Friends of the Parks

Nature Along the Lake (NAL) program offers Chicago Public School (CPS) grade school children (grades 2-8) an opportunity to study nature and science in two lakefront parks.  The two outdoor classrooms include the 14-acre nature preserve at Montrose Point in Lincoln Park and the natural dunes area at the South Shore Cultural Center at 71st Street and South Shore Drive.

In fall, 2008, over 700 elementary students from Chicago public schools 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 and 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 how to use binoculars, how to fish, tree identification and the study of birds and wildlife.  In 1008, our partnership with the Department of Natural Resources’ Chicago Urban Fishing Program introduced 20 classes to fishing at Lincoln Park’s lagoon.

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, April 22, 2009, will bring over 200 students to Montrose Harbor and the South Shore Cultural Center to celebrate Earth Day, engaging students in stewardship, crafting, and lessons in “Green Living.”