Creating and Keeping Collections

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, IL

February 20, 2027
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Have you ever wondered about keeping a collection and how to use one in your teaching? For more than 160 years, the Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has been assembling and maintaining a variety of natural history specimens and collections. Teachers of grades PK-8 can learn about the collections of the Museum and how they can be used to learn more about the past and present of local ecosystems. We will discuss how the museum builds and maintains our collections, and provide guidelines for collecting natural materials and using living and preserved specimens in the classroom. Teachers of other grade levels are welcome to register for this workshop but may need to adapt the materials for their students, as appropriate.  Correlations between the information presented and Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards and Next Generation Science Standards will be addressed. Supplemental resources will be provided. Professional Development Hours are available. Sponsored by the IDNR, this workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program.