Green Parent Chicago

While You Can, Best Free Things to Do Outdoor With Kids in Chicago

August is already here and for some families kids will soon be heading back to school.

While summer winds down, check out some of Green Parent Chicago's top picks for free and low cost things to do with kids outdoor in Chicago.

-The Grant Park Music Festival completes its season on August 16 at Millennium Park. Pack a picnic dinner and hear the nation's only remaining free outdoor classical music series.

-Take a dip in the lake or build sandcastles together at the beach. Chicago beaches are open for swimming until September 1. Looking for something specific? See this list of beaches with a nearby playground, peace and quiet and even poetry: The Beach Poets series originally in residence at North Avenue Beach now takes place Sunday afternoons at Loyola Beach.

-See a movie in the park now until the end of the month. All movies begin at dusk at various parks around the city.

-Join a Stroller Strut with your wee one and get some exercise, fresh air and learn about nature in the city together. Four dates are scheduled for August, see the Chicago Park District Nature Oasis site for times and location.

-Go fly a kite. Cricket Hill at Montrose Harbor is a grassy plateau which is said to be the highest point on the city’s lake shore and an ideal location for wind "obstruction-free—far from buildings, trees and, most importantly, power lines," says Time Out Chicago's Jake Malooley. Or try Columbia Beach Park also on the city's northside.

Add your own suggestions below!

Kids Big Wheel Race at the Chicago Criterium Sunday

A Kid’s Big Wheel Race will take place Sunday in Grant Park as part of the line-up of events for the first ever Chicago Criterium bike race.

The Chicago Criterium, the first of its kind in the city, will begin at 7 a.m. and continue throughout the day.

A criterium is a cycling race held in a closed circuit loop and is approximately 1.1 miles in length. Adult participants will compete for a total of $40,000 in prize money.

Sunday's Big Wheel event is open to kids age 2 to 7 and will be held in front of Buckingham Fountain. The first 200 children to sign up will receive a commemorative championship T-shirt. Each child will receive a "champion" medal and a $25 savings account opening bonus courtesy of ING Direct. The race begins at 12:10 p.m. A bike safety seminar will be held 5 minutes prior to the race start.

Registration is available online or on race day starting at 11:00 a.m. at the registration tent located on the northeast corner of Columbus and Balbo streets. Children may bring their own big-wheel or borrow one at the race. A limited number of big wheels will be on hand to borrow, first come, first served.

Marketers Hope They're A Better Influence On Kids Than You Are

With little public outcry in opposition, the tales brand marketers weave about marketing and young people continue to reach bizarre proportions.

In a July 16 article in the British magazine Ethical Corporation, Giles Gibbons marketing director of the PR and marketing firm Good Business argues, not surprisingly, that brands shouldn't fear marketing to kids and can actually can reach children in a way parents and schools are unable to.

Gibbons takes on "commentators" who argue for control of brand marketing. He writes that these commentators "tend to react in a knee-jerk way particularly when it comes to products that can be deemed “bad” for children – whether it is the possible health risks of mobiles phones, or soft drinks and obesity."

Companies themselves are capable of their own regulation, according to Gibbons and "will often rule out activity that would clearly lead to children pestering their parents for unhealthy or expensive products – whether by changing the message or changing the context in which it is found."

"But to suggest that companies should not communicate with children at all is narrow-minded and shortsighted.." he continues.

"Messages on bullying, or the environment, or online safety that come from a cool brand – like Hello Kitty – can have far more impact than the strictures of parents and schools."

Tina Wells, who prides herself on being the queen of tween and teen marketing and leads her own Buzzspotter tween marketing recruits, recently wrote in The Huffington Post about the "new power couple" of celebrities and brands.

Wells hopes consumers believe her argument that celebrity plugs for youth products and entertainment are necessary and actually desired by teens and young people.

"The market has become so fragmented, with dozens of information outlets competing for the attention of savvy young consumers, that traditional advertising simply does not reach them anymore. Even when I was a teen, we were glued to the TV on Thursday nights. Consuming the ads was part of the experience of watching Dawson's Creek and Beverly Hills 90210. When Ali Landry became the new Doritos girl, we actually cared who she was. And we all noticed that the kids on Dawson's Creek wore American Eagle."

Wells, a PR and marketing specialist by trade is the new "author" behind the recent Mackenzie Blue "book series" by Harper Collins Publishing, aimed at 8- to 12-year-old girls. The series features product placement written into the plot. The release of the book was met with criticism by consumer advocacy group Commercial Alert.

A press release from February says tweens will discover more about going "green," learn about the "global" landscape, and be motivated to achieve their goals in the Mackenzie Blue books. 

Chicago scores 4th in Rank of Most Walkable Cities

Walk Score, the site that helps people find walkable neighborhoods, recently announced the most walkable cities in the U.S.

On a scale of 0 (car dependent, drive only) to 100 (a walkers paradise), Chicago scored an overall ranking of 76, with 66% of Chicago residents having a Walk Score in their neighborhood of 70 or above.

2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities were ranked according to the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks and other amenities.

According to the site, Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a "car-lite" lifestyle—not how attractive and scenic the area is for walking,

The top most walkable city, according to the site's rankings: San Francisco, followed by New York, with Boston coming in third.

Green Activities at Taste of Chicago Family Village

Taste of Chicago, the city's giant 10 day food tasting festival in Grant Park will be hosting "green activities" for kids in the festival's Family Village.

Several museums will also host other activities in the Family Village from Lego building to science experiments and crafts. The Taste runs June 27 to July 6.

For the 2nd year in a row on July 5, kids can enjoy classic cartoons shown from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on a bigscreen in Grant's Park's Butler Field. Free face painting, a stilt walker and a balloon artist will also be on hand that morning.

The Fun Time Stage at the festival will showcase area youth performers and children's performers from all over the city, fitness and martial arts demos and a will conclude with a kids talent show on June 6.

Admission, performances and activities are free. Food and beverages are sold by tickets only.

-photo credit Raymond Hillstrom - Lonely Planet Images

2008 Chicago beach season begins

Chicago's beaches are now open for swimming, sandcastle building and more. The 2008 beach season runs Friday, May 23 to Monday, September 1. Swimming is permitted and lifeguards are on duty at all beaches from 9:00 a.m.  to 8:30 p.m. daily.

New this year is the city's beach smoking ban. Those caught smoking within 15 feet of a city beach could be fined up to $500.

A list of all Chicago beaches and lakefront parks can be found here. Information on health alerts and water quality reports issued daily can be found on the park district's swim report page.

What to do with those endless toilet paper tubes

This goes way beyond binoculars or napkin rings. Green Mom Finds posted about this printable craft site the other day and we just had to blog it. It features instructions for several (like 100) different crafts you can assemble from toilet paper tubes.

From animals and famous people (Martin Luther King Jr.!) to seasonal decorations and more, you might find the following list of crafts either strange, enjoyable or strangely enjoyable. No doubt about it, you won't run out of ways to recycle your tp tubes for a long time.

This weekend's Green Fest family highlights

If you and your family are attending this weekend's Green Festival at Navy Pier, here's a list of the green parenting experts who'll be presenting that you may not want to miss:

On Saturday, Marla Rose of the Chicago Vegan Family Network will present Creating New Family Traditions Through a Green Lens.

Sunday, Jenn Savedge, author of "The Green Parent" book will present Green Parenting: Raising Children Without Trashing the Planet.

Jill Riddell and Laurene Von Klan of the Nature Museum's Little Green People show podcast will present Little Green People: Living Large with a Small Footprint.

In addition, kids can meet Mr. Furry Fur Fur, (above) created by Oak Parkers, Christine Ingaldson and Anthony Smith. Mr. Furry Fur Fur is the star of the web show of the same name. The show teaches kids to care for the environment and features a catchy techno-pop theme song along with one very cute raccoon host.

Homeschool Community Co-op to begin in Fall

A weekly enrichment program for homeschoolers will host a sample class May 23 in Oak Park to introduce families to the group and its upcoming programs.

The new Homeschool Community Co-op, a not-for-profit organization based in Oak Park will begin offering a once-a-week day of enrichment classes in September 2008.

Described as "a group of homeschooling parents dedicated to enriching our homeschooling experience by bringing families together for a day of fun and learning," their mission is focused on "mutual respect, organized structure with flexibility, and interest-driven exploration."

The May 23 Studio Art Day will be held at 1 p.m. in Oak Park (with alternate arrival times throughout) and will run until 3:00 p.m. Details and location can be found at their website. The day's activities will include playdough and painting for the younger children and Japanese gyotaku (fish printing) and watercolor for older kids.

The Co-op will also be accepting reservation deposits for their Fall Session Thursday program at the event.

 

Chicago Moms asks: Is "car free" possible in the city?

Meagan at Chicago Moms Blog posted recently about car free living and wondered if it's actually doable in Chicago. Judging by the variety of responses to the post, it looks like the majority of commenters believe it is. Though the thought of going car free left at least one commenter "sweating just thinking about it."

It may take a different kind of planning to execute successfully, but not necessarily more planning, just of a different variety. For instance, you might need to allow for delays a bit more, in case the bus/train is late, though I've found you can usually make up the delay as you ride, especially if you're on an express bus or the train, which obviously doesn't have to sit in traffic.

You may need to observe bathroom breaks before you depart, as you wouldn't want to be stuck on a train without a potty if the urge presented itself in your child. However, you'd still have to locate one if driving by car and you found yourself in the same situation, right?

My kids always seem to argue and nitpick on each other less on public transit, since there are more interesting things, people to look at along the way than in the back seat of the car. That alone, makes for a much more pleasant trip by far. (Now, if I could just figure out a way to keep my 3 year old from suddenly announcing "I want to get off, I want to get off!" as she was prone to doing last summer.)