Get out there and play
Tuesday is Earth Day, which means there will be plenty of Earth-friendly activities for your family to celebrate this amazing planet we call home. Learning about and taking care of the environment doesn’t mean you have to hug a tree—although it would be just fine with the tree if you did—but there are plenty of Earth-related crafts, hikes and other activities that will keep your family busy.
It’s a Party for the Planet at Brookfield Zoo, 8400 W. 31st St., Brookfield, on Saturday. Listen to Earth-themed music at the Nature Stage (just east of Pachyderm House) featuring an array of entertainers. If you’ve had your fill of singing and dancing, meet Mr. Furry Fur Fur and his Friendly Earth Friends to learn more about preserving our planet at the North Mall. If you have creative and crafty kids, head over to the Hamill Family Play Zoo to make frog puppets and Earth Day cards, amongst other activities from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Earth Day activities and admission to the Hamill Family Play Zoo are free with regular zoo admission of $11 for adults and $7 for children 3-11 and seniors 65 and older. Children 2 and under are free. Parking is $8. For a complete list of activities and entertainment, call (708) 688-8400 or visit the Web site, www.brookfieldzoo.org.
Rise and shine and take a hike at the Earth Day Open House at Gibson Woods Nature Preserve, 6201 Parrish Ave., Hammond, Ind., on Saturday. The Nature Walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Afterwards, there will be Turtle Races (11:15 a.m.), Snakes Alive (noon), a Pond Dip (12:45 p.m.) and game show, Are You Smarter Than a Naturalist? (2 p.m.). There will be other activities throughout the day as well. The preserve is open from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (219) 844-3188 or visit the Web site, www.lakecountyparks.com.
Bring a few pebbles and other interesting objects to the Graue Mill and Museum, 3800 S. York Road, Oak Brook, on Sunday for Earth Day/Free Admission Day. Use the pebbles to make a free terrarium to take home with you—craft materials will be provided. After you have created a new home for a plant, visit Squirmin’ Herman the Earthworm (he’s a live earthworm) and his friends from the University of Illinois Extension. The mill and museum are open from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., but activities are from 12:30-3 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (630) 655-2090 or visit www.grauemill.org.
For more Earth Day events this weekend, visit the calendar at www.chicagoparent.com. Photo courtesy of Brookfield Zoo.
Get your sweet prize here
It may not give you complete peace of mind, but one lucky Chicago Parent reader will win the Graco Sweetpeace Newborn Soothing Center (valued at $169.99) this week. To win, tell us what you do/did to get your kids to stop crying. Post your answer on our discussion board, then e-mail your answer, name and your Chicago Parent ID to e-dition@chicagoparent.com. You must post and e-mail us for your answer to be counted. We will not release your information-it is purely for contact purposes. Some answers may appear in Chicago Parent magazine. Winners will be chosen at random and may have no affiliation with Wednesday Journal Inc. or its employees.
Check out our review of the Sweetpeace on our Parents Know Best blog here.
Get your prize pack here
You don’t have to be an astronaut to visit the moon. Through the month of April, five Chicago Parent readers will have a chance to win family five packs each week to go see"Fly Me to the Moon” at Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, as well as general admission to the planetarium. To win, we’ll post a different question to answer here every week. For this week, we want to know your family’s favorite Earth Day activity. Post your answer on our discussion board, then e-mail your answer, name and your Chicago Parent ID to e-dition@chicagoparent.com. You must post and e-mail us for your answer to be counted. We will not release your information-it is purely for contact purposes. Some answers may appear in Chicago Parent magazine. Winners will be chosen at random and may have no affiliation with Wednesday Journal Inc. or its employees.
To find out more about,"Fly Me to the Moon,” check out the article in our April edition here.
Piece of the prize
This week, five lucky Chicago Parent readers will win a Johnson’s Bedtime set. Each set includes a box of three Easy-Grip Toddler Sudzing Bars and a bottle of toddler wash. To win, tell us what bedtime trick you have for getting the little ones to sleep. Post your answer on our discussion board and then e-mail your answer, name and your Chicago Parent ID to e-dition@chicagoparent.com. You must post and e-mail us for your answer to be counted. We will not release your information-it is purely for contact purposes. Some answers may appear in Chicago Parent magazine. Winners will be chosen at random and may have no affiliation with Wednesday Journal Inc. or its employees.
