Museum in a Box Interactive Teaching Kits
These interactive teaching kits, assembled by Conservation District staff, are available to educators in the Macon County area. They are listed by age-appropriateness with youngest first. Call 217-423-7708 to reserve your Museum in a Box. Must be picked up at Rock Springs Nature Center.
There Are No Fees to Check Out a Museum in a Box
Nature Museum in a Box
Oh Deer!
The white tailed deer is Illinois’ state mammal. This kit, containing books, lesson plans, a deer pelt, and much more is sure to be a hit with all ages. Use it to augment the study of state symbols, spur a discussion of hunting, or help preschoolers learn the difference between white tailed deer and reindeer.
Who: Grades P through 12
Prehistoric Life
Learn about dinosaurs and fossils. This kit contains interactive materials, curriculum materials, and plenty of fun activities.
Who: Grades K through 4
Reptiles
Learn about common and uncommon reptiles with this kit chock full of books, videos, posters, games, activity ideas, and more.
Who: Grades K through 6
Bats
Learn about bats in Macon County and beyond. Kit includes videos, slides, skulls, skeletons, books, lesson plans, activities, and posters.
Who: Grades K through 12
Birds of Prey
This kit contains materials relating to hawks and owls with emphasis on local species. Posters, activities, lesson plans, skulls, and more included.
Who: Grades K through 12
Frogs and Toads
Full of facts about frogs and toads. Lesson plans, posters, books, videos, and CDs help the student discover more about these amphibians.
Who: Grades K through 12
Talkin’ Turkey
This kit is full of items and information from the National Wild Turkey Federation, plus replica skull, track, scat, egg, and other fun materials. It will be a great addition to a unit at Thanksgiving or anytime.
Who: Grades K through 12
Prairie
Learn more about this important but vanishing biome. Illinois is nicknamed “The Prairie State” for a reason. Kit includes lesson plans, videos, CDs, prairie plant specimens, skulls, scat, and egg replicas of prairie birds.
Who: Grades 3 through 12
Wetlands, Ponds and Streams
Fresh water aquatic environments are often misunderstood. Help your students learn about the importance of this varied habitat with videos, books, activities, posters, test kits, and lesson plans.
Who: Grades 4 through 12
History Museum in a Box
1860’s Farm Life
Students will catch a glimpse of life in rural Central Illinois. You’ll gain in-depth perspectives through artifacts, activities, and selected topics that demonstrate the experiences of men, women, and children that lived on 19th Century farms.
Who: Grades K through 6
Native American Lifeways
Temporarily Unavailable
The Native Americans in Illinois had their own way of life attuned to the environment. This kit helps students understand and appreciate Illinois tribes through artifacts and furs from the animals they hunted, the crops they grew, and legends from the Midwest.
Who: Grades K through 6
Civil War Soldier
This box provides an in-depth look into the life of the common American Civil War soldier. Students gain this experience through artifacts, activities, and selected topics that focus on food, daily living, and the hardships that soldiers faced.
Who: Grades 3 through 12
How to Make Reservations for Educational Programs
You may make reservations for all Macon County Conservation District programs and services by calling 217-423-7708, Monday-Friday from 8am to 5pm. Programs can be booked for any day of the week (Monday through Sunday). Reserve well in advance to secure the dates you want.