All About Turtles of Illinois

Thank you to Maria Chiaberta, Director of Education and Anne Weerda, Executive Director  for hosting this learning video about turtles of Illinois. Learn more about Burpee Museum of Natural History here.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity: Go on a turtle hunt near a creek, river, pond or wetland. Use this Turtle Hunt Activity to help you keep track of what you see. After you do the activity fill out the form below to let us know what you found. (Español: Turtle Hunt Activity_Spanish)

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

All About Prairies

Thank you to Dawn Skupien and her daughter, Payton, for hosting this learning video about what you can find in a prairie.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity fill out the form below to let us know what you found.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity:  Take a walk and look around your backyard or a nearby park. Look for evidence that an animal used an area as a habitat. Here are some examples:

• Bird nests
• Beetle gallery on the inside of bark
• Cocoons
• Wasp nest
• Dwellings can be found in stone ledges or in the ground
• Goldenrod ball
• Trail made by an animal

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Let’s Write About It!

When you write about something, you get to experience it twice.

Thank you to Christine Swanberg, City of Rockford Poet Laureate, for hosting this learning video. Learn more about her and her role as the Poet Laureate here.  Follow Christine on Facebook here

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity fill out the form below to let us know what you learned or to share something you wrote.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity: Sit in a quiet place, preferably outside, and write one sentence or a short paragraph about your time doing one of the other activities in the Family Nature Adventure series. Use this A Woodland of Words_FNA 2021 for inspiration. You will see examples of how to use synonyms, senses, feelings, comparisons and personification in your writing. (Español: writing Spanish_Hoja De Projecto De Escritura)

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

All About Eastern Bluebirds

Thank you to Rob Clark for hosting this learning video. Rob is on the Natural Land Institute Board of Trustees and has been a bluebird monitor at Nygren Wetland Preserve in Rockton, IL for more than 15 years.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity fill out the form below to let us know what you saw.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity: Go Birding! Sit on a porch, in your backyard or nearby park where you can watch for birds. Try to sit there quietly for 30 minutes or an hour. Use this Bluebird Field Activity to track what you saw. Look for different colors and keep track of the number of times you saw each color on a bird. (Español: Actividad De Campo De Aventuras En La Naturaleza Familiar)

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

The Marvelous Monarch Migration from the Midwest to Mexico

Thank you to Julie Tackett for hosting this video and to Machelle Dopkins for creating the Monarch butterfly activity that goes along with it. Both are on the NLI Education Committee.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity: Create a Monarch butterfly and then take it outside for a fun adventure! See this Monarch Butterfly Activity 2021_Eng for instructions and what supplies are needed to make it (Español: Actividad De Mariposa Monarca Con Café Filtro) . The photo to the right shows an example of what your activity could look like. Make yours look any way you want it to.

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

All About our Native Bees and Wasps

Thank you to Barbara Williams for hosting this learning video.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity fill out the form below to let us know what you found.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity:   Build a bee nest. Be sure to get your parents’ or other guardian’s permission and to help with this activity. Here are instructions for different types of nests:

Bee nesting blocks can be made by drilling nesting holes between 3/32″ and 3/8″ in diameter, on approximate 3/4″ centers, into the side of a block of preservative-free lumber. The holes should be smooth inside and closed at one end. The height of the nest is not critical – 8″ or more is good – but the depth of the holes is critical. Holes less than 1/4″ diameter should be 3″ – 4″ deep. For holes 1/4″ or larger a 5″ – 6″ depth is best.

Stem or tube bundles can be made from plants like Teasel, Bamboo and reeds with naturally hollow stems. Cut the stems into 6″ – 8″ lengths. Be careful to cut the stems close to a node to create a tube with one end closed. Fifteen to twenty stems tied into a bunch with the closed ends of the stems together makes a fine nest. Place it so it is protected from the rain or cover it with a waterproof wrap or roof. Paper tubes can be used as well, just be sure they stay dry.

Logs and snags can be placed in a sunny location. Ones with beetle tunnels are ideal. Place a few upright, like dead trees. On the south and east side of each log drill a range of holes as outlined above.

Location of nesting sites is important. Place them where they are sheltered from the worst of the weather, with entrance holes facing east or southeast to catch the morning sun. Be sure the stems in stem bundles are horizontal. The nests can be any height above the ground, but between three and six feet is convenient. They can be placed in a tree, on a building, fence or stake. Fix them firmly so they don’t shake in the wind.

For additional information visit this website: https://www.xerces.org/publications/fact-sheets/nests-for-native-bees

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Those Weird Wild Seeds!

Thank you to Corrine Daniels, Nursery Director at Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries, for hosting this learning video.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity fill out the form below to let us know what you learned or to share something you wrote.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity:  Look in your yard, garden, even in your food and you will find all kinds of different seeds. Pick a few and compare them. Are they all the same size, shape and color?

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Furry Encounters. All About Mammals.

Thank you to Andrea Wallace Noble, Brendan Noble, and Dana Wallace for starring in this fun and dramatic learning video about coyotes and mammals. Thank you to Stacy Wallace for directing it. They are all on the NLI Education Committee.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity:   Go on a scavenger hunt to look for signs of mammals living in your neighborhood or a nearby park. Take this Mammal Scavenger Hunt Form 2021 with you. (Español: Busqueda de Tesoro de Mamiferos_Scavenger Hunt Mammals)

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Thank you to Aaron Wilson, Program Director, and Georgia, Intern for Welty Environmental Center in Beloit, WI for hosting this learning video.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity:   Take a walk around the area where you live. Take this Neighborhood Tree Detective identification worksheet with you to keep track of the number of tree signs you see. (Español: Neighborhood Tree Detective Spanish)

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Thank you to Candy Ridlbauer and Cathy Hoover of Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab and Education for hosting this learning video.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity: Take a walk around your backyard or a nearby park and look for signs of owls like whitewash (bird poop) on the bark of a tree or owl pellets on the ground.

If you are interested in dissecting owl pellets you can order them online here.

Learn more about Great Horned Owls and listen to their hoots and calls click here.

Click here to read more about other kinds of owls.

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Thank you to Pam Shaver for hosting this video. Pam is on the NLI Marketing & Membership Committee.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity: Leaf Lift-off!

This craft is a way to transfer the outline of a leaf (or leaves) to paper, as a take-off point for making greeting cards, frameable art, or framing photos.

Supplies:

1. paper

2. something to draw with (stylus)

3. flat broad leaves

Process: Pick up a variety of leaves.  If they are not very flat, sit on them for a few moments!  Lay your paper out on a flat surface – a sidewalk or a picnic table would work.  Lay a leaf on the paper and hold it down with the fingers of one hand, while you take your drawing stylus in the other.  Use very gentle, short sweeps off the edge of the leaf onto the paper.  Continue all around the leaf.  Lift off the leaf, and you should see the shape of it, plus some furry lines radiating from it.  Decorate your leaf “print” any way you like.

Optional supplies and activity extenders:  Beginning this activity with a colored marker for your stylus works well.  It allows for gentle strokes at the edge of the leaf without ripping the leaf.  A little practice is a good idea.  Colored pencil or crayon could then be added over the marker lines. Colored sidewalk chalk or childrens’ chalk, dipped in water (a bit poured from bottled water into the cap when out for a hike) yields very exciting results!  For artwork with chalk, you will need something to keep the drawing from smearing, like fixative or Mom’s hairspray!  (Do that outside, with an adult supervising you.) Different colors and types of paper can be used and layered. Gel pens work marvelous on dark paper!  Scissors could cut a sheet of white copy paper into two equal pieces.  Each could be folded in half and voila – you have designer cards to give to someone.  Use scissors to cut out the leaf’s shape.  Use the decorated background as a mat around a photograph, and pop it into an inexpensive desk-top frame.  Combine more than one leaf to create the image of an animal.  “Lift-off” with ideas of your own!  They are never ending!

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Thank you to Ann Wasser and Severson Dells Nature Center for hosting this learning video featuring crayfish and fish.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity:    Go to a nearby creek or pond with a parent or adult and look into the creek for a little while. Try sitting or standing there for 15-20 minutes. Count the number of fish you see and look for other creatures in the water like the crayfish you saw in the video. Can you identify some of the adaptations talked about in the video? Put your comments in the form below if you recognized any.

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Thank you to Rick Barton, volunteer and member of the NLI Education Committee, for  hosting this learning video.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity:   Go with a parent or other adult to a pond or creek and using a net, scoop up the bottom. Look for squiggly water bugs in what you scooped up. Don’t forget to put them back into the water when you are done. Use this macroinvertebrate tally sheet to see if you can identify what you caught. Español: El Conteo de Macro-invertebrados_Spanish

Resources: Buy economical nets from https://www.acornnaturalists.com/, get cheap nets at a dollar store, or use sandbox sifters if you have any at home. You can also use sand buckets to gather and let the sledge settle.

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Thank you to Dan Kane, Executive Director, Boone County Conservation District, and to Northern Regional Groundwater Protection Planning Committee for partnering with us to host this learning video.

Watch the video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Cómo activar los subtítulos en español: Comience a reproducir el video.  Haga clic en Configuración en la esquina inferior derecha, luego Subtítulos, Inglés, Subtítulos y Traducción automática.  Desplácese hasta español y selecciónelo.

Suggested activity:   After the next time it rains, go outside and look for places where the water went. Keep a list so you can fill out the form below.

Fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Answers are anonymous.

Thank you to Rick Barton for hosting this learning video.

Watch the video below and then do the suggested activity:

After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it. Then go on to the next learning video.

Suggested Activity: Now that you’ve watched the Wetlands learning video, ask an adult to go with you to visit a wetland. If you have permission from the owners to be on their property (if it isn’t a public preserve), use the macroinvertebrate tally sheet to look for animals in the sludge. You will need a net, sifter or bucket for this. You can also use your eyes and ears to find other larger animals and different types of plants at the wetland.

Resources: Buy economical nets from https://www.acornnaturalists.com/, get cheap nets at a dollar store, or use sandbox sifters if you have any at home. You can also use sand buckets to gather and let the sledge settle. Use this macroinvertebrate tally sheet to keep track of what you find.

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Ann Wasser and Andrea Wallace Noble from our partner organization, Severson Dells Nature Center, who hosted this learning video.

Watch this learning video then do the suggested activities. After you do the activities, fill out the form below and submit it. Then go on to the next learning video.

Suggested Activities:

Use the word bank on the second page of the handout to fill in the parts of the fish. Click Fish Handout to view and download to print it.

With the help of an adult, go to a nearby creek or pond and see if you can see fish in the water. Keep track of how many different kinds of fish you see.

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Dan Kane from Boone County Conservation District for hosting this learning video.

Watch this video then do the suggested activity below. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Go outside and see what water is doing near you.

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Ann Weerda and Burpee Museum of Natural History for permission to use their videos.

Watch one or both videos then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Bird Feet

Bird Beaks

Suggested Activities:

Many birds live in our neighborhoods. Spend some time in your backyard, or take a walk through your neighborhood. What kinds of birds do you see? What are they doing? Can you hear birds, but not see them?

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Dr. Rochelle Lurie and Macktown Living History for assisting with this activity and allowing us to use the video produced by Illinois Archaeological Survey.

Watch this video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

An excavation and information about Macktown Living History is in the first few minutes of this video.

Suggested Activity:

If you can, visit Macktown Forest Preserve (2221 Freeport Rd., Rockton, IL) and walk around to look at the historic signs placed around the preserve. If you can’t visit the preserve look at the historic signs by Macktown Living History here (provide link to the signs) to find your answers.

Another thing you can do is visit a museum of living history in your area, wherever you live, to think about how people lived in the past and interacted with nature. Link to Macktown FP website info https://winnebagoforest.org/preserves/macktown/

Find out more about Macktown Living History and upcoming events visit their website here.

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Barbara Williams for hosting this learning video. 

Watch this video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Suggested Activity:

Go outside and find some flowers that are blooming. Smell them. Do they have an odor? Push your finger gently inside one flower to find out if you can get some pollen on your finger. Pollen looks like tiny bits of sand or dust. Now push your finger with the pollen on it into another flower of the same type and wiggle it around to wipe off the pollen. You are a pollinator! Find a bee or some other insect on a flower. Watch it. Talk to it. Listen to it. Can you see pollen on the insect? Can you hear its buzzing wings? Can you follow it?

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Julie Tackett for hosting this learning video and to Machelle Dopkins for coordinating the suggested activity.

Watch this video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Suggested Activity:

Make a nature butterfly craft. Click here to view and print the instructions.

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Laura Sjoquist for hosting this learning video.

Watch this video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Suggested Activity:

Lift up a rock or turn over a log. What critters can you find living underneath?

Use this WORKBOOK to help you record and learn about what you saw. You can print one page at a time to do the activity or the whole booklet, whatever you want to do. 

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Dawn Skupien and her children, Payton and Forest, for hosting this learning video.

Watch this video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Suggested Activity:

In your backyard, or at a park, use a tape measure or ruler to measure something that is the same length as the roots of big blue stem: 7 feet and/or lead plant: 15 feet.

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Aaron Wilson and Welty Environmental Center for hosting this learning video.

Watch this video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Suggested Activity:

Make a leaf rubbing. (Material and Instructions provided in the video).

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Corrie Daniels and Taylor Creek Restoration Nursery for hosting this learning video.

Watch this video then do the suggested activity. After you do the activity, fill out the form below and submit it.

Suggested Activity:

Now that you know more about how seeds are raised in a seed nursery, where else do you think you can find seeds. Look in your yard, garden, even in your food and you will find all kinds of different seeds. Pick a few and compare them. Are they all the same size, shape and color? Do you think they travel in different ways?

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you to Dave Brandt for hosting this learning video.

Watch the four sections in this video then do one or more of the suggested activities. After you do the activities, fill out the form below and submit it.

Suggested Activity:

Do one or more – your choice.

EROSION: Look for erosion in your backyard or nearby park. Or, when it hasn’t rained in a few days go to a nearby creek and look at the water. How does it look? Wait until the next time it rains and go back to the same place. What does the water look like?

WHAT IS SOIL? Using a clear plastic water bottle fill it with soil from somewhere in your yard (get permission to do this) halfway, then fill it to the top. Shake it up and wait a few minutes to let the soil and gravel, if any, settle.

DRAINAGE QUALITY: Find out what kind of soil your home sits on. If you can, visit or call your local Soil and Water Conservation District and ask their staff to help you find out this information.

Tell us what you discovered by filling out the form below and submitting it.

Thank you for participating in Family Nature Adventures! We hope you had fun learning about nature in your neighborhood and community.

Before we send you a Junior Naturalist Badge we will need your contact information and would like to know what activities you participated in and hear about your experiences.

We will also ask you optional questions that will help us gather demographic data for grant purposes. This is not required to receive the Junior Naturalist Badge and Certificate. Any information you provide to us will be kept confidential and we do not sell any personal information collected. Here is our website user privacy policy: https://www.naturalland.org/website-user-privacy-policy/

Please fill out the form below and we will mail your Junior Naturalist Badge and Certificate to you.