Bluestem Hall Nature School

YOU ARE INVITED! | one month from today, June 27th, on the prairie 730 sharp! We shall dance in the sunset, frolic with the fireflies, merriment abounds. Reserve your tickets to our ✨ extremely special ✨summer school fundraising event! See you then! 💘

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bluestem-hall-guided-firefly-show-6th-annual-tickets-1989032898944?aff=oddtdtcreator

The sweetest little school year is coming to a close soon. Days spent learning in the prairie will never cease, but we do close our doors for summer to rest, plan, and prep for another great big year!

A few things-
1. Next year we will have 3 classes! Prek, K-1, and 2+. Classes are filling up indeed, but a few spots are open as we grow ever so gracefully.

https://www.bluestemhall.com/enrollment

2. The Bluestem Hall Nature School Environmentalism Award is still accepting nominees- please help us find folks to celebrate! Follow the link below to tell us about someone special now 🍀

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdksJCDvOJsHZRRtzKxbFIu9Yf-1-L8I9BiCZrHfk8DvJLjaQ/viewform

3. Our 6th annual Firefly Show is coming up! Mark your calendars to be awestruck on the prairie Saturday 6/27! Tickets are already on sale through our eventbrite page! ✨

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bluestem-hall-guided-firefly-show-6th-annual-tickets-1989032898944?aff=oddtdtcreator

4. We are accepting new board member applications to add to our incredible behind-the-scenes team! Please find details on our website or email [email protected] 💌

https://www.bluestemhall.com/boardofdirectors

5. Thanks to our amazing school community for letting us do what we do and to be so well loved! The ripple effect of the work we do here feels significant and important 💛

Bluestem Hall Environmentalism Award

OPEN for Nominations! | This award is to celebrate the local grassroots initiative taking place to protect, restore, and/or conserve our natural environment. Bluestem Hall Nature School wants to identify and honor local champions of the Midwest landscape who are invested in a more sustainable, biodiverse, and equitable future. We are looking for individuals who have pioneered projects big and small to better the natural spaces, species, and/or environmental communities around them.

There will be two categories:
-a youth award (for ages 3-18)
-an adult award

Nominations Criteria
All nominees to the Bluestem Hall Environmentalism Award must meet the following criteria:
-The individual has attained a recent, specific environmental achievement
-This achievement was accomplished through grassroots effort and activism
-The individual is a citizen of the East Central Illinois region

Additional Considerations
-Creative pursuits are welcome
-Initiatives/research created as part of a college or high school class are accepted if the nominee can show direct steps taken to bring the work outside the classroom
-A parent/guardian must submit or co-submit the application for the youth award

This award is not designed for folks who have done environmental work as part of paid/hired responsibilities unless those achievements have been made through considerable changemaking initiatives ... .as in the nominee has forged new pathways in their industry for the betterment of the natural world.

Award Ceremony
Recipients of the Bluestem Hall Environmentalism Award will be honored at the 6th Annual BHNS Firefly Show Saturday June 27, 2026. Nominees will be asked to confirm their attendance as part of the award acceptance process. The event will be held on site in Urbana, IL.

Nomination Form: https://bit.ly/3PmOt0x

Our prairie chicks flew the coop! Such a fun day on campus ! We began the day attending a beautiful concert by the at ! An engaging performance featuring Bizet, Grieg, and Fauré. A pizza picnic on the quad (where our two UIUC student teachers found us!), then ended the day at the Red Oak Rain Garden and exploring the many stunning tropical and desert species at 🌿🌵

Stone, cones, and bones. Business as usual for an outdoor school 🧚🏽‍♂️👒🐦‍⬛🍄

For those who know about the space that we affectionately call “the barnlot,” a glimpse of life 60 years ago when the actual barn and silos stood tall!

✨Enrollment for our 26-27 school year is OPEN! ✨ The spots are limited, but we do have a few openings in each of our three classes! Prek, K-1, and 2-3! Our Grade 2-3 class is new for Fall 26! It will grow slowly and naturally to Grade 5. Please go to www.bluestemhall.com/enrollment to see details on pricing and steps to take for admissions! We’ll be closed for spring break next week but reviewing applications as soon as we return 3/23 🫶🏽

life lately on the prairie! 🌾🚗🤸🏾🐾🍡🛼🧩💡