It may not feel like spring is on the way, but the proof is in the sap. At Sap’s Rising, you can wander the sugar maple forest while learning about the history of maple syrup production—and fantasizing about the great meltdown that is [hopefully] on its way. Then come back next month for the Maple Syrup Festival, where you’ll actually get to taste some of the sweet stuff for yourself.
Free. 1:30 p.m. Feb. 24-25. River Trail Nature Center, 3120 Milwaukee Ave., Northbrook. (847) 824-8360.
The Bard meets [Chance] the Rapper in Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare, Emerald City Theatre’s latest take on Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series. This show, designed for kids 5 and up, travels with Jack and Annie to Shakespearean England, where they must overcome some nasty stage fright to save the playwright’s latest offering. Best of all, the musical incorporates rap, R&B, pop and rock—not to mention some sick beats worthy of a guy who favored hip-hop-esque iambic pentameter.
$14-$24. Through Feb. 25. Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 529-2690.
At The Laboratory, love is a science. Parents get a much-deserved (and ideally, romantic) night out while kids 5-12 enjoy Valentine’s Night Out: Spa Chemistry, a workshop that delves into the science behind homemade soaps and bath bombs. Littles will nosh on pizza before creating their own spa essentials—served up with the kind of chemistry that will result in heart eyes, not eye rolls.
$40, $36 members. 6:15-9 p.m. Feb. 10. 2349 W. North Ave., Chicago. (312) 953-2996.
