ACES Family Academies

A Day on a Cattle Farm

Illinois is home to many cattle farms. Raising and showing cattle requires a lot of hard work and long hours. In this session you will get a better look at all of the day’s work that takes place on a beef cattle farm.

     A Day on a Cattle Farm - Bickelhaupt

Dig In to Gardening

This session from Illinois Extension offers an interactive cooking experience. Gather your garden ingredients and follow along to make veggiecakes!

    Dig In to Gardening - University of Illinois Extension

Corn's A-Maize-Ing Journey

Take one quick look around the University of Illinois campus and what do you see?  Corn! Corn is obviously a big part of our lives in Central Illinois, but what do we really know about corn? This session gives us a deeper look at the growing of corn and some of our favorite products that are made from corn.

     Corn's A-Maize-Ing Journey - Beth Conerty & Eric Wolfe

Let's Talk About Money

Saving money may be difficult, but managing your money is very important, even at a young age. In this session, we learn the basics about making, saving, and spending money.  

     Let's Talk About Money - Paul Stoddard

Water Connects Us All

University of Illinois Extension 4-H shares a workshop with us to promote awareness and better practices for managing this natural resource. In this session you will learn about carbon, water and nitrogen cycles, wet lands and helpful engineering practices.

     Water Connects Us All - University of Illinois Extension 4-H

Water's Destiny

Water is one of life's most basic necessities, but have you ever given more thought to the details behind it. This video explains the journey of water and the importance behind it.

     Water's Destiny - Maria Librada Chu

Native Plants

Throughout the state of Illinois, there are thousands of native plants that can be found. Take a deeper dive into some plants that can be found in Illinois' ecosystem.

     Native Plants - Kurt Hansen

Viticulture

Have you ever wondered how vineyards make products out of grapes? This session will show you how grapes are grown in a vineyard and how they are turned into some of our favorite healthy treats.

     Viticulture - Sue Gray

Butterfly Adventures

University of Illinois Extension 4-H addresses all the intricacies of butterflies. This series of videos gives us a fun look into the different stages of a butterfly’s life.

     Butterfly Adventures - University of Illinois Extension 4-H

Hydroponics

With urban agriculture becoming more relevant in today's society, new ways to grow plants are emerging. Hydroponics is one way urban agriculturalists are growing plants. This video will show you how to make one of many hydroponic systems. 

     Hydroponics - Noelle Neef

Health and Hunger

There is no question that some people in the world are lacking resources that we sometimes take for granted. This game will teach you about how there are varied resources for families around the world.

     Health and Hunger - Jan Brooks

Attend the College of ACES

The College of ACES offers 10 majors with many different concentrations!

            Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE)

            Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE)

            Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications (ALEC)

            Animal Sciences

            Computer Science and Crop Sciences

            Crop Sciences 

            Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN)

            Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS)

            New! - Metropolitan Food & Environmental Systems (MFST)

University of Illinois Extension is the flagship outreach effort of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, offering educational programs to residents of all of Illinois' 102 counties -- and far beyond. Extensions provides practical education you can trust to help people, businesses, and communities solve problems, develop skills, and build a future.