Seven years ago, we dreamed of turning a gravel parking lot at the Chicago Botanic Garden into something defining—a place where learners of all ages could explore and become inspired by the natural world.
I never could have imagined the rich details, the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which the Learning Campus connects people to nature. Consider the heart of the campus, the Learning Center, which has 12 indoor and two outdoor classrooms (for cooking, yoga, and other classes, along with space for the new Nature Preschool). The Learning Center is also home to:
an art installation that reveals the transitioning shades of the Chicago Botanic Garden throughout the seasons—color rectangles show leaves, stems, berries, or flowers, photographed in extreme close-up,
benches made by a master wood-carver from the reclaimed wood of ash trees, and
an enclosed indoor beehive that allows honeybees to roam outside—and pollinate flowers in the new Nature Play Garden—and return through a long tube in the Learning Center’s roof.
A young visitor examines the new indoor beehive in front of nature photographed in extreme close-up by artist Jo Hormuth.
Now the last—and most important—piece of our dream is about to come true. I can’t wait to see the Learning Campus come alive with people—splashing, rolling, climbing, and finding their own inspiration—at the free Opening Celebration. I look forward to meeting you.
Yoga is in session at the new Learning Campus.
Come to the free Opening Celebration, September 10 and 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; parking fees apply. Enjoy live music and activities, take home a free plant, and more. Take 10 percent off classes when you sign up on-site on opening weekend (members get 30 percent off). Members are welcome to stop by the lounge for light refreshments and a commemorative gift.
A small pink bicycle—with training wheels and pink ribbons—was parked outside the new Nature Preschool at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was just a sign of things to come at the preschool, which opens September 6 at the new Regenstein Learning Campus, home to the Garden’s education programs.
Parking right outside the new Regenstein Learning Campus
Open houses for the 2017-18 school year will be held this fall. Meanwhile, we talked to some of this year’s students at the orientation for 4-year-olds about their future career plans and other matters.
Gemma plays in the outdoor mud kitchen.
Gemma
Q. What are you looking forward to doing in school? A. I like studying and putting all the things into baskets and seeing if the temperature is hot or cold and climbing trees and playing outside and looking at the stream and measuring and weighing things and to paint and do art.
Q. What’s so interesting about plants? A. I like to see if a little walnut will grow into a walnut tree.
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up? A. An explorer.
Ethan works with homemade play dough.
Ethan
Q. What are you looking forward to doing in school? A. I like playing on the big hills and the rocks and in the garden and cutting the putty and working in the mud kitchen and ABCs.
Q. What is your favorite plant? A. Cactus. [Why?] Because it has pointy things.
Q. So you already know things about nature. A. I know a blue jay eats worms. I know that the cactus keeps water so he doesn’t need much.
Harrison explores tools in the science corner.
Harrison
Q. What do you think the Nature Preschool is going to be like? A. Awesomeness.
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up? A. A scientist.
Erin works in the math station.
Erin
Q. Why do you want to go to the Nature Preschool? A. I want to learn about plants. I like digging in the dirt. At home, I pull weeds. Mom does, too. I want to climb a tree.
Q. What’s your favorite subject? A. I like writing and animals.
Serena enjoys a snack.
Serena
Q. What do you want to do in preschool? A. Go down the hills, play in the water and splash, read things.
Q. What’s your favorite subject? A. Science.
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up? A. When fishes and sharks get sick, I’ll fix them.
Q. What else will you do? A. Just that.
Explore with us.
Come to the Regenstein Learning Campus’s free Opening Celebration, September 10 and 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; parking fees apply.
Enjoy live music and activities, take home a free plant, and more. Members can stop by the lounge for light refreshments and a commemorative gift.
Even when the kids have school work, it’s still important for them to play outside. Outdoor activities encourage creativity and independent thinking.
And the good news is that outdoor play time has many benefits; a growing body of research shows that nature play encourages creativity and problem solving, boosts academic performance, helps people focus, reduces stress, and promotes positive social relationships.
Sharing discoveries—like water creatures from Garden lakes—is a great way to cement knowledge.
Nature play abounds at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and can be found in many of our education programs, including Family Drop-In activities, Camp CBG, and the Nature Preschool. Ann Halley, Nature Preschool director, outlined a few nature play activities that can be done at home. Choose an activity—or two—to keep children playing in nature throughout the school year:
British sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy inspired this nature art at Camp CBG.
Create land art. Use twigs, rocks, and leaves to create artistic sculptures and let creativity be the guide. Build a stone tower topped with a flower, or let a design naturally reveal itself. Discover the beauty of natural materials and make whatever feels right. There are no limits on what can be created using material found in the backyard and a bit of imagination.
Half the joy of painting with mud: mixing your colors.
Paint with mud. Why use regular paint when mud is so much more fun? Swap out watercolors for mud and ditch brushes for hands to create all-natural art. Take sustainability up a notch by using an outside surface—the sidewalk, a driveway, or back patio—instead of paper as your canvas. Wash creations away when you’re through.
Dissect flowers. Pick a few wildflowers and take them apart. Examine each petal and stamen. Compare different flowers and notice the shapes and colors of each. For older children who are interested in art, use the dissected flower pieces to make geometric patterns. Budding scientists can compare different kinds of flowers to learn more about what attracts certain pollinators.
Peeling apart leaves, seeds, and flowers reveals all kinds of interesting information about the natural world.
Go on an adventure hike. It seems obvious to suggest a hike when talking about activities that can be done outdoors. But an adventure hike makes the walk more fun. Give the hike a theme and try to hunt for on-topic items. The theme can be a color (things that are blue), a shape (look for circles), or whatever else you think might be fun. Turning the hike into an adventure means children will be more aware of what’s all around them and will stop—maybe even literally—to smell the flowers.
Study the clouds. Look up. A cloudy day provides an opportunity to find inspiration in the sky. Younger children can look for different shapes. Older kids can discuss the different types of clouds and identify those currently over their heads. The best part about this activity? No tools required.
