Watch snow-sculpting teams form "frozen art" from giant blocks of snow. Abstract shapes and whimsical figures take shape under the skilled hands of state teams and high school teams. Walk or drive the one-mile route through the park to see sculptures.

A guided glimpse into the world of outdoor play will depend on the day. Possibilities include snowman and snow fort building with natural materials or garden scavenger hunt for natural objects

Search for gnomes in the Children's Garden using your best "I Spy" skills. Checklist provided.

Docents help children and others learn through interactive displays and games in the showrooms. New topics every month. September: "Traveling Seeds"; October: "Cone Bearing Plants"; November: "Fruits, The Seasonal Food Harvest"; December: "Eggs and the Conservatory Critters"; January: "Urban Wildlife"; February: "Chocolate"; March topic: "Survival in the Jungle"; April: "Carnivorous Plants"; May: "Water Works."

Enjoy a winter hike at dusk to search for these endangered creatures. Bring binoculars if you have them, and dress for the weather. Afternoon begins with a short indoor presentation.

A variety of hands-on activities, service opportunities, and exhibits are available for families to enjoy throughout the day. At 2 p.m., join park ranger Cliff Goins as he leads an armchair tour of National Park Service sites that celebrate the civil rights movement.Or take part in a stewardship activity, such as preparing seeds for spring planting or cutting invasive honeysuckle near the center. Visitors also can make a free craft, enjoy the hands-on exhibits or help feed the Douglas Center's resident reptiles and fish and snowshoes and cross-country skis are available for free checkout.

Build a snowman out of biodegradable and natural items to win. Fill out an entry form at the main office.

Includes thematic stories, art project, self-guided activities and hot chocolate.

A tracking adventure to uncover the mysteries of animal tracks. Enjoy hot chocolate around a toasty fire at the end of the program.

With small solar lights to guide their way, hikers, skiers and snowshoers can traverse the 1.3-mile fitness trail at Old School Forest Preserve in Libertyville or the 1.65-mile hilly section of the Millennium Trail adjacent to the winter Sports Area at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. Starting Sunday, Nov. 4, the trails and adjacent parking lots will remain open until 9 .m. daily until March 9.

Feature the black bear and its adaptations for survival in the forest. Crawl into the bear's den, compare your senses to that of the black bear, feel his fur, come face to face with a black bear mount and more.

Take a snowshoe hike at Lincoln Marsh. Hot cocoa, marshmallows and a campfire follow. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. Snowshoes are provided.

Polar Adventure Days  | Chicago

FREE

Families can enjoy winter activities and meet live animals. Activities may include ice carving demonstrations, live animals such as birds of prey, Siberian huskies, live entertainment from the Old Town School of Folk Music, arts and crafts table, and free snowshoe rental if weather conditions allow. First 500 visitors receive a Polar Adventure Day mug filled with hot chocolate. Dress for the outdoors. Call to confirm scheduled activities.

If you're looking for an alternative to skating at Millennium Park this winter, look up. Way up-94 stories, to be exact. Touted as the World's Highest Ice Skating Rink, the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center gives ice skaters a bird's-eye view of the city and the lake.

At 20 feet by 45 feet, the rink is probably too small to be your solo destination of the day, but paired with a trip to see the view from the Hancock, it's a nice way for kids to burn off energy while parents enjoy the great view. And because it's synthetic ice, skaters stay warm and don't get wet.

The rink is scheduled to be open for skating from 9 a.m.-11 p.m. through April 18. A 25-minute skate session costs $6 (in addition to the cost to get into the Hancock Observatory). You can bring your own skates or rent some there for a dollar.

Free, fun and educational arts project for kids. Projects change bi-weekly.

See a toy so amazing, so unbelievable, it has the power to transform into anything you want it to be. Enter a world where imagination rules, and ordinary becomes extraordinary.

A new traveling exhibit created by Children's Museum of Pittsburgh that links familiar childhood objects to a process of manufacturing that combines people, ideas and technology. Inspired by the factory tour segments from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the exhibit offers hands-on activities using real factory tools and machines to create objects including crayons, a baseball bat and a matchbox car, just to name a few.

The exhibit features the illustrations of W. W. Denslow, a Chicago resident whose famous illustrations helped to inspire the design of the classic 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland. The bright and colorful exhibit provides a variety of learning opportunities and hands-on activities within a three-dimensional representation of Denslow's distinctive illustrations.

Discover how sounds make music, and how music makes you feel, with activities like making melodies on bolt- and wrench-a-phones, using soft sculpture pegs to make a music box, blowing air over a reed, moving musical notes on a staff, beating percussion instruments, and creating an artistic masterpiece that reflects how music makes you feel

Hundreds of objects and documents from the exclusive private collection, together with a rare collection of first editions of his most famous works, tell the story of how Charles Dickens and his characters became enduring cultural icons. Interactive and multi-media displays and personal effects take visitors through a chronological tour of the life, literature and legacy of Dickens. View his personal traveling inkwell, take a ride in an early century carriage, and learn about the memorable characters, stories and themes of his famous tales through games, time period puzzles and Dickens' own personal Facebook page.

Grove Scene Investigations  | Glenview

Something has gone missing at the Grove. Help collect clues to find the culprit while learning about animals that live at The Grove. Kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration required.

Help the Grove's restoration team collect seeds and make way for native wildflowers, grasses and trees by removing invasive, non-native plants. Bring work gloves if you have them. Jan. 19, Feb. 16.

Visitors become space adventurers and set off on a journey to discover the Universe in a way never done before. Travel a billion light-years and back, fly through space, orbit the Moon, zoom into a canyon on Mars, and soar through the cosmic web where a million galaxies shower down. The experience was created utilizing real telescopic data and the best scientific imagery.

Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as storyteller Linda Gorham weaves multicultural stories with "attitude," then stop by the Art Studio to create a self portrait.

Exhibit explores Schulz's personal history and his role as the sole inspiration and artistic talent behind Peanuts and its unique cast of characters. Through original cartoons, reproductions and related Peanuts ephemera, guests see how characters were developed and evolved. Schulz's Santa Rosa, Calif. studio, recreated for the first time, allows for a deeper look into his work and life. Kids and families have a chance to exercise their own Schultz-like creativity with activities like making a zoetrope.

Exhibit challenges guests to communicate, move and live like bugs at interactive stations. Live insects are featured throughout the exhibition, plus larger-than-life robotic creatures allow visitors to observe the often overlooked beauty and complexity of the insect world.

Public skating for all ages and levels, free skating and hockey clinics with professional instructors on the ice, prizes, contests, and raffles and a skating exhibition.

Watch men painted blue do unusual performance art and original slapstick comedy. It's fun to sit in the front, but remember to wear a plastic poncho to avoid the flying food and liquids. Buy tickets at the box office, online, via Ticketmaster or by calling (773) 348-4000.

Bud, Not Buddy  follows the journey of a young African-American orphan as he searches for his father. Clues kept in a suitcase lead him to adventures in Depression-era Michigan, where he finds community among a group of jazz musicians and, ultimately, an unexpected sense of home. Performances are Jan. 12-Feb. 24, 2013.

Based on the book by Gary D. Schmidt, performances are 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays from Jan. 19-March 2 (no performances Jan. 26-Feb. 2). Recommended for children 9 and older.

The ComedySportz crew gets in the Imagination Machine to visit the Snow Queen, in this version of the classic story by Hans Christian Andersen. They'll meet a goblin who shatters a mirror that makes you only see bad things, a Summer Sorceress, who keeps it summer around her at all times, a Helpful Reindeer and a very confused married couple of Crows.

Musical that chronicles the sociological effects upon youth from fatherless homes and how they manage to uplift themselves in spite of it. Kwanzaa week holiday performances are Dec. 26, 27, 28. Regular run is Jan. 12-June 1, 2013.

From superheroes to undersea adventures, princesses to dinosaurs, Storytown takes children on an interactive, improvised adventure. The actors use kids' suggestions and ideas to create a different story each week. Kids design the setting and help shapes the story. Runs through the end of February 2013, then moves to Stage 773 in Chicago.

A burglar is at large in Boogle Bay and the prime suspect is the ghost of the infamous pirate Blackeye Doodle. Hungry for adventure, young Otto and his Uncle Tooth set out to capture the mischievous thief and recover the stolen goods. Performances are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from Jan. 12-Feb. 17. One hour before each performance, for an extra $10, kids can participate in Stories Come Alive! Hour, an interactive storytelling session followed by on-your-feet theatre games to explore the characters, plot, and themes of the book

One of the most iconic musicals comes to life. Performances run Jan. 16-Feb. 3, 2013.

Interactive show that offers audiences the opportunity to witness their favorite characters come to life. Hip-hop legend Biz Markie joins the cast on stage and the show also features Super Music Friends and Dancey Dance guest performances.

The story of Snow White's less-famous sister is performed from Jan. 6-26.

Stanley Lambchop wants to travel the world to escape his ordinary life. One night, a bulletin board falls right on top of Stanley and he wakes up really flat. Recommended for kids 3-10.

Special one-hour family-oriented performances that follow free parent/child movement workshops with the artists.

Common materials and everyday objects - such as wires, tubes, boxes and fabric - spring to life as fantastical characters.

This high-energy, beat-powered class teaches children and parents one of the most exciting forms of contemporary dance.

Kids learn how tasty, simple and pleasant French cooking can be, bring home samples, and can recreate at home. For reservation information call (312) 337-1070.

Search for animal clues on the trails and discover animal behaviors by following their trails.

The show will open Jan. 18, with performances Jan. 18-20 and 25-27. Tickets are on sale at the Naperville Park District at www.napervilleparks.org and at the Administration Building, 320 W. Jackson Ave., and at the new 95th Street Center, located at 2244 W. 95th St.

Stage production presented by American Eagle Productions.

The Storybook Mom, Nili Yelin, reads to families and teaches the adults storytelling techniques to help promote literacy at home. Free snacks and book giveaway at the end of each session. Register at www.companies-that-care.org/tt-story-time.org.

Exhibit includes numerous artifacts, photographs and other documentary items that tell the story of Chicago's iconic candy makers, including Snickers, Lemonheads, Butterfingers and Cracker Jack.

Interactive learning centers include a barn slide, apple orchard and chicken coop. Maggie, a life-sized fiberglass milking cow sponsored by Golden Oaks Farm in Wauconda, will be the focus of the new exhibit. Maggie is over five feet tall and features a working udder that recirculates the water that children "milk."

Fun and healthful activities include free chair massages, manicures, cholesterol screenings, and children's arts and crafts.

Afternoon includes hands-on actvities, live science demonstrations and experiments for kids.