Outreach activities

Periodically, some of our members are asked to make presentations to classes, summer camps, and similar events for children and adults. We thought it would be helpful to post some photos from these events (beginning in August, 2024).

April 26, 2025 Earth Day

Members of the Peoria Academy of Science (including members from our Entomology Section) participated in the Earth Day activities at Forest Park Nature Center, Peoria Heights, IL on Saturday April 26. We had over 200 visitors to our displays. In addition to an assortment of beetle specimens (all from central Illinois), we had an aluminum cast of an ant nest, high resolution stacked photos of a number of beetles, a chart of commonly encountered caterpillars in central Illinois and much more. We were there from 10 until 4. We had a number of interesting discussions with many visitors (young and old). Our member, Ruth Towns, took a number of photos throughout the day. Here is a gallery of the photos she took. We hope you enjoy. Perhaps we will see you at the next Earth Day (2026).

March 18, 2025 – Brimfield Grade School

Mark gave a presentation to the second grade class at Brimfield grade school. Roughly 20 students were present. Many thanks to Patrick Martin for inviting me and for Ms. Cahill to ask me to cover additional topics about insects. She is covering many aspects about insects in her class for a two week period. The presentation/ discussion lasted about an hour (and it seemed that students wanted to learn more and more). Lots of great questions were asked (including what is the smartest insect). Patrick took some photos during the session. I placed some of them below. It was a lot of fun and I think all learned a lot. If you are a teacher in central Illinois and would like a similar presentation, please reach out to our group. Personally, I never cease to be amazed at how curious the next generation is about the world around us.

August 14, 2024 – Charlotte Mason Summer Camp

Mark DuBois was asked to spend some time with children participating in this summer camp near Tiskilwa. Children and adults encountered a number of insects and learned the fundamentals of insect life in central Illinois (aspects such as how to avoid being eaten by predators, how insects likely perceive the world with their vision [compound eyes], and much more). We also observed many insects in their natural habitat and learned about many species we typically walk past in mowed lawns. Here are some of the photos from that day. Hope you enjoy. If you would like a presentation for your class, please reach out to us via our contact page.