Another month, another fun list of Chicago-area STEM activities and events! What’s in store for March? There’s plenty of fun around the metro area, not to mention a few cherished Chicago traditions, like turning the river green.
What to Do in Chicago in March for STEM and STEAM Fun
Join the STEM Kids Chicago newsletter and get the coolest area events delivered to your inbox twice a month!
Not only do we turn our clocks forward in early March, but it’s also time to spring ahead and make plans for upcoming school breaks. Look at the many options in our Spring Break Camp Guide, Summer Camp Guide, and Summer Camp Guide Just for Girls. 
Women’s History Month events include programs for girls, like Expanding Your Horizons and AAUW Tech Savvy.
Battle of the Bots, the area’s premiere VEX competition for middle school students kicks off the month.
Engineering Open House at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign competitions, showcases, a Tesla Coil concert and more!
Pi Day There’s no Pi Day like a Chi Pi Day! Traditions include deals, crafts, and events, like the Pi K Fun Run.
AeroSTEM Youth aviation and STEM Expo takes place at IIT.
Adler Planetarium Scopes in the City starts in March and runs through November. Check our events calendar to see if the program is coming to your neighborhood or suburb.
Sweet! It’s time for Maple Syrup Festivals.
And March also brings blooms in the form of the Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier.
Chicago Culture
Chicago puts the fat in Fat Tuesday with the area’s obsession over the Polish jelly doughnut-like treat, paczkis. You can run them off at the Pi K races we mentioned above, or perhaps the Shamrock Shuffle 8K run is more your speed?
The areas trees still look brown, but the Chicago River will turn green for St. Patrick’s Day. And we hear there will be a parade, too. If you’ve never been to the Irish Heritage Center, this might be the month to take a look. Note that most of their events are for adults.
March STEM Themes
Earth Hour In Chicago or wherever you are, power down from 8:30-9:30 PM.
Make a window cling and save a bird!
Join the STEM Kids Chicago newsletter and get the coolest area events delivered to your inbox twice a month! Check out our latest guides: Spring Break, Summer STEM Camps, and STEM Camps for Girls.
If you’re looking for afterschool or weekend programs, be sure to check our Guide to Coding Classes around Chicago and our Guide to 20 Awesome STEM Enrichment Classes.
Family-Friendly STEM and STEAM Chicago Event List
March 1, 2020
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
- 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm Sap’s Rising at River Trail Nature Center
March 2, 2020
- 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Mad Math Society at Morton Grove Public Library
March 7, 2020
- 9:30 am - 5:30 pm Battle of the Bots- OPEF VEX Tournament at Julian Middle School
- 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Maple Syrup Hikes at Ryerson Woods Weclome Center
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
- 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm Sap’s Rising at River Trail Nature Center
March 8, 2020
- 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Maple Syrup Hikes at Ryerson Woods Weclome Center
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
- 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm Sap’s Rising at River Trail Nature Center
- 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm STEM Day at the Chicago Wolves Game at Allstate Arena
March 9, 2020
- 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Adler Planetarium Free Day for IL Residents at Adler Planetarium
March 10, 2020
- 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Adler Planetarium Free Day for IL Residents at Adler Planetarium
- 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm College of Lake County Engineering Information at College of Lake County – Grayslake Campus
March 11, 2020
- 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Adler Planetarium Free Day for IL Residents at Adler Planetarium
March 12, 2020
- 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Adler Planetarium Free Day for IL Residents at Adler Planetarium
March 14, 2020
- 8:30 am - 1:30 pm 2020 All Scout Nano Day at Northwestern University
- 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Sugar Bush Fair at Vera Meineke Nature Center at Spring Valley
- 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Maple Syrup Hikes at Ryerson Woods Weclome Center
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
- 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm Sap’s Rising at River Trail Nature Center
- 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Scratch 'n' Code at Morton Grove Public Library
- 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Monthly Skywatch at Cernan Center Planetarium at Cernan Earth and Space Center at Triton College
March 15, 2020
- 12:00 am KidCon Chicago 2020 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
- 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Sugar Bush Fair at Vera Meineke Nature Center at Spring Valley
- 10:00 am - 11:00 am Maple Syrup Harvest at Sunset Woods Park
- 11:00 am - 3:00 pm 47th Annual Maple Syrup Festival at River Trail Nature Center
- 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Maple Tapping 101 at NPV at North Park Village Nature Center
- 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Maple Syrup Harvest at Sunset Woods Park
- 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Maple Syrup Hikes at Ryerson Woods Weclome Center
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
March 16, 2020
- 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm LEGO Builders at Morton Grove Public Library
March 18, 2020
- 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Girls In Science at Burpee Museum at Burpee Museum of Natural History
- 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Artificial Intelligence for Science Seminar at College of DuPage Student Resource Center
- 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm STEMinar Series at College of DuPage at College of DuPage Student Resource Center
March 21, 2020
- 8:30 am - 4:00 pm AAUW Tech Savvy at Triton College
- 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Maple Fest at Red Oak Nature Center at Red Oak Nature Center
- 10:00 am - 3:15 pm Get Sticky! Maple Syrup Day at Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center
- 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Maple Syrup Festival at NPV at North Park Village Nature Center
- 10:15 am - 11:15 am Family Yoga at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
- 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Maple Syrup Hikes at Ryerson Woods Weclome Center
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
March 22, 2020
- 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Maple Syrup Festival at North Park Village Nature Center at North Park Village Nature Center
- 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Maple Syrup Hikes at Ryerson Woods Weclome Center
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
March 27, 2020
- 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Engineering Open House at U of I at University of Illinois, Engineering Campus
March 28, 2020
- 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Engineering Open House at U of I at University of Illinois, Engineering Campus
- 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Expanding Your Horizons Chicago Conference at University of Illinois Chicago
- 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Illinois Math and Science Academy Tour at Illinois Math and Science Academy
- 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Wood Type and Letterpress Workshop at Rettinger Hall at The Newberry
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
March 29, 2020
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Maple Sugaring at Kline Creek Farm at Kline Creek Farm
