Forest preserve offers programs for homeschoolers, Scouts and tots

Forest Preserve District of Will County programs geared toward homeschool or remote learning students, Scouts and tots are on tap in April. Online registration is available on the Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org. Here is the program lineup:

• Nature Play Days After Hours –April Showers: 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, Plum Creek Nature Center, Crete Township. Come out for a wet and wild day as this evening version of Nature Play Days explores the theme of showers! Free, ages 3-5. Register by April 11.

• Journey Stories – History at Home, Canal Era (Zoom Webinar):

6-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, online.

Before railroads, canals built between the Great Lakes and major rivers connected people, places and parcels. Sail through this short history of the Canal Era with an interpretive naturalist. Free, ages 13 or older. Register online for the Zoom link.

• Rivers of Color – Little Explorers,

Rainbows: 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 12, Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, Channahon. Bring your children to Four Rivers to explore the colors of the rainbow with music, movement, a hike, hands-on activities, crafts and free play. Free, ages 3-5. Register by April 11.

• The Trade Field Trip for Homeschool and Remote Learners: 1011:30 a.m. Thursday, April 13, Isle a la Cache Museum, Romeoville. Practice the barter system used by the French and Native Americans in the 1750s to exchange goods. Students will learn and see the benefits of this economic trade process. Free; for students in grades 2-6 accompanied by a chaperone. Register by April 11.

• Scout Day – Spring Takes Flight:10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, April 15, Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, Channahon. Scouts will move through stations focusing on how plants and animals use the power of flight to survive in the wild. Free, all ages. Register by April 14.

• Upcycled Crafts – T-shirt Tricks: new purpose or one will be provided. tive naturalist will share the fascinat-

11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 15, Monee Reservoir. Learn tricks to turn discarded T-shirts destined for the landfill into fun, new items. Drop in anytime between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to make something at your own pace. Bring an old cotton T-shirt to give it a

Free, ages 7 or older.

• Journey Stories – Joliet Iron Works

Tour: 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 15, Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, Joliet.

Explore the stone foundations of Joliet’s once-thriving steel plant that are more than 100 years old. An interpre- ing stories of the men and machines that worked at the site. Free, ages 16 or older. Register by April 13. For more information on the Forest Preserve District of Will County, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.