On the Grow!

Growth Spurts

Address: 404 Linden Avenue, Wilmette

Open Playtime Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (with additional play hours on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons); Saturday: 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Admission: $5.95 for each adult & child; pre-crawler children are free

YAY! YAY!

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

If you live in Evanston or Wilmette or near the Purple Line, this is a great indoor play option for you! It appears to meet the needs of the local community, but it is not a destination spot.

First of all, it is small and parking is limited. Because most of the area is permit parking, we had to hoof it about four blocks in the sweltering heat. No bueno!

Second, the areas are not divided or sectioned off for crawlers. I can understand that they did not want to further reduce the size of the play space, but it does make it a little treacherous for the crawler set. The toddlers run roughshod over the open area, and you have to be hyper-vigilant to prevent your child from getting trampled. Plus, they have art supplies and a sensory table full of items unsafe for babies. Because it is totally wide open, you really have to watch your child(ren) like a hawk. Of course, you should always watch your kids. But now you're talking about protecting them from a barrage of toddlers hurling objects right and left. It just seemed less than ideal.

Third, their pricing model is per body. So adults have to pay, too. It is only $6 per person so it won't break the bank; just something to keep in mind.

And finally, you need to call ahead to reserve a spot. Sometimes you can walk in, but you never know if they have reached capacity and will turn you away. I don't know about you, but I find it a little hard to plan outings. I like a place where I can just drop in if the kids need to get out of the house or we feel like doing something different. It's more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants model, but it works for us!

And if you've tried an indoor play area we haven't reviewed let us know. We are looking to try something new!

Give Mom a Hand

Mother's Day Art Project

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

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

What You’ll Need:

• Large thick white paper
• Red construction paper
• Washable paint
• Markers (you can stencil the letters as well)

Adult Prep Work:

1. Write the words "These will always have my" on the paper (again, you can use stencils), leaving a space for the hands and the heart
2. Cut a large heart out of red construction paper
3. Glue heart on the appropriate place on the paper

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Dip both hands in paint
2. Place hands on the appropriate place on the paper

You can customize this any way you wish. And it makes a wonderful keepsake for any mom or grandmother!

These Boots are Made for Painting

Rain Boot Painting

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

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

What You’ll Need:

• Large thick white paper (3 or 4 pieces)
• Scotch tape
• Washable paint
• Rain Boots

Adult Prep Work:

1. Tape pieces of paper together to make a long track
2. Tape the paper to the floor so it doesn't move out from under your child
3. Drop different colors of paint on either sides of the paper track - enough to pick up the entire boot tread

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Splash his boots in the paint
2. Walk up and down the track in his boots (with your help, of course!)

This was a fun rainy day activity with very little clean up or bundling required!

You Spin My Plate Right Round, Right Round

Painting with Paper Plates

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

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

What You’ll Need:

• Large thick white paper
• Paper plates
• Washable paint
• Washable markers

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Color the paper plates with different color markers
2. Then the adult can pour washable paint on to separate paper plates
3. Turn plates upside down, and twist and turn them around the paper (repeat)

My son loved this because it was basically painting with his hands but on a much bigger (and messier!) scale. We found the color from the markers came through on the paper making really cool designs.

Overcrowded and Much More

Explore & Much More

Address: 3827 N. Southport, Chicago

Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. & 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Admission: $12 per child; $9 for each additional sibling

YAY!

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

I begrudgingly give this one "YAY!" They don't make it easy on parents and it's hard enough to get the kids ready and wrangled, it shouldn't be misery once you get there.

After driving around for 30 minutes trying to find parking, we walked four blocks in the cold to the smallest, most unwelcoming play place. I do realize rents are very high in the city, but they just did not think through the space requirements for parents with multiple children and multiple layers. They require shoes to be removed (to be expected), but then don't offer enough room to do so or enough room to store them. So kids were throwing other people's shoes around, and parents are trying to corral their children and remove their shoes before they sprinted through the front gate, which other children kept opening.

The admission process would make a great case study for an operations research class. None of us knew when or where to pay and each person had to fill out a waiver (to be expected), but then she couldn't make out anyone's name so she re-wrote it and re-wrote each person's phone number. You just don't have time for inefficiencies when your child is about to take off headlong down a flight of stairs.

It is a two-story play place, but they have crammed too many structures and toys into the narrow space. It is just far too small so you're tripping over toys, kids, and other adults. And the poor toddlers kept getting smacked in the head by diaper bags.

Finally, the crawler area was a total joke. It was too small for them to move or roll or really do much of anything. I had to pick him up at one point for his own safety.

There are so many great play places in Chicagoland, you can skip this one.

A Happy Shade of Winter

Color Wheel

Address: 2016 W. Concord Place

Open Play Hours: Monday 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; Tuesday: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.; Wednesday 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; Friday: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Admission: $25 per child

YAY! 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
• Is clean? Yes

As you know, my son loves art projects so I was really excited to check out this children's art studio. It did not disappoint. We went during open studio time and painted with watercolors, drew with charcoal, and colored with crayons. He was a giant mess, but a happy one!

It hadn't dawned on me that he has really only done art projects with mom & baby brother. So at Color Wheel Studio, he had a big time watching the other kids paint, helping them paint, admiring their art, and playing chase.

It is a true artist studio as the owner is local artist Donald Jackson. He has transformed it into a great space for kids - low tables, small easels, and sinks with temperature controls.

And he doesn't just throw the supplies at the kids and walk away, he worked with each child teaching them about art and listening to them. He was really engaged and I imagine his classes must be excellent. You can learn more about them on the Color Wheel Studio website.

One side benefit of my grand experiment is getting a chance to talk with the owners. They are usually parents who were looking for something that just didn't exist. They always have such interesting and varied backgrounds and experiences. In this case, Donald is an artist with a background in psychology, which he says he draws on for his classes.

It seems to me he's teaching kids about a lot more than art. He's teaching them about self-expression and finding one's voice, self-confidence, and the importance of giving back to one's community. It's quite a special place. Check it out...

Sponge Mom Yoga Pants

Sponge Painting

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

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

What You’ll Need:

• Large sponges
• Scissors
• Large thick white paper
• Paper plates
• Washable paint

Adult Prep Work:

1. Cut sponges into shapes (I cut circles, squares, and triangles, but you can certainly go wild!)
2. Pour a few colors of washable paint on to separate paper plates

What Your Child Will Do:

1. Dip the sponge in the paint and dab on the paper

On one sheet of paper, we used all the shapes. And on another, we used the circle-shaped sponges to make spring flowers. I think my son is probably so sick of painting spring flowers, but mom's impatiently waiting for spring....