Clap Clap Moo!

The Farm in The Lincoln Park Zoo

Address: 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago

Hours: Monday - Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Admission: Free

YAY! YAY! YAY!

• Offers hands-on learning? Yes
• Engages an active toddler in play? Yes
• Provides interaction with other children? Yes
• Allows children room to play without long waits? Yes, except the John Deere tractor
• Is clean? Yes

I have always been a fan of The Lincoln Park Zoo. It is in the heart of the city, free of charge for all, and home to an amazing array of animals large and small. So when we stumbled upon the Farm’s indoor play area, I could not have been more delighted! I grew up farming and I love to expose my kids to it. It’s great at this age because toddlers know “Old McDonald,” the sounds animals make, and they’ve read “Mr. Brown Can Moo.” And so a farm brings all this to life. Plus, I don’t want my kids growing up thinking that milk comes from a store!

But enough about us....The indoor play area has a giant John Deere kids can climb on; although it has a bit of a wait. Kids can also climb in and out of large eggs, watch chicks hatch, replicate how animals are fed, play in the soil (just tires full of dirt - but what could be more appealing to little boys?). And there are a number of hands-on and computer games, including animal sounds and seed planting.

We had a lot of fun. And highly recommend!

My Kinda Town

Chicago History Museum

Address: 1601 N. Clark Street, Chicago

Hours: Monday - Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Sunday: 12:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Admission: $14 for adults; children under 12 are free

YAY!

• Offers hands-on learning? No
• Engages an active toddler in play? No
• Provides interaction with other children? No
• Allows children room to play without long waits? No
• Is clean? Yes

Like The Field Museum, this is a destination best left to future field trips. While it had many interesting exhibits (e.g., the dioramas), it’s too old & mature for toddlers. Even the children’s area is better suited to middle school children.

The Chicago History Museum was one destination on my list I was really dreading. And generally when I dread something, it turns out to exceed my very low expectations. This did not. Parking was terrible. The admissions process was terrible. The museum was small. And there was nothing to engage a toddler except a beat up old train car.

It felt like we were there two hours, but it was in fact only 30 minutes. And after the long drive battling traffic and searching for parking, I was not about to head home just yet. So we decided to take a walk to the Farm in the Zoo. It was fabulous and you can read our review!

Oh For Play Doh Pete's Sake!

Make Your Own Play Doh

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Science, math, colors, creativity
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 & 1/2 tsp cooking oil
• 1 package unsweetened Kool Aid
• 1 cup boiling water

Adult Prep Work:

1. Combine flour, salt, cooking oil, Kool Aid
2. Add boiling water & mix
3. Knead the dough

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Play with the play doh once it has cooled

This was fun & so easy. My son loved helping me mix the ingredients (except for the boiling water, of course). We played with it once it cooled and then stored it in tupperware overnight.

I'm Puzzled

Make Your Own Puzzle

YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Critical thinking
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? No

What You’ll Need:

• Large piece of cardboard (e.g., an old cereal box)
• Markers
• Scissors

Adult Prep Work:

1. Write your child’s name on the cardboard
2. Cut the cardboard into large puzzle pieces

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Assemble the puzzle

We had an easier time putting the puzzle together when we used the cereal label side! While this is a cute idea, I think he’ll enjoy when he’s a little older.

Pop Art

Bubble Wrap Painting

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Colors, patterns, cause and effect, creativity
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• Pieces of bubble wrap
• Washable paint
• White construction paper

Adult Prep Work:

• Pour paint on bubble wrap

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Paint bubble wrap
2. Press bubble wrap on white paper

This was so much fun & the art work is really pretty. I even let my son pour the paint himself, which he loved.

I will warn you it does make a huge mess. So have lots of paper towels at the ready!

Shake It Like It's Hot

Make & Play Colored Rice

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Experimentation, cause and effect, tool use, fine motor skills
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• Rubbing Alcohol
• Rice and/or pasta
• Liquid food coloring
• Tupperware or ziploc bag
• Measuring cups or scoopers

Adult Prep Work:

1. Mix 1 tsp rubbing alcohol & 10 drops of liquid food coloring in a tupperware dish
2. Add 1 cup of rice or pasta
3. Put the lid on or seal

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Shake it to mix the color evenly over the rice or pasta
2. Let it sit to dry
3. Put it in a sensory bin or bowls & play

In one tupperware container, we mixed rice with red food coloring. In another, hard pasta (you can use alphabet or shaped pasta) and blue food coloring. My son loved shaking the containers. And they made such different sounds, which was fun.

Note: You should obviously keep the rubbing alcohol away from your child. But also do not open the bag or tupperware near your child after mixing as the smell is quite strong.

Brush Your Art Out

Toothbrush Art

YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Fine motor skills
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? No

What You’ll Need:

• White paper
• Washable Paint
• Old Toothbrush

Mom Prep Work:

• None

What You’ll Do:

1. Dip toothbrush in paint
2. Flick paint on to the paper

I thought this would change my son’s attitude toward his toothbrush. But the activity didn’t really work for us. For some reason, the paint splattered all over us, missing the paper. So he ended up using the toothbrush as a paint brush, which he seemed to enjoy. I do think this activity is better suited for the backyard.

It's a Holiday Somewhere

Learn About Holidays

YAY! YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Holidays, symbols, shapes, reading
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• Scissors
• Glue
• Construction paper
• Washable colored markers, crayons, and/or paint
• Book about the holiday

Mom Prep Work:

1. Cut out the holiday symbols (e.g., shamrocks, hearts, Easter eggs, New Year hats)
2. Glue them on a large sheet of paper

What You’ll Do:

• Color the holiday paper
• Read a book about the holiday together

Hand. Hand. Fingers. Flowers.

Make Hand Flowers

YAY! YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Nature, tracing, body parts
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• White paper
• Washable colored markers or crayons

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Trace your child’s hand (or you can make handprints with paint if you’d prefer)
2. Draw stems and leaves

Who Arted?

Art Book

YAY! YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Sorting, pride in his/her accomplishments
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• Collection of art work
• Ribbon
• Hole punch

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Sort through the art work to determine the order
2. Hole punch the pages (caregiver will need to do this step)
3. Run the ribbon through the holes (caregiver will need to do this step)
4. Write a title on the book and the date or timeframe (e.g., Winter 2011)
5. Flip through it together
6. Store as a memento for your child

A is for Animal

Color Your Favorite Animals

YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Animals, letters
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• Scissors
• White paper (large sheet)
• Washable colored markers or paint

Mom Prep Work:

1. Cut out large animals
2. Write the first letter of the animal's name on the cut out

What You’ll Do:

1. Color the animals in with paint, crayons, or markers

You can also cut out baby animals and match the momma & babies!

Fun By The Foot

Foot Painting

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Colors, sensory, patterns, following directions, balance
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• Long ream of thick white paper (you can tape together large pieces of paper, too)
• Washable paint
• Bucket of soapy water

Adult Prep Work:

1. Lay out the paper (I scotch taped it to our hardwood floors)
2. Squeeze out four colors of paint (two on each side)

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Rub his/her bare feet in the paint and then walk or run up and down the paper (it gets pretty slippery so you will want to hold your child or set this up near a railing)
2. Clean his/her feet in the soapy water

This is great fun on a rainy day & a nice child of pace from painting with hands!

Tip Top Art

Q-tip Art

YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Colors, sensory
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• White construction paper (thick)
• Q-tips
• Washable paint

Adult Prep Work:

• Prepare the paint on separate plates

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Help your child paint with the Q-tips, using more than one color is more fun
2. S/he may also like smearing the paint on the paper with her/his hands as well

About Face

Holiday (e.g., Leprechaun/ Bunny/ Santa Claus) Face Plate

YAY!

This is a nice way to teach kids about various holidays. But it’s a little to old/advanced for toddlers.

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Holidays, body/facial parts
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? No

What You’ll Need:

• White paper plates (non glossy)
• Multi-colored construction paper
• Scissors - mom use only
• Elmer’s glue - mom use only
• Washable colored markers

Adult Prep Work:

You pretty much need to complete this activity for your toddler as it is a little too advanced.

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Cut the features and accessories out of the construction paper
2. Paste them on the plate
3. You can also draw facial features with the markers

Spring Showers Bring Play Flowers

Flower Art

YAY! YAY!

• Does it offer an educational experience? Yes
• What does it teach? Nature, colors, seasons
• Is it age (i.e., 2 - 3 year old) appropriate? Yes

What You’ll Need:

• White paper plates (non glossy)
• Multi-colored construction paper
• Scissors - mom use only
• Elmer’s glue - mom use only
• Washable colored markers

Adult Prep Work:

• Cut petals out of the construction paper

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Let your child color the paper plate
2. When finished, glue the petals around the rim

Note: You should either glue the petals yourself or help your child glue them on the plate.

We taped these up on our wall bringing spring into our home! We also painted a yellow sun on a plate and hung it up over our flowers to help them grow!