Each year, Nature Museum educators provide more contact hours of hands-on teaching than any other museum in the city. We reach over 50,000 students and 1,500 teachers using living and preserved collections and the Nature Museum’s conservation work.
Through school and out-of-school time opportunities for students and teachers throughout Chicago, educators are able to make an impact on the community by building knowledge, skills, interest, and enthusiasm for STEM topics. Education programs are founded in a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to connecting our audiences to local nature and science.
Virtual Field Trips
Take a field trip to the Nature Museum, register for a hands-on workshop, and more!
Teacher Resources, Workshops & PD
Get access to programs, learning kits, professional development (PD) workshops and other resources.
Do you ever wonder how a butterfly gets its colors? Or how turtles hibernate? Do you wonder how birds know where to migrate each year? For over 160 years, the Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has served a unique role in the city of Chicago connecting children of all ages to nature and science through immersive exhibits, fun family events, important conservation research and in-depth education programs, inspiring the wonder in all of us.