Activity: Little Diner's Crew

If you like to try new restaurants, and struggle with how to involve your kids, then The Little Diner's Crew is for you!

The Little Diner's Crew is a new concept, providing a unique dining experience for kids and parents. As their site states, they hope to expose kids "to different types of foods...and learn about where their food comes from -- and how it's prepared."

We tested it out with our 6 year old and had a great time. The restaurant we visited (The Spanish Square) had a 3 course meal, a kitchen tour, kid-friendly Sangria (as mom enjoyed an adult version...or two), and even a little take home bag with a recipe to make your own (kid-friendly) Sangria at home!

How it works:

1. Become a Member - information found here 
• Membership fees are annual and only purchased for the kid participants.
• Members receive a little passport booklet to get "stamped" at each restaurant.
2. View the site for upcoming date and restaurant options.
3. Pay online and have a great time!
• Prices vary based on the restaurant / cuisine selected.

Noteworthy

• The owners couldn't be nicer or more welcoming (or more patient with my inquiries).
• Kids are seated at one table; parents at another.
• Cuisine is adjusted for kids palettes (ie, at the Indian Restaurant, they dialed down the spice, etc)
• The estimated timeframe of our restaurant was two hours, which felt a bit daunting. Although I took along some Spain themed activities just in case, we didn't need them at all! The kids were entertained by the hosts, rating cards, and other activities.
• Personal note: I did force my son to enjoy my fun facts on Spain when driving home, because, shoot, I put in the effort.

Cost Savings
Membership fee is discounted for more than one child.

Location/Transportation:
Varies with each venue throughout the city.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
I am thrilled this exists and can't wait for our family to eat our way through Chicago (and the global cuisine)!

Activity: The Kids' Table

We had the opportunity to enjoy a night at The Kids' Table, and had a great time! The Kids' Table is a cooking school with hands on experience specifically for kids and families, complete with kid-sized cheese graters, choppers, and whisks!  Who doesn't love mini cooking utensils?

All the kids (ages 4-8) were engaged and took part in prepping three aspects of our meal: stuffed pasta shells, pasta sauce, garlic bread, and strawberry pie.

This was our second visit and it is so fun to witness the children's' independence and participation in cooking.

To sign up for a class, visit their website to view availability and associated menu. They collect dietary restrictions as well, should this be a need!

Noteworthy:

• You can bring wine to enjoy during your time (the venue will supply glasses).
• The venue focuses on healthy cooking, so make sure you like the menu (especially for picky eaters)
• As a part of meal prep, the kids are asked to clean the table and cutting board - was great to see them put to work!
• The food wasn't loved by (most of) the kids this time -- but maybe that was the fault of the cooks and my kids are not the most refined eaters... :)

Cost:
We do the Family Dinner option (there are other options) and prices are very reasonable.  When we compare the cost per person, it is less than paying for a sitter, so it is a guilt-free night out with family & friends!

Check the site for specific price information.

Location/Transportation:

• There are two locations (as of Feb 2017): Wicker Park and Lincoln Park
• Contact Information
• We go to the Wicker Park location, and have driven / used street parking (typically free)

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
We will definitely do it again!!

Activity: Brooklyn Boulders (Indoor Rock Climbing)

As the weather cools, it is great to have a place for kids to burn off energy...inside.

Brooklyn Boulders is a large indoor rock climbing facility with a variety of climbing options: bouldering, auto-belay, top-roping, and lead climbing. The facility also includes a workout area, yoga classes, and private party space (with private climbing wall).

First timer tips:

• The routes on the wall are graded and color-coded. 
• Bouldering starts at V0 and difficultly increases from there (V1, V2, etc). 
• Climbing with belays start at 5.7 and get harder the higher the number (5.8, 5.9, 5.10, etc)

I only took our 6 year old, but saw kids of all ages scurring up the walls like little squirrels. My son loved it, but didn't last too long.

Noteworthy:

• About 5 auto-belay options -- one is very easy, so a great starting point for new climbers.
• They offer classes, packages, and membership options.
• Highly recommend completing the online waiver before arriving at the venue.
• Have locker rooms, free wifi, and cubbies for guests.
• Received an email after our visit for a chance to return for $19/person (including gear!).

Cost Savings:

• $36 includes daily pass ($25/person -- no child discount), plus gear ($11).
• If climbing during off-peak hours, the daily pass price is reduced to $20/person.
• See last bullet under noteworthy.
• Would love to see a discount for kids pricing or a half-day pass rate to make pricing more accessible.

Location/Transportation:
West Loop
While there are a few public transportation options available, we drove and were able to find free street parking pretty easily (there is not a parking area attached to the venue).

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
Loved it and would love to go back, if we find discounted rate options.

Suburb Activity: Northbrook Court Pop-ups

During the holidays, we trekked to Northbrook to see a few pop-up activities taking place: Age of the Dinosaurs and The Painted Penguin.

We had a blast! Northbrook is a great little mall with shopping (though we just browsed the LEGO store), movie theater, children's play area, and these two great pop-up stores!

Age of Dinosaurs was small in comparison to the Rosemont Discover the Dinosaurs event. However, it is brighter and more inviting. My younger son did not do well at the larger and darker Rosemont event, but was very comfortable at Age of the Dinosaurs -- there were little dinosaur themed activities and 6 types of dinosaurs, each one moved and the kids loved the dino babies.

The Painted Penguin is a pop-up painting activity - you select an item to paint (from small penguins or letters to medium-sized canvases. They provided all the materials, even a finishing glaze!

Noteworthy:

• Age of Dinosaurs: can climb a triceratops and put your head in the T-Rex's mouth
• Mall App: GGP Mall - provides locations of shops, events, and parking recommendations.

Cost Savings:

• Each activity was inexpensive.
• Dinosaurs: $6/ticket
• Penguin: Varies based on item painted

Location/Transportation:

• Northbrook
• Driving is recommended 

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
Kids had a good time.
I just wished for better food court style options for lunch.  Drive wasn't too bad!

Activity: Pinstripes $3 Bowling

Pinstripes is an upscale bowling, bocce, and bistro located near Navy Pier. They have great food, good service, and who can beat a $3 bowling deal for kids?

Check here for current deals and discounts, as we took advantage in 2016 (from 10-noon).

They prepare well for the kids, with 6 pound balls, automatic bumpers at their turn, and ball guide, and kids meals. They had a great time.

Noteworthy:

• $1 adult beverages
• $1 Desserts for the kids and each kid's meal includes a bread stick
• Great lounge furniture and shoe holders; plenty of table space for food and drink
• Valet does not start until noon. Learned this the hard way (luckily, spot hero is our favorite app)

Cost Savings:

• Three dollar bowling
• Discounted drinks and food

Location/Transportation:
Streeterville, near Navy Pier
Several bus routes stop close to the facility.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
Great time!

Activity: Indoor Snowball Fight

When is it freezing outside and your child (impervious to the cold) asks for a snowball fight, twisting the idea to one that works for all (read: mom) can fix that.

An indoor snowball fight!

All we needed were wadded up paper for the snowballs and a DIY snow fort -- we chose Melissa and Doug bricks. While our youngest prefered to tear down his own fort (and build, and destroy, repeat), the 6 year old and I had a good fight.

Which morphed into bowling for bricks.  And general fort destruction.

All in all, the kids were happy and I was thrilled to stay inside!

Noteworthy:
Can be recreated in a number of ways, based on what you have at your fingertips.

Cost Savings:
Free!

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
Easy! Fun!

Annual Event: Holiday Activities

The holiday's are here and with all that is happening in the city, it can cause a little anxiety determining what to do.

We have narrowed our focus to a "top 8" with reviews of each activity throughout the month. Zoolights and Garfield Park we will hit up after Christmas as they run all month long.

Rating scale: One to Five Snowflakes

The Goals and Ratings (if checked off our list):

• Navy Pier Winter Wonderfest - ❋❋❋❋❋
• Polar Adventure Days - ❋
• Sledding - ❋❋❋❋❋
• 12 Days of Santa - ❋❋❋❋❋
• Holiday Train - ❋❋❋
• Zoolights - ❋❋❋❋
• Garfield Park Holiday Flower Show - post Christmas

Navy Pier Winter Wonderfest: ❋❋❋❋❋
This is the highlight of our year. Every. Year.  The best indoor playground to take the kids with a ton of activities fun for the whole family.  Highlights include:

• Inflatable slides and bounce areas, 
• Ice skating rink (with rental)
• Unique rides: inner tube sledding 
• Ferris wheel and other carnival style rides, 
• Toddler train (best version yet, this year), 
• Multiple photo opportunities (includes Santa with Ms. Clause)

Our kids were split in some of the activities they could do, based both on height an interest, so my husband and I divided and conquered the night.


Note:  Be prepared to wait in lines and plan accordingly (phone games, books, etc).



Polar Adventure Day: ❋
This event was fine. The park had made a great effort - from roasting marshmallows in a fire pit. to arranging a dog sled company and wildlife organizations to bring birds (vulture, barn owl), snakes, and more.



The dog sledding was neat to see, but the mushers didn't speak about the dogs or interact with the kids. My son latched onto a dog (Hawkeye) so we spent a lot of time watching him pet the pup.

The wildlife group brought a wolf, coyote, and porcupine, which couldn't be touched...but we were able to get our hands on a skunk and ground hog!

Two more dates available throughout the winter. There are nice paths for walking or snowshoeing.





Sledding:  ❋❋❋❋❋
With a perfect amount of snow fall, we headed to the Soldier Field sledding hill -- though the link above provides a variety of options which may be closer to you. The boys had a great time and will go back the next time conditions are good.

Notes:

• Free parking next to the hill 
• sled area is wide, allowing for multiple people to go at once.
• Our 6 and 4 year old where both able to go down by themselves.
• No one was injured!

The Santa Experience - 12 Days of Santa: ❋❋❋❋❋
From the moment the Shops at Roosevelt Collection opened, it has been a positive impact on our city living experience. The ICON theater, Nando's, The Container Store, the playground...the list goes on and on...there is so much to love about this small and mighty collection.

While the stores alone are great, they knock it even further out of the park with their events. They are always well done and this was no different.  Nestled into a storefront (INSIDE!! next to the Loft Store), it is adorably decorated to feel like a small winter path, entering Santa's home. There are some small ornament crafts as well.

Santa is great - incredibly friendly, talks with the kids, and takes several (free) photos. A very different experience from the "hustle-in-take-photo-go" standard we have grown accustomed to.

And no lines (when we went)!!



CTA Holiday Train - ❋❋❋
The CTA Holiday Train has been a Chicago staple since having children, but let's set expectations. It is, at it's best, a unique experience.

Our past rides have been harried, jam-packed, and one year the train actually zipped right past us -- leaving confused parents and crying kids in it's wake.

This year was the best year yet, thanks to our new tactic: Ride in the evening. We took the 7pm train and it was the first time we found a seat and actually saw the entire train. Even snuck close enough for a Santa photo.

The city added a second train: Elves Workshop Train, which follows Santa's train and helps with overflow. The only difference is the Santa car has...Santa.  Everything else is the same!




Zoolights - ❋❋❋❋
Another Chicago staple and we love hitting up the Lincoln Park Zoo!  We lucked out with great weather this year, which makes the whole event more enjoyable. There is a new Polar Bear exhibit we were able to see (and the bear) and quite a few of the animals were still out and about. 

We love going to the zoo in general, and this night was the most packed we had seen it (again, due to the nicer weather), so we hit up our highlights, walked down candy cane lane, and headed home.  

Worth the trip!

---- What holiday activities do you have as "not to miss"?