Explore the Extension Idea Garden at free community event Aug. 30
University of Illinois Extension will host an Extension Connection Community Day on Sunday, Aug. 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Kane County Idea Garden in St. Charles.
This free open house will feature activities for all ages highlighting the environment, gardening, food, wellness, and more.
Extension Connection visitors can choose to:
• Tour the Master Gardener Idea Garden, rain garden, and prairie to enjoy flowers, vegetables, herbs, native plants, and pollinators. Each garden plot focuses on a specific educational element or innovative idea that visitors can learn from or replicate at home.
• Stroll our Book Walk featuring “Giraffes Can’t Dance” written by Giles Andreae. Explore themes of self-confidence, perseverance, and the celebration of individual strengths while reading together and moving like the story’s characters!
• Meet Herman the Worm and his friends, while learning how worms can turn kitchen scraps into garden fertilizer! A worm bin, also known as vermicomposting, is a great way to create compost at home and reduce waste. Learn what should (and should not) go into a worm bin, how composting works, and get an up-close look at these wiggly workers.
• Experience “Monarchs on the Move” to learn about the monarch butterfly, the challenges it faces to survive, and its unique life cycle. Youth will have the opportunity to explore hands-on activities and take home a paper butterfly that flutters!
• Create a flower bouquet from the Master Gardener cutting garden, which is full of colorful blooms to brighten a room or give as a gift.
• Explore the Master Gardener Artisan Market, featuring handcrafted items to purchase including honey, pottery, textile and fiber arts, nature photography, and more.
“We’re excited to connect with community members through engaging, hands-on activities that make learning both fun and meaningful,” said county director Deanna Roby-Vorgias. “That’s what Illinois Extension is all about, helping people access trusted knowledge and practical tools that strengthen families, communities, economies, and the environment.”
The local Extension team will be joined by Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, and 4-H volunteers at the Kane County Master Gardener Idea Garden. It is located on the northwest corner of Route 38 and Peck Road in St. Charles.
No registration is required. Learn more at go.illinois.edu/ExploreLearnGrow.
If you need reasonable accommodation to participate, call our office at (630) 584-6166 or email uie-dkk@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting access needs.
Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities. Illinois Extension is part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.