New this Month - November 2026

2027 Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant application
There is a new option for schools only in Chicago and East St. Louis metro areas that have no soil on their school grounds. Option 3 has strict guidelines and has native plants in pots. Option 3 will open later this month. Application deadline December 2, 2026.

2027 Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant application 
Application deadline February 1, 2027.

Have you ever wondered about keeping a collection and how to use one in your teaching? For more than 160 years, the Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has been assembling and maintaining a variety of natural history specimens and collections. Teachers of grades PreK-8 can learn about the collections of the Museum and how they can be used to learn more about the past and present of local ecosystems. We will discuss how the museum builds and maintains our collections, and provide guidelines for collecting natural materials and using living and preserved specimens 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.  Correlations between the information presented and Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards and Next Generation Science Standards will be addressed.

Temperatures below freezing and snow on the ground might mean warm hot chocolate by the fire for us, but what about the animals that call Illinois home? Have you thought about where the animals go in winter and how they survive the cold? Explore the amazing ways that animals survive in winter, what adaptations they have, and where they are hiding. Discover which animals stay and which ones go! This workshop is for grades PreK-12.

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 June 2026. Visit https://www.enticeworkshops.com for details, the complete list of workshops and to register. Experience ENTICE!

Discover how to bring the fascinating world of Illinois mammals into your early childhood classroom! This hands-on workshop, designed specifically for early childhood educators, will explore ways to connect young learners with local wildlife through observation, play, and exploration. Participants will learn about common mammals found in Illinois, their tracks and signs, and seasonal behaviors. We'll spend time outdoors investigating habitats and modeling activities you can easily replicate with your students.

They dive, screech, and soar! Take a deep dive into the world of raptors as we learn about the hawks, owls, vultures, falcons, and eagles of Illinois. Explore the life history, biology, and habits of these magnificent birds. Learn tricks and tips for identifying different birds of prey. Staff from the Illinois Raptor Center will have live raptors to observe, too. You'll participate in educational activities related to raptors and will receive many resources to incorporate the topic into your curriculum. This workshop is for grades pre-K to 8th, but can be adapted to other grades.

Temperatures below freezing and snow on the ground might mean warm hot chocolate by the fire for us, but what about the animals that call Illinois home? Have you thought about where the animals go in winter and how they survive the cold? Explore the amazing ways that animals survive in winter, what adaptations they have, and where they are hiding. Discover which animals stay and which ones go! This workshop is for grades PreK-12.

You may know that the white-tailed deer is the state mammal, but did you know it is Illinois' largest herbivore?  But what does it eat, and how does it survive the winter? Discover the answers to these questions and many more as we spend a year with a deer. Explore the life history and biology of this ungulate, hoofed mammal in Illinois. Join us as we discuss deer hunting and population management, and challenges faced by deer, including various diseases. This workshop is for grades 6-12, but can be adapted to other grades.

Have you ever wondered about keeping a collection and how to use one in your teaching? For more than 160 years, the Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has been assembling and maintaining a variety of natural history specimens and collections. Teachers of grades PreK-8 can learn about the collections of the Museum and how they can be used to learn more about the past and present of local ecosystems. We will discuss how the museum builds and maintains our collections, and provide guidelines for collecting natural materials and using living and preserved specimens 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.  Correlations between the information presented and Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards and Next Generation Science Standards will be addressed.

Discover the beauty and importance of prairie ecosystems in this engaging, hands-on workshop designed for K–5 educators. Participants will explore the plants, animals, and natural processes that make prairies one of our most valuable native habitats. Educators will learn about pollinators, biodiversity, fire, roots, and seasonal changes while investigating ways to connect these topics to learning standards. The workshop will include a guided hike to observe prairie habitat features firsthand, along with interactive activities and inquiry-based lessons that can be adapted for K-5th grade students.

Dive into the watery world of these beautiful, blue-billed diving ducks. Take part in scientific research while helping to band lesser scaup and other diving ducks during the spring migration at the Forbes Biological Station on the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge. Learn about the many long-term datasets involved in the management of ducks, from estimating populations, harvest, and hunter numbers, to utilizing banding data.  See how these datasets can be adapted for use in the classroom. Explore the life history of lesser scaup, challenges they face, and what research is being done on this species. This workshop is for grades 6-12 but can be adapted for other grades.

What is weather and climate, and how does it relate to climate change? How are Illinois species being affected?  Learn more about the science behind climate, weather, and climate change. Explore which species will be the losers and the winners with what is happening. Explore ways to help students understand this challenging and complicated topic that is in the headlines. Learn ways you can incorporate citizen science into your classroom to help students explore what is going on in their backyard. This workshop is for grades PreK-12.

Bay lynx, wildcat, bobcat oh my!  And found in Illinois, too! How do scientists study this elusive native feline and its growing population? Once listed as a threatened species, their numbers have rebounded and increased, allowing them to be delisted and recovered. Learn about bobcat ecology and behavior, and what lead to the bobcat flourishing.  Participants will learn about how and why scientists are studying bobcats in Illinois, including learning about telemetry and how the information is gathered. The workshop is for teachers of students in grades 6th-12th, but can be adapted for other grades.

Longer days and warmer weather mean trees are waking up after their winter dormancy. Trees like the flowering dogwood, serviceberry, and redbud are starting to bloom. Others, like the white oak and sycamore, are starting to leaf out. Explore tree life cycles and the role they play in the southern Illinois forest ecosystem. Learn about springtime tree identification and how dendrology can be used in your classroom.

This engaging workshop uses the legend of Bigfoot and other cryptids as a gateway to teaching real scientific concepts. Educators will explore how folklore, eyewitness claims, and media stories can spark student curiosity while reinforcing critical thinking, evidence evaluation, ecology, and wildlife biology. Participants will learn strategies for guiding discussions on scientific methods, habitat suitability, and species identification - turning mystery into meaningful, standards-aligned learning. Ideal for teachers looking to capture attention while strengthening scientific literacy. This workshop is for grades PreK-12.

From the birds flying overhead to the insects flitting about the weeds growing in the cracks of a sidewalk, nature persists all around us, even in highly developed urban areas. You can learn about plants, animals, and fungi right in your own backyard or even in a parking lot. Kindergarten through 12th grade educators will learn how to examine nature and natural phenomena right outside their front door, learn how to contribute to community science and participate in projects like the City Nature Challenge, to better understand the life cycles and adaptations of the lifeforms around us, and to look for patterns in nature.

When does spring start? When do the flowers bloom? How does nature know when to start a different time of year? It's all about phenology, or nature's timing. Learn about this concept and how you can bring it to your students in your classroom. Phenology is also a great way for students to explore the changes happening in nature due to climate change.  Explore different ways to collect data with students of all ages, connect it to common core math you are already doing in your classroom, and help students understand nature in new ways. Discover the art of nature journaling to document nature and the connections to language arts and writing.

Check out these field trip sites and ways to connect with IDNR. See what they offer for teachers during this school year! 

Chicago: Jonathan Schlesinger at DNR.urbanfishing.Chicago@Illinois.gov or request form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccsob8-neKioSA5qv-3Ti7XjRh3rs2nD3o9lpgTzORgOVwIg/viewform. 

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

In addition to scheduled tours, our walk-in visitor’s center is open every day from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, with several informational displays and windows overlooking the production areas of the hatchery. All ages are welcome, and tours are completely free! 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/.

Everything is free, vetted by educators and scientists, and aligned to state standards. Check it out at https://illinoisclimateeducation.org/ Check out the 3 free climate modules and other professional development at https://illinoisclimateeducation.org/professional-development.

You can find the November STEAM Newsletter Vol. 71 online now. You can view this volume as well as previous volumes directly on the DoIT STEAM Newsletter webpage. Additional resources can be found on the DoIT STEAM website.  

Additional resources can be found on the DoIT STEAM website.   If you have any questions or comments, please email DoiT STREAM at DoIT.Steam@Illinois.gov. 

Check out their three FREE and virtual trainings at https://www.ianetwork.org/distance-learning-sessions-2/. They have resources and other information available at https://www.ianetwork.org/. For more information, please contact Gwyndolyn Moss at gmoss@ianetwork.org. 

Make an impact in your community. Gain professional experience for your resume and college. Receive mentorship.

Develop an environmental, climate, or sustainable project. Submit a video pitch for Round One judging. Finalists pitch their project live with a chance to make your idea a reality!

Who should apply? Team of 1-6 open to all high school students. Future engineers, artists, politicians, scientists, marketers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and more. Applications are open until November 8, 2026.

Students can complete the interest form and sign up for an info session if they aren’t quite ready to apply.

For more details, visit the Changemaker Green Challenge webpage and for more opportunities for your students, visit the Building Leadership Around Sustainable Transformation (BLAST) page.

The Changemaker Green Challenge is brought to you by Building Leadership Around Sustainable Transformation (BLAST), the youth program of Accelerate Climate Solutions

If you have taken or used Project Budburst at some point in the past few years or took a teacher workshop at the Chicago Botanic Garden of other locations that featured Budburst in some way, either personally or with students, please be aware of the following from the Budburst team:

“We have come to the difficult decision that we need to shut down Budburst operations at the end of this calendar year, 2026, due to the current funding environment. The website and app will discontinue at midnight December 31st. The data will be available on the Chicago Botanic Garden website and archived at the National Phenology Network.  

We want to thank you for all your support over the past 20 years. We have been fortunate to support climate change education and research engaging over 35,000 community scientists over that time and collecting nearly 150,000 data points resulting in dozens of research papers. For future phenology observations we recommend iNaturalist or the National Phenology Network’s Nature’s Notebook.

It has been our pleasure and privilege to work with you, and we hope to continue to collaborate in the future.”

Best,

Taran Lichtenberger. Budburst Community Engagement Manager

Jennifer Schwarz, Co-Investigator

Kay Havens, Co-Investigator