Spark the natural curiosity in your “Wild One” as we take in the beauty of the natural world. Discover water, fish, flowers, and other surprises with a visit to the animal room, stories, songs, themed activities, and nature walks. Dress for a mess.

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Dive deep into the sea and discover ocean animals. Enjoy ocean themed crafts, activities, and stories as we learn about sea horses, manta rays, sea stars, and sharks. Visit Wildwood’s underwater critters and head outside for a hike each week. No class July 4.

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Dress in your favorite PJs and head over to Wildwood to spend some one-on-one time with our animal friends. Venture into the animal room to see them preparing for bedtime. Enjoy snacks, drinks, and activities as we discover what animals do at night.

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Spark the natural curiosity in your “Wild One” as we take in the wonders of the outdoors. Inside our classroom, we'll discover leaves, pumpkins, seeds, and other autumn surprises with sensory play and exploration, stories, and themed activities. Then we'll head out for a nature walk around the pond and prairie, and over to visit the animals in the Nature Center. Dress for a mess. No class October 12, November 23, and November 24.

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Climb to the highest of heights with these mountain friends. Explore the creatures that scale the slopes and make their homes well above the average altitude. Learn more about mountain goats, grizzly bears, and other mountain animals through hikes, crafts, activities, and stories.

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The hot sun may bake the sand, but many critters still live in this wild land! Learn about the desert and the creatures that live there through stories, animal crafts, short hikes, and many fun activities. Featuring hump-backed camels, stinging scorpions, and more! No class Nov 26 or 27.

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Take a journey through trees and into the forest in search of our Forest Friends. Greet the Wildwood animals, enjoy an animal tale about our forest creatures, create a craft, enjoy themed activities, and explore on a short nature walk outdoors (weather permitting). This session of Forest Friends features moose, woodpeckers, and more!

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Experience the wonders of animals, plants, and the outdoors with fun games, crafts, experiments, and activities. We are all about hands-on learning and discovery and venture outside for nature hikes. Different topics each session. No class Oct 12 or Nov 23. Registration for Fall 2026 When you register you can select to pay in full or select the payment plan option. If you choose the payment plan option, it will show a current charge of $1R/$5NR for each section, and they remaining fee is split into 4 equal payments on 8/15, 9/15, 10/15, and 11/15. Priority Registration for current students is from February 9-March 8. Open registration for new students begins March 9 at noon. Registration for the program is online. If you have never registered for a Park District program, you will need to set up your Household account with the Park Ridge Park District to create an account. Please reach out to the Registration Office at 847-692-5127 for more information about setting up an account.

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See the world through science goggles. Each session features a different scientific topic, and each week dives deeper into that topic through fun experiments, observations, games, crafts, and outdoor hikes. Please send you child with a peanut/tree nut free snack and reusable water bottle. No class Nov 27 Registration for Fall 2026 When you register you can select to pay in full or select the payment plan option. If you choose the payment plan option, it will show a current charge of $1R/$5NR for each section, and they remaining fee is split into 4 equal payments on 8/15, 9/15, 10/15, and 11/15. Priority Registration for current students is from February 9-March 8. Open registration for new students begins March 9 at noon. Registration for the program is online. If you have never registered for a Park District program, you will need to set up your Household account with the Park Ridge Park District to create an account. Please reach out to the Registration Office at 847-692-5127 for more information about setting up an account.

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Preschool explorers get ready for outdoor adventure! Wild Child’s kid crew will create their own adventures around Wildwood’s pond, prairie, and woodland paths, and extend the exploration inside the classroom. No class Nov 25 Registration for Fall 2026 When you register you can select to pay in full or select the payment plan option. If you choose the payment plan option, it will show a current charge of $1R/$5NR for each section, and they remaining fee is split into 4 equal payments on 8/15, 9/15, 10/15, and 11/15. Priority Registration for current students is from February 9-March 8. Open registration for new students begins March 9 at noon. Registration for the program is online. If you have never registered for a Park District program, you will need to set up your Household account with the Park Ridge Park District to create an account. Please reach out to the Registration Office at 847-692-5127 for more information about setting up an account.

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Dress is disguise for this Costume Party with the animals. Learn about animal disguises and play camouflage games as you party with our sneaky animal friends!

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Find out just how terrific nature is! Discover animals, nature, and seasonal topics through songs, art, activities and games, stories, and short walks at Wildwood. Children do not need to be potty trained: guardians will be contacted for urgent diaper changes. No class Nov 22

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Does your toddler miss the cutoff for Nature Preschool or Nature Play School? Toddler Tree School is an introductory class for two and three year olds. Tots explore nature, learn, and grow through themed hikes, outdoor exploration, sensory activities, dramatic play, songs, stories, art, and visits to the animal room. The majority of the program takes place outside at the Wildwood Nature Center grounds in their outdoor gathering space and hiking, and their indoor classroom is located at Wildwood. Program is for children ages 2-3 as of September 1. No class November 24 and 26. Registration for Fall 2025 Registration Dates - March 3 - Resident Registration 7:30am online and 8:30am in person - March 7 - Nonresident Registration 8:30am online and in person If you have never registered for a Park District program, you will need to set up your Household account with the Park Ridge Park District to create an account. Please reach out to the Registration Office at 847-692-5127 for more information about setting up an account.

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Interested in being a ranger at Wildwood? Get a hands-on taste of what it’s like to be a Wildwood ranger. Learn how to clean, feed, and care for the animals during this fun hands-on session. No class on Friday July 3rd.

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Interested in being a ranger at Wildwood? Get a hands-on taste of what it’s like to be a Wildwood ranger. Learn how to clean, feed, and care for the animals during this fun training session.

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Calling together the Adventure Club – come join Wildwood’s naturalists for weekly outdoor excursions. Explore the prairie looking for creatures big and small, grab a net to find bugs in the long grass or in the water, hike the Des Plaines River trail, and discover nature through experiments, projects, and exploration. The majority of the class takes place outdoors.

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See what creatures roamed the supercontinent Pangea as we explore the Triassic period. Look into the seas to see the giants of the oceans, those swimming reptile cousins of the dinosaurs. Discover the small but mighty dinosaurs who paved the way for their giant descendants as we explore the birth of the reptiles known as dinosaurs! Then on to the Jurassic, to study the towering sauropods and creatures thought to be the ancestor of the modern bird, Archeopteryx, and see how feathers started to evolve. Become a Paleontologist to uncover the imprints of features and scales left behind in our replica fossils. Then it's the Cretaceous: the end of the world as the dinosaurs know it. Discover the famous dino cousins, T. rex and Velociraptor and create a dino dig to keep. Explore the possibilities that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, and simulate their demise with earthquakes, volcanoes and asteroids.

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Dinos might have gone extinct in the Mesozoic, but their relatives are alive and thriving in the Cenozoic. We will explore the reptiles of today as well as birds, the dino descendants. Create a life sized ostrich puppet, dissect owl pellets, meet snakes and lizards as we discover what makes birds and reptiles special.

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Enjoy a summer night of s'mores, stories, and songs around a campfire with your family. Sit around Wildwood's campfire circle to sing songs, listen to stories, cook yummy s'mores, and head out around the pond for a nighttime stroll. Fee is per family, please register only one member of your family.

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Camp out with your family in the Park District’s backyard, outside at the Wildwood Nature Center. Enjoy a campfire dinner and s’mores on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning. After dinner, say hello to the Wildwood critters, borrow a fishing pole and visit the pond, and enjoy a family friendly movie before turning in for the night. Participants are required to bring their own tents and bedding. Fee is per person. Please let us know if you have any dietary concerns/allergies.

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Have fun as a family discovering what lurks beneath the surface of the pond! Dip and scoop with nets to catch lots of critters and maybe a few tadpoles! Learn all about life in the pond, and dress for a mess.

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Ready for Wildwood’s twist on the classic tag? A popular Nature Camp and Discovery Crew game, Zombie Tag is a prairie wide invasion to escape and evade getting tagged by the group of Zombie players. Zombies are marked with an X, and getting tagged by a zombie player will result in one stripe across your own shirt. A second stripe makes you a full fledged ”Zombie" and you join the rest of the mob.

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Join us for a fun-filled family event that gets you ready for Halloween. Carve a pumpkin, stuff a scarecrow, jump on a hayride, and enjoy s’mores and hot cocoa around a campfire. All you need to bring is clothes (long sleeve shirt, pants, a hat) to dress up your scarecrow. Register one member of your family for the event. One scarecrow and one pumpkin per registration (if you would like an additional pumpkin, please also register for the Additional Pumpkin code). Please check in at the Wildwood Pavilion. A pumpkin and scarecrow judging contest is held during the last 5 minutes of the evening, and ribbons are awarded. The event will be all outdoors at the Wildwood Pavilion and Campfire Circle, please dress to be outdoors.

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Recycle your pumpkin at the Pumpkin Smash and Bash! Roll your pumpkin down the Centennial Sled Hill in a fun competition that kicks off the event, smash and bash them, then launch them into piles of compost. Go green by helping to clean up the newly smashed pumpkins and learn about composting. Please remove any candles, stickers, and glow sticks before bringing your pumpkin to the event. Event is free, but registration required. When you arrive please check in at the tent.

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The entire family will enjoy the peaceful night air while sitting around a fire listening to stories, singing songs, and making everyone’s favorite - s’mores! Enjoy a night hike around the pond. Flashlights are not needed, but feel free to bring a blanket or chair to sit on. Fee is per family (register one family member).

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Turn your family into scientists and explore fun science concepts with us! Make cool discoveries through experiments, projects, and play. Different activities each class. Please register only one member of your family and dress for a mess! October: Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles - Mix sudsy concoctions, build bubble wands, and blow giant bubbles! November: Stress Balls and Squishies - Squish and squash and mix up sensory delights for stress relief, and dissect squishies to see what makes them so fun!

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Ready for Wildwood’s twist on the classic tag? A popular Nature Camp and Discovery Crew game, Zombie Tag is a prairie wide invasion to escape and evade getting tagged by the group of Zombie players. Zombies are marked with an X, and getting tagged by a zombie player will result in one stripe across your own shirt (with tape) or face (with washable paint). A second stripe makes you a full fledged ”Zombie" and you join the rest of the mob. Please register only 1 family member for Zombie Tag.

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