KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
|
|
|
Fri, Jun 12: June Family Fun Fur-iday at Lincoln Park Zoo Fri, Jun 12: Fun Fridays at the Shell: Headspin Guy
Sat, Jun 13: Hello Summer Fest
Sat, Jun 13: Origami Open House at the Garfield
Conservatory
Wed, Jun 17: Party in the Park at The Hub's Playground in Berens Park
Thu, Jun 18: Lincoln Square Summer
Concert!
Fri, Jun 19: Movie in the Park at Wilder Park
Sun, Jun 21: Father's Day at Brookfield Zoo Thu, Jun 25: Lincoln Square Summer Concert!
Fri, Jun 26: Zoo Fiesta at Lincoln Park Zoo
Sat, Jun 27: Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert with the CSO
Sun, Jun 28: U-505 In-Depth Experience at Museum of Science Industry Chicago
|
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When I was homeschooling Madison and Ella, one of my favorite sanity-saving tools was the Theme of the Week. If the theme was "Birds," then yes, we'd go on a bird walk. But we'd also read my favorite-ever children's book, talk about the physics of flying and of colors, and probably also do some math and logic involving eggs and
baskets. The theme made ordinary learning feel like an adventure, but more important, it gave us a focusing tool: It helped the girls connect with what they were seeing and doing, and it helped me feel that we weren’t wandering randomly through our days. Summer planning can benefit from that same kind of gentle structure. Last week, I wrote about how summer is not supposed to be a guilt-inducing race to cram in every concert, splash pad, festival, hike,
camp, road trip, library program, ice cream stand, and sunset before the school buses roll again. Trying to grab everything is a good way to miss the point; instead, to plan the summer without overstuffing it, we need to consider the kinds of experiences that make our family feel more awake, connected, and alive. The five summer lenses I keep coming back to are: music, motion, making,
nature, and food. Music helps kids hear the world differently and live what they love. Motion lets bodies teach what words cannot. Making reminds us that we can bring something new into the universe. Nature offers perspective and wonder. And food connects us to place, culture, and each other. Over the next
few weeks, I’ll address these one at a time—not as assignments, but as invitations. Even as the days fly by, a summer seen through some useful lenses can still be lazy, loose, spontaneous, and wonderfully imperfect.
—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong
Communities
|
|
|
KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
Please click through to our 2026 survey to vote for your top 3 places to take kids... it will be used to compile our 2026 Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Chicago area. Voting is live through June 20; believe me, winning a place on the Top 20 list matters to the people who
create amazing family-friendly experiences. Take 3 minutes to choose your favorites as your way of saying thank you... and use the list to build your summer bucket list at the same time! |
|
|
|
Saturday, June 13, 11am-3pm: Hello Summer Fest is a free family-friendly festival of inflatables, food trucks, yard games, face painting, crafts, a car show and live entertainment at The Shell in Reed-Keppler Park (West Chicago).
|
|
|
|
Dinosaurs Have Taken Over the Zoo! Come face-to-face with life-size dinosaurs throughout the Zoo. Journey through a massive rib-cage tunnel, climb on a giant fossil, dig for ancient discoveries, snap epic photo, and find the prehistoric pals stationed along the Dino Trail. Dinos! stomp into the Zoo through the summer and fall. Best of all? Dinos! is FREE with Zoo admission or membership!
|
|
|
|
During our Owl Encounter, you’ll get up close and personal with a wide variety of different species of Old World and New World Owls that are now being used in the sport of falconry. Participants (ages 9+) will: Learn about how owls are trained and utilized in the modern sport of Falconry and how it differs from working with hawks and falcons. Learn about the oldest species of raptor on the planet and their important role in the environment. Be able to highlight the three main differences between the two groups of owls in the world (Barn Owls and Typical Owls). Discover what makes an Owl’s “silent flight” possible as you learn about a variety of their many “super powers.” And, get an opportunity to apply basic falconry skills as you learn to handle one of our Barn Owls or our Eurasian Eagle Owls.
|
|
|
|
Pokémon Fossil Museum, the Japanese special exhibition that compares fossil Pokémon from the popular Pokémon video game series with ancient life forms found in real-world fossils, will be debuting for the first time outside of Japan at the Field Museum! Real fossils of dinosaurs and other ancient life forms, plus scientific casts of Field Museum icons like SUE the T. rex and the Chicago Archaeopteryx, will be displayed next to similar fossil Pokémon, including Tyrantrum and Archeops. Visitors of all ages will discover how fossils are found and studied in the Pokémon world and our real world.
|
|
|
|
Explore, interact, and enjoy a fun-filled day with the animals! Open Farm visits offer a relaxed, self guided experience where families can explore at their own pace. For paid guests, hayrack rides are available (weather permitting). Visitors can cross the walking bridge over Southwest Hwy, wander along scenic trails, or pack a lunch to enjoy in the picnic area. Farm volunteers are available to guide guests through the animal pens, sharing interesting facts about the animals. Guests are encouraged to pet and care for the animals! The animals change with the seasons but you'll often find a variety of chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, goats, cows, sheep, horses, ponies, and donkeys!
|
|
|
|
Watch out as you explore the Conservatory – you may run into a Budding Botanist! On Saturdays and Sundays from 11:000am to 3:00pm, Nature Educators will provide activities for kids of all ages at our Budding Botanists stations. This program is included in all reservations to visit the Conservatory. You can stop by and interact with the materials at the station for as long as you want to. Budding Botanists station will be posted in different areas of the Conservatory on different days. Ask where we are at the front desk! These stations are interactive and are all about scientific exploration, to help your family to see plants in new ways. Adults and young ones of all ages can stop by and let the learning begin! These programs are drop in and no preregistration is required.
|
|
|
|
Experience Navy Pier’s free, award-winning fireworks with dazzling displays over the lake and iconic skyline views. Enjoy the spectacular display every Wednesday at 9 PM and Saturday at 10 PM, free from May 23rd to September 5th.
|
|
|
|
11am-12pm: Enjoy Fun Fridays at The Shell, FREE family entertainment on select Fridays in June, July, and August! Each event features a unique performer, from dazzling acrobatics and interactive music to magic shows and live animals. Friday, June 12 is HEADSPIN GUY
|
|
|
|
Join us After a Long Week, We’ve Got Jumps & Dinner Covered! 2 Adults, 2 Kids, Socks, & a 14″ Pizza – All Packed Into 90 Minutes of Non-Stop FUN Included! Every Friday Night, beginning at 4 pm! Cheese pizza provided by Salerno’s on Tap. Pizza served at end of 90-minute ticket session, or 7:30pm, whichever comes first. Pizza may be customized at time of check-in, and other menu items may be added at check-in as well. Please register online.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Chicago area. From Arcades to Ziplines our Big List will help you think outside the box and plan the party of your kids' dreams! KidsOutAndAbout has dozens of ideas!
|
|
|
|
|
|
The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Chicago area is back! You can search by date, age, or categories like day/overnight, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts & crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool, & more. Our
guide puts summer fun right at your fingertips!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Chicago area? Escape rooms are interactive, puzzle-packed experiences where you and your team work together to solve clues and complete your mission-all before time runs out! Whether you're escaping a
spooky cabin, cracking a high-stakes heist, or breaking a magical curse, escape rooms offer exciting, screen-free fun for kids, teens, and adults.
|
|
|
Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
|
|
