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 Nov 27

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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 29.

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Dress is disguise for this Costume Party with the animals. Learn about animal disguises and play camouflage games as you party with our sneaky animal friends!

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Find out just how terrific nature is! Discover animals, nature, and seasonal topics through songs, art, activities and games, stories, and short walks at Wildwood. Children do not need to be potty trained: guardians will be contacted for urgent diaper changes. No class Nov 22

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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 26 and 28.

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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 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. The majority of the class takes place outdoors.

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Use pulleys, wheels, axles, and levers to create fun machines. Test a stomp catapult and see where the load and fulcrum must be to achieve maximum flight. Use pulleys to design a cable car transport system and design and test a marble roller coaster!

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Dive into the science of jet propulsion, then build and test rockets! See what the power of a little hot air can do as you build a model hot air balloon. Harness the power of gliding as you create your own long distance flyer, and learn more about adaptations that let animals leap - and soar! Explore early powered flight machines as well as the mechanics behind animal flight as we soar to new heights!

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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. After dinner, say hello to the Wildwood critters, borrow a fishing pole and visit the pond, and 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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The entire family will enjoy the peaceful night air while sitting around a fire listening to stories, singing songs, and making everyone’s favorite - s’mores! Enjoy a night hike around the pond. Flashlights are not needed, but feel free to bring a blanket or chair to sit on. Fee is per 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. Different activities each class. Please register only one member of your family and dress for a mess! October: Ramp and Roll - design cars and marble roller coasters as we explore rolling downhill, centripetal force, and friction. November: Feathers and Flight – design wings and planes, test your aerodynamic designs and explore wind and air resistance and how they help (or hinder) animal or human powered flight.

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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. A second stripe makes you a full fledged ”Zombie" and you join the rest of the mob.

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