Will County Forest Preserve District offers stay-at-home activities

In light of the governor's stay-at-home order, the Forest Preserve District will not be adding to its Facebook Live events at this time or creating other content that would require travel by staff. However, existing online offerings will still provide fun and educational nature-related diversions for people who are staying home to protect their health and do their part to stop the spread of new coronavirus.

There is a wealth of material online that provides information for virtual visitors of all ages via social media and the Forest Preserve's website, ReconnectWithNature.org.

Existing Forest Preserve District online resources include:

Willy's Wilderness, WillysWilderness.org, a kid-oriented website, features fun things to do, nature facts and more. For instance, current "Try It" activities listed on the site are: Ivory Soap Is All You Need To Make Your Own Clouds; Ready, Set, Launch: Make Your Favorite Critters Fly; and Turn Your Old DVDs and CDs Into Outdoor Art. Current stories focus on spring peepers, why marsupials have pouches and the swans of Will County, as well as cool activities such as how to use Ivory soap to make clouds.

The News and Events section on the District's website includes Current Headlines as well as in-depth features and videos. Check out the Big Picture section for information on all kinds of creatures, seasonal changes and more. The Buzz offers Creature Features, Quizzes and a timely Tournament of Birds patterned on the NCAA tournament, but featuring avian players.

Forest Preserve social media platforms also are a fun way to stay in touch with nature. Check out the District's Will County Wildlife page at Facebook.com/groups/WillCountyWildlife, or the Forest Preserve's other social media accounts: Instagram.com/WillCoForests, Twitter.com/WillCoForests and YouTube.com/WillCoForests.

And if you're looking to escape with beautiful pictures of wildlife, check out the District's related bird-focused Twitter accounts - @TodaysBird, @WildlifeoftheDay and @TodaysBaldEagle.

The District's website, ReconnectWithNature.org/news-events/videos, and YouTube account features Moments of Zen videos that provide much-needed stress relief as well as additional videos covering a wide range of topics including backyard birds, American white pelican migration, beehives, sounds of nature and more.

Will County Forest Preserve District offers stay-at-home activities