Build a greener future
When you become a parent, your life revolves around your child’s future. You save for their college tuition.

Gardens of learning
Want to teach your child healthy eating habits, respect for the great outdoors, responsibility and cooperation?

Dry cleaning breakthrough
Stay-at-home mom Ann Foley literally had a pile of plastic bags from her husband’s frequent dry cleaning

No more wasteful lunches
Waste isn’t a word Naperville moms Megan Wojtyla and Felice Farran like, even when it comes to their kids’ school lunches.

Green mamas unite
When Maureen Gainer Reilly felt herself going green, she bonded back to an archetypal female role.

It's a worm's world
What would you say if I told you that you could turn your child’s interest in dirt and worms into a family-friendly project

The hype on Skype
Evelyn and Kurt Weber found themselves facing a difficult time away from their children.

Germ warfare
Washing windows, shampooing carpets, hosing down the garage.

Honey, in front of the kids?
As parents, our love for each other manifests itself in physical affection (after all, we do have kids).

Wolf packs
When Jamie Rivers awoke on March 9, 2006, he was a Detroit Red Wing.

Can-do kid
Zenin Miller, the dark-haired, wide-eyed kindergartener who shares a neighborhood with President Barack Obama,

What's in your neighborhood
Learn scuba at Provena Saint Joseph Inwood Athletic Club.
Alsip-Merrionette Park Public Library

Good green intentions
A year ago this month I came clean about my un-green ways and determined the O’Shaughnessy household

Chicago Parent is a winner
Chicago Parent brought home 17 awards from the national Parenting Publications of America annual editorial and design

Letters
To Christine Palumbo: Thank you so much for sharing your experience at Oldways 15th Anniversary Med Diet Conference

A lucky mom’s one-of-a-kind journey
My oldest son looks upset this morning. Concerned, I ask him what’s wrong. "I had a bad dream," he mutters.

Special moments times two
We went through a long journey to conceive and carry to full term our fraternal twin boys, Dominic and Zachary.

New museum will keep little brains busy
As a teacher in Lake County, Alison Price tired of the long bus rides to Chicago or Milwaukee to take her students

Fun at the museum
Parents shared their kids’ favorite children’s museum exhibits at ChicagoParent.com.

Asthma shouldn't limit a child
If your child has uncontrollable coughing, but doesn’t have a cold, it could be asthma.

When your child says he wants to die
The February hanging death of 10-year-old Aquan Lewis of Evanston, which, as of this writing, is officially ruled a suicide,

Financial literacy especially important now
In the current economy, kids have a lot of questions about finances. And now more than ever, it's important to teach kids about smart financial sense.

Eat green for a healthy body and planet
After our brutal winter, many of us are itching to get outside and dig in the dirt.

Let's learn, baby, learn
The rainforest is a very colorful place. On each page an object is mentioned and as the wheel is turned the animals and

Chicago musicians in the spotlight
It is time for some spring cleaning around here. The CDs are piled high, so let’s dust a few off and spotlight some

Five great books about kids' adventures
Julian has spent the day with a fever, stuck in his uncle’s office waiting for a meeting to be over so they can go home.

Egg-ceptional Easter
Like most families, we enjoy making Easter eggs with the store-bought kits.

Life's a lab
Science is all around and a group of experts plus 140 partners want to help you and your kids rediscover its excitement

Roarin' dinos come to town
Describing the incredible size of dinosaurs to kids can be a challenge. If you want to give your kids a more realistic chance

Flashes of Hope for sick kids
When 12-year-old Gracey Melon of Oak Park heads to the hospital, it usually means being pumped with chemo meds

Girls get help taking flight
Middle school and high school girls who need a female mentor in their lives are encouraged to sign up for the WINGS

Camp scholarships aid kids
For some families, being able to afford an overnight summer camp is nearly impossible. But a new organization is helping

Immerse yourself in Harry Potter
If you have a Harry Potter fan in the house, don’t miss the new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.

TV for toddlers won't hurt, won't help
The good news is infants won’t be irrevocably damaged by spending some time in front of a television.

Children's toys, activity centers pose hazards
The Consumer Product and Safety Commission has recalled the following products:

The science of spring
Celebrate the warmer temperatures this month with three easy hands-on projects that will help your kids better understand

Sports timeout might be needed
With spring finally in the air, plenty of kids are gearing up for summer sports.

Vitamins: Needed or not?
Do your children need a daily vitamin supplement? If they’re already taking one, chances are they don’t.

Girls at risk of knee injuries
No matter what the sport or the season, girls face a drastically higher chance of injuring their knees than boys.

Sexting 101
When you were in school, kids passed flirtatious or even racy notes to people they liked.

Tricks to transform your closet for spring
You’re a fashion- and budget-conscious mom who wants to be on trend this spring, while at the same time simplifying

Celebrate National Sibling Day April 10
Twin sisters Lisa Hanson and Heather Kempskie have filled their new book with ideas to encourage sibling togetherness

April 2, 2009
Get out there and play. Although Peter Cottontail won’t visit for another week, that doesn’t mean your family can’t participate in pre-Easter egg hunts. Grab the kids, your canine companion, your best egg-collecting baskets and your camera for some extraordinary hunts.

April 2, 2009
Get out there and play. Although Peter Cottontail won’t visit for another week, that doesn’t mean your family can’t participate in pre-Easter egg hunts. Grab the kids, your canine companion, your best egg-collecting baskets and your camera for some extraordinary hunts.

April 9, 2009
Get out there and play. With Easter on Sunday and sunny forecasts, Saturday will be perfect for a few egg hunts. With baskets in hand, get the little ones pumped for brightly colored eggs filled with treats and a visit with a very friendly, giant bunny. You might want to grab your camera for this springtime experience.

April 16, 2009
Get out there and play. Help set a Guinness World Record Saturday with Wheaton’s Go Fly a Kite 2009 event. Part of Wheaton’s Sesquicentennial celebration, the goal is to have the most kites aloft at the same time in the same location. The current record is 967 kites, which flew in Germany last August.

April 23, 2009
Get out there and play. Although your kids might just see trees as nature’s jungle gyms, trees are vital to our environment. Celebrate the tall, leafy oxygenators during Arbor Day festivities this weekend. Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Friday in April.

April 30, 2009
Get out there and play. Enter the world of Hogwarts and the boy-who-lived (that’s Harry Potter) during the Museum of Science and Industry’s world premiere of “Harry Potter: The Exhibition.” Opening today and running through Sept. 27, the exhibition will allow visitors to check out more than 200 props and authentic costumes displayed in settings inspired by the Hogwarts film sets.