Educators at Chicago's leading arts organizations offer advice about cultivating children’s interest in one of the world's ultimate urban classrooms.  Read more...

Take a hint from the groundhog: It's time to emerge from the burrow and see the sun again.  Read more...

Architectural advice to make the block's best snow castle.  Read more...

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Ever watched your toddlers tumble and play and thought they weren’t all that different from the chimps you watch frolic at the zoo? Turns out you're right.  Read more...

For years, Stacey and Tim Cavanagh thought they would never have a child. Then came two sets of triplets in four years, and a whole new life for the Lincoln Park family.  Read more...

Private, public, parochial, Montessori, Reggio, Waldorf: Choosing a preschool can be as daunting as choosing a college.  Read more...

If he says it one more time, I will kill him. This is not hyperbole. I have cause, just cause, to take him out—my son, the new teenager, the purveyor of the non sequitur, the little !@#$#% who thinks this is the pinnacle of high comedy.  Read more...

I don’t need to become an imaginary woman with a high-powered career. My career is living each day and learning to love my life.  Read more...

As I lay in bed and listened to all their happy voices running and playing outside, I thought to myself: "No one else’s mother is in bed: What gives me the right?"  Read more...

Chicago Public School' "Parent Portal" gives parents round-the-clock access to their child’s grades. My confession: I'm a Parent Portal addict.  Read more...

Forever 21 can easily be turned into Forever 41 if you know what you’re doing.  Read more...

When other kids are in your home, you're responsible for their behavior and use of technology. Figuring out just where to draw the line can be tricky, depending on personalities, ages and the environment.  Read more...

Here's an equation worth getting excited about: Talking to your kids about numbers can add up to a serious advantage when it comes to learning math later in life.  Read more...

Long past the days of 2 a.m. feedings, working mothers are still two-and-a-half times more likely than working fathers to get up in the middle of the night to take care of the kids.  Read more...

About 20,000 childrengo to the emergency room each year with sledding-related injuries. Don't let yours be one of them.  Read more...

We know all about the mental health dangers facing troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. But children suffer, too, when their parents are deployed, a new study confirms.  Read more...

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome will claim the lives of 2,300 infants this year, and experts say risk increases during colder months.  Read more...

Do constant applications of hand sanitizer promote better health? Maybe not, a new study shows. Will you slather anyway?  Read more...

When June Coutre and her husband Michael were ready to start a family, they decided to move to Chinatown. Ten-year-old Meia now spends her Saturdays learning kung fu and often walks home from school with her Chinese grandpa.  Read more...

Embrace the grislier side of Chicago history with an Untouchables Tour.  Read more...

A waterless shower in a pinch? We'll take it, along with these five other ingenious inventions.  Read more...

The new year is only a few days old, but already chock full of futuristic fun, like waterless showers, stay-put socks, and more.  Read more...

Meredith Sinclair's tips for those few "messy spaces" in most of our kid-centered worlds that could use a little tidying-up and a light sprinkling of self-improvement.  Read more...

Eliminate the drama from your child's anxious moments and turn them into opportunities to learn how to self-soothe through later crises.  Read more...

Constipation afflicts up to 30 percent of children, and happens more often to people picky eaters who thumb their noses at fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Read more...

Far from a drain on your family budget, the Internet can be a great source of savings. Check out these sites and programs to manage your budget, save money and rationalize your Internet bill.  Read more...

I often see toddlers eating popcorn, taking a bite of a hot dog or sucking on a gel candy and I’m sure their parents aren’t aware of the danger those foods can present.  Read more...