Join The Forest Preserve For Some Spooky, Scary Halloween Fun

Halloween is right around the corner, and the Forest Preserve District of Will County has programs in October and November that will help you prepare for and enjoy the festivities.

Search for spooky things and spiders in the woods, learn why “scary” and “unhuggable” creatures are really awesome, and send your post-Halloween pumpkin to the compost pile with a bang!

The programs are:

Spooky Scavenger Hunt: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1-Oct. 31, Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, Channahon. Search for spooktacular items in the forest. Items may be natural, supernatural or unnatural! Stop by the visitor center to get a map of the route and a list of items and see if you can find them all. Free; all ages. Registration is not required.

How to be a Zero Waster for Halloween: 7-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct 1. This is a free Zoom webinar for ages 18 or older. Don’t waste plastic as you celebrate Halloween this year. With a little sleuthing and creativity, you can make a zero-waste plan for Halloween. Webinar registration is available on the Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org.

Spider Eyeshine Hike: 7-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, Isle a la Cache Museum, Romeoville. Get in the Halloween spirit this month by searching for things that glow in the dark. Participants should bring flashlights or headlamps to find creatures with eyeshine, the phenomenon of eyes reflecting light in the night, with spiders at the top of the list! Free; ages 6 or older. Register by Thursday, Oct. 1; 815-886-1467.

Monarch Trick or Treats at the Nature Center: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25, Plum Creek Nature Center, Crete Township. Visit the nature center dressed in your favorite costume and end up with a tasty treat and a packet of milkweed seeds. Fall is the perfect time to plant native milkweed seeds, which are vital to monarchs. Free; all ages. Registration is not required.

Unhuggable Animals Scavenger Hunt: 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, Isle a la Cache Museum. Put on your favorite costume and head to the preserve for a self-guided scavenger hunt. Search for animal clues about some of nature’s most “unhuggable” and “scary” creatures, and learn why they aren’t scary at all. Turn in your completed scavenger hunt list inside the museum for a special treat of meeting an “unhuggable” Blanding’s turtle. Drop in anytime from 1-3 p.m. Free; ages 12 or younger. Register by Friday, Oct. 30; 815-886-1467.

Stop, Drop, Pumpkin Roll: 10 a.m.-4 p-.m. Saturdays, Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28, and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, at Plum Creek Nature Center. Stop by the visitor center first to check in and make sure your pumpkin is free of foreign objects. Then drop off your pumpkin for composting after rolling it down Pumpkin Alley on the 40-foot hill. Free; all ages. Registration is not required.

Online program registration also is available on the Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org.