August 4th, 2010 larry
So you’ve got yourself some Lollapalooza tickets? Or maybe you’re still debating whether to brave the elements, crowd, and noise. Sunscreen up, grab your 2 water bottles, pocket some earplugs, and go. And yes, take your kid(s). Kidzapalooza is much more than a stage with entertaining musical performances geared towards kids. Think hip hop workshops, art projects, improv shows … all happening under a beautiful plot of shady trees. With a bit of planning and the right mindset, Lollapalooza with kids in tow is really not as daunting as it may seem. Here are 10 Tips and Reminders for making the most out of your Kidzapalooza experience. What would you add?
- Your kids (plural!) get in free. Lolla’s generous ticket policy states there is no limit on the number of kids per (ticket holding) adult. How old must the young ones be? Lolla says “10 and under” but I’ve heard the policy is quite liberal … no facial hair = IN!
- Err on the side of a stroller. Bringing little ones? 4 Words: Grant Park is huge. Simply making your way from the front gate to the Kidzapalooza area is a trek. Poor little legs tire quickly. Push past the hipsters - they won’t mind.
- Check the Schedule early. Kidzapalooza has a ton of activities that are on going and scheduled. Some of the kids bands are hysterical and the activities can be a ton of fun (arts and crafts, Rap recordings, etc.)
- Watch our for the big bands. Every now and then Kidzapalooza scores a big name artist like Jeff Tweedy and Wilco. These can get really crowded in the small space of Kidzapalooza. Remember that kids and their parents get to sit in the front row so bully your way to the front because there is a VIP section waiting for you.
- Hydrate. Another given. Take advantage of the 2 factory sealed bottles you are allowed in. Or you can bring your own empty refillable containers. (I happen to find the water station lines too long and sometimes out of the way for my impatient crowd.) Bottled water also sells for $2.
- Take a few snacks. Chow Town, Lolla’s upscale food court, is poised to serve delicious inexpensive grub at both the South and North ends of the park. Graham Elliot, Big Star, Kuma’s Corner, and Sundas are just a few restaurants primed to feed us. However, your personal stash of granola bars, animal crackers, and veggie booty will go a long way.
- Bring your camera. Between the tattooz, mohawk hairstyling, karaoke, and break dancing workshops, your kid(s) will participate in some cool activities. Capture it. These shots make awesome holiday cards.
- Download the free app. The Lollapalooza iPhone app is fantastic. And the Android app was just released this week. You’ll find the full schedule, a map, Lolla Radio, and more.
- Leave on a high note. Big outdoor summer festivals are exhausting and can quickly turn from a woo-hoo good time to an ugly meltdown. (My 7 year old begged to stay longer last year, but I shipped him home after a few hours.) Hydrate, eat wisely, enjoy, and then get the hell out.
- Soak up the festival spirit. There’s a special Lolla vibe. A pleasantness. A wink and a nod. A “we’re all in this together” feeling. Some call it the Lolla Bubble. Dive into the bubble head first. You’re kid(s) will thank you for it one day.
Marta - Guest blogger, Mom, music lover, and organizational consultant
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May 26th, 2010 larry
Ravinia has long been a staple summer activity for Chicago families. This season will be no exception. There are a bunch of great concerts and fun events for families to enjoy. They are also really affordable. So pack up the picnic basket and get ready for some great entertainment. The first Kraft Kid’s Concert will be on Saturday, June 12 at 11am. Lawn seats are $5 and reserved seats are $10. Ravinia also offers a Kraft Kids Concert 10-Punch Lawn Pass for $24, which is a great deal!
The Kraft Kid’s Concerts are quite varied. They aren’t all concerts. You’ll see the Ko-Thi Dance Company (July 10) an African/American/Caribbean dance and drumming company from Milwaukee, Delfos Danza Contemporanea (August 28) a prominent Latin American dance company noted for their fast and free style, and the Golden Dragon Acrobats from China (June 23). Popular music is covered by Milkshake (June 12), Ralph’s World (June 26) and Tom Chapin and Friends (Sept. 5). You can also introduce the little ones to more highbrow tunes with Synergy Brass Quintet (June 19) and New Millennium Orchestra (July 24). Of course all of this is accompanied by the beautiful setting where kids can run around, dance and play in place of sitting in a seat during the show. Bringing a picnic lunch is super fun for the kids and the parents save a couple of bucks on the meal. Save room for a treat as the kids will surely be begging for some ice cream!
The Family Space is an interactive area offered on a few select performance dates. Children will have a chance to try out musical instruments at an “Instrument Petting Zoo.” There will also be music themed stories and crafts. Family Space is located on the North Lawn or in front of the Martin Theatre, and will be offered on June 19 (Synergy Brass Quintet), July 11 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), July 24 (New Millennium Orchestra), and July 25 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra).
If you are looking for a location for a summer birthday party, Ravinia is a unique option. On the days of Kraft Kids Concerts groups of 20 or more can be accommodated for a Ravinia birthday. Packages start at $23 per person and include pavilion tickets to the show, lunch, invitations and balloons. You can customize the party further with cakes, face painting, and pretty much anything you can think of - get creative.
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May 19th, 2010 larry
A big welcome to our guest reviewer Megan (insert applause here)! She took her boys to see a preview of Shrek Forever After last weekend and here is what she thought of it…
DISCLAIMER: I have not seen either Shrek 2 or Shrek 3, so I cannot say anything about the continuing storyline in the series. However, as a stand alone movie I will say that Shrek 4 is very funny. I cannot recall the last time a children’s movie made me laugh as hard as this one did. It was well written, had a great soundtrack and can be enjoyed by young and old alike.
Shrek (Mike Myers) has settled into a life of domesticity with Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and has grown weary of the day to day routine. He longs to be an ogre and instill fear in people as he used to. Meanwhile, Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) is still upset that Shrek rescued Fiona before he was able to trick her parents in to signing over Far, Far Away to him. Rumpelstiltskin plays on Shrek’s vulnerability and tricks him into signing a contract that exchanges a day from Shrek’s past so that he can have one day to do as he wishes.
Unfortunately for Shrek, Rumpelstiltskin chooses to take the day Shrek was born so it’s as though Shrek never existed. Although he starts out enjoying his day by scaring everyone as he used to, he soon realizes that he has been duped. None of his friends Donkey (Eddie Murphy) Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), who has grown fat and lazy and, more importantly, Fiona remember him. In the alternate version of Far, Far Away Rumpelstiltskin is now king and Fiona is the leader of a group of warring ogres who have been forced to hide underground because they are constantly hunted by a group of witches working for Rumpelstiltskin .
The only way for Shrek to void the contract is to share “True Love’s Kiss” with his true love. He must convince Fiona that she loves him. Along the way Rumpelstiltskin does his best to keep them apart by using his witches to battle them. Of course true love always prevails in the end.
Rumpelstiltskin was my favorite character - the perfect combination of greed and buffoonery. He had different wigs for different situations, such as when he called to his lackeys, “Bring me my angry wig.”
I definitely recommend the movie. It was enjoyable enough that I imagine we will have a repeat viewing at the theater before it’s gone.
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May 11th, 2008 larry
This week we launch the new Crazy Kids Chicago web site. We will continue to write this blog every week to feature something specific, but the web site has what you have been waiting for: a more complete listing of books, toys, events, and venues with descriptions and reviews by your fellow parents. If you have visited these places, read these books, or played with these toys, please add your reviews and ratings to the list. If we are missing anything (we don’t claim to have everything just yet), please add your favorites to the list. Together, we will create a complete guide to children’s entertainment in the Chicagoland area. Here are a few tips when using the web site:
The web site is divided into the following categories:
1. Toys - self explanatory.
2. Books - self explanatory.
3. Entertainment includes 4 sub categories: Parks (playgrounds, etc.), Venues (a specific destination like a museum), Water (beaches, pools, and water parks), and TV Shows. For now, Movies are also included into TV shows.
4. Events is something that is going on for a specific time period like a play, special promotion at a venue, or special activity at a park district.
Each category has items that can be reviewed. For instance, within Venues you may find the Chicago Children’s Museum or Kohls Children Museuem. The reviews are the key ways that you can find out what people think about something or can express your opinion. There are two parts to every review:
1. Textual Review. This is a textual explanation of what you thought about specific place, toy, or book.
2. Ratings. 5 stars is the best rating and 1 star is the worst. We have three different kinds of rating for each item. Overall rating is the general impression you had about something. We display the average overall rating for all of the items on Crazy Kids. Education Rating is how you felt it helped your child learn something. Education Rating may not make sense for everything like Parks. Paret Fun Rating is how much fun you had for this item. What could be better if your child liked it and you actually had fun, too?
When trying to find something to do, buy, or read, you may want search for an item. There are two search boxes, one in the upper right hand corner and one for each category that typically displays in the middle to the left. The one in the upper right hand corner searches the whole sight while the category search only searchs that specific category, like Toys. Currently the search works on whole words so you need to spell the word (or words) correctly to find what you are looking for.
If you don’t find what you are looking for, you may want to add your own item. Each category has its own custom set of fields. So Books has an Author field and Parks has an age range. Only the name and the description are required so you can skip the rest if you want. If you don’t know the web site or don’t have a picture for a new item, we will find it for you. Just send us a message at this email about the item you want us to find something for and we’ll get it for you.
You can also modify your profile in the My Settings link. You can add a picture (avatar) for yourself that will be placed by all reviews and items that you create. You can also document how many children you have, their ages, and their school placement. This information will become more helpful in the future as we make it easier for you to search for things.
Thank you again for participating in Crazy Kids. In the month of May, we will be enhancing the searching and sorting features of the site and adding a coupon section where you can get special deals as a Crazy Kids member. In June, will be launching a full marketing strategy within the Chicagoland area by sponsoring different events and web sites. More to come.
In the meantime, if you have kids 8 or above, we recommend you go see Iron Man as soon as possible. Overall Rating 4 and Parent Fun Rating at least a 4. A bunch of cartoon action mixed with Robert Downey Jr’s sarcasm and deadpan humor makes this an enjoyable couple of hours.
Please log on as soon as you can and let us know if you have any questions or issues.
www.crazykidschicago.com
Larry and Donna
Posted in Crazy Kids Updates | 326 Comments »
January 18th, 2008 Crazy Kids Admin
Welcome to Crazy Kids! This web site is under development and will be your one stop to answer the burning question “What will I do with my Kids today?”. You’ll find the best of Kid’s Entertainment in the Chicagoland area including Toys, Movies, TV, Parks, Water Activities, Sports and everything else. These venues will be reviewed by your fellow Moms and Dads in Chicago to give you the best recommendations possible. In the meantime, this Blog will provide you with weekly recommendations to keep you busy and entertained during those difficult winter months. Let us know what you think.
Posted in Crazy Kids Updates | 1013 Comments »