Lincoln Memorial Garden offers seasonal environmental education programs for preschool through sixth grade classes. Field trips are offered on a reservation basis each day of the week. The cost is $2 per child with a $20 minimum fee per group. There is no charge for teachers, aides or drivers. Please limit chaperones to one adult per 12 children. (Extra adult numbers detract from the hikes intended for children's enjoyment and learning opportunities. Please be respectful. There is a $2 per person charge for extra adults.)
Fees can be waived for a limited number of classes. Many thanks for the generosity of the Springfield Rotary Foundation.
To help the teacher prepare for the program, teachers may download the on line teacher's guide available for each program. Trips can be scheduled for the morning or the afternoon. We recommend early registration as choice autumn dates fill up quickly.
Please remind the children to dress for the outdoors, whatever the weather. In case of heavy rain, the teacher can check with us to arrange an inside program or to reschedule the visit. Student nametags are greatly appreciated.
The Nature Center's gift shop and discovery room will be open to students after the field trip. To take advantage of the gift shop, please allow 15 to 30 extra minutes depending on the size of your group.
The Nature Center programs have two goals. The first is to introduce students to the wonders of the natural world. The second is to explore the native ecosystems found at Lincoln Memorial Garden. Through such explorations students learn to appreciate the natural world and discover how their decisions and actions impact the environment. A hands-on, discovery hike emphasizing teachable moments on the trail is the framework for field trips. Age appropriate topics are offered for children three through twelve years of age. Special topics for older students can be developed in cooperation with the Education Coordinator. Please call for details.
Fall
Signs of Fall
Preschool & Kindergarden
What's happening at the Garden as summer departs and fall arrives? Discover the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and yes, tastes of Lincoln Memorial Garden. We'll use our naturalist tools to explore autumn.
1 hour - 1 1/2 hours
Signs of Fall -Teachers Guide
Insect Investigations
Kindergarden - 3rd Grade
Come see butterflies and bees search for sweet nectar, listen to circadas and crickets playing their rhythmic songs, and find food sources and homes for Illinois insects.
1 hour -1.5 hours
Insect Investigations - Teachers Guide
Nature's Hitchhikers
1st & 2nd Grade
Seed dispersal is important to all plant survival. Actually, seeds are just young plants in suitcases needing a little space from parents in order to grow successfully. Observe the ways seeds travel -- from parachuting to catapulting to hitching a ride.
1 hour - 1 1/2 hours
Nature's Hitchhikers - Teachers Guide
Ecosystem Search
3rd & 4th Grade
Investigate the differences between the prairie, wetland, and forest ecosystems while hiking the trails at Lincoln Memorial Garden. Habitats and inhabitants vary a great deal within our three native communities. Come compare and contrast.
1 1/2 - 2 hours
Ecosystem Search - Teachers Guide
Tallgrass Prairies
5th & 6th Grade
Visit the Ostermeier Prairie Center and learn about adaptations of grasses and forbs. Experience the intricate web of life in our restored tall grass prairie and learn about the history of prairie in Illinois.
1 1/2 - 2 hours
Tallgrass Prairies - Teachers Guide
**Special prairie restoration projects that require additional class time are available. Contact LMG staff at 529-1111.
Winter
The Nature of Winter
Preschool - 6th Grade
Sharpen your senses and discover the splendor of the natural world in winter. Search for animal tracks and signs. Explore ecosystems and the birds who live in them and stay with us year around. Learn how to identify trees by buds and bark. Experience the peace of winter hikes.
(1 - 1 1/2 hours)
The Nature of Winter - Teachers Guide
Maple Syrup Time
Preschool - 6th Grade
The sap is running and spring truly is coming! Join us for our traditional activity of tapping the sugar maple trees at the Garden. Let's hike to find a tree, tap it, gather sap, watch the sap cook down into real maple syrup in the sugar shack, and finally, taste the sweet success of our labors. (1 1/2 hours).
Only Maple Syrup Time hikes are available from February 18 - March 12, 2010.
Maple Syrup Time - Teachers Guide
Preparing for Winter - Nov.& Dec. or
Awakening to Spring - Jan & Feb.
Preschool - 2nd Grade
Watch a puppet show to learn about how some Illinois native mammals prepare for winter or awaken to springtime.. Hibernation, dormancy, and animal habitats are introduced. Animal mounts, pelts, and other nature items are shared with the children to help them understand animal needs and how they change with the seasons. (30 - 45 minutes)
Preparing for Winter - Teachers Guide
Awakening to Spring - Teachers Guide
Amazing Birds
Kindergarten - 6th Grade
Compare and contrast the differences and similarities between bird adaptations. Discover how some of our Illinois feathered friends live during the winter season. Learn the importance of providing a quality habitat for birds. Make birdfeeders of repurposed materials if desired. (45 minutes - 1 hour)
Amazing Birds - Teachers Guide
Child in the Wild
4th Grade - 8th Grade
Basic survival skills needed in the wilderness are introduced. Students are shown how to build a debris hut shelter and start a fire. Water and food requirements in the wild are discussed. Seasonal wild edibles and medicinal plants are a part of the presentation. Space needed outside for shelter and fire building demonstrations.
(45 minutes - 1 hour)
Child in the Wild - Teachers Guide
Tribal Life in Illinois
2nd Grade - 6th Grade
The history of clans and tribes of Native Americans in Illinois is presented through storytelling, sharing of native hand-crafted artifacts, and playing some favorite Native American games. From the twelve tribes of the Illiniwek Nation in the late 1600s to only the Kaskaskia and Peoria remaining in the area by the early 1800s, native people and their many contributions will be discussed. (1 hour)
Tribal Life in Illinois - Teachers Guide
Fibonacci Nature Numbers
4th Grade - 6th Grade
Math, art, and science have combined in the fascinating world of Leonardo Fibonacci since the 1200 AD days of European life. Fibonacci numbers are nature's artistic and predictable numbering system. They appear everywhere in nature ~ from leaf arrangements, to flower petal patterns, to bracts of a pinecone, to scales of a pineapple, to spiraling seedheads, to a single cell, to a nautilus shell, or even a beehive! Children are introduced to patterns of numbers in nature through real life examples, photos, an interactive discussion, and an art project. (1 hour)
Fibonacci Nature Numbers - Teachers Guide
Spring
Signs of Spring
Preschool and Kindergarten
Look around you! Smell the flowers! Touch the moss! Listen to the birds sing! What is happening throughout the Garden as winter departs and spring arrives? Come and see.
1.25 hours.
Signs of Spring - Teachers Guide
Spring Birds
1st Grade & 2nd Grade
Come meet some fine feathered friends. By watching and identifying birds in the area, we can learn about interesting adaptations, songs, nests and habitats of our most visible wild animals as we hike our native ecosystems. Learn about avian food chains.
1.5 hours.
Spring Birds - Teachers Guide
Animal Homes and Habitats
3rd Grade & 4th Grade
Find out who lives in that hole in the ground or that hole in a tree. Investigate the secret life of some of the Garden's residents in our native woodland, wetland, and grassland communities. Learn more about the webs of life in our ecosystems at the Garden.
1.5 hours.
Animal Homes and Habitats - Teachers Guide
Forests and Flowers
5th Grade & 6th Grade
Come explore the woodlands as the plant kingdom bursts to life with the lengthening days. Learn to identify spring wildflowers and to recognize trees by their leaves. Discover plant parts up close while enjoying the beauty of a spring day at the Garden.
1.5 hours.
Forests and Flowers - Teachers Guide
Location of the Garden
Lincoln Memorial Garden is on the south side of Lake Springfield about 11 miles from downtown Springfield and three miles east of the Chatham Interchange on I-55 (exit 88) just south of the Lake Springfield Bridge.
The Garden also can be reached from southeast Springfield by leaving I-55 at the Stevenson Drive exit and following East Lake Drive for 6 miles.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Lincoln Memorial Garden is intended for all visitors' walking pleasure, nature study and nature appreciation.. Visitors must stay on the trails to protect fragile native ecosystems. No picking or collecting of wildflowers or other natural materials allowed.. No pets allowed.
The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset. The Nature Center is open to the general public from Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL GARDEN OFFERS....
Nature education guided hikes for area children.
In school programs, presented by a naturalist during the winter months.
Weekend programs for adults and children.
Teacher education workshops.
Junior Naturalist programs and Summer Ecology Camp for children.
A resource center for environmental information.
A place of beauty and contemplation.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL GARDEN STAFF
Joel Horwedel - Executive Director
Betsy Irwin - Education Coordinator
Larry Miller - Head Gardener
Chuck Allen - Gardener
More than 200 area children who enjoy learning more about the natural world attend our Ecology Camp each summer. One week sessions, for children ages 4 through 13 give children the opportunity to explore the Garden, make new friends, and have fun in nature. Each year’s day camp is held from early June through July.
Our Junior Naturalist programs meet the last weekend of each month during the fall and spring. This program encourages in-depth study of seasonal subjects for six to twelve year old children with a keen interest in nature.
If you would like more information about Ecology Camp or the monthly Junior Naturalist programs, call the Nature Center at 529-1111.
