Lincoln Park Zoo sends teacher to Niger in unique learning exchange
January 24
The Lincoln Park Zoo is facilitating a unique culture and learning exchange between students at Francis W. Parker school and two schools in the African country of Niger. Check out our video and story.
Rating the games at ChiTAG 2011
December 6
ChicagoParent.com editor Carrie Kaufman brought her daughters to the Chicago Toy and Game Fair with some specific instructions: play with the toys and tells us what you think. It was hard work, but somebody had to do it.
A quick talk with NBT finalist Shealeigh
November 28
Chicago Parent met up with Next Big Thing finalist Shealeigh at the Radio Disney Concert the weekend before Thanksgiving. When Emma and Grace DeCarlo (15 and 13, respectively) talked to her, there were still three people in the running. On Friday, it was announced that Shealeigh and Zack Montana were the final two. Here's our talk with the very exhuberant performer.
Cooking your way through the SAT
November 3
Charis Freiman-Mendel needed a way to memorize her vocabulary words. And she loves to cook. So she combined them, inventing a recipe that raised her scores considerably.
A hideout for kids with autism
October 28
One mother has created a safe, comfortable place for kids and parents to play.
Inspirational North Shore teen featured in documentary about Tourette's
October 27
Two years ago Chicago Parent wrote about Ariel Small. Now he's the subject of a documentary airing on PBS stations around the country.
The Wonder! of it all
October 26
This new Deerfield store is like a year-long parenting festival. You have to see it to believe it.
Boo at the Zoo 2011
October 26
Brookfield Zoo kicked of their annual Boo at the Zoo Halloween event last weekend, and Chicago Parent was there. Dress up and come on down this weekend, Oct. 29 and 30.
A spoonful of "Mary Poppins"
October 21
Alena Murguia and her sons took in the opening night of "Mary Poppins" at the Cadillac Palace. Their opinions? You should see it.
Newborn Titi Monkey at Lincoln Park Zoo
October 20
The Lincoln Park Zoo is celebrating the birth of a new titi monkey - adding to the scarce population of this Bolivian animal.
Fall foliage for first-timers
October 14
This weekend is set to be the best time to see fall's grand display. Here are the four best places to see all the color.
Brain tumor just part of life for Rosie
September 29
Rosie Colucci, who has taken many of the gifts she's received in her numerous hospital visits and given them to underprivileged kids, is holding a benefit to defray the mounting cost of her medical bills.
Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester wants to inspire more young dads
May 23
Devin Hester wants to show fans - and fellow dads - that for every stereotype about professional athletes as deadbeat dads, there’s one like him, who changes diapers and takes their kids to Yo Gabba Gabba!
LEGOLAND Chicago picks Mundelein 5th grader as MiniMaster Builder
May 12
A Mundelein 11-year-old has won LEGOLAND Chicago's MINIMASTER Builder Competition - and he has big plans for his new title.
When Chicago parents are always connected, kids' language development suffers
May 4
One local mom talks about making her home a 'text-free' zone so her kids get the attention they need.
"Toys in the Hood" bring Chicago's connection to iconic toys to Elmhurst museum
April 25
A new exhibit in Elmhurst unearths the Chicagoland roots of dozens of toys and games, from Lincoln Logs to Radio Flyer wagons to Operation, and gives kids a chance to get down and play.
Chicago families on finding faith
April 15
Religions make a strong pitch for kids. But to what end? What are the benefits of finding faith as a family? And how does having children affect our own beliefs as parents?
Chicago families on finding faith
April 11
Religions make a strong pitch for kids. But to what end? What are the benefits of finding faith as a family? And how does having children affect our own beliefs as parents?
8-foot-tall LEGO Buzz Lightyear goes up at Northbrook Court store
February 18
Contribute your brick to a monster-sized Buzz Lightyear that's being built at the LEGO store at Northbrook Court this weekend.
"The Horse" exhibit gallops into Field Museum
February 15
The Field Museum 's newest exhibit, The Horse, running Feb. 16-Aug. 14, explores the bond between humans and horses through artifacts, some 3-D animation wizardry, and no fewer than nine (we counted) life-sized horses.
Chicago charter school receives top honors for health innovations
February 11
Kids at Namaste Charter School eat tilapia for lunch and have an hour of gym every day. This week, the school became the second in the Midwest to get top government honors for its health focus.
Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium to bring ocean creatures to Chicago in new spring exhibits
February 7 - Comments (2)
Chicago is a long way from the ocean, but this spring, a pair of exhibits will be bringing creatures of the deep to the city.
Groundhog's Day at Brookfield Zoo pushed up by winter storm
February 1
If you were planning to ride out the impending storm with polar bears, you're out of luck. For just the second time in its 76-year history, the Brookfield Zoo will be closed Wednesday.
Medical clown visits kids at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago
January 28
A medical clown visiting the Chicago area from Israel brightened up the morning for kids at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago on Thursday.
February cover shoot video
January 24
Meet twins Dyan and Diego Oliver, 7, of Chicago, the faces of our February issue.
Endangered African pups born at Brookfield zoo
January 21
Just two weeks after the birth of an endangered gibbon at the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Brookfield Zoo announced the birth of a litter of 10 African wild dog pups born Thanksgiving Day.
Brookfield Zoo's bears cheer for Chicago's Bears
January 21 - Comments (1)
The Chicago Bears are the playoffs, and Chicago's actual bears are getting geared up as well. Axhl and Jim, the Brookfield Zoo’s pair of grizzlies, showed just where their loyalties lay.
Back from war, a Chicago soldier reconnects with family
January 12 - Comments (4)
Lt. Ray Abordo returned Friday - a week early -from a year-long tour in Afghanistan. So naturally, he had his wife send the kids to their aunt and uncle's house, and he waited to surprise them at school on Monday.
Gage Park High School project brings Chicago's civil rights, King history to residents' fingertips
January 12 - Comments (1)
Students from Gage Park High School embarked two years ago on a project to unite their Southwest Side neighborhood's past and present through the events of Dr. Martin Luther King's 1966 march in Marquette Park.
Penguin Paintings: the gift for the kid who has everything
December 21
What's black and white and red all over? The Shedd Aquarium's penguin artists, whose webbed-feet paintings are on sale this holiday season.
Old Town's Wiggleworms program celebrates 25 years of early childhood music education
November 2 - Comments (2)
When the Old Town School of Folk Music launched its early childhood education program in 1986, there were two instructors and a handful of kids. Today, as the program turns 25, more than 2,000 kids are enrolled across the city, and the school is hosting a blowout concert Nov. 20 to celebrate.
Notebaert's Nature's LunchBox exhibit serves up lessons and laughs
October 28
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has jumped in with its newest exhibit, Nature's LunchBox, presents a big-picture view of food systems that engages kids of all ages.
Chicago nonprofit gives kids reading mentors, and motivation, to promote literacy
October 21
Open Books Buddies pairs students at Chicago elementary schools with a mentor from the community. A relatively new entry into the Chicago literacy scene, this program has its focus squarely on kids.
Hunting for hauntings in Chicago with ghost tour operator Richard T. Crowe
October 18 - Comments (6)
Richard T. Crowe is a professional ghost hunter who has been chasing down the eerie and unexplained in Chicago for nearly 40 years.
Interview with Zack Snyder, director of "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole" in Chicago
September 15
Father of six and director Zack Snyder talks about his first kid's film and why your little ones will fall in love with an owl named Soren.
Chinatown for little feet: A guided tour
September 7
The jumble of old and new, bold and subdued, treasure and trinkets that is Chicago's Chinatown will fascinate kids, and the untamed, "what'll-I-find-today," street-bazaar feel ensures no two trips will be alike.
VIDEO: Kid-hosted, kid-focused cooking show hits Chicago's airwaves
August 30 - Comments (5)
The Emmys didn't air until Sunday night, but on Friday, 16 Chicago-area kids glitzed and glammed it up on a red carpet of their own.
A Day in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
August 24 - Comments (2)
At the neonatal intensive care unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, premature and at-risk babies, some weighing less than a loaf of bread, are rescued, cradled and cuddled. Parents visit daily for feedings. Some babies never make it home to see their siblings.
Through their eyes: How kids with autism see the world
July 12 - Comments (6)
Ever wonder how kids with autism see the world, especially when their words are trapped inside them? Oak Park photographer Jeff Ebert did, and he's on a mission to help them tell their stories through photos.
Overcoming autism, spreading hope through music
July 12 - Comments (3)
Once nonverbal, Maurice Snell now raises his voice through song, raising money and awareness and spreading hope.
Three legs, but a full heart for working with kids with disabilities
July 12
Dharma, a three-legged pit bull rescued in the largest dogfighting ring bust in U.S. history, has found a new purpose as a therapy dog for kids with disabilities.
Audio Slideshow: Family Adventure Days are a cheap, easy way to see Chicago
June 22 - Comments (1)
You don’t have to do any driving, someone else makes the picnic lunch and a guide entertains both you and your kids. Oh, and it's under $50 for a family of four.
VIDEO: Go behind the scenes at Buckingham Fountain
June 2
Built in 1927, the Buckingham is still running smoothly today. We wanted to know how, so the Park District invited us to come take a look.
VIDEO: Field Museum celebrates a decade of Sue
May 26
Chicago's favorite dino turns 10, and the Field Museum is celebrating with two new high-tech exhibits for a very, very old set of bones.
Go nose-to-nose with bears at Brookfield Zoo's new exhibit
May 5
The Brookfield Zoo's new Great Bear Wilderness puts you nose-to-nose, nose-to-beak, nose-to-snout, and nose-to-whatever-bison-have with North America's most iconic creatures.
Win over dinner without an extra trip to the grocery store
April 26 - Comments (5)
VIDEO: One local mom has a recipe for dinner success. Learn how to get 70 meals out of one trip to the grocery store!
Shedd Aquarium peels back curtain on baby beluga
April 21
After four months behind a privacy wall, the Shedd Aquarium's baby beluga says hi to the world above water.
Rare redhead chicks born at Kohl Childrens Museum
April 15
A pair of rare auburn chickens, two of only about 300 in the world, were born at Kohl's Children's Museum last weekend.
Strength, balance are key to avoiding soccer injuries
March 25
Over the next few weeks, 8 million kids will hit the soccer field, which means bumps and bruises aren't far behind. Here's how to keep your kid between the sidelines, not on them.
Opening Weekend: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
March 22 - Comments (1)
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is pefect for those parents and children who appreciate Jeff Kinney’s take on growing up and the struggle for popularity.
Chicago charter school emphasizes health, fitness and yoga
March 20 - Comments (8)
How many second-graders do you know who do yoga, clamor for turkey burgers, and speak Sanskrit?
Nonprofit teaches healthy eating, one rice cooker at a time
March 9 - Comments (3)
Quinoa with chards and leeks? For your kids? For $2.39 per serving? Yes, yes, and yes. One area non-profit shows you how.
Raising a family with special needs
February 11 - Comments (17)
After Kathy Lavin's daughter was born with Down syndrome, a career spent helping people with disabilities suddenly turned personal.
Video | As local heroes lace up in Vancouver, speed skating clubs nurture younger talent
February 10 - Comments (1)
The U.S. speed skating team hits the ice this weekend in Vancouver. But closer to home, the north suburban clubs where several Olympians got their start are nurturing some younger talent.
Audio slideshow | Life on the homefront
January 27 - Comments (3)
Lt. Ray Abordo was one of 28 Army Reservists in a Chicago-based medical unit that deployed last month. Listen as the Abordo family talks about what his deployment means to their family.
Video interview with "Super-Manny" Mike Ruggles
January 26 - Comments (3)
Mike Ruggles, a Chicago family therapist, is the star of an episode of ABC's "Super-Manny" airing Jan. 29. We sat down with this smooth-headed softie to talk about the show, his newfound fame and his own family plans.
Congenital heart defects affect 1 in 100 newborns
January 25 - Comments (2)
When little hearts stop working the way they’re supposed to, doctors often have more questions than answers. But new treatments and awareness are changing the prognosis for the 1 in every 100 babies born with a congenital heart defect.
When parents go to war, families pay a price
January 25 - Comments (4)
As the way America fights its wars changes, so, too, does life on the home front, and it's taking more fuel than ever to keep the home fires burning.<br/>
+ <a href="http://www.chicagoparent.com/magazines/chicago-parent/2010-february/features/audio-slideshow-life-on-the-homefront">Audio Slideshow</a>
Want to know what your baby is saying?
January 22 - Comments (4)
Babies don’t come with instruction manuals. But using the Dunston Baby Language system, an Oak Park prenatal massage therapist is teaching new parents that their babies are telling them everything they need to know.
The world is her stage: Goodman Theatre and Make-a-Wish Foundation team up for Frankfort teen
December 21
All Maria Stavropoulos has ever wanted to do is act. So when the Goodman Theatre offered the Frankfort teen a walk-on role in last weekend's Sunday matinee of "A Christmas Carol," she was more than ready for her stage debut.
Video | Ballerina for a day at the Dance-Along Nutcracker
December 14 - Comments (1)
Hundreds of girls in tutus sashayed, curtsied and pliéd their way through a holiday classic at the eight annual Dance-Along Nutcracker.
Video | The kids of 'A Christmas Carol'
December 9 - Comments (1)
The Goodman Theatre's production of "A Christmas Carol" has been a Chicago holiday tradition for more than three decades. So we sat down with four kids in the cast to talk about what this family favorite means to them -- and what's on their holiday wish list.
Video | New exhibit teaches kids the science behind drugs
October 9
In 2007, Highland Park native Cebrin Goodman died of a heroin overdose. Last month, a new exhibit opened at the Robert Crown Center in Hinsdale, dedicated to Goodman and built to teach students the actual science behind "Just Say No."
YOU! The Experience opens at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago
September 28
The Museum of Science and Industry just made keeping your family healthy a little easier.
