Grant Woods Forest Preserve features wide-open prairies, quiet woodlands and marshes teeming with wildlife. The preserve is located in northwest Lake County near Lake Villa and Fox Lake. The south entrance and parking area are located on Monaville Road between Route 59 and Fairfield Road.
What do playing dead and cheek pouches have in common? Both are adaptations animals use for survival. Students search for camouflaged animals during an outdoor walk. A variety of animal skins show how well wildlife is suited for its habitat. Outdoor activities illustrate unique behavioral adaptations.
Save 25% on this program between December and February.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
4-8
Sept-Feb, Apr-early Jun at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
Learn what makes a bird a bird, take a close-up look at feathers and discover what types of beaks are best for eating different foods. Students take a look at bird study skins, and then head outdoors to listen and look.
Save 25% on this program between December and February.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
Age 3-Grade 12
Sept-Feb, Apr-early Jun at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
Take a hands-on look at different animals’ homes and learn that like people – animals use homes to provide shelter, safety and a good place to raise a family. Then it’s into the woods to search for burrows, nests, holes and more.
Save 25% on this program between December and February.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
Age 3-Grade 2
Sept-Feb, Apr-early Jun at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
There are more insects on Earth than all other animals combined. Look at the world through an insect’s eyes and discover the differences and similarities between insects and spiders. Netting and close-up observation allows students to explore a variety of local insects and spiders.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
1-8
Sept-early Oct, late May-early Jun at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
We’re mammals, but what does that mean? We’ll look at pelts and skulls to learn similarities and differences between everything from bats to beavers. Then we’ll go outside to look for animal tracks and signs of how mammals survive the coldest winters.
Save 25% on this program between December and February.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
Age 3-Grade 12
Sept-Feb, Apr-early June at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
Learn food chain basics with an outdoor simulation of predator and prey interactions. Dissect owl pellets to determine what happens to prey. A face-to-face meeting with a live predator reveals its special role in nature.
Save 25% on this program between December and February.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
3-12
Sept-Feb, Apr-early Jun at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
Take an up-close look at seeds. Discover their needs and how they develop into plants. By examining burrs, nuts and other seeds, learn how seeds are dispersed. Find developing seeds and learn more about their needs with an outside walk.
Save 25% on this program between December and February.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
1-4
Sept-Feb, Apr-early Jun at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
Students use their senses to make outdoor discoveries looking for colors in the rainbow, reaching into mystery boxes to feel objects, or focusing on the sights, sounds, smells and textures of the forest. Most of all, students learn that nature is fun.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
Age 3-Grade 2
Sept-Nov, Apr-early Jun at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
To learn the unity of natural life, students work in teams to build food webs with pelts, skulls and artifacts. Explorations show what living things need to survive. The living web activity demonstrates how even the smallest influences are felt throughout the web.
This program is primarily offered at Ryerson Woods and Greenbelt. It is also offered at the following locations on the dates specified:
Field Trip
3-6
Sept-Nov, Apr-early Jun at Ryerson Woods. For availability at other sites, see listings above.
