Looking for educational, memorable opportunities for your kids this summer? Enroll them in the Summer Nature Study Programs at Sugar Grove Nature Center! See the program list below. All programs require advanced registration and payment. Space is limited. Register by visiting sugargrovenaturecenter.org, email register@sugargrovenaturecenter.org or call 309.874.2174. Classes could be cancelled if minimum enrollment is not met by the registration deadline. Please contact the Nature Center for availability.
Ages 6-12
Nature Fun Club
Tuesdays, June 14-July 19 (6 sessions); 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; Ages 6-8
Nature Adventurer’s Club
Tuesdays, June 14-July 19 (6 sessions); 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; Ages 9-12
Discovery and exploration will be emphasized in this exciting program. Along with environmental themes, show-and-tell, and projects, participants will enjoy plenty of unstructured time in nature. While these programs run concurrently, ages will be divided for most activities.
Fee for Series: $100/members, $125/non-members. Registration & prepayment required by June 7
Frontier Kids
Wednesday, June 29; 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; Ages 6-8
Wednesday, June 29; 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; Ages 9-12
Meet a real buckskinner and learn what skills were needed to survive on the frontier in the 1800’s. Create fun craft projects, play old-time games, and sample snacks from the turn of the 19th century!
Fee: $20/child members, $25/child non-members. Registration & prepayment required by June 22
Meet the Monarchs
Wednesday, July 13; 9:30-11:30 a.m.; Ages 6-8;
Wednesday, July 13; 12:30-2:30 p.m.; Ages 9-12
Come explore the magnificent monarch with Laurel Schumacher, Earthkeeper and first grade teacher at Thomas Metcalf Laboratory School! You will learn how to find and identify monarchs in their natural habitat. Explore the life cycle, food sources and habitat of a monarch butterfly. Find out why monarchs need our protection and how you can do your part in conserving this marvelous insect!
Fee: $8/child members, $12/child non-members. Registration & prepayment required by July 6
Creek Stomp
Tuesday, July 26; 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; Ages 6-8
Thursday, July 28; 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.;
Ages 9-12
Kids will love getting wet and muddy as they explore the banks and depths of a nearby creek! Learn about some creatures we might encounter, then head out to creek to see what we can find!
Fee: $20/child members, $25/child non-members. Registration and prepayment required by July 19.
Ages 12-16
McLean County Art Center Mobile ROVER: Plein Air Watercolor Painting
Friday, June 3; 1:00-4:00 p.m.; Ages 12-19
We are delighted to welcome the McLean County Arts Center’s ROVER: Mobile Arts Program for this exciting program! Sugar Grove Nature Center provides the perfect setting for this introduction to outdoor studio practice. Under the direction of local artist-teacher Dale Evans, students will practice painting landscapes “en plein air” (in the open air) using professional artist-grade watercolors. A month-long exhibition of the artwork created will be held in MCAC’s Brandt Gallery.
Free: Registration is required and seating is limited. Visit mcac.org to sign up.
Youth Nature Photography Workshop
Thursday, July 7; 9:30-11:30 a.m.; Ages 9-12
Explore the art of nature photography with John Tobias! Learn to use the features of your camera while creating gorgeous photographs of the natural world. Bring a digital camera with fully charged batteries (or extra batteries), and a memory card that can hold up to 100 images. No cell phone cameras, please. You will spend some time outdoors, so dress for the weather.
Fee: $15/members, $18/non-members. Registration and prepayment required by June 30.
Stream Discovery, Citizen Science
Friday, July 22; 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; Ages 12-16
Determine the health of a nearby stream by testing the water quality and identifying its macro invertebrate inhabitants. We’ll examine all the things that we find and analyze the creek’s physical, biological, and chemical components. This information will then be entered into a statewide database and be compared with other waterways in Illinois.
Sign up today and join us in some science fun!
Fee: $20/child members, $25/child non-members. Please bring a lunch. Registration and prepayment required by July 15.
“Save the Frogs!” Art Class at Miller Park Zoo
Wednesday, August 10 and Friday, August 12; 9:00 a.m.-noon; Ages 9-12
Wednesday, August 10 AND Friday, August 12; 2:00 p.m.-5:00p.m.; Ages 13-17
Science meets art in this unique program collaboration by Sugar Grove Nature Center and Miller Park Zoo. Participants will study the physical characteristics of frogs and toads, then use this information to create artwork to be entered into the Save The Frogs! Art Contest. Save The Frogs! (savethefrogs.com) is a worldwide conservation organization created to protect amphibian populations and promote a society that respects and appreciates nature and wildlife.
Fee: $32/members, $38/non-members. Registration and prepayment required by August 8. This program will take place at Miller Park Zoo, 1020 S Morris Ave, Bloomington, IL
For more information please email register@sugargrovenaturecenter.org or call 309.874.2174. Sugar Grove Nature Center is located in beautiful, historic Funks Grove, just south of Bloomington-Normal. For a map and directions to the Nature Center, membership and program information visit us on-line at www.sugargrovenaturecenter.org.
