Forest Preserve’s April programs range from puppets to pollinators

Celebrate International Beaver Day with your preschoolers on April 7 by tuning in to the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s “WonderKids: Beavers” Zoom webinar. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Keyes)

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s April programs will help you celebrate International Beaver Day and National Dandelion Day and prepare for spring planting and bird-watching activities. Program registration is available via the District’s online Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org. Zoom links will be sent upon registration. Face masks are required for in-person programs. Here is the lineup:

Puppet Story Time (Zoom Webinar): noon, Thursday, April 1, online. Free, ages 2-8. Contact phone, 815.886.1467.
April 2 is International Children’s Book Day. This day is meant to help encourage children’s interest in books and literacy. Join the Forest Preserve District for a unique virtual story time with the use of puppets. Participants will read and act out “Turtle’s Race with Beaver” by Joseph and James Bruchac. Registration is required.

Birding in the Preserves (Zoom Webinar): 7 p.m. Thursday, April 1, online. Free, all ages. Contact phone, 708.946.2216.
This virtual hike will highlight a select preserve and get you familiar with some of the birds found there. Get tips and tricks on how to identify different species and where to find them. Armed with this new information you can search for birds on your own in the preserves and become a citizen scientist by walking a preserve and recording what you observe. Registration is required.

Longhouse Living: noon-2 p.m. Saturday, April 3, Isle a la Cache Museum, Romeoville. Free, all ages. Contact phone, 815.886.1467.
Drop by to learn about American Indian longhouses, one of several types of dwellings used by the Potawatomi. The Forest Preserve’s longhouse will be open for viewing. Learn about the daily lives of the Potawatomi and discover how longhouses are built and used by Native peoples. This is a drop-in program; come anytime between noon and 2 p.m. Registration is not required.

Plant by Numbers – Simple Plans, Beautiful Spaces for Pollinators: April 6-June 13, Isle a la Cache Museum, Romeoville. Free, all ages. Contact phone, 815.886.1467.
Hours for this ongoing program are 10 a.m-4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. The museum is closed Mondays. Stop by the museum to view color templates and guides on how to create a beautiful native garden with low-maintenance plans and plants. And visit the preserve’s terraced pollinator garden to get plant ideas for your own yard. Plant by Numbers was created and shared by the Lexington, Kentucky, Department of Environmental Services. Registration is not required.

Learn how to plant a garden that is appealing to pollinators and features native plants by visiting Isle a la Cache Museum’s “Plant by Numbers – Simple Plans, Beautiful Spaces for Pollinators” program from April 6-June 13. (Photo by Forest Preserve staff | Glenn P. Knoblock)

Eat Your Lawn (Zoom Webinar): noon, Tuesday, April 6, online. Free, ages 10 or older. Contact Phone, 815.886.1467.
It’s time to get lunch on the table. Do you head to the supermarket? No! All the greens you need can be plucked from your lawn. In honor of National Dandelion Day, the Forest Preserve District will help you gather information about common foods found just outside your front door. Learn how to identify them and the best ways to prepare your foraged food. Registration is required.

WonderKids: Beavers (Zoom Webinar): 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, online. Free, ages 2-5. Contact Phone, 815.886.1467.
Join the Forest Preserve District for a virtual circle time designed for your preschooler. Participants will explore beavers for International Beaver Day! This Zoom program is complete with tons of beaver facts, singing, a story time and a craft that can be easily done at home. Registration is required.