May 27th, 2009 larry
By now you have probably seen many reviews of the new Modern Wing at the Art Institute, all raving about the architecture, the permantent collection, and the Twombly exhibit. The raves are well deserved - the place is spectacular. Of course you will enjoy it. Not only will it impress you, it will make you feel proud to be a Chicagoan. But is it somewhere you want to bring the kids? Let’s discuss…
Price: There has been a lot of criticism regarding the increase in admission price at the Museum and I think it is unfounded. Yes, they have raised the adult admission to $18, but it now includes all special exhibits and if you are a Chicago resident you receive a $2 discount. As a parent you will be happy to know that children under 14 are free - every day. The Art Institute has also increased the number of Kraft Great Kids Passports available at the Chicago Public Libraries, so they should be a bit easier to obtain so your entire family can visit for free. And, if that is not enough for you, during the summer admission is free on Thursday and Friday evenings from 5-9pm.
The Ryan Education Center: Kids now have a brand new space in the Modern Wing. It is a great retreat from the crowd and the noise of the bustling museum. The Center has many uses. The Family Orientation Room was where we spent most of our time. It is big, bright and loaded with art education fun. There are computer games, puzzles, blocks, books, and building toys, all custom made to relate to works of art in the museum. I’m not sure it was the intention, but there is a colorful multi-level sofa in the room that the kids were having a ball climbing on, which is great because we all know the little guys need to let off a bit of steam. On the weekends the art workshops will now be held in the beautiful, new studios overlooking Millennium Park. The day we were there they were making models of the museum and collages. There is a dedicated group entrance and classrooms to make field trip more organized and comfortable for the kids. As well as a fabulous Kids Museum Shop where you can pick up art materials, books and toys. Since the Ryan Education Center is located just inside the Millennium Park entrance, before the ticket gates, families can stop by whenever they want to play, relax, create and explore - for free.
The Galleries: Of course you have to know your own children and their tolerance levels, but I think the collection on display is really engaging for kids. My son was into the creepy Bruce Nauman clown videos - clearly they were more disturbing to me then him. He loved walking on the Carl Andre floor sculpture. And was amazed that he could actually eat the candy in Felix Gonzales-Torres installation. This did lead to a bit of confusion in the ”Can I Touch It?” department, since so much was touchable we were reprimanded a few times for putting our paws on off-limits pieces of art. The galleries are wide and well spaced. Even though it was crowded, we were able to see everything. That being said, a stroller would have been awkward. If you must bring one, you may want to wait until the crowds die down to visit. The roof terrace is accessible without paying admission to the museum. It affords gorgeous views of Millennium Park and is where Terzo Piano, a sleek Italian restaurant, is located. There is an installation of Scott Burton chair sculptures on the terrace. The chairs are made of marble, granite and limestone, and are fun for the kids to explore.
Bottom Line: Children of all ages will enjoy the Ryan Education Center and the terrace. Preschoolers may enjoy the galleries - judge on a per child basis. School age children should be taken to this world-class museum often, it is inspirational.
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May 20th, 2009 larry
Ridemakerz rocks. And that could be all that needs to be said, but there is more to say. After the Build-A-Bear creator hit a home run with girls at her national chain, the logical next step was to see if the experience could be re-created for boys. Ridemakerz is the output of that brainstorm. Located in Woodfield Mall, Ridemakerz allows kids to build cool cars, with or without a remote control. You can build a car for as cheap as $10 or you could push $100 if you wanted to go crazy.
Walking into Ridemakerz, you immediately see all of the car frames lined up on the wall. Your first decision is to choose your car or truck model. Next you choose if you want your car to be a remote controlled. We couldn’t help ourselves, so we picked remote control cars for both kid and Dad. The next big choice is whether you want to go monster car/truck (big frame, big wheels) or road racer. It was a tough choice for Dad, but the kid did not even hesitate — monster all the way with a blue Mustang frame. Dad chose a road racer - an all black 2009 Corvette.
The next steps involve you walking clockwise around the store. To keep costs low, you can take all of the standard equipment, or you can pimp, trick-out, customize, and muscle-up your ride. You can choose certain sound chips (Dad chose “rock and roll”), rims (Dad chose “pirates” and the kid chose “tarantulas”), tires, spoilers, muffler tips, front and rear end additions, engines, hood scoops, roof tops, and stickers. You have to be careful with these extras because every $3 or $5 upgrade really starts to add up. Dad chose to leave his black Corvette fairly natural, except for an elevated engine and blue light ground effects. The kid went to town with a roof top nitrous tank, blue glowing front end, giant engine, and he stickered that monster mustang with lightning bolts, skull and cross bones, and fire streaks. In the end Dad’s Vette cost about $65 and the kid’s car cost about $88.
With the help of the staff, you assemble your car like any pit crew would, complete with a pit crew pass necklace. There about 10 different assembly stations with electronic drills and screwdrivers. The staff talks you through assembling the chassis to the frame, building the tires and rims, and adding the extras. You are timed for speed so the pressure is on. Once you are finished you go the check out counter where you receive your garage (a box to keep your car in), custom license plate, and you scan your car for upload to the internet.
Picking out and assembling the cars would be fun enough but the staff makes this an experience to remember. Using all of the car lingo they can, the staff gets you excited about the different parts of the car, teaches you how to care for the car, and encourages you to test drive the car right in the store. We went there on a Sunday before noon and beat the crowds, but when noon came around the store was pretty packed and kids (not just boys, plenty of girls too) were driving, crashing, and speeding cars all over the place. The staff was fantastic and showed my kid how to do wheelies and spinning moves with his monster car. Birthday parties at Ridemakerz would be an event to remember.
Ridemakerz is a store, a toy, and an experience. The experience can continue on-line as well. You can create your own virtual garage, decorate your car, interact with other drivers, and race. If you go to a store, you can see your car on-line, race it against other enthusiasts, and even interact with other drivers about tips for racing on-line and offline.
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Larry and Donna
Mom Says: As a parent it is so much fun to see your child overwhelmed with excitement - and that’s the reaction our son had at Ridemakerz. And - he continues to LOVE the car he made. That combo makes it worth the big bucks. The people who work there make it a great experience for the whole family. I was truely impressed.
Dad Says: Since our visit to Ridemakerz on Sunday, we have gone to the school parking lot every day to race our cars. The monster car is brutal and can drive over grass, wood chips and boulders and do incredible wheelies. Both cars seem pretty rugged outdoors as we have run into some walls, each other, and drove down the slides at the park.
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May 13th, 2009 larry
Last week we took our 4½ year old grandson to Brookfield Zoo to specifically see their new exhibit, Dinosaurs Alive! We were pleasantly surprised because it lived up to all the hype it has been given in the news. Dinosaurs Alive is an extra fee, $5 for adults, $3 for kids (3 and up) and senior citizens (so perfect for grandparents) and the exhibit runs through October. The All-In-One ticket provides you an overall discount on general admission and many of the special exhibits. Whereas Walking With Dinosaurs was a huge snooze fest for almost $100 a ticket, Brookfield got it right with being able to walk right up to the dinos and making the exhibit interactive.
There are 18 different life-sized dinosaurs, ranging from adults to recently born including a Stegosaurus and Triceratops. And, of course, the infamous T-Rex was there. Many of the models move when you push certain buttons, tails wag, clawed arms reach out and heads go up and down and side to side. The best is when the mouth opens, you see the teeth and the dinosaur actually makes a very, very loud roar. Not only was this fun, but a great learning experience as we tried to pronounce every name, identified the familiar dinos, and attempted to classify each as a herbivore or carnivore. The pride exhibit is the Ruyang Yellow River which is 60 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 30 feet high.
This is a small exhibit, but the dinosaurs are very realistic. We noticed that some very young toddlers did get upset by the sizes of the models and the loud noises. But even the toddlers might be interested in the pretend digs (sandboxes) where you can unearth some dino bones.
Sadly for our pocketbooks, when the exhibit ends, you are lead directly into the Dinosaur Gift Shop, and it is so difficult to say no to an enthusiastic dinosaur fan. We purchased a creative toy, a puppet of a baby dinosaur coming out of an egg. Anyways, our grandson is still playing with it.
All three of us thoroughly enjoyed Dinosaurs Alive! and felt the trip to Brookfield Zoo was well worth it. Of course, once you visit this new exhibit, you have time to explore the rest of the zoo. We also discovered that now, before it gets too hot, the real animals are all outside and some are happy to “perform” for audiences. So, go and enjoy a great outdoor day at the Zoo.
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Bubbie & Pa
Bubbie says: Buy a tram ticket. You can ride it all day and get on and off when you want.
Grandson says: When are we going back?
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May 6th, 2009 larry
This week we’d like to introduce you to the newest CrazyKidsChicago.com Contributor, Jennifer Lamb. Jennifer will be focusing on the increasingly relevant topic of free and cheap activites to do with your children around Chicago. We’re super excited to have Jennifer joining our team and hope you enjoy ”Cheap Thrills.”
Rainy days and Sundays always get me down…
If it were always 80 degrees and sunny outside or if a big bag of money fell on your head, you’d always have something to do with the kids. But, sadly, money and sunny (days) are always fleeting. But that’s no reason to sit around the house; there are many things to do in Chicago on the cheap.
Go to Starbucks. Not just any Starbucks. Go to the one at Fullerton and Racine. The most child-friendly Starbucks in town has a special section for kids. It has puzzles, an easel, and toys as well as small tables and chairs. Your kid can be entertained for quite awhile here. Because the toys are donated by the employees, dry erase markers and toys that can be wiped clean are always welcome. Bring your own wipes and clean everything before (and after) playing here. Be prepared for an occasional dirty look from other patrons and try to keep your stay shorter than an hour. There is metered street parking.
Go to Barnes and Noble. The Barnes and Noble located in the shopping center at 1441 West Webster Avenue has a reading area with all the books you can read. This B&N also has a Thomas and Friends train center. If you go early, your child can play for a few minutes by herself. However, be prepared to say “SHARE” hundreds of times. There are also story times Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 10:00 (don’t plan on Thomas table time during these; too many kids). There is a paid parking lot, but any store in the shopping center will validate your parking if you make a purchase.
Go to the Lego Store. No, not Legoland, the Lego Store located at 520 N. Michigan Ave. Lego comes from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means “play well”, and that’s just what you’ll do here. We have gone to the store on cold days when there is nothing to do and just played for an hour or so. Free tables with lots of Legos mean that Dad and kid can do something together for awhile. The shopping center also has escalators for some fun up and down activities. Parking is expensive.
Go to the Zoo. The Lincoln Park Zoo, that is. The zoo is free everyday and a great place to go in the winter or when it is raining (run from building to building and enjoy being one of the few families there). Story Time returned Feb 9th and is held Monday and Wednesday at 9:15 and 10 a.m. in the Farmhouse at the Farm-in-the-Zoo. Professor Boonie performs on Mondays. Mr. Singer takes the stage on Wednesdays. Story Time is free and is geared toward children ages 1–5. Get there early as it fills up fast. There is a slew of parking opportunities but the best one is available by purchasing an annual membership to the zoo. This affords you unlimited free parking. (We also got a reusable grocery bag this year for renewing our membership.)
Go Green. The Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park) and the smaller Lincoln Park Conservatory (2391 N. Stockton Dr) are both free everyday of the year and are full of beautiful flowers and warm summer air. The Garfield Park Conservatory has more children activities and a children’s area with musical instruments, books, toys, a big slide and a crawling area for babies. Kids love the ability to spray the plants with the spray bottles that the Conservatory provides. Especially note Garfield Park’s “eye-spy” map on their website and at the Children’s center. Bring a spotting scope (fashioned out of a paper towel roll) and send your Diego lover on a hunt. Mondays at 10:00 there is a story/arts & crafts time in the Children’s Center. A $1 donation is suggested and the quality of the art project is pretty impressive. On the last Wednesday of the month (Wild Wednesday) an animal handler with a special animal is at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Children can touch the animal (sometimes) and ask questions about the animal (always). Garfield Park Conservatory has glorious free parking, but the walk from the lot to the door can seem scary. Best to go with a group. The parking for the Lincoln Park Conservatory is the same as for the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Go to the Adler Planetarium. The Adler Planetarium has anywhere from two to six free days per month courtesy of Charter One Foundation. Check the Planetarium website for dates and times. Adler currently has a show called, “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” staring Elmo, Big Bird and a Muppet from the Chinese Sesame Street. The show is exciting enough to keep the attention of children as young as 18 months to about 6 years. The show is short and not very complex. Note that the price of admission for the show is not waived on free days. Aside from the show, Adler has many hands-on exhibits but most of these are not terribly interesting for children under 4. However, the wavy mirrors upstairs do offer a great photo opportunity and the infrared camera by the classroom is neat too. There are expensive metered parking spaces, cash only parking lots, and paid parking under Soldier Field.
Go to the museum. Any museum. The public library has “passports” for free admission to any of the museums in Chicago. Each passport is good for admission for one week and must be returned to the museum that you checked it out from. Although it is difficult to get prime museum passes (I’ve never even seen prime museum passes), the passport opens up some not so common museums that may be overlooked: The Polish History Museum and the National Museum of Mexican Art may not be places you would think of going until you learn that the admission is free. The library’s website also lists books that complement your visit and extend the experience.
If you still have nothing to do, don’t blame me. Next week, story time: an activity that occurs practically 24-hours a day in Chicago.
If you know about free or cheap activities in Chicago, please e-mail me at jenniferlamb@crazykidschicago.com
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