New this Month - September 2024

Wildlife is all around us, in large urban areas or small towns! Educators of grades prekindergarten through four are invited to participate as we learn where to look for urban wildlife, what you can expect to find, how to identify species, and how to improve urban wildlife habitat at your school. Natural resources professionals and educators will instruct about these topics and more, including how species adapt to the urban environment, how humans affect urban wildlife, and how to use urban wildlife topics as the foundation for locally relevant, place-based teaching. Receive supplemental educational materials to enhance your teaching. Click here to see the draft agenda.

The Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site Field Trip Grant is for Sangamon County Public Schools only! This grant is a reimbursable field trip grant for public schools in Sangamon County only. If interested, please contact dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov.

Have you felt that you needed a little more understanding of what to do when applying for one of IDNR’s education grants? If you are interested in applying for the Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Historic Sites Field Trip Grant, or Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant, please join us to learn some tips and how to do a successful application.

Tuesday, September 11, 2024 at 3:30 pm – Field Trip

Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 3:30 pm – Field Trip

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 3:30 pm – Schoolyard

Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 3:30 pm - Schoolyard

All of the training will be online. Sign up here.

Check out our videos about the grants. Go to the grant you are interested in and watch the video. (30 minutes each).

ENTICE workshops provide background information, networking opportunities, hands-on lessons, supplemental resources on the topic and the opportunity to work with resources professionals. Professional Development Hours are available. Correlations to relevant Next Generation Science Standards and/or Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards are provided. Shown below is a list of upcoming workshops through May 2024. Visit https://www.enticeworkshops.com for details, the complete list of workshops and to register. Experience ENTICE!

They buzz, flutter, and crawl and play a critical role in maintaining ecosystems and human food supply. Educators of grades kindergarten through eight are invited to register for this workshop to learn about the importance of pollination, the identification of Illinois pollinators, and the challenges they face in the modern world. Educators will take a walk to a pollinator garden on the visitors center grounds. You will participate in activities and take home many resources to add to your curriculum. Professional Development Hours are available. Click here to see the agenda.

Pollinator populations are in decline, but you and your students can take actions to help them. By planting a native pollinator garden at your school, you can provide food and shelter for pollinators and a place of learning for students of all ages. We will discuss what makes a successful pollinator garden and how to maintain it. Connections to learning standards will also be provided. We will show you how to apply for an Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant to help fund your project, too. This workshop is targeted to educators of grades prekindergarten through 12. Supplemental resources will be provided. Professional Development Hours are available. This workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Click here to see the agenda.

Soar on down to The Morton Arboretum this summer and gather ideas, resources, and activities for your classroom. This workshop will help educators bring the classroom outdoors and connect with green spaces in their community. Participants will identify birds, track butterflies, investigate the role of both in different habitats, and learn to utilize the natural world to bring science curriculum to life. Although targeted to teachers of pre-K through second grade, all educators are welcome to register for the workshop, but the information may need to be adapted, as appropriate. Your curriculum will "take flight" with the resources you take home! Click here to see the agenda.

Wildlife is all around us, in large urban areas or small towns! Educators of grades prekindergarten through four are invited to participate as we learn where to look for urban wildlife, what you can expect to find, how to identify species, and how to improve urban wildlife habitat at your school. Natural resources professionals and educators will instruct about these topics and more, including how species adapt to the urban environment, how humans affect urban wildlife, and how to use urban wildlife topics as the foundation for locally relevant, place-based teaching. Receive supplemental educational materials to enhance your teaching. Click here to see the draft agenda.

Join us for this workshop that will have you sampling and observing the components of four aquatic habitats at Red Oak Nature Center: river; lake; stream; and spring. We will discuss what the results show and talk about how to incorporate this type of activity into your curriculum to support Next Generation Science Standards. Although targeted to teachers of grades five through eight, teachers of other grade levels are welcome to register for and attend the workshop but may need to adapt the materials, as appropriate. Professional Development Hours are available. This workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

This workshop for educators of grades prekindergarten through 12 will provide an introduction to and educational resources about the wild birds in our state. We will focus on the life history of these species, and we will go on a hike to look for birds and their signs. We will show you how to use the topic of 'Illinois wild birds' to support the teaching of several of the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards for science and Next Generation Science Standards with your students. Professional Development Hours are available. Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, this workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program.

Fall is a great season for young children to explore nature! There is so much to see and learn. Join us to discover what nature can tell us in fall. We'll take a hike to put our knowledge to work and will feature the Field Trip Pack from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). We'll be incorporating several topics. Although targeted to grades prekindergarten through three, all educators are welcome to register for the workshop, but the information may need to be adapted, as appropriate. You'll take away numerous resources to use with young children when learning about fall nature. Professional Development Hours are available. This workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program from the IDNR.

Illinois is home to a variety of slimy and scaly animals which inhabit all types of sensitive ecosystems. Educators of grades prekindergarten through eight will learn about their unique life histories, features and behaviors, and will take a hike around the Nature Museum to look for examples in our urban habitat. We will observe living and preserved specimens, provide you with resources and activities, and discuss regulations regarding keeping these animals in the classroom. Teachers of other grade levels are welcome to register for this workshop but may need to adapt the materials for their students, as appropriate.

Prying into Prions: Investigating Chronic Wasting Disease is a supplemental, educational unit for high school students that assists in studying prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease. Explore and learn about transmissible spongiform encephalopathies by examining the role of proteins in organisms, the chemistry and properties of proteins, the genetic processes that create proteins, and how proteins can become pathogenic. Study how chronic wasting disease affects Illinois' white-tailed deer herd and what control measures are being taken.

Wild Illinois History is a self-contained teaching unit for educators of grades four through eight. The online interactive student activity and lessons are designed to supplement Illinois history instruction by focusing on information regarding early exploration and settlement, riparian and geography in what was to become Illinois and the uses of wildlife by Indigenous peoples and the trappers who came from Europe. The activity also highlights the conservation movement and how it affects views and uses of wildlife today. Educators of other grade levels are welcome to register and attend the workshop but may need to adapt the materials as appropriate. Supplemental resources will be provided. Professional Development Hours are available. This workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Learn all about the winter birds that live in Illinois, from songbirds to birds of prey. Participants will learn what adaptations birds have, to make them so successful to withstand the harsh Illinois winters. Appropriate for educators in grades K-4, but educators for all grade levels welcome but may need to adapt the activities and resources to be appropriate for older students. Please make sure to dress for the weather, as we will be going on the trails to look for signs of birds in the winter. Supplemental resources will be provided. Professional Development Hours are available. This workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Explore Coyote Track interactive visualization tool. This online site centers around coyote ecology and behavior related to data collected from radio-collared coyotes in urban and rural areas of Illinois. Using real data, this workshop will guide participants through the visualization data tool and standard-based lessons that support the unit. Participants will learn about how and why scientists are studying coyotes in Illinois including learning about telemetry and how the information is gathered. The workshop is for teachers of Illinois high school and middle school students. Professional Development Hours are available. Sponsored by the IDNR, this workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program.

coordinators and families are among the people who can successfully use these resources. A two week loan period is suggested. There is no charge to borrow the trunks/packs, although a refundable deposit may be requested. Click here to find the contact information to make a reservation and view the trunk/pack content lists.

Free Angler and Aquatic Education Programs for students: Teachers across the state are encouraged to contact their regional Urban Fishing Program Coordinator to learn more about how they can schedule free angler and aquatic education programs.

Chicago: Jonathan Schlesinger at DNR.urbanfishing.Chicago@Illinois.gov. Interested in Programs in Chicago, please fill out this form.

Northern Illinois: north of I-80, includes cities surrounding Chicago, Rockford, Moline, and Rock Island, Frank Sladek at Frank.Sladek@Illinois.gov.

Central Illinois: south of I-80 and north of I-70 (not including Alton/Grafton), includes cities of Quincy, Macomb, Peoria, Springfield, Champaign, Decatur, Danville, and Bloomington, Van Grissom at Van.Grissom@Illinois.gov.

Southern Illinois: South of I-70, including Alton, Edwardsville, Mt. Vernon, Carbondale, East Cape Girardeau, and Cairo please contact Scott Isringhausen at Scott.Isringhausen@Illinois.gov

Ever wonder where the big bass, plentiful panfish or massive muskie in your local lake come from? Come to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery in Topeka, Illinois, and find out! Now is a great time to visit Illinois' largest fish hatchery to see where many of your favorite sportfish begin their life. Jake Wolf Fish Hatchery accepts requests for scheduled tours, by appointment only, Monday-Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Tour groups are limited to 15 people. All ages are welcome. For more information on public tours please call the hatchery at 309-968-7531. For more information on the hatchery, visit https://ifishillinois.org/programs/hatchery.html or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JakeWolfHatchery/.

Choose Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks as a field trip destination for your students, scouts and classmates! What better location to engage students in their natural surroundings than the trails, canyons, and sandstone overlooks of these two state parks. The IDNR offers FREE guided hikes/programs by request through the Natural Resources Coordinator.

Check out the park’s new K-2nd Teacher Resource Packet and new 3rd-5th Teacher Resource Packet for field trips. Call or email to set up your field trip today Lisa.sons@illinois.gov, 815-667-5356.

Volo Bog fall field trip registration is open. Volo Bog State Natural Area in Ingleside offers eighteen different nature/science programs for students PK – High School. All registration is by phone at 815-344-1294. The maximum group size is 72 including adults. For the Winter, programs are offered only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Check our program flyer!

The following items are provided for your information only. They are not programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Should you have questions about them, please use the contact information provided with the items.

Explore summer fun and learning opportunities. We are charging towards the end of the school year and undoubtedly need a break, but the summer offers great opportunities to renew our passion for learning and spark new interests and strategies. The summer months may be a good chance for students and educators to enhance their knowledge, cultivate interests in STEAM domains, and obtain new skills and knowledge at summer events. This newsletter shares various opportunities for summer camps as well as professional development. Check out the STEAM Newsletter here.