Brunk Children's Museum of Immigration (Swedish American Museum)

I have been meaning to take the girls to this museum for awhile and we finally made it there over spring break.  The Swedish American Museum is located in the heart of Andersonville at 5211 N. Clark.  On the third floor of this museum (easily accessible by an elevator located just inside the entrance if you have a stroller) is the Brunk Children's Museum of Immigration.  Upon entering the museum space, a volunteer pointed out to us that one side of the museum is called Sweden and the other side is called America.  Between the two sides is a boat with the aim of showing the immigration experience to visitors.  The museum is small but there is plenty for kids to do from wearing costumes, selling tickets to board the boat, milking a cow, or working in the garden.  On the Sweden side is a century old farmhouse meant to display life in the old world.  On the America side is a log cabin meant to show what life was like for immigrants about one hundred years ago. 

Our little guy slept in his stroller the whole time and there was room for the stroller in the museum, but just barely.  There is not a lot of extra space.  I initially considered taking his car seat out and leaving his stroller in the hall but a volunteer encouraged me to bring the stroller in.  She said I could put it anywhere there was room.  This was completely fine on a weekday afternoon (even though it was spring break) but might not work on a weekend. 

On the day we were there, a large side room was set up for Easter crafts.  This was the highlight of the visit for my older daughter and she spent a long time making a bunny, chick, and witch (a Swedish tradition we were told).  Because the museum is small, I was easily able to keep an eye on one in the craft room and one in the play area while also navigating the stroller. 

The sign at the entrance to the Children's Museum indicates that it is appropriate for children ages 6-12, although younger children are also welcome.  Both of my girls had a good time but it was my three year old who really enjoyed playing there and did not want to leave. 

The museum offers lots of fun events such as family nights, breakfast with Pippi Longstocking, and holiday activities.  Check their website for a schedule  - www.swedishamericanmuseum.org.  Hours for the Children's Museum are Monday through Thursday 1-4, Friday 10-4, and Saturday and Sunday 11-4.  Admission is $4/adult, $3/child or $10 for a family.  Metered street parking is available.  This part of Andersonville is pretty busy, however it only took us a couple of minutes to find a spot.

Maple Syrup Fest at North Park Village Nature Center

An upcoming fun, free event to take your kids to is the Maple Syrup festival at North Park Village Nature Center (5801 N. Pulaski) on March 23rd and 24th from 10 AM until 3 PM.  At regular intervals a guide takes groups out into the nature preserve for a demonstration on how a tree is tapped to get the sap out and then how the sap is boiled down into maple syrup over a big fire.  It's great for showing kids where maple syrup comes from and also provides a nice scenic hike.  In addition, there are indoor events such as story telling and maple syrup for sale.

We have gone a couple of times over the past few years and how crowded this event gets really depends on the weather.  If you've never been to North Park Village it is kind of an interesting place.  Formerly a tuberculosis sanatorium, it now contains Peterson Park, Peterson Park Gymnastics Center (which offers tons of great gymnastics classes and a really good competitive gymnastics club), the Nature Center, and an assisted living facility for elderly people.  To get to the Nature Center you turn off of Pulaski into what looks like a little village with lots of numbered buildings.  After going through the first stop sign at the entrance you pass the gymnastics facility.  At the next stop sign turn left and follow the bend around to the Nature Center and parking lot.  In addition to the Maple Syrup Festival, the Nature center has great hiking trails totally appropriate for children and lots of great programs especially their summer camps, which families line up for hours before hand to register their children.

Soldier Field Egg-Stravaganza

As our daughters get older it becomes harder to find an Easter egg hunt appropriate for kids their age.  It seems as though most of the park district Easter events are targeted at younger kids.  The enormous candy hunt held every year at Soldier Field, however, is appropriate for kids of all ages. 

When you check into this event, at the entrance into Soldier Field, you are divided into groups based on your child's age and given a specific colored wrist band.  You and your child are also given another wrist band that will be checked on leaving the field after the candy grab to make sure the right parent is with the right child.  Do not lose this!  The candy grabs occur on the hour, I believe, starting at 10 AM (the stadium opens at 9 AM) with the youngest children allowed on the field first based on wrist band color.  In between, there are bounce houses, face painting, and other fun activities for the kids.

As we found out last year, this is an extremely popular event with literally thousands of families attending.  We were there plenty early but because of where we were waiting in the stands we did not get let onto the field for the first candy grab even though it was the appropriate one based on our daughters' ages.  We then had to wait through the first round and then preparation for the second one.  It was a really cold day and there was nothing to do while we waited (we didn't want to give up our position close to the entrance gate)  so the girls' mood was definitely dampened.  Then when we did get on the field we were with all older kids.  It wasn't that big of a deal for my older daughter, who was able to get plenty of candy, but my younger daughter kind of froze amidst all the running and pushing older kids and only got two or three pieces of candy before it was all gone.  Really the only reason she got what she did was because I grabbed it for her when generally I'm against parents participating.  I think if we would have been able to get onto the field in our age appropriate group, we would have had a much better experience.  Despite the craziness, however, the girls have positive memories of the event and have been asking if we will be going again.  

This year the Egg-Stravaganza is on March 23rd.  The event is free.  However, if you drive you will have to pay to park in the Soldier Field parking garage.  I wouldn't recommend a stroller because there are so many people and it is completely impractical if you are going onto the field (you enter through the stands).  Also bring a coat, hat, gloves, whatever is appropriate for the weather because you will be mostly outside.

St. Patrick's Day at the Irish American Heritage Center

Now that we have kids, our St. Patrick's Day tends to be more cutting and decorating shamrocks and less drinking green beer all day.  Last year, however, we wanted to do something to celebrate that everyone would enjoy and decided to check out the family friendly festivities at the Irish American Heritage Center located at 4626 N. Knox.  It seemed like everyone else in the City had the same idea!  The St. Patrick's Day party here is fun but also very crowded.  Parking was a bit of an adventure.  There is a lot next to the Center that you can park in but all the spots were taken when we got there.  That left parking on the street nearby.  After circling the area a few times we were able to find something that was not too far of a walk. 

Inside there were a variety of activities including music for children and adults, kids games, and of course beer.  The biggest hits for our family was a parade of bagpipers and watching the Irish dancing.  We didn't end up staying too long, however, because there were so many people that it was hard for us to get around with the kids. It's definitely a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, though, despite the crowds.  Make sure you wear green because everyone else does or maybe dress your kids in a different color so you will be sure not to lose them!

This years festival will be on Saturday March 16th.  Tickets can be bought ahead of time or at the door.  The website, irish-american.org, provides a schedule of the days events.