Nature Explorers
Explore plants and animals up close in the Backyard and the Fantasy Forest to get a new appreciation for all the gifts Mother Nature has provided us!
Underwritten by HSBC - North America, with additional support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services
Activities
- Complete puzzles to activate time-lapse videos of plants and insects
- Dig in play dirt to find worms, spiders, ants, and pill bugs
- Examine grass, feathers, bark, and fur close up on a magnifying screen
- Disappear into a landscape by wearing a camouflage cape
- Discover how birds use beaks for tools
- Play “I Spy” on a dock or in the boat on the play pond
- Read books in the Goose Nest
- View the recycling processes for glass, aluminum, paper, and plastic
- Create a pretend animal by mixing and matching heads bodies, legs, feet, wings, and tails
- Follow animal footprints to find where animals live
- Peek through knotholes in the giant tree or conduct a puppet show
- Dress up as pond animals and swim, hop, or walk through the forest
Good to Know:
Exhibit Type
Ongoing
Focused Field Trips Aligned with this Exhibit
This exhibit is aligned with Illinois State Learning Standards
Educational Benefits
- Use imaginations and role-play
- Explore and observe materials and natural phenomena
- Distinguish between living and non living things
- Sequence the stages of life cycles
- Recognize and identify recycling concepts
Take It with You
Use the following activities to bring the education concepts from this exhibit into your home or classroom:
