Tag: water playgrounds

Are You Stuck in a Park Rut?

Posted in go play - outside | September 28, 2009

Do you find that you go to the same playground over and over again, even though there are at least ten within walking distance of your house? I know I sure do. As a city dweller, my outdoor space is limited so I take my kids to the park on a daily basis. Although I occasionally go to a new park for an event, I find that my stroller ends up on auto-pilot and we head to the South Lakeview Playlot each afternoon.

Over the last several weeks I have explored four new parks with my girls. Not only has it been fun to mix it up a bit, but I have found some really great parks that have different equipment/facilities than my park (sandbox, water playgrounds, toy trains, etc.). In fact, we have gone back to two of them several times.

To find new parks in your area, visit the Chicago Park District website, and utilize their “Find a Park” widget. You can search by zip code, park name and by facilities offered (basketball, water playground, etc.). Let me know about the new parks you find or about your local favorite.

Here is a little bit about the four parks I recently checked out.

DSC07448 150x150 Are You Stuck in a Park Rut?

Fellger Park

- Fellger Playlot is located at 2000 West Belmont. It is a large, grassy and completely enclosed park. My girls and I headed to Fellger after grabbing a few cupcakes across the street at the Bleeding Heart Bakery (buy one, get one free on Mondays). This park offers something for kids of all ages including a play train, lots of slides and even a water feature during the summer. Grace had a blast climbing on the train and trying out each of the MANY slides.

Adams Water Playground

- Adams Playground is located at 1919 North Seminary. We have actually been to Adams three times in the past few weeks. Our first visit was for a Chicago Park District kid’s concert. I was astonished at the size of the water playground and at all the great equipment. We did not bring our swimsuits on that trip, so we listened to the concert and played in the enormous playground. They have a cool mini rock wall, these one-man merry-go-rounds that my daughter became obsessed with and a HUGE sandbox. The following weekend we returned with bathing suits in tow. Wow…what an amazing water playground. Hours of fun to be had! Our last visit was for a birthday party. They have a great indoor room available for parties. Plan ahead, it books up fast.

- Wicker Park is located at 1425 Damen. My husband and I road our bikes down with the girls a few weekends ago. Wow, what a great park. Although the park is quite large, it maintains a quaint neighborhood feel. It offers equipement and facilities (basketball, etc.) for kids of all ages. My daughter loves tunnels and bridges, and this park has plenty of them to offer. There is even a small farmer’s market every Sunday (7am-2pm) until the end of October.

Jonquil Park

- Jonquil Park is located at 1023 Wrightwood. This park just opened a couple months ago, so the equipment is amazing. There is a huge grassy area for picnics. The park has equipment for kids of all ages including lots of great climbing features and these cool spinning things your kids can use to spin up and down a pole. Hard to describe, but my daughter was entertained forever on them.

I look forward to hearing about your park explorations.

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Five FREE Things You Should Check Out Before Summer Ends

Posted in go play - outside | August 28, 2009

We’ve had a couple days in the 60’s, and I was suddenly stricken with the awful thought that summer is almost over. Is it just me, or was this summer way too short? Maybe it is just that last winter was TOO long! Don’t get me wrong, Fall in Chicago is beautiful. I love breaking out the Wellies and the sweaters., but I plan to hold on to summer as long as possible.

Here are five summer time activies I plan to experience one more time before I put away the sun hats and suncreen and pull out the fleece.

1. Breakfast Picnic and Dance Party at the Chicago Green City Market – I am lucky enough to live near the Green City Farmer’s Market. One of my favorite summer time activities is walking the girls down to the market; buying some berries, scones and smoothies; spreading out a blanket and enjoying a picnic breakfast and some live music. If you have not already found this little free treasure on your own, here is the skinny:

Open year round on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 7am-1pm, but outdoors only through October
Located on the South end of Lincoln Park
Promotes local and sustainable farmers
They have free live music every Wednesday and Saturday. If your kids are like mine, they LOVE to dance. The music tends to be in the Folk Music genre. The musicians arrive by 9am, take a break at 10:30am for the chef demonstrations and then play until the market closes at 1pm. The music, sea of picnic blankets, and kids dancing can be found on the North side of the market.
They have a kids program called Club Sprouts. The idea is to expose kids to different kinds of food. Club members receive a punch card. Each market they highlights a different kind of food (blackberries, etc., nothing too exotic). If the child tries the food, they get a hole punch. After eight punches, the child graduates and gets a certificate. Visit the information tent (near the coffee and crepes in the center of the market) to sign up.

2. Story Time at the Lincoln Park Zoo – Although the Zoo is open year round and so is the story time, there seems to be more animals out and about in the summer. Sometimes I combine a trip to the market with a trip to the zoo and story time. Not only is the zoo free, but they have a wonderful free story time twice a day every Monday and Wednesday (9:15 and 10:00) in the Farm House. Monday is hosted by Professor Boonie and Wednesday by Mr. Singer. They don’t just read to the kids, they sing and dance too. I have been to a number of story times around Chicago, and this one is among the best. My kids love it!

3. Wiggle Worms at Millennium Park – As part of Millennium Park’s Family Fun Festival, you can take advantage of free Wiggle Worm classes every day at 10am through September 4th. My daughter loves her Wiggle Worms music class at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and it is even more fun in the park. For those of us with two kids, this is a great option. Kids of all ages are there for the same class. Two of our favorite teachers are performing next week (Lindsay on the 2nd and Angela on the 4th). Bring your bathing suit for a quick run through the fountain after class.

4. Splash Around at one of Chicago’s Amazing Water Playgrounds. As I mention in my blog “8 Chicago Park District Activities You Should Explore,” there are more than 30 water playgrounds. They range from giant water parks (Adam’s Playlot on Seminary) to basically sprinklers (Juniper Park on Waveland). Bring a couple of buckets and a towel, and let the fun begin. My daughter loves darting in and out of the water and splashing around. Adam’s Water Playground even has a water slide. There is plenty of places to have a picnic at the park too. Call some friends and make a day of it.

5. Enjoy Some Music and Street Vendor Food at One of Chicago’s Famous Street Festivals. I know summer is finally here when Mayfest arrives. Nothing says summer like our MANY street festivals. The season is not over. There is lots of fun to still be had at fests. Many of the festivals have great kids sections too. I find that my kids have just as much fun dancing to the bands and walking around the festivals as they do in the kids section. If you like traveling to far away lands without leaving chicago, there are a couple great ethnic festivals in September. Click here for a complete list of festivals. Here are a couple fun and family friendly festivals I hope to make it to.

Sept. 4-6 – Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park
Sept. 5 & 6 – Bash on Wabash in the South Loop. School of Rock plast at noon on Sunday.
Sept. 4-7 – Taste of Polonia Polish Festival in Jefferson Park. I can’t wait to eat pierogi and watch the folk dancers. My daughter loves the Polka.
Sept. 11-13 – 89th Anual German American Fest in Lincoln Square. Brats, beer and a parade to boot!
Sept. 11-13 – Harvest Festival in Roscoe Village. Carnival rides, games and a kid section.

Let me know what outside activities you plan to enjoy while the weather is still nice. I am always looking for new places to explore.

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8 Chicago Park District Activities You Should Explore

Posted in go play - inside, go play - outside | August 18, 2009

You really have to try hard to be bored in Chicago. There are so many things to do and so many great resources available to Chicagoans with kids. One of my favorite and wallet friendly resources is the Chicago Park District. From parks and pools to classes and events; the Park District has something to offer kids of any age during all types of weather.

Following are the 8 Chicago Park District activities I recommend exploring:

1. Parks & Playgrounds - There are an astounding 570 parks with 518 playgrounds. When I first had children, I was amazed at how many parks there were near my house. Many of which, I had never noticed before. Funny how you notice more pregnant people when you are pregnant and more parks when you have a toddler.

In addition to the shear number of parks, I was also astounded by the variety of facilities available (indoor play areas, pools, water playgrounds, etc.). The Park District website allows you to search by Zip and by type of facility. Although the zip finder is not ideal (it searches within a mile of your zip code instead of within a mile of your actual address); it does provide each park’s address and a link to Mapquest so that you can see exactly where the park is located and get directions. If your like me, you end up going to your same neighborhood park over and over again. Click here to to find a new park to explore in your neighborhood…or maybe one further afield.

2. Pools – The Park District manages 26 indoor pools and 51 outdoor pools. In addition, there are 18 Chicago Public School Pools with community programs. With 26 indoor pools, who says swimming is a summer time activity! Indoor pools are open year round. Outdoor pools are open mid-June through Labor Day. Click here to find a pool near you.

3. Beaches – There are more than 26 miles of open and FREE lakefront including 31 beautiful beaches. Lifeguards are on duty May 22-September 7 from 11am to 7pm daily. A number of the Park District beaches are very family friendly, including the 31st State Beach on Chicago’s South Side. This beach is not only clean, but boast parking, a playground and even stroller beach mats so you can wheel your kids right up to your umbrella. Loyola Leone Beach is among the cities largest and also has free parking, a play lot and stroller beach mats. Unfortunately I was unable to find a list of the beaches with kid friendly amenities on the Park District site. They do however list the available parking. Click here for a list of beaches and parking options.

4. Water Playgrounds – There are 30 water playgrounds. These range from giant water parks (Adams Playground Park) to smaller water playgrounds that are more like sprinklers. I was thrilled to find these little treasures last summer. Water playgrounds are open mid-June to Labor Day. Most are open from 10am-6pm weekends and 10am-8pm during the week. Click here for a list of water playgrounds. Here is my daughter enjoying the Adams water playground.

5. Classes/Programs – The Chicago Park District has an astonishing array of classes for all ages. They range from organized sports, yoga and creative writing for adults to Tiny Tot Tumbling and Mom’s, Pop’s & Tot’s Music for toddlers. The classes are targeted to specific age groups and in some cases ability (swimming). The programs are well organized and can be found in just about every neighborhood. They offer four twelve week sessions a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). Classes are incredibly affordable too. Instead of the standard $20 to $30 per class you usually pay Gymboree or Old Town School of Music, the entire twelve week session will cost you somewhere between $35 and $45. It is quite the bargain! Not surprisingly, they fill up fast, and I do mean FAST! To ensure a spot in your preferred class I recommend signing up online the day registration begins. Click here to search for classes near you.

6. Events – The park district also offers a wide variety of events year round. These include music, movies, dance, workshops, festivals, tournaments and holiday parties. I have attended a number of the children’s concerts at my local parks. They are fun, a great place to meet your neighbors and, best of all, they are FREE! I generally pack a picnic for me and the kids and bring a blanket. You can search for events by type of event or by month. Unfortunately the Park District site only lists the events they sponsor. Many parks have additional events put on by their local neighborhood association or businesses. For example, my park had four Tuesday night events in August for kids. None of these events were listed on the Park District site. Best way to find these local events is to check near your parks gates and bulletin boards for notices. Click here to search the Park District Site for an upcoming event. Below is my daughter dancing with a hula hoop and bubbles at a local Park District event.

7. Skate Parks. The Park ditrict also boast six skate parks for your skate board enthusiast. Click here to find a skate park near you. Unfortunately none of these parks are indoor. A private indoor skate park, Armed Star, recently opened up in Logan Square. It is by appointment only (630-901-4373).

8. Ice Skating Rinks – The Park District has nine rinks throughout the city. If you bring your own skates, you can skate free. All rinks do offer skate rental. McFetridge is the only indoor rink and is open year round. All other parks are open from the end of November through the end of February (weather permitting). Click here for a list of rinks and schedules.

Get out there and enjoy this wonderful resources. The Park District has something to offer kids of all ages year round!

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On The Go Chicago

A mom and two kids on the go in Chicago!

Tag: water playgrounds

Are You Stuck in a Park Rut?

Five FREE Things You Should Check Out Before Summer Ends

8 Chicago Park District Activities You Should Explore

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