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Magic Potions and Wizard Science
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It’s “gee whiz” science time for teachers as we mess around with potions and props that awe and amaze. This three-day workshop invites you to play with dry ice experiments, invisible ink, bath bombs, elephant toothpaste, ferro pets, and other surprises that you can replicate with your students. Discuss how to use these phenomena to build understanding in chemistry and physical sciences. ISBE PD Hours: 18; Gateways: 18; Graduate credit: 1 (additional fee) Grade level: preK – 12
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday June 16 – 18, 2026, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
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Not Available
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School Gardens Outside the Box
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Not every school can have a traditional school garden, but that doesn’t mean gardening with students is impossible. Learn about different ways to envision a school garden, from growing vegetables in containers to hydroponic systems and other scaled-down gardens that fit your resources and needs. Discuss ways to use those gardens to reach SEL and academic goals for all. Bring plants with you after the program to get started at school or at home. ISBE PD Hours: 6; Gateways: 6 Grade level: preK – 12
Thursday July 9, 2026, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. |
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Not Available
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Monarchs, Milkweed, and More
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Spend a day immersed in monarch butterfly beauty, life cycles, adaptations, interactions with other organisms, and other NGSS-related life science concepts. While providing tips for creating pollinator-friendly gardens, we will talk about conservation issues, discover a technique for estimating population sizes, and learn about monarch tagging to track migration. ISBE PD Hours: 6, Gateways: 6 Grade level: preK – 12
Tuesday July 14, 2026, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. |
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Not Available
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Did you know that many scientists are artists? Explore your science-art connection in this workshop as we sample nature photography, fiber arts, drawing, writing, and other crafts. We will exercise creative thinking skills and consider how these activities can enhance science learning, demonstrate understanding of concepts, and communicate information to others. ISBE PD Hours: 18; Gateways: 18; Graduate credit: 1 (additional fee) Grade level: preK – 12
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday July 28-30, 2026, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
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Want to green your classroom but don’t know how to keep plants alive? We have you covered. Spend a day learning about low-maintenance houseplant options, basic plant care, and even how to propagate them. Along the way, we will provide ideas for using live plants to investigate plant science concepts such as adaptation and structure and function of plant parts. Take home a variety of plants to get started. ISBE PD Hours: 6; Gateways: 6 Grade level: preK – 12
Thursday August 6, 2026, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. |
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Climate Science in the Classroom
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Make climate-change science accessible to students using an open-top warming chamber (OTC). Garden scientist Amy Iler, Ph.D., will share her expertise and explain how to use this tool to perform classroom experiments. Your students will learn to model the effects of changing climate patterns on biological events like flowering times and bird migration. Then they will collect and analyze their data. Enjoy a free lunch after the workshop and take home the OTC to try in your classroom. ISBE PD Hours: 3.5 Grade level: 6 – 12
Saturday September 26, 2026, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
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