Make-A-Messterpiece - Messy, Creative Fun

When it comes to making a mess, my nearly 3-year-old daughter Mia is NOT interested. If there's a crumb on her shirt, a speck of paint on her fingers, or essentially anything out of place, her world gets knocked out of alignment. At just one year old, she was already insisting on being given paper towel pieces to wipe up microscopic dots of milk from the floor. Common phrases in our house are "I don't want to be messy!" and "Wipe me! Wipe me!"

So when my mom started taking Mia to Make-A-Messterpiece, near her home, for occasional visits, I couldn't fathom what Mia was doing there. Last week I took Mia there myself to check it out firsthand, and I couldn't believe my eyes... my daughter with paint on her hands, not freaking out!

Make-A-Messterpiece is a hands-on art and fun space offering a variety of mess-making activities. Not counting the indoor play area - since Mia simply can't pass up a good slide - we spent our time in two areas: at the Splat-Tacular Tables, and at Bubbleology.

The Splat-Tacular Tables are simply an area where kids can pull up a chair and freestyle, with all sorts of tools at their disposal like crayons, paint, stencils, sponges and other items. Kids can experiment with all sorts of techniques, and Mia made 3 great pictures that we brought home.

The Bubbleology area is Mia's favorite. Mine too. Bubbleology looks like a futuristic lab, with huge canister-shaped columns hanging over rounded metal sinks, spewing colorful bubbles onto whatever paper you put below them. Kids can choose the color column they want, then take a piece of paper, attach a stencil if they desire, and then put the paper under the "spout" while the bubbles come out. The bubbles land on the page and eventually pop, creating magical images that are actually frame-worthy.

Mia picked a snail - here's her experience and final product:



Other creative areas include a Creative Kitchen, where kids create edible artistic treats; Drum Roll, where kids play paint-filled drums; Experimentation Station, which lets kids do experiments and learn cause and effect lessons; and Lil Sprouts, where budding gardeners learn the concepts of reduce, reuse, recycle and sustainability.

Learn more at www.makeamessterpiece.com

Last Chance to Skate in the Sky

It's hard to think about winter activities when it feels like spring is in the air.
But if you didn’t get to ice skate at the John Hancock Observatory’s indoor rink, there's still time! The rink is open through March 31, from 9am-11pm, with the last ice skating tickets being sold at 10pm. Skate rentals are only $1, and next Monday will be your last chance to enjoy a free skating lesson from the Chicago Blackhawks Youth Hockey coaches.

And there's one last taste of winter that you can enjoy when you're done skating. Walk across the street to Ghirardelli's and savor a cup of their frothy hot chocolate. And if it's too warm for hot chocolate by the time you do this, then bring on the ice cream sundaes!

With this last winter activity out of your system, let the spring weather begin!

St. Patrick's Day Family Friendly Festivities

Chicago is never short on St. Patrick's Day festivities, and there are plenty that are fun for the entire family. Here's a few of our top picks for you to try out this weekend:

SATURDAY MARCH 12

St. Patrick's Day Fireworks
Navy Pier, 600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago
Spend the day finding a variety of family fun activities at Navy Pier, and then at 7pm enjoy a special winter-time fireworks display. The 10 minute show will be set to a themed soundtrack featuring traditional Celtic songs and modern Irish artists.

Dyeing the Chicago River
It's an annual tradition, and until you've seen it in person you can't fathom just how "green" the river can be! Starting at 10am, the dyeing can be best viewed from the East side of the Michigan Avenue bridge, the West side of the Columbus Drive bridge or upper and lower Wacker Drive between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive.

St. Patrick's Downtown Parade
After you see the river dyed green, shop a bit until the main event starts at noon. The parade begins at Columbus Drive and Balbo and then heads north to Monroe.

St. Patrick's Festival
Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N Knox Ave, Chicago
Make a downtown day of it - after the big parade, head over to the IAHC for this large-scale, family-oriented event that includes traditional and contemporary Irish music, dance, food and children’s activities. The festivities begin at 1pm and go until midnight, with live entertainment by Chicago Irish music groups and family friendly fare like the Wiggleworms and the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance. More details at www.irish-american.org

Naperville St. Patrick's Day Parade
Starting at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill Street
The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. from Naperville North High School then continues south on Mill Street, east on Jefferson Avenue, south on Main Street and west on Water Street to the Municipal Center.

SUNDAY MARCH 13

St. Patrick's Northwest Side Parade
Starts at Onahan School, 6633 W. Raven St.
The Northwest Side Irish host their 8th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, with this year's participants including The Jesse White Tumblers, The Emerald Society Band, Mullane Irish Dancers, St. Patrick’s High School Jazz Band, Trinity Irish Dancers and more. The parade starts at noon at 6633 W. Raven (Onahan School) and will run south up Neola Avenue to Northwest Highway north to Harlem Avenue, ending at Harlem Avenue. The after party is from 1-5pm at Immaculate Conception Elementary School, 6211 W. Talcott. Tickets for the after party are $5 for kids 10 and under, and $10 for adults. Learn more.

NPN's Wake Up and Boogie Down Family Festival

NPN's annual fundraising event is back this Saturday at the Cubby Bear from 9:30am - 12:30pm. You're invited to "Wake Up & Boogie Down" with live music performances, hands on kids' activities, games, rock-n-roll makeovers and tasty snacks and treats.

On hand will be some of Chicago's best kids resources. Take part in the Cultural Care Au Pair rock-n-roll makeover station; capture the moment with a photo from ThinkLeigh Photography; decorate cookies with COUNTRY Financial; and explore activities and giveaways hosted by many other local favorites like the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Multilingual Chicago and more.

Get your tickets in advance, because this event can sell out! Tickets are $20 adults/$10 kids for members, and $25 adults/$15 kids for non-members. (infants under age 1 free). You can get tickets at http://www.npnparents.org. All funds raised will enhance NPN’s programs and member services.

NPN is a fantastic resource for Chicago area parents. In their words:
"NPN offers expectant, new, and seasoned parents connection and support for the everyday challenges of parenthood. A trusted destination for parent-to-parent interaction, school choice resources, childcare options, parent education opportunities and local community development, NPN helps strong families build strong communities!"

And in my words: This is the FIRST place I've turned each time I needed a new nanny; I met the moms in my regular moms group through NPN events; their uber-active discussion forums provide me with dozens of responses within hours of my posts; and their preschool fair and information are priceless! If you aren't a member, please consider joining and supporting this great resource.

Our family will be attending on Saturday - maybe we'll see you there!