Green Parent Chicago

Morton Arboretum's Children's Garden Celebrates 10 years

It's hard to believe that 10 years have gone by since the opening of the Children's Garden at Morton Arboretum.

Since then, countless children have meandered the paths, climbed the mazes, slid down the slides, splashed in the fountains and ponds, and learned about their connection to nature from a visit to the garden.

On Sunday, Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Children's Garden will celebrate its 10th birthday with a day of fun activities for kids and their families.

Here are some of the activities planned for the celebration:

LEGOLAND's Master Builder David Bray will demonstrate how a master builder creates amazing LEGO sculptures in celebration of our current exhibit, Nature Connects®: Art with LEGO® bricks by Sean Kenney.

Dance to the music of Earthsinger. Singer songwriter Dave Orleans will perform his nature-inspired songs for kids throughout the day.  

Make birthday treats for the birds.  

Blow colored bubbles onto a big birthday paper mural. This sensory-based art project will combine fun colors and fruity fragrances along with a favorite childhood pastime. 

Search for 10 unique trees throughout the garden. Celebrate 10 years with a scavenger hunt that takes visitors from clue to clue to find those trees that have had a big impact in the garden’s history.  

Try some goodies from the garden. Sample fruits and veggies as well as the less traditional edible flowers and insects.

Get your face painted. Pick from one of four fun nature designs.

Make a wish. Help the Arboretum celebrate by writing a wish for the garden onto a ribbon and decorating the trees with it.  

Children's Garden Admission is free with Arboretum admission.

-Christine

 

 

The 606 to Open in Early June With 2 Days of Festivities

One of Chicago's newest parks is set to open on the city's northside June 6 with 2 days of free events.

The schedule of events planned for June 6 and 7 at The 606 will include a procession/parade, music and dancing, a pancake breakfast, restaurant vendors and hands-on activities for all ages.

Located at the site of the abandoned Bloomingdale railway line, the elevated "urban oasis" runs along Bloomingdale Ave. (1800 N), from Ridgeway Ave. (3750 W) on the west to Ashland Ave (1600 W) on the east, through the Bucktown, Wicker Park, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square neighborhoods.

The new park will be linked to 5 existing parks at street level. It was conceived by an alliance between The Friends of The Bloomingdale Trail, the City of Chicago, Chicago Park District, The Trust for Public Land, and dozens of other community groups. Construction took 2 years to complete.

The final design of the park space is credited to Collins Engineers, Lead Artist Frances Whitehead, and landscape designers Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.

For a complete schedule of opening day events, visit: http://the606.org/events/openingday/

-Christine

 

Chicago Farmers Markets Open For The Season

Kick-off will take place at the Daley Plaza Farmers Market Thursday May 14 at 11:30 a.m. The Daley Plaza market is the longest running Farmers Market in Chicago.

See the complete schedule of Chicago Farmers Markets in neighborhoods all over the city with details on which markets accept the LINK card here.

photo credit: flickr, Cindy Kurman, Kurman Communications, Inc

"Class Dismissed" documentary back in Chicago this Sunday by popular demand

As parent backlash grows in response to unnecessary standardized testing and excessive homework, more and more families in the U.S. are turning to alternative methods of instruction to ensure that their children receive a well rounded education, free of a high stakes, pressurized environment focused on test scores over individual achievement.

One of these growing alternative educational movements is homeschooling, often still seen as controversial to some, and the even more poorly misunderstood related method known as unschooling. 

No formal numbers exist to illustrate the number of families homeschooling or unschooling in Illinois, but a quick glance at the growing number of offerings and partnerships that Chicago area arts organizations and cultural institutions continue to make available to homeschoolers speaks volumes.

Wisely, these organizations and many private businesses are realizing the advantage of working with a growing population of eager learners whose schedule may make them available at off hours of the day, while school children may be unavailable. 

A new film highlighting this growing trend of education is Class  Dismissed, a documentary directed by Jeremy Stuart and co-produced by Stuart and Dustin Woodard. Having made its debut in October of this past year, the film has screened in theaters to several sold out audiences in over 20 cities in the U.S. and internationally, most recently coming off a 3 screening run in New Zealand. A large number of private screenings have also taken place throughout the nation. 

The film had its first showing in the Chicago area in January of this year. It returns to Chicago with a single screening this Sunday at noon at the historic Patio Theater.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. Adults are $10. Kids 17 and under are $5

For more information or to purchase tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1273824

View a trailer of the film here:

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrate a Local Treasure with Auditorium Theatre Day

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University celebrates 125 years this season with a full line-up of performances and special events to commemorate its long legacy as one of the city's oldest cultural treasures.

December 9 has been declared by Mayor Emanuel as Auditorium Theatre Day. On this day in 1889, the Auditorium Theatre was founded as "a theatre of the people and for the people".

To celebrate the Auditorium's 125th anniversary, a special birthday trolley will travel throughout the city on the morning of December 9. Passengers, including members from the “Too Hot to Handel” Chorus, Auditorium Theatre staff and board members and other surprise guests, will distribute birthday treats to commuters in various locations including Union Station, Daley Plaza, State and Lake and Pioneer Court. As a special 125^th birthday gift to Chicagoans, 125 pairs of tickets to one of the Auditorium’s upcoming performances in its 125^th Anniversary Season will be given away throughout the morning.

In the evening, a special gala performance will take place with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Apollo Chorus, and a rock concert composed of legendary Chicago musicians. Tony award winning Broadway star Patti LuPone will also perform. LuPone is the great-grandniece (and namesake) of Adelina Patti, the opera star who performed on the Auditorium Theatre’s stage during the theatre's opening night in 1889.

For more information, to purchase tickets, or to view the full season of events at the Auditorium Theatre visit: http://www.auditoriumtheatre.org/on-our-stage/

 

 

 

 

"Class Dismissed", New Indie Documentary on Home Education Receiving Amazing Audience Response

A new independent film about homeschooling, now showing in select theaters on the West Coast and making its way to the Midwest and East Coast in November, is currently screening to sold out audiences. "Class Dismissed" explores the fast growing movement in the U.S. toward home education and learning outside of the traditional confines of a classroom. Produced by 3StoryFilms, the movie follows a homeschooling family from LA who decide to take their two children out of school to pursue learning in a completely different way.

I recently spoke to the film's director and co-producer Jeremy Stuart. Stuart, who produced the film with Dustin Woodard, is himself a homeschooling dad. He talked about the surprising response to the film and what he hopes audiences, viewers, and critics will take away from seeing it:

How did you arrive at the decision to create a documentary about learning outside the classroom?

As my own family began our journey into the world of home education, it became clear to me from the response we got from friends and strangers alike, that many people, despite being dissatisfied with the current educational model, felt they had no choice about their children’s education. They weren’t aware that they had options and if they did, they had no idea how to begin. Also at that time, there were a couple of documentaries about education that were making the rounds, "Waiting for Superman", and "Race to Nowhere", both of which I’d seen and both of which I’d been disappointed in for their failure to present alternatives to conventional schooling.

Why was nobody talking about alternatives? Why were people so willing to just go with convention despite it being so clearly broken?  I felt also that there was much misunderstanding in the general public about home education, so I decided to make a documentary about it to challenge their assumptions and to highlight the fact that children who learn outside the classroom can be successful.

You’ve sold out the last 3 screenings of Class Dismissed in California, including the premiere in LA. Did you expect this kind of enthusiastic response to the film?

The response to the film so far has been overwhelming and has far exceeded our expectations. We had done a few test screenings early on in the process of editing the film and had received good feedback, but I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from a larger audience. The subject of education in general can be a contentious one and opinions can be polarizing, but the film seems to have hit a nerve among homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers alike and we’re thrilled that the conversation is happening.

What are some of the comments you’ve received from audience members, questions you’ve been asked during the post show discussions?

The comments so far have been very positive. If they are already homeschooling many people have commented about how the film offers validation and encouragement to their own journey and experiences. And there have been a number of non-homeschoolers in the audiences who have shared that after seeing the film they are inspired to make the leap. I think the film addresses and answers many of the typical questions that people have about homeschooling and the comments we’ve been getting seem to reflect that.

You have screenings in Portland and Washington, with a screening in the Chicago area in mid-November. What are your hopes for this film looking into the next few months?

We’re going to do as many independent theater screenings as we can logistically and financially manage, but with no big distributor behind us and very limited resources (there’s only 2 of us on the team) we’re only going to be able to sustain that method for so long, which is why we have put together a Screener Pack that anyone can buy. The Screener Pack contains a DVD of the film, a guide to hosting a screening in your community, homeschool group, church or even your own home and a Homeschool Resource Guide packed full of information, links and useful resources for those who want to know more about homeschooling options.

We’re encouraging people to purchase the Screener Pack, organize their own event and invite friends, relatives and neighbors, especially those who are "homeschool curious". Afterwards they can engage in conversation, answer questions, share their own experiences, and hand out information for those new to home education. The Screener Pack is available for purchase now and will ship in early November.

For those who prefer a big-screen theater experience, they can contact their local theater and arrange a screening providing they can gather enough people to make it profitable. There’s nothing like seeing the film on a big screen with a group of people. Here’s the link with information about these options: http://classdismissedmovie.com/see-the-film/guide-to-hosting-a-screening/

Additionally we are submitting the film to festivals around the country. We’ve submitted to 5 so far and will continue to do so as they become available and if they are an appropriate venue for the film. And finally, the film will be widely available on DVD and as a digital download sometime early next year.

Your documentary features educators, activists and writers who emphasize the unlimited learning potential of education outside the classroom. Do you think that “Class Dismissed” will help viewers to finally realize that home schooling can be everything but isolating?

Yes, absolutely. I think the film does a good job of dispelling the myths that surround homeschooling and sheds light on various ways to make it viable as an educational and social model. I want the film to stir up dialogue around the topic of home education, persuade people to re-think their notions of what homeschooling is about and to consider other possibilities for learning outside the classroom. I envision Class Dismissed as a wake up call that education has been in crisis for a long time and it’s time to confront long-standing assumptions about what it means to be educated in the 21st Century.

After watching the film, I want the audience to feel moved to do something, to find out more about the information presented in the film, and to walk away with their hearts and minds opened to the prospect of new possibilities for themselves and their families.

Here’s my favorite quote from one of our recent screening attendees:

“Watch out parents of America; this film gives any bullied, unchallenged, misrepresented, creative students all the information to advocate an alternative to a week where they are required to spend 40 hours in desks with an additional 20 dedicated to homework.”

Purchase tickets for the Chicago screening of "Class Dismissed" here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/907613

View the trailer for the film here:

- Christine

Chicago Park District Wins Gold Medal, Named Top Park District in the U.S.

The Chicago Park District has won the Gold Medal for excellence in parks and recreation management.

According to a news release today from the park district's website, "Agencies were judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of citizens, staff and elected officials."

The Gold Medal Award honors communities throughout the United States that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management, and agency recognition. The Chicago Park District is the first urban park district to win the prestigious award.


-Christine

 

Swapadventure Makes Trading Hand-me-downs Simple

Two women from Mount Prospect have started a popular new way for parents to recycle gently used children's clothing and equipment and adult clothing and accessories, while helping families find items they need for free.

Swapadventure, now celebrating its 1st anniversary, is the creation of Angelika Babich and Maggie Pawelko. Each is a mom to three children under the age of 10. The pair organize free swapping events at Chicago area businesses twice a month. The only admission to each event is one shopping bag of items no longer needed to be added to the items for swapping. There is no swapping limit and attendess may take as much as they need.

Surplus swap items are donated to local organizations

Items left over at the events are donated directly to shelters and orphanages.

Swapadventure does not resell any of the items donated and ensures that the organizations  receiving the remaining items do not resell them.

Babich and Pawelko say there is no membership fee to attend a Swapadventure event and never will be one. They created Swapadventure "simply to help others" and realized that many parents have items remaining in storage that could go to those in need.

In addition, they felt parents could benefit from swapping in a family friendly public place from trusted sources, rather than online through sources like Craigslist or Freecycle, while bringing their kids along.

Each event provides not only free items for kids and adults, but generally provides free admission for kids to the swap venue and recognition of local businesses in the community.

The only items not accepted are undergarments, clothing with stains or holes, and clothing with animal hair on it.

Attendance at each Swapadventure event ranges from 50 to 200.

How can local businesses help sponsor a Swapadventure event?

Businesses interested in sponsoring an event may contact Babich or Pawelka through the Swapadventure website.

The pair said they welcome products, giveaways, advertising with Swapadventure, and goodie bags for their attendees from local businesses.

Raffles are held and 2 costumed princesses appear at each event to meet and greet children and take photos with them.

Find out more information and register for the next Swapadventure event here: 

https://www.swapadventure.com/upcoming-events.html

-Christine

 

 

 

 

 

Local Midwest Farm Training Program Accepting Applications

 

If you've ever dreamed of owning and working your own sustainable farm business, now is your chance to learn directly from Midwest farmers. Angelic Organics Learning Center in Calendonia, IL is accepting applications for their winter farmer training program.

This week is the final week to submit application materials for the center's training program, Stateline Farm Beginnings, which begins October 11. The program runs until March 2015. Organizers say Stateline Farm Beginnings has launched more than 55 new sustainable farms in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin since its inception in 2005.

Trainees receive business planning sessions, learn through field days, and one on one advising from successful local farmers. Find out more information and apply here. 

Selfie Boom: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Competing with our children’s digital world can be a challenge, especially when you would like them to experience the environment and the many ways they can sustain it. It’s hard enough to get them to look up from their device but when they are taking selfies, this might be the right time to capture their attention. With the ‘selfie boom’ in full swing (the word was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2013), what more reason to entice your child to take as many as possible while camping, recycling, hiking, composting, fishing and basically enjoying all nature has to offer.

An Opportunity

It’s easy to shun the onslaught of technology that seems to have turned our society into the ‘heads down tribe.’ Gone are the days when children would hop on their bikes early Saturday morning and not be seen until lunch and then again at dinner. Now it’s all about expensive digital devices to entertain, communicate and solve everyday challenges.

However, when you step back from such electronic confusion there may very well be rare opportunities to be had. Embracing technology rather than pushing it away could allow you to show your child how our environment is faring through it all. Using a wide variety of available tools, online and off, you may be able to incorporate tips and advice to teach your kid how important environmentalism really is.

The Selfie and You

Believe it or not selfies have been around for a long time. The first one was taken in 1839 by an amateur chemist and photographer named Robert Cornelius. Then, about 166 years later, MySpace became the first platform popularly used for displaying selfies. Finally, in 2010 Apple rolled out the iPhone 4 with a front facing camera and people have been mugging into the lens ever since.

Maybe you have no interest in photographing yourself, or tried stepping into the selfie craze with little excitement--or maybe you do it all the time--but the cold hard fact is that selfies are here to stay and today’s kids are at the top of the selfie food chain. Therefore, it may be time to explore selfies as a way to connect or reconnect with your digitally savvy child.

An Environmental Connection

If you watch the news you will most likely be bombarded with a slew of negative, depressing stories involving almost everything including the environment. Yet, some things are improving throughout our planet. The ozone layer has a better outlook; electric carmaker Tesla has announced a new factory in Nevada offering jobs and a future of clean energy infrastructure change; and more corporations are bringing green choices to demanding consumers.

So by using your available digital tools to embrace this positive change it can be an excellent way to bring your child on board. Facebook (48% of selfies are reported to be shared here), Twitter, Instagram and a laundry list of other social media and/or photo sharing and storing sites offer a variety of ways to lure your child into your love for the environment.

Tune In and Turn On

If you aren’t on any social media (or the like) platforms chances are you are continually spiraling further away from an extremely important part of your child’s world. Whether they are plugged in to the gills, roll on one device or do not have any home digital connection whatsoever it is nearly impossible for them to ignore what’s out there.

Practically every aspect of electronic communication will inevitably demand their attention, either in the home or outside the home such as school, friends, gaming, extracurricular activities, commerce and eventually their career. By joining social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and getting their permission to friend, follow or be followed by them has the potential for a whole new relationship to emerge. Add in the sharing of selfies and the environment and it could be a real win-win.

Post the Most

Once you get yourself plugged in alongside your kid then the real fun will begin. Rather than hear them grumble that you want to go on another hike or volunteer for a highway cleanup, present it as a selfie opportunity and encourage them to bring their device.

Take a bunch of selfies alone and especially with them for posting. You can navigate how selfies become a major part of your environmental passion which will hopefully spark a similar love in your child.

Get clever and find ways to share selfies with each other and the world, if you’re so inclined. Take NASA for instance: back in April of 2014 the space organization celebrated Earth Day with a ‘Global Selfie Event’. Check out your favorite environmentalist organizations and see if they too accept selfie posts. Before long your kid will hopefully look forward to your excursions as well as all to be seen and commented on afterward.

As long as your child is safe, selfies can be a positive bonding experience. Making the selfie a positive thing will show your child that you are not only with the times but interested in something that makes them happy.

-Amy Williams is a freelance writer and mother of two in Southern California. She hopes to use her experience as a mother to help other parents understand their teens.