Boogie-Woogies in the Woods

Boogie-Woogies in the Woods

By Emma Roth, Nature Educator and Animal Care Specialist A couple of weekends ago, I found myself wandering down a trail, with a backpack full of camping gear. Backpacking, while not something I do as often as I would like, is one of my favorite hobbies. There’s...
Play is Essential

Play is Essential

By Mac Dawson, Seasonal Nature Educator Unstructured outdoor play, once a defining feature of childhood, has significantly diminished over recent decades due to societal changes of debatable degrees of logic. This decline has serious implications for our kid’s...
Shared Spaces

Shared Spaces

By Chelsea Jandreau Recently, on a sunny late afternoon, a couple friends and I were walking through Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. As we moved along, we crossed the path of several other people, a tour group, and a few large groups of sparrows. The people and...
The Space Between

The Space Between

By Education Coordinator, Sarah Hatfield Walking along the rail trail the other day, there were a number of thoughts running through my head. “I forgot my binoculars.” “The mosquitos aren’t too bad.” “I wonder if these shoes are waterproof.” But they were all...
Thankful

Thankful

By Jeff Tome, Public Engagement Specialist My wife started practicing a daily gratitude meditation a while back, and it’s something that really made me stop and think about the world. There are so many things that make her gratitude list that are easy to take for...
Senses of Fall

Senses of Fall

By Emma Roth, Nature Educator We are bombarded with external stimuli every second of the day. Our senses constantly work to tell us what’s around, what to avoid, and what to seek out. I’m not a neuroscientist, but I imagine the number of sensory inputs we receive at...