Scouting - Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

Scouting
Welcome
In addition to managing over 25,000 acres of woodlands, prairies and wetlands in over 60 forest preserves, the
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County offers a range of opportunities for Scouts and other youth groups
working toward badges and other achievements.
Table of Contents
General Information.................................................. 4
Extension and Districtwide Programs......................... 5
Danada Equestrian Center ....................................... 6
Mayslake Peabody Estate.......................................... 7
Kline Creek Farm...................................................... 8
Willowbrook Wildlife Center................................... 10
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center........... 11
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
P.O. Box 5000 • Wheaton • Illinois • 60189
(630) 933-7200 • TTY (800) 526-0857
dupageforest.org 8/14
General Information
Fees
Accessibility
Some programs have associated tuition or fees,
which are listed with each description. All fees are
subject to change, so group leaders should confirm
the current rates when making reservations.
The Forest Preserve District is committed to making
its educational programs available to all groups.
Please mention any accessibility needs or concerns
when you reserve your program.
Clothing
Picnicking
Clothing for outdoor activities should be appropriate
for the weather. Outdoor trails are paved or have
crushed-limestone surfaces, but group leaders and
children should wear waterproof shoes on muddy
days. Items such as bottled water, sunscreen and
insect repellent are also recommended. The District
will cancel a program if there is severe weather.
Picnic sites are available at no extra charge, and many
forest preserves have shelters that are available on a
first-come, first-served basis.
Chaperones
The Forest Preserve District encourages adult
chaperones based on the following guidelines unless
noted in a program description:
One adult per five Scouts
Daisy
One adult per 10 Scouts
Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelo, Boy Scout, Daisy, Brownie,
Junior and Cadette Girl Scout
One adult per 15 Scouts
Boy Scout, Senior and Ambassador Boy Scout
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Special Requests
Forest Preserve District staff will consider requests
to develop special programs but reserve the right to
decline any request. If a special request is granted,
staff will calculate the fee at the time of the
reservation based on the time needed to develop,
prepare and present the program and to travel to the
location. Special-request programs are charged at a
rate of $20 per hour per staff member for DuPage
County groups and $50 for out-of-county groups.
For the Latest
Subscribe to the Office of Education’s e-newsletter at
dupageforest.org under “Follow Our Tracks.”
Observe Your Preserve
Observe Your Preserve is a Forest Preserve District
website that gives Scouts, group leaders and forest
preserve fans a way to share observations and
interact with District naturalists and ecologists
while learning about plants, animals and cultural
resources. Visit dupageforest.org/observe or call
Mayslake Peabody Estate at (630) 206-9586 for more
information.
General Information
Extension Programs
Districtwide Programs
The compass course on Mount Hoy at Blackwell
Forest Preserve in Warrenville is the perfect place
to practice and sharpen navigation and math skills.
Groups use compasses to locate checkpoints with
information about natural and cultural history. Call
Mayslake Peabody Estate at (630) 206-9586 to
reserve materials. Free. Year-round.
Rank
All
For details on group projects or options at special
events, call Volunteer Services at (630) 933-7681.
Blackwell Compass Course
Waterfall Glen Orienteering
Scouts learn how to navigate through a marked
course with a map and a compass at Waterfall Glen
Forest Preserve in Darien. For a map of the beginner
course and instructions, visit dupageforest.org and
click on Things to Do, Recreational Activities, and
Navigation and Wayfinding. Groups of 25 or more
must request permits through Visitor Services at
(630) 933-7248 at least three business days before
their visits. Free. Year-round.
Rank
All
Greene Valley Tree Trek
Signs along this 1-mile self-guided hike point out 11
different trees and give descriptions of their barks,
seeds and leaves. Instructions on how to get started
are posted on the information kiosk south of the
Thunderbird Road parking lot. Free. Year-round.
Rank
All
Extension and Districtwide Programs
Volunteer Service Projects
Eagle Scout Projects
The District has a limited number of Eagle Scout
projects. The list is routinely updated, but staff
availability, location and seasonal factors may
affect availability. The District will consider requests
when appropriate projects and staff are available.
Prospective Eagle Scouts must independently call
Volunteer Services at (630) 933-7681.
Educational Loan Boxes
Loan boxes are a great way for Scout leaders to
introduce young people to DuPage County’s natural
and cultural history. Each box contains suggested
lessons and activity outlines, books, DVDs and
specimens for Scouts to examine. Boxes are available
for up to two weeks. Call Mayslake Peabody Estate at
(630) 206-9586.
District Boxes
Feathers
ELL/ESL Nature Detectives
Owls
Prairie Plants
Prehistoric Life
Skulls
Tracking
Watersheds
IDNR Boxes
Aquatic Illinois
Illinois Birds
Illinois Fossils
Illinois Insects and Spiders
Illinois Invasive Species
Illinois Prairies
Illinois State Symbols
Illinois Trees
Illinois Wild Mammals
People and Places from Illinois’ Past
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Danada Equestrian Center
3S507 Naperville Road • Wheaton • (630) 668-6012 • Office Hours 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
The center has been committed to filling the niche of horsemanship education in DuPage County since its
establishment in 1984. Continuing to support its original charter as a “learn to ride” stable, Danada offers basic
horsemanship and instructional riding programs for students ages 12 and up from April through November.
Guided Programs for Girls and Boys
Guided Group Tour
Your group can reserve a one-hour tour that
gives insight into the world of horses and their
management and care. $35 per group of 20 for
DuPage County groups; $65 for out-of-county
groups. Year-round.
Rank
All
6
LengthMax
60 min
20
Danada Equestrian Center
Mayslake Peabody Estate
1717 W. 31st Street • Oak Brook • (630) 206-9566 • Hours Vary
This cultural education center offers formal and informal programs for Scouts, training opportunities for teachers,
lecture series, team-building activities, professional retreats and multilevel recreational workshops that introduce
new skills or give participants the chance to improve existing ones. Additionally, its professional resident theater
company, First Folio Theatre, presents award-winning theater and performances for school groups.
Programs for Girls
Local Lore
Heritage Hunt
Scouts will enjoy a short PowerPoint presentation on
the life and times of the Gilded Age (1880 – 1920)
and will then take a tour of Mayslake Hall. This trip
will include a clean-up project followed by a parlor
game with lemonade and cookies. $5 per Scout.
Scouts will enjoy a short PowerPoint presentation on
the life and times of the Gilded Age (1880 – 1920)
and will then take a tour of Mayslake Hall. During
the tour, they will learn about the hall’s architect,
previous owners and how the building has been
used over the years. While enjoying lemonade and
cookies, girls can ask questions about the estate’s
role in the community and the types of jobs that
are available at the hall, including educational and
training requirements. $5 per Scout.
Rank
Junior
Girl Scouts
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
90 min
6/12
1/5
Architecture and Environmental Design
Scouts will take an tour of Mayslake Hall and discover
the work of Chicago architect Benjamin Marshall
through architectural elements of the building. They
will create freehand drawings of the exterior of the
building, an interior room and the view from a room
of the mansion. After, groups will discuss their works
and the importance of these three perspectives in
the work of an architect as they enjoy lemonade and
cookies. $5 per Scout.
Rank
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
Cadette and
90 min
6/15
1/8
Senior Girl Scouts
Rank
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
Cadette and
90 min
6/15
1/8
Senior Girl Scouts
Mayslake Peabody Estate
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Kline Creek Farm
1N600 County Farm Road • West Chicago • (630) 876-5900 • Farm Hours 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday – Monday
This 1890s living-history farm is the only place in DuPage where Scouts can see a lamb born, learn how to put up
preserves, collect eggs, build a barn and help harvest crops in the field. Here they can learn about the life cycles of
crops and animals, explore the economic role of farmers as producers, discover the effect of technological change
on work and everyday life, and consider interactions between humans and natural resources.
Public Programs
Bring your Scouts to one of the farm’s annual special
events, which are free and open to the public.
Reservations are not required.
Corn Harvest
Bring your work gloves, and help pick, shock, shuck
and store the corn that will feed the farm’s cows and
sheep over winter. After a quick session in “Corn
College,” fill horse-drawn wagons with corn from
the fields, and make shocks from cut stalks. Create
corn-husk figures to take home. Activities ongoing.
Oct. 11 and 12 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Ice Harvest
Help cut and haul ice from Timber Lake and load it
into the ice house for use at the farm later in the year.
January. Call the farm for specific dates and times.
Lambing
See the farm’s spring lambs — perhaps as they’re
being born! — and learn how farmers breed, raise
and sell livestock. Starts mid-January. Call the farm
for estimated due dates.
Shearing
See how trained border collies herd the flock and
farmhands shear the sheep. Learn how washed wool
becomes spun yarn, and see spinning, quilting and
other hand-work demonstrations. April. Call the farm
for specific dates and times.
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Self-Guided Programs for
Girls and Boys
Pick a stand-alone trip, or add one to a guided tour.
Alphabet of Agriculture
Scouts learn the ABCs and sharpen observation
skills with a scavenger hunt for objects that begin
with each letter of the alphabet. Free. Year-round
Thursdays – Mondays.
Rank
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
Wolf and Bear 60 min 10/100
1/10
Cubs, Webelos, Brownies and Juniors Girl Scouts
Architecture Adventure
Acting as detectives, Scouts resolve mysteries of the
design and function of various buildings. Free. Yearround Thursdays – Mondays.
Rank
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
Wolf and Bear 60 min 10/100
1/10
Cubs, Webelos, Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts
Discovery Tour
Scouts use magnifying lenses and spyglasses to explore
the farm while leaders use picture booklets to guide
them. Free. Year-round Thursdays – Mondays.
Rank
Tiger Cubs
and Daisies
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
60 min 10/50
1/10
Kline Creek Farm
Guided Programs for Girls and Boys
Maple Sugaring
Busy As a Bee
Scouts learn how to tap a tree using hand tools,
check for sap in collection buckets and watch sap
turn into maple syrup over a fire during this true rite
of spring. $5 per Scout. March.
Scouts meet expert beekeepers, examine a hive, learn
how to plant bee-friendly gardens and get a taste of
Kline Creek Farm honey. The visit will extend home
with “make-and-take” projects. $5 per Scout.
Rank
All Rank
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
Wolf and Bear 60 min
5/15
1/10
Cubs, Webelos,
Daisies, Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
60 min 10/20
1/10
Christmas on the Farm
This three-part program includes a visit to the kitchen
to experience the sights, smells and tastes of holiday
cookies baking in wood-burning oven. A tour the
farmhouse focuses on Christmas trees, gifts and
other traditions. A self-guided tour of the farm shows
Scouts how shorter, cold winter days affected life
from transportation to animal care. $5 per Scout.
December.
Rank
All
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
60 min 10/40
1/12
Hands-On Hand Tools
Introduce your Scouts to hand tools that have been in
use since the 1890s - and in some cases even longer.
Participants will learn how to safely handle and use
an array of measuring tools, shaping tools, striking
tools and boring tools. Along the way, scouts will
pick up some of the fundamental skills of working
with wood to create things both beautiful and useful.
$5 per scout. September
Rank
All Length Min/Max Adult per Child
60 min
5/15
1/10
My First Visit to the Farm
A costumed guide introduces Scouts to this 1890s
farm and the people who care for it. Scouts discover
what makes farm animals different from wild animals
and the purposes animals serve on a farm. They
explore fields, pastures and agricultural buildings as
they learn about agriculture in the 1890s and today.
$5 per Scout.
Taffy-Pulling Party
As Scouts use a historic recipe to prepare molasses
taffy candy of their very own, they tour our 1890s
farmhouse to learn how kids lived more than a
century ago. One of the ways farm kids in the 1890s
had wintertime fun with their friends was to host
taffy pulling parties. $5 per Scout. Select Saturdays in
February.
Rank
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
Wolf, Bear
60 min
5/12
1/12
and Tiger Cubs,
Brownies, and Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts
Guided Farm Tour
Scouts discover how members of a farm family
worked together as they tour the farmhouse, barn
and other buildings and interact with livestock.
Seasonal content helps them understand how work
related to the time of year in terms of crop and
animal life cycles. $5 per Scout.
Rank
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
Wolf and Bear 90 min 10/30
1/10
Cubs, Webelos,
Boy Scouts, Brownies,
and Junior, Cadette, and Senior Girl Scouts
Rank
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
Tiger Cubs, 60 min 10/30
1/5
Daisies and Brownies
Kline Creek Farm
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Willowbrook Wildlife Center
525 S. Park Blvd. • Glen Ellyn • (630) 942-6200 • Center Hours 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Daily
As the Forest Preserve District’s wildlife rehabilitation and education center, Willowbrook offers multifaceted
learning experiences through live animal exhibits, interpretive signs and displays and representative habitat areas.
Programs for Girls
Programs for Boys
This program will get Brownies thinking about the
basic needs humans and animals have in common.
It discusses how animals interact and how hazards
from human activities affect wildlife. A craft at
the end of the program illustrates predator-prey
relationships. This program satisfies requirements for
the eco explorer achievement. It includes an outdoor
component, so groups should dress appropriately.
$40 per program.
Rank
LengthMin/MaxAdult per Child
Brownies
90 min
6/18
1/10
Scouts will learn how to use binoculars, field guides
and other resources and how to help birds and
encourage activity in their own backyards. There’s a
naturalist-led bird hike, so Scouts should dress for the
weather. This program satisfies arrow point elective
13 birds. $40 per program. March 1 – Oct. 31.
Brownies Eco Explorer
Junior Wildlife Badge
This program will help Junior Girl Scouts earn their
wildlife badges. It discusses local wildlife, the ways
animals are suited to where and how they live,
and home remedies and medicines that come from
nature. It ends with a hike to look for birds and other
wildlife, so Scouts should dress for the weather. This
program must start by 2 p.m. $50 per program.
Rank
LengthMin/MaxAdult per Child
Junior Girl Scouts 2 hr
6/18
1/10
Wolf Cub: Bird Arrow Point Achievement
Rank
Wolf Cubs
Bear Cub: Sharing Your World With Wildlife
Before arriving, each Scout will need to create a
poster about his favorite wild animal to share with
peers. Scouts will then learn the role of a wildlife
educator, discuss extinct and endangered animals and
learn what they can do to help local wildlife. They will
then tour the center on their own. $40 per program.
Rank
Bear Cubs
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
90 min
6/18
1/10
Webelos Naturalist Badge
Webelos will learn about the natural world, including
birds and migratory flyways, venomous animals and
poisonous plants. They’ll also serve as producers,
consumers and decomposers in an activity that
creates a food chain. They’ll then tour the center on
their own. $40 per program.
Rank
Webelos
10 Length Min/Max Adult per Child
90 min
6/18
1/10
Length Min/Max Adult per Child
90 min
6/18
1/10
Willowbrook Wildlife Center
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center
3609 Spring Road • Oak Brook • (630) 850-8110 • Visitor Center Hours 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Daily
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center’s certified counselors help Scouts and other youth groups enjoy,
explore and learn about the natural world. The center offers a variety of programs throughout the year. Please call
for program and registration information.
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center
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