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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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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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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Preschool After Care 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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Spark the natural curiosity in your “Wild One” as we take in the beauty of the natural world. Discover water, frogs, worms, and other spring-time wonders with free play, outdoor nature walks, crafts, songs, themed activities, and visits to the animals each week. Dress for a mess.

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Head down under to Australia to discover unique animals that call this island home. Greet our Wildwood animals, sing our welcome song, learn about our creature of the day, create an Aussie animal craft, discover more through interactive play, enjoy story time, and then head outside for a short nature walk (weather permitting) each week. WNC

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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.

Sections & Details

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.

Sections & Details

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.

Sections & Details

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.

Sections & Details

Experience the wonders of animals, plants, and the outdoors with fun games, crafts, experiments, and activities. We are all about hands-on learning and discovery and venture outside for nature hikes. Different topics each session. No class Nov 28. Registration for Fall 2025 When you register you can select to pay in full or select the payment plan option. If you choose the payment plan option, it will show a current charge of $1R/$5NR for each section, and they remaining fee is split into 4 equal payments on 8/15, 9/15, 10/15, and 11/15. Registration Dates - February 10 at 12:00 pm- Nature Preschool, Nature PlaySchool, Science Kids, Nature Friends, and Wild Child currently enrolled students are able to register for Fall 2025 - February 24 at 12:00 pm – Registration open to current Maine Park Preschool, PlayTime Pals, and Toddler Tree School families. - March 10 at 12:00 pm– Open Registration for all new students Registration for the program is online. 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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See the world through science goggles. Each session features a different scientific topic, and each week dives deeper into that topic through fun experiments, observations, games, crafts, and outdoor hikes. Please send you child with a peanut/tree nut free snack and reusable water bottle. No class Oct. 13 or Nov. 24. Registration for Fall 2025 When you register you can select to pay in full or select the payment plan option. If you choose the payment plan option, it will show a current charge of $1R/$5NR for each section, and they remaining fee is split into 4 equal payments on 8/15, 9/15, 10/15, and 11/15. Registration Dates - February 10 at 12:00 pm- Nature Preschool, Nature PlaySchool, Science Kids, Nature Friends, and Wild Child currently enrolled students are able to register for Fall 2025 - February 24 at 12:00 pm – Registration open to current Maine Park Preschool, PlayTime Pals, and Toddler Tree School families. - March 10 at 12:00 pm– Open Registration for all new students Registration for the program is online. 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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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 Nov 24. Registration for Fall 2025 When you register you can select to pay in full or select the payment plan option. If you choose the payment plan option, it will show a current charge of $1R/$5NR for each section, and they remaining fee is split into 4 equal payments on 8/15, 9/15, 10/15, and 11/15. Registration Dates - February 10 at 12:00 pm- Nature Preschool, Nature PlaySchool, Science Kids, Nature Friends, and Wild Child currently enrolled students are able to register for Fall 2025 - February 24 at 12:00 pm – Registration open to current Maine Park Preschool, PlayTime Pals, and Toddler Tree School families. - March 10 at 12:00 pm– Open Registration for all new students Registration for the program is online. 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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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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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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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 session.

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Calling together the Adventure Club – come join Wildwood’s naturalists for weekly outdoor excursions. Explore the prairie looking for creatures big and small, grab a net to find bugs in the long grass or in the water, hike the Des Plaines River trail, and discover nature through experiments, projects, and exploration. Class takes place mainly outdoors, and ventures inside due to inclement weather. Please pack a water bottle and dress to be comfortable outdoors.

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Recycle and Repurpose everyday items like tank tops, bottle tops, kitchen tiles, and pop tops, and turn them into one-of-a-kind works of art!

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Enjoy a night of s'mores, stories, and songs around a campfire with your family. Sit around Wildwood's campfire circle to sing songs, listen to stories, cook yummy s'mores, and head out around the pond for a nighttime stroll. Fee is per family, please register only one member of your family.

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Turn your family into scientists and explore fun science concepts with us! Make cool discoveries through experiments, projects, and play. April's theme is Human Body. Please register only one member of your family.

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Camp out with your family in the Park District’s backyard, outside at the Wildwood Nature Center. Enjoy a campfire dinner and s’mores on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning. Before and after dinner, say hello to the Wildwood critters, borrow a fishing pole or net and visit the pond, and then enjoy a family friendly movie before turning in for the night. Participants are required to bring their own tents and bedding. Fee is per person. Please let us know if you have any dietary concerns/allergies.

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Have fun as a family discovering what lurks beneath the surface of the pond! Dip and scoop with nets to catch lots of critters and maybe a few tadpoles! Learn all about life in the pond, and dress for a mess. Fee is per family, please only register one member of your family.

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Ready for Wildwood’s twist on the classic tag? A popular Nature Camp and Discovery Crew game, Zombie Tag is a prairie wide invasion to escape and evade getting tagged by the group of Zombie players. Zombies are marked with an X, and getting tagged by a zombie player will result in one stripe across your own shirt (with tape) or face (with washable paint). A second stripe makes you a full fledged ”Zombie" and you join the rest of the mob. Fee is per family, please register only one person from your family.

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