May brings blooming flowers, perfect for pressing and preserving. Place flowers between tissue or coffee filters inside a heavy book. Add weight and wait two to six weeks, replacing paper if damp. Use fresh flowers for best results. Try different types and use your pressed flowers in art, framed decor, or a nature journal with notes on species and location.

Make a rain gauge to see how much it rains in April. Cut the top off a 2-liter bottle, add rocks, and fill with water to a marked line 2 inches up. Mark half-inch measurements above that. Place the top back in as a funnel and set it outside when it rains. Record how much rain falls and track it in a notebook. See when it rained most during the month.

A solar eclipse will occur on April 8, and Will County is in its path. The next one visible here won’t be until 2044, so don’t miss it! Never look directly at the sun. Use a DIY eclipse viewer made from a cereal box, paper, foil, and a pencil. Light passes through a small hole in the foil and projects the eclipse onto white paper inside the box. Stand with your back to the sun and look through the open hole to view the projection safely.

Make milk dance with this fun science experiment. Add drops of food coloring to a bowl of whole milk then touch the surface with a cotton swab dipped in dish soap. Watch the colors swirl and move as the soap breaks the surface tension. Try using cookie cutters for fun shapes.

Static electricity happens when atoms rub together and steal electrons, creating a charge. Like magnets, opposite charges attract. When electrons build up, your hair stands up or you get shocked by metal. You can see static in action with a fun experiment: rub wool on an acrylic sheet, then hold it above crispy rice cereal. The cereal “dances” as it’s pulled toward the charged acrylic.

You can crush pop cans using air pressure in this science experiment. Heat a small amount of water in a pop can until water vapor appears. Quickly flip and dunk the can into a bowl of iced water and watch it implode! The water vapor condenses, creating low pressure inside the can. Since there is more external pressure than internal pressure, the can collapses towards its center. It’s a dramatic example of how powerful air pressure is. Be sure to have adult help and safety gea

Make a yarn turtle craft using three green-colored Popsicle sticks tied together in a snowflake shape. Wrap yarn around the center to form a mound, then continue winding yarn around each stick in a circle. Use 2 to 4 yarn colors for variety.

Meet Penny, a curious ball python at Plum Creek Nature Center! Kids can make their own spiral snake craft inspired by her using paper, scissors, and decorations. Penny is a constrictor with shiny, copper-colored scales and uses her tongue to smell. This fun activity teaches colors and patterns, mimicking real snake markings. Add a forked tongue and hang your creation! Learn more with a one-hour Nature Play Day video all about snakes.