On The Go Chicago

Yesterday’s gloomy weather provided the perfect excuse to head down town and check out the photography exhibit on the World’s Fair and explore the new kids education area at the Chicago Art Institute.  Although we had a great time, I have to admit that my little ones are a bit too little (Grace is 2 and Clare is almost 1) for this outing.

The new modern wing is not only beautiful, but has a huge family section called the Ryan Education Center.  There is an indoor play area with blocks, books, art inspired computer games, etc., and it’s open everyday during normal museum hours.  In addition, they have multiple classrooms where they hold educational classes for kids age 3 through 18.  Classes range from Drawing in the Galleries and Family Art Class to Story Time.  They even offer a entire list of programs for teens interested in art.  To get complete details, click here.

Every Saturday and Sunday between 11am-3pm they have a drop in art project in the The Artist’s Studio.  Yesterday the project was making patterns with stamps.  The kids actually made their own stamps (a bit too advanced for my two year old, but 3+ would really enjoy it).

Mini Masters is a class available for children 3 to 5 years old, that runs from 10:30-11:30 every Saturday and Sundays.  It is free with admission, and start off with a story, then a tour of part of the museum and ends with an art project.  For the cost of your admission ($16), your kids can enjoy a great class and the museum.

Chicago Art Institute is dedicated to making art accessible to the community and the families that live in Chicago.  I was blown away by the amazing family facilities and variety of activities available for kids of different ages.  I highly encourage you to check it out with your kids.  Plus, you can get in a little culture for yourself while you’re there!

Here are the details:

• Where – 111 South Michigan Ave.
• Hours of Operation – Mon.-Wed. 10:30am-5:pm, Thur. 10:30am-8pm, Fri. 10:30am-5pm, Sat. and Sun. 10am-5pm
• Cost – $16 for Chicago residence.  Kids under 14 are FREE.  Thursday nights are also FREE from 5pm-8pm. You can get FREE passes from the local library (Krafts Great Kids Museum Passport).  The institute is FREE the entire month of February.
• Parking – We scored the metered parking on Congress ($8.50 for two hours), but there is plenty of underground parking across the street at Millennium Park.
• Check out their Family Calender for a list of current events and classes.