Kids explore the great outdoors during Mighty Acorns program
"I see poop!"
Nothing gets a fifth-grader more excited than talk of excrement.
But in this case, these kids are identifying local wildlife as they explore outdoors as part of the Mighty Acorns program offered by The Conservation Foundation in partnership with the Dundee Boys & Girls Club and Dundee Township.
The students are from Lakewood School in Carpentersville and have been exploring Library Springs Natural Area, located behind the Dundee Township Library.
By the way, these outdoor explorers learn the animal "poop" is called scat and it was determined most likely belonged to a fox.
"We are excited to welcome the Mighty Acorns Program and the Boys & Girls Club members to Dundee Township's Library Springs," Dundee Township Supervisor Sue Harney said. "The location between the library and the park district makes this an ideal place for these students to be outdoors."
The program meets monthly through the end of May at the Club where kids engage in hands-on activities learning about biodiversity and habitats. Once a month, they head out to the woods to explore and participate in restoration efforts.
The Mighty Acorns program is offered throughout the Chicago area to third- to fifth-grade students, typically as a collaboration between community organizations. The Conservation Foundation currently offers the program in Kane and DuPage counties at two area Boys and Girls Clubs, four schools, and one park district.
The program is funded mostly with donations and works to get kids outside to involve them in their communities through stewardship projects that help the environment.
The Mighty Acorns program reaches hundreds of students each year who learn about land and water resources, and how to help restore the natural areas in their own neighborhoods.
The Conservation Foundation is one of the region's oldest and largest nonprofit land and watershed conservation organizations. Since it was founded in 1972, the foundation has helped preserve nearly 33,000 acres of open space, restored and cleaned miles of rivers and streams, and educated thousands of kids by engaging them in nature and the outdoors.
Work is focused in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties to preserve and restore nature in your neighborhood. Find out more at theconservationfoundation.org.