Visit a DuPage forest preserve with your students where they will learn about natural sciences and DuPage County's cultural history. These programs are designed to meet national learning standards, including Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.
Program reservations for the 2021 – 2022 academic year are now open. We offer programs throughout the academic year (Sept. 1 through June 1), and most are available Monday through Friday.
The Forest Preserve District is committed to making its programs available to all groups. Please mention any accessibility needs or concerns when you reserve your program.
View the available guided school programs and descriptions below. Then, click the green button to complete and submit a program request form.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, school programs at forest preserves have been modified to align with the state’s health guidelines. All program participants are expected to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth. Social distancing of 6 feet should be practiced by all program participants. Please mention any accessibility needs or concerns when registering for a program.
Guided school programs require a three-week advance reservation and have a minimal per-student fee.
Day at the Farm
Students participate in a wide variety of lessons and activities presented by costumed guides. Visit an 1890s farmhouse to see how families lived more than a century ago. Interact with farm animals and explore fields to learn how farmers used the technology of the 1890s to raise crops and livestock to feed a growing nation. From seasonal chores to pastimes of the past, four hours is barely enough time to see and do it all! Four-hour interactive program for up to 350 students. $10 per student.
May 19 and 20
Thursday & Friday
Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago
Standards explored (may vary by season)
Down on the Farm - No spring reservations
Students take a hayride to the Danada Model Farm to investigate firsthand the staple crops and farming methods of the 1940's - 1960's, and life as a pioneer on the prairie. Students may also meet horses at the Danada Equestrian Center's Kentucky Barn. This endowed program has no associated fees thanks to the generous support of the Friends of Danada. Bus subsidies are available for Title I schools. Three-hour guided tour for 10 - 60 students.
September 1 - October 1
Monday - Friday
Danada Equestrian Center & Danada Model Farm in Wheaton
Students learn about Global Positioning Systems and how they work while using a GPS unit to find waypoints and hidden caches. Ninety-minute interactive program for 10 - 30 students. $10 per student.
Academic year
Monday - Friday
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center in Oak Brook, St. James Farm in Warrenville, or Waterfall Glen in Darien.
Standards Explored
Common Core:
NGSS:
Get Outside: Outdoor Education Day
Students explore a variety of nature content while rotating between stations and activities. Teachers pre-select the activities from the list below. Four-hour interactive program for 50 - 120 students. $10 per student.
Academic year
Monday - Friday
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center in Oak Brook or St. James Farm in Warrenville.
Activities to choose from include: bird banding, bird watching, fish ID & dichotomous keys, fishing, food chains & food webs, geocaching, guided nature hike, habitat restoration, insect investigation, nature art, nature engineers, plant powers, team challenge, tracking, and tree ID.
Standards Explored
Will vary based on activities selected.
Are you looking for suggestions on how to pair your activities?
Biodiversity – food chains & food webs, guided nature hike, habitat restoration, insect investigation
Community Action – bird banding, birdwatching, habitat restoration, insect investigation, or team challenge
Creativity & Problem Solving – guided nature hike, nature art, nature engineers, team challenge, or tracking
End of the Year Fun – bird watching, fishing, geocaching, insect investigation, nature art, or team challenge
Plants – food chains & food webs, guided nature hike, nature art, plant powers, or tree ID
Wildlife – bird banding, birdwatching, fish ID & dichotomous keys, fishing, guided nature hike, insect investigation, or tracking
Life on the Farm
Students explore Kline Creek Farm while reinforcing many of the concepts they are learning in the classroom with topics ranging from the energy used on an 1890s farm to how plants grow and reproduce. Tours of the animals will explore how nutrients from plants feed animals and how manure is used to fertilize plants. Students will learn about the business of farming, farming innovations and how farming has moved in and then out of DuPage County. Ninety-minute guided tour for 10 - 30 students. $5 per student.
Academic year
Monday, Thursday & Friday
Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago
Standards Explored
Common Core:
ELA/Literacy
Social Studies
NGSS:
Pre-Activity Sheets:
Suggested Reading List (PDF)
Crossword Puzzle (PDF)
Vocabulary List (PDF)
Nature Hike
Students increase their awareness of nature and their interest in the natural world through observation and discussion. Activities and discussion will vary by season and by forest preserve. One-hour guided hike for 10 - 30 students. $5 per student.
Academic year
Monday – Friday
Take a guided nature hike at one of the preserves listed below. Each of these preserves includes school-group friendly amenities including bus parking, picnic areas and public restrooms. If you plan to eat lunch onsite and/or require a picnic shelter reservation, please indicate this on your program request form.
Preserve |
Town |
Acres |
Shelters |
Trails (miles) |
Warrenville |
1387 |
5 |
9 |
|
Glen Ellyn |
265 |
3 |
2 |
|
Wheaton |
825 |
0 |
6 |
|
Wayne |
374 |
0 |
1 |
|
Oak Brook |
226 |
1 |
4 |
|
Naperville |
1414 |
2 |
14 |
|
Wheaton |
896 |
4 |
7 |
|
Downers Grove |
393 |
1 |
2 |
|
Bartlett |
501 |
1 |
4 |
|
Hanover Park |
953 |
1 |
4 |
|
Oak Brook |
90 |
0 |
1 |
|
Naperville |
465 |
2 |
7 |
|
Wayne |
3474 |
1 |
8 |
|
Wood Dale |
93 |
1 |
1 |
|
Naperville |
1829 |
1 |
9 |
|
Darien |
2492 |
1 |
12 |
|
Bartlett |
725 |
0 |
3 |
|
West Chicago |
462 |
0 |
4 |
|
Wood Dale |
185 |
2 |
1 |
Standards Explored (may vary by season)
Common Core:
ELA/Literacy
NGSS:
Loan Box Links:
Operation Restoration
Students discover the importance of biodiversity and the impact that change can have on an ecosystem. Afterwards, students will participate in a project to restore a habitat. Ninety-minute interactive program for 10 - 30 students. $10 per student.
Academic year
Monday - Friday
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center in Oak Brook or St. James Farm in Warrenville.
Standards Explored
Common Core:
NGSS:
USRC Tour: Saving Aquatic Organisms
Students explore the Urban Stream Research Center while learning about freshwater mussels and a federally endangered insect species. Dive in to discussions about habitat loss and visit a local river where habitats have been improved. Ninety-minute guided tour for 10 - 30 students. $5 per student.
March 24, April 13, 21 and 27
Wednesday and Thursday
Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville
Standards Explored
Common Core:
NGSS:
Loan Box Links:
Wildlife Exhibit Hike
A Willowbrook interpreter takes students on a guided tour of the outdoor wildlife exhibits and discusses the natural history of local wildlife as well as the individual stories of the animals living at the center. Willowbrook’s mission as a center will be discussed as well as an overview of how the animals are cared for both in the rehabilitation center and as permanent residents. One-hour guided tour for 10 - 30 students. $5 per student. At this time, all Willowbrook indoor facilities are closed to the public.
Academic year
Monday – Friday
Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn
Standards Explored
Common Core:
ELA/Literacy
NGSS:
Loan Box Links:
At a Forest Preserve
Preschool, Kindergarten & Grade 1
Grades 2 & 3
Grades 4 & 5
Grades 6 – 8
Grades 9 – 12
College
School Programs & Teacher Resources
School Programs & Teacher Resources
In Your Classroom
In-Person
Virtual
At a Forest Preserve
Guided Programs
Pre-, K & Grade 1
Grades 2 & 3
Grades 4 & 5
Grades 6 – 8
Grades 9 – 12
College
Self-Guided Discovery
Learn by Doing
Inquiry & PBL
STEM Outreach
Career Outreach
Teacher Resources
Teacher Professional Development
Loan Boxes
Partners in Education
Education Centers
Meet the Experts
3S580 Naperville Road
Wheaton, IL 60189
Visitor Services
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturdays through Aug. 27
(except July 2)
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Phone: 630-933-7200
Email: forest@dupageforest.org
Police: 630-933-7240
Email: police@dupageforest.org
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