Mighty Acorns®
The Conservation Foundation has provided Mighty Acorns® for 25 years to more than 1,000 students a year in Kane and LaSalle Counties. Mighty Acorns® is a stewardship-based environmental education program for 3 – 5th graders that connects students in multiple, meaningful and sustained interactions with their local ecosystems. The curriculum was recently revised to align to the Next Generation Science Standards, STEM, and Common Core by the Next Generation Mighty Acorns Curriculum Working Group led by the Field Museum.
The success of The Conservation Foundation’s Mighty Acorns® programs have been our long term relationships with the school’s students and teachers, our experienced and passionate educators, and our collaborative partnerships with forest preserves, park districts, and nature centers. Having the opportunity to adopt a natural area in their own community gives the students a sense of pride and ownership as they can see the result of their efforts. By having these up close nature encounters, we hope to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
Mighty Acorns schools
To find out more specifics about the curriculum, partners, and educational philosophies please contact Carolyn Wagner, Mighty Acorns Coordinator at [email protected].
Dupage County
Currier School, West Chicago, 5th grade, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Wegner School, West Chicago, 4th & 5th grade, partner West Chicago Park District
Johnson School, Warrenville, 4th grade, partner Warrenville Park District
Lace School, Darien, after school Eco Club, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Fischer School, Elmhurst, 3rd & 4th grade, partner ComEd & Stantec
Kane County
Hillcrest School, Elgin, 4th & 5th grade, partner Hawthorne Hill Nature Center
Elgin Boys and Girls Club, 3rd grade, Hawthorne Hill Nature Center
Dundee Boys and Girls Club, 4th grade, Dundee Township
LaSalle County
Central Intermediate School, Ottawa, 5th grade, partner Dayton Bluffs Preserve
Wallace School, Ottawa, 4th grade, Dayton Bluffs Preserve
Rutland School, Ottawa, 3rd, 4th & 5th grade, Dayton Bluffs Preserve
Mrs. Ixpata, a 4th grade teacher at Clifford Johnson Elementary in Warrenville whose classes participate in Mighty Acorns® says, “Mighty Acorns® is like a field trip that comes right to our classroom door three times a year, and I think it’s actually more impactful and relatable for my students since it is happening right in their community. When I ask my students each May what their favorite part of the school year was, it’s Mighty Acorns®, hands down, every time.”
If your school or club is interested in the Mighty Acorns® program, please click here to contact Carolyn Wagner.
