Take It Outdoors

18 episodes has been an exciting first season, and it’s time to regroup and start planning for Season 2! Take It Outdoors will be back in 2020. In the meantime, help us on another project by sending us your nature questions through our Facebook page.

Having trouble discerning fact from fiction on social media? Great Parks social media strategist Nikki Ferrell shares tips on how to tell if a post is real or just clickbait, as well as the impact of social media on nature. Then, we Take It Outdoors to Shawnee Lookout to debunk some common nature myths.

Summer is the best time to find new adventures and reconnect with nature. Great Parks east region education manager Julie Robinson joins us with ideas to get kids more interested in nature and fun ways for kids to enjoy being outside – all from your own yard. Then, we Take It Outdoors taking Julie’s suggestions to heart by exploring uncharted territory of Winton Woods.

Whether you call them lightning bugs or fireflies, it’s just not summer until you see the visual symphony these insects create. In this episode, we’re joined by the official experts on lightning bugs, our own nature interpreters’ children who share the real facts about these beetles. Then, we Take It Outdoors for a night hike at Glenwood Gardens to learn while lightning bugs are beautiful, behind that beauty is also deceit.

In this special edition, we are joined by soon-to-be-retired chief executive officer Jack Sutton to discuss his 30 years with Great Parks. From being park planner to CEO, we learn how the park district has expanded and evolved during Jack’s tenure, demonstrating how he truly is a jack of all trades.

  In this episode, we are joined by Highfield Discovery Garden manager and resident gardening expert Doug Stevenson to discuss the ins and outs of starting your own garden at home. Then, we Take It Outdoors to explore the whimsical Highfield Discovery Garden and discover what grows there.  

In this episode, we are joined by Great Parks interpreter Julie Stubbs to drop some sick beats over the surprisingly tough nature of spring wildflowers. Then, we Take It Outdoors with Tom to Richardson Forest Preserve to see if skunk cabbage really smells like skunk.

In this episode, we are joined by ODNR Wildlife Research Technician Rob Ligas to discuss the history and nature of coyotes. Then, we Take It Outdoors with Tom to Sharon Woods where we (attempt) to do our best coyote calls while discovering more about nature at night.

In this episode, former Great Parks interpreter Penny Borgman joins us to discuss the science behind sap. Then, we Take It Outdoors with Tom Hughes to Mitchell Memorial Forest and tap a sugar maple tree ourselves.

In this episode, we are joined by Great Parks interpreter Tom Hughes to recap notable nature of 2018 such as the Superb Bird of Paradise, spider milk and the Przewalski's Horse. We also find out what to look forward to in 2019 and beyond.

In this episode, we sit down with Great Parks’ Adventure Outpost Coordinator Allison Cone to discuss best winter hiking practices. Then, we Take It Outdoors with Tom Hughes to Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve to learn more about the amazing adaptations animals have in order to survive the cold winter.