Reef” and “Polar Play Zone.”

Shedd Aquarium – 312-939-2438
1200 S Lake Shore Dr
sheddaquarium.org
9am–5pm

FREE Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activities at the Chicago History Museum

Commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through family activities and crafts reflecting his messages of peace and justice. Listen to music that honors Dr. King, and attend a performance of The MLK Project by the Writers’ Theatre.    Cost: Free Admission and includes complimentary Museum admission

Schedule of Events

All day

Kids Crafts with Artist Sue Romanelli

Crown Room, first floor

11:00 a.m.
The MLK Project: Fight for Civil Rights
The Writer’s Theatre
Rubloff Auditorium, 1st floor’

12:30 p.m.
Precious Lord: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chicago Chamber ChoirChicago Room, 2nd floor1:45 p.m.
“I have a Dream” speech
Re-enactment by Oba William KingChicago Room, 2nd floor2:00 p.m.
Voices for Freedom
Gwen Hilary, Storyteller and Enoch Williamson, MusicianChicago Room, 2nd floor2:45 p.m.
“I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech
Re-enactment by Oba William KingChicago Room, 2nd floor

Chicago History Museum – 312-642-4600

10am–3pm
1601 N Clark St

Midwest Museum of Natural History

Midwest Museum of Natural History

Join the museum for “Around the World in 90 Minutes.“ It is an action packed show given by Marty Essen.  It is one-part theater, one-part lecture, one-part comedy, and one-part slide show. It features interesting facts, humorous stories, and the best of thousands of photos taken while traveling the world for his multi-award-winning book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. From swimming with piranhas to surviving a hippo attack, Essen’s high energy presentation is a unique exciting and educational opportunity.

Who:Suitable for ages 8 to adult.

Where: Sycamore State Street Theatre
420 West State Street, Sycamore, IL, 60178 — right across the street from the museum

Cost:  Tickets are $9 per person or $7 for museum members

When: Tuesday November 15th at 7pm

Homeschool classes at Burpee Museum

Homeschool classes coming up in Rockford. They have these available each month, and look like some great topics. I like that the teacher is a former homeschooler as well. You’re not stepping into a class with a teacher that doesn’t understand where you or your kids are coming from. That’s a great plus!

From the Burpee Museum website:

Education : Home School – Fall 2011

Burpee Museum has been offering classes for students who are home schooled for over 9 years. The current teacher home schooled her own four children, has extensive experience as a teacher in a local home school co-op, and has been on the education staff at Burpee for 7 years.

Classes are for 9 – 13 year olds and Workshops are for 6 – 9 year olds. Participants can sign up for the entire month, or pick and choose which classes to attend. These classes are inquiry based; hands-on activities and experiments are the core of all classes. The curriculum is based on the AIMS (Activities Investigating Mathematics and Science) and GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science) curriculums. Students will measure, estimate, observe, predict, classify, and gather and record data.

Burpee Museum reserves the right to limit enrollments or cancel any class. Every effort will be made to notify registrants when a class is cancelled.

November

When: Tuesday 11/8 2.00– 4.00 pm

Cabbage Chemistry

For 9 – 13 year olds
Students delve into proportions working with cabbage juice to study chemistry.
Pre-registration and payment is required
Call Education Department 815 965 3433 ext 1020 to register
Fees: $12 per child members, additional siblings $9 per child
$16 per child non members, additional siblings $13 per child

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Tuesday11/22 2.00– 4.00 pm

Household Mysteries: What’s Lurking in Your Cabinet?

For 9 – 13 year olds
Students bring household chemicals from home and determine if they are acid or base, to develop a new understanding of chemistry.
Pre-registration and payment is required

Call Education Department 815 965 3433 ext 1020 to register
Fees: $12 per child members, additional siblings $9 per child
$16 per child non members, additional siblings $13 per child

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Tuesday 11/29 2.00– 4.00 pm

Become a Field Biologist

For 9 – 13 year olds
Experience field biology techniques and data collection to study animal behavior.
Pre-registration and payment is required
Call Education Department 815 965 3433 ext 1020 to register
Fees: $12 per child members, additional siblings $9 per child
$16 per child non members, additional siblings $13 per child

Kane County Cougar’s Reading program

Once again it is time to prepare for Ozzie’s Reading Club. We have enjoyed this program for many years now. I like that it is not a preset reading goal, but you and the child determine what is best for them. It excites them about reading, and rewards them with a great outing in the spring.

If you would like to participate in 2012,  please contact Amy.

Amy Mason

Kane County Cougars § 1 Cougar Trail § Geneva, IL 60134

Phone: 630.232.8811 § FAX 630.232.8815

E-mail: ozziereadingclub@kanecountycougars.com
2012 OZZIE’S READING CLUB