Friends of the Parks

Our programs get kids out into parks, learning about nature, and bringing stewardship to Chicago’s parks and Cook County’s forest preserves.

Our education program involves students of all ages:

In our Nature Along the Lake program for elementary students, we teach about the wonders of nature, inspiring kids with field trips to Chicago’s lakefront in different seasons of the year.

Our Earth Team program, in partnership with After School Matters, teaches environmental responsibility and stewardship to teens.

Nature along the Lake

Nature Along the Lake

In 2002 Nature Along the Lake was implemented in order to offer Chicago Public School (CPS) grade school children (grades 2-8) an opportunity to study science in an outdoor setting, using nature as a classroom.

The Nature Along the Lake (NAL) program uses the 14-acre nature preserve at Montrose Point and the natural area at the South Shore Cultural Center to serve as “nature’s classroom.”

Since its commencement in 2002, the NAL program has grown significantly. During the Fall of 2008, over 700 CPS students participated in 29 field trips to the lakefront. During the entire 2008-2009 school year, over 900 CPS students from 17 Chicago schools will be part of the NAL education program’s outdoor classroom experience.

 

The Nature Along the Lake program provides lakefront park experiences that are customized to the CPS curriculum. Students learn about the lake as a complete habitat system. Through this program, they experience birds and their migratory patterns, aquatic life, native plants and trees, as well as other outdoor science topics. They learn that our local environment is part of a larger ecosystem: that a clean environment does not happen by accident, but is the result of  people who care about leaving a healthy environment for future generations to enjoy.

Children in this program obtain experiences not usually found in a city setting, nor offered in indoor classrooms. They participate in a variety of seasonal, hands-on environmental activities, building their comfort in nature.

Friends of the Parks work directly with teachers and administrators to focus on class-specific topics. For example, students reading Hoot in school will learn about owls and other birds of prey, and go on a bird exploration in the Magic Hedge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the program, children are encouraged to explore the local environment and learn skills, such as binocular use and fishing, to broaden experiences. In 2010, our partnership with the Department of Natural Resources’ Chicago Urban Fishing Program introduced 20 classes to fishing at Montrose Harbor, catching a variety of native fish along with the invasive goby.

In the fall of 2008, NAL worked with Disney Magnet School on a semester-long bird species study, combining trips to Montrose Harbor with in-class research projects.

As in past years, Earth Day 2010 brought 100 students to Montrose Harbor and the South Shore Cultural Center to celebrate Earth Day, engaging students in stewardship, crafting, and lessons in “Green Living.” Students even took part in a musician-led group rendition of “This Land Is Your Land.”

With opportunities like this, Friends of the Parks hopes to build appreciation for the environment by offering positive, exciting outdoor learning experiences that students will carry with them into the future.

Interested in bringing your elementary school classroom to a Nature Along the Lake program? Contact Colin Taylor, Director of Environmental Education for Friends of the Parks, via e-mail: taylorc@fotp.org or via telephone: 312-857-2757 ex. 20

 

Earth Team

Earth Team Environmental Education Program

Earth Team

The Earth Team aims to empower teens through environmental education and action in their community. The program brings apprenticeship opportunities to teens that lack local environmental programming and involvement in their parks, preserves and high schools. The Earth Team is an innovative science program designed to serve teens with varying levels of scientific skills and environmental experiences.

In conjunction with After School Matters Science37 initiative, the Friends of the Parks hires teen apprentices to learn and participate in a hands-on environmental science, stewardship and conservation program at their community park, forest preserve or high school. The teens work alongside scientific professionals and learn marketable skills for future careers.  Teens in our program are motivated to become leaders in the community.  Teen apprentices help to build a safe community through community outreach in environmental education and participation in the parks and preserves.

For 10 weeks in both fall and spring semesters, teen apprentices work with FOTP’s environmental educators to improve their local communities and parks. This fall and spring we will have Earth Team programs at Carver Academy, Humboldt Park, and Horner Park.

 

 

The Earth Team teens will focus on such topics as forestry studies, environmentally-conscious social media, community outreach, and park stewardship.

This vital partnership with After School Matters helps prepare teens for the future as environmentally conscious stewards of their communities.

Interested in joining the Earth Team?  Contact Colin Taylor, Director of Environmental Education for Friends of the Parks, via e-mail: taylorc@fotp.org or via telephone: 312-857-2757 ex. 20