Spark the natural curiosity in your “Wild One” as we take in the beauty of the natural world. Discover snow, ice, fur and other winter wonders with free play, outdoor nature walks, crafts, songs, themed activities, and visits to the animals each week. Dress for a mess. No Class February 17.

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Go on an expedition all the way to the North and South Poles to discover our Polar Pals. Enjoy activities inspired by our cold weather friends, an animal tale, a fun craft, a visit to the Nature Center's animal room, and a short nature walk outdoors (weather permitting). Featuring polar bears, arctic foxes, and other creatures of the cold!

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Venture into the jungle to discover the animals that call this lush green place home. Enjoy activities inspired by our featured jungle animals, a creature tale, a fun craft, a visit to the Nature Center's animal room, and a short nature walk outdoors (weather permitting). Featuring anteaters, jaguars, and other jungle animals!

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Experience the wonders of animals, plants, and the outdoors with fun games, crafts, experiments, and activities. We're all about hands-on learning and discovery, and we venture outside every day. Different topics each season. No class on January 20, February 17, or March 24.

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See the world through science goggles. Uncover the natural, physical and earth sciences with fun experiments, observations, games, crafts, and outdoor hikes. Different topics presented each season. No class on Mar 26.

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Preschool explorers get ready for outdoor adventure! Wild Child’s kid crew will create their own adventures around Wildwood’s pond, prairie, and woodland paths, and extend the exploration inside the classroom. No class March 28.

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Show your love for the animals! Create handmade Valentines for our cuddly friends, and receive a Valentine from the animals to you! Spend time with our critters - feeding, petting, playing with them - and learn about animal bodies and animal care.

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Find out just how terrific nature is as you prepare for preschool! Discover animals, nature, and seasonal topics through songs, art, activities, games, stories, and walks outside at Wildwood.

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Does your toddler miss the cutoff for Nature Preschool or Nature PlaySchool? Toddler Tree School is an introductory class for two and three year olds. Tots explore nature through hikes, outdoor exploration, sensory activities, dramatic play, songs, stories and art. No class March 25 or 27. Priority Registration for students currently enrolled in the Fall session from Nov 18-Dec 8. New registration begins Monday, December 9th for residents and December 13th for nonresidents. Payment plan option available until December 14.

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Afternoon Adventure Club extends your preschooler’s day by an additional 1.5 hours. Classes are held at the Maine Park Leisure Center. We look forward to a WILDLY fun time! No Class dates: 10/13/25, 11/24/25-11/28/25. Class must meet a minimum of 5 students per day in order to run. Classes subject to be cancelled prior to the start of the school year.

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Looking for to extend your preschoolers camp day S'MORE? Explore at Wildwood, go on outdoor hikes, and dive into nature and animal themes each week. Children must be completely toilet trained by the first day of camp. Camp will be held primarily outdoors, and head inside in the event of inclement weather. If attending a morning camp that ends at 1:30pm at Maine Park, camp staff will escort your child to Camp S’more, located in the same building. Age for camp is age as of the first day of each session.

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Extend your preschool aged camper’s day at Lunch Bunch. Eat your lunch then enjoy free play indoors and outdoors after your meal. Children are escorted to and from lunch and their camps by staff. Lunch must be peanut/tree nut free. No pull-ups, or diapers. MP

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Does your toddler miss the cutoff for Nature Preschool or Nature Play School? Toddler Tree School is an introductory class for two and three year olds. Tots explore nature, learn, and grow through themed hikes, outdoor exploration, sensory activities, dramatic play, songs, stories, art, and visits to the animal room. The majority of the program takes place outside at the Wildwood Nature Center grounds in their outdoor gathering space and hiking, and their indoor classroom is located at Wildwood. Program is for children ages 2-3 as of September 1. No class November 25 and 27. Registration for Fall 2025 Registration Dates - March 3 - Resident Registration 7:30am online and 8:30am in person - March 7 - Nonresident Registration 8:30am online and in person If you have never registered for a Park District program, you will need to set up your Household account with the Park Ridge Park District to create an account. Please reach out to the Registration Office at 847-692-5127 for more information about setting up an account.

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Get ready to explore the human body! Discover how your body breaks down food by creating a working model of an esophagus and stomach and exploring acids and bases. Follow a blood cell and find out its unique purpose in transporting oxygen all around our body, and test your breath capacity with different experiments. Trick your brain with fun smell and taste experiments, make your own optical illusions, and test your memory against your friends. See how tendons and muscles work with your bones to move your body by engineering a hand model.

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Interested in being a ranger at Wildwood? Get a hands-on taste of what it’s like to be a Wildwood ranger. Learn how to clean, feed, and care for the animals during this fun training session.

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Escape Earth's gravity to explore sky and space! Meteorologists, don your lab coats and rain boots. We're off to watch the weather! Explore the wild side of weather as you generate static electricity lightning and twisting tornadoes in water. Create a homemade anemometer, rain gauge, and wind vane to take home. Then pop into your spacesuit for some fun amongst the stars! Use telescopes to see the night sky and build a telescope to take home. Learn how to locate constellations, planets, and other fun astronomy finds.

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Calling together the Adventure Club – come join Wildwood’s naturalists for weekly outdoor excursions. Explore and discover nature through experiments, projects, and exploration. Class takes place outdoors as much as possible. Please pack a water bottle and dress to be comfortable outdoors.

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Turn your family into scientists and explore fun science concepts with us! Make cool discoveries through experiments, projects, and play. Different activities each month. Please register only one member of your family. January: CSI Science - Examine fingerprints, analyze chemicals, and follow the clues to have some forensics fun! February: Bath Bomb Explosions - design and dissolve bath bombs as you explore what makes them fizz and foam.

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