Think Illinois is boring? How about 1,000 year-old trees or a mile thick glacier? Did you know Illinois’ prehistoric dragonflies had a 24” wingspan? Can you name the Illinois city built on top of a coral reef? Have you seen our lime green caterpillar that is as big as a hot dog? You can discover these and other Illinois secrets in the Prairie State Nature Series©.

Each resource book in the series contains both fascinating facts and coloring sheets that can be reproduced by educators and other nonprofit organizations. Two books in the Prairie State Nature Series©, are available now: Forest and Woodlands of Illinois, a Teacher’s Guide and Illinois A to Z, a coloring book for grades K-3 that includes all of the state symbols. A third book: Prehistoric Illinois will be available soon. One day I realized our students knew more about tropical rainforests than Illinois forests, Susan Barker says. That’s because there weren’t many materials to help educate teachers. That’s why I developed the series. Dr. Barker often schedules school visits along with workshops to help teachers teach Illinois.

Dr. Susan Barker grew up catching crawdads, collecting fossils and climbing on the Mississippi River bluffs in Dupo, IL. For over 30 years she has explored forests, prairies, wetlands, caves and other unique areas across the prairie state. A teacher and naturalist, Susan delights all ages from kindergarteners to graduate students. Her workshops for teachers and scout leaders are popular, fun and informative.

Contact Information:
Email: illcntry@htc.net
Website: http://www.illinoiscountry.org (coming soon)