Can We Build It? Yes, We Can!

Legoland Discovery Center

Address: 601 N. Martingale Road, Schaumburg

Hours: Monday - Friday: 12:00 - 7:00 p.m.; Saturday - Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Monday - Sunday last admission 5:00 p.m.

Admission: $19 for adults; $15 kids 3 & up

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

I am not sure who was more excited about this, my husband or my son. Actually, I’m pretty sure it was my husband. It is truly a great family venue. Even the baby enjoyed it!

As we walked in, we watched a number of other families pouring and in and were a little concerned it would be overrun. Luckily, the facility can handle crowds without feeling overwhelmed. They definitely have the flow down to a science, and some of the exhibits are timed to manage the queue.

After paying the admission fee, we walked through a lego replica of downtown Chicago. Then we took a jungle walk where lego monkeys swung from the trees, hippos came rushing out of the water, lizards rested on rocks, and a life-size Indiana Jones stood ready for action.

After the models, you can step into your very own dragon and take a ride through a medieval lego castle. We skipped the ride as we thought it was just a little too old for our two year old. Instead we headed off to the Master Model Builder and 4-D movie studio. My son loved learning about how plastic is turned into lego bricks. He even got to make a lego & take it home. It is pretty amazing that all of this is founded on plastic, colored bricks!

The 4-D movie experience, featuring Bob the Builder, was highly entertaining, but completely overwhelming for my son. The 3-D glasses and fourth dimension of touch was total sensory overload. Luckily, the next stop is the cafe, which is a little more low key. There is an indoor playground and ramps where kids can race lego cars. They can also sit and build legos with other kids.

The cafe also has a merry-go-round-style ride called a technicycle. This is definitely for older kids, but a fun way to get a little exercise during these cold winter months.

The cafe offers the usual kid-friendly fare. There were plenty of tables and chairs and it is very clean. In fact, the whole discovery center is very clean, including the spacious, well-appointed bathrooms. I also noticed the staff cleaning throughout, which is always a good sign.

That brings us to the staff who could not have been nicer and more helpful. They clearly enjoy working there and are great with the children. I think that positive vibe has a big influence on the overall experience.

And overall this was a great family destination. We highly recommend it. And will certainly head back for Toddler Tuesdays where the discovery center focuses the experience on younger kiddos.

Moo Moo, Can You?

Historic Wagner Farms

Address: 1510 Wagner Road, Glenview

Hours: Monday - Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Sunday: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Admission: Free

YAY! YAY!

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

A family favorite during the more temperate seasons, we thought we'd give it a try in the winter. The Farm has a nice indoor historic center where kids can learn hands-on about farming and farm life. Kids can milk a cow, collect eggs, feed the pigs, and shop at the local grocery store. My son just loves this historic 1930's grocery store, especially the old fashioned typewriter. I have to admit, it is pretty cool to take a step back in time. The historic center also has cow milking demonstrations, which we, of course, stayed for.

The Farm does not have a cafe (or even vending machines) so bring your own snacks. And while there are benches to sit and feed a baby, there isn't any privacy.

Overall, my two-year old had a good time, but there was only enough to occupy him for an hour or two. But an hour or two is pretty good when the admission is free!

Brr! It’s Cold Out There....

....There must be some activities in the atmosphere!

As I sit watching the snow fall and fall, I'm looking into family-friendly, indoor activities taking place this winter. Here’s what I found:

In January,

• Chicago Boat, RV, & Indoor Show - McCormick Place (January 12 - 16, 2011)
• Cirque Du Soleil - Sears Centre Arena (January 26 - 30, 2011)
• Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3 - Allstate Arena (January 26 -30, 2011)
• Star Wars Week - Legoland Discovery Center (January 28 - 30, 2011)

In February,

• Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3 - United Center (February 2 - 13, 2011)
• Chicago Auto Show - McCormick Place (February 11 - 20, 2011)
• International Kennel Club of Chicago - McCormick Place (February 24 - 27, 2011)

In March,

• Professional Bull Riders - Allstate Arena (March 5 & 6, 2011)
• Chicago Flower & Garden Show - Navy Pier (March 5 & 6, 2011)
• Monster Trucks - Sears Centre Arena (March 12, 2011)

Also, check out your local public library and local bookstores for storytime offerings.

Enjoy! And stay warm!

Tree's A Crowd

The TreeHouse

Address: 985 South Rand Road, Lake Zurich, IL

Hours: Sunday & Monday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Tuesday - Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Admission: $10 (ages 1 - 15); Free for 16+ with a child

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? No

A great venue for children ages 6 & up who need to burn off some energy. It features a large plastic tree that branches off into tunnels and slides, and offers lots of space to run around.

Unfortunately, it is not ideal for toddlers or younger because (1) it is really difficult to keep track of your child once he gets in the tree house, (2) the adult area is far too removed from the play space, (3) the changing tables in the bathroom butt right up against the sink so there isn’t any room to change your child/baby unless the bathroom is completely empty, and (4) it is worn out from lack of maintenance. I was shocked to learn it has only been open a year! Unlike Monkey Bizness, which is a similar venue also open a year, it is really tired.

Monkey Bizness, which I’ve already reviewed (see: “More Fun than a Barrel of Monkeys”) is far superior not only because it is well maintained, but also because it offers a variety of play structures, bouncy houses, slides, climbing wall, an art area, and a crawler area. The layout facilitates keeping track of multiple children easily. Overall, it just offers more for children 6 months & older.

At the TreeHouse, my normally fearless son was terrified. It was a bit overwhelming in size and scope, and it didn’t help that bigger kids kept mowing him down. After trying to make a go of the tree house and the basketball area, he ended up playing in the crawler area as did most children his age.

And this play area is not worth the drive or admission fee as we have more toys in our basement. The crawler area was pretty weak, and the few toys it offered were well chewed. It also had this weird prison-like vibe because of the black, mesh wrap-around fence & high gate. Not sure why crawlers need high fences. Are they known for prison runs?

The TreeHouse was a big disappointment. But now we know that Monkey Bizness is the best indoor playground for us.

A Novel Idea

Your Local Bookseller

Admission: Free

YAY! YAY!

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

My little bookworm loves this one. And I love that it's a free, easy way to get us out of the house!

If my toddler is doing laps in destructor mode, we will sometimes make a quick escape to a local Borders or Barnes & Noble*. They all have children's areas filled with books and toys. And I find that it's always hopping with moms & kids, reading, playing with toys, or climbing the book shelves.

Most bookstores offer story time for toddlers and preschoolers so be sure to ask at your next visit. And we'd love to hear what your local bookstore has to offer. Just drop us a note below...

*If Barnes & Noble is your spot, then you'll be happy to hear that it plans to offer to an expanded educational toy department and playroom for children.

1 + 1 Could be Fun

Mathnasium

Address: 2650 Valor Drive, Glenview

Hours: Monday - Thursday: 12:00 - 7:00 p.m.; Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

• 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

Well, this was a lesson in doing my homework ahead of time. I was told Mathnasium was a gymnasium for math where kids could have fun & learn about math. So I envisioned a math-based exploratorium, which seemed like such great way to introduce kids to math. Yeah, not so much.

Mathnasium is a math tutoring center for children grades 2 & up. Not quite what we're looking for right now. Although, I still think the idea of a math-based exploratorium would be fantastic. Anyone want to make that happen? We'll be your first customers!

Lesson learned: Next time, I will do my homework before heading out. On the plus side, Make-A-Messterpiece is across the street so we ended up having a great time not learning about math.

Here Comes The Sun

Adler Planetarium

Address: 1300 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago

Hours: Monday - Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Saturday - Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Admission: $10 (adults); $6 (3 - 11); free for children under 3

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

I hate to be cornball, but this place was out of this world. Adler offers so much to engage children ages 1 - 8.

We began our visit at "Planet Explorers," which is a new and pretty well publicized interactive exhibit. It's great for ages 8 and below. My son loved exploring Planet X, which is a fictitious planet kids can discover. They had life size rovers to drive around with a hand crank, remote control vehicles the drive over the planet's surface, tunnels to explore under Planet X, a slide, and building blocks & tubes. There were gears and buttons galore so my son was totally enthralled until lunch time.

We enjoyed lunch in Galileo's Cafe, the planetarium's cafeteria. I would gush about the wall-to-wall windows where you enjoy an unobstructed view of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan, but I have to gush about the service. One of the staffers went out of her way to help me with both boys. She got my son in a high chair and moved the tables so I could fit the stroller next to my seat. It was just above and beyond, and very much appreciated.

Overall, the staff was amazingly friendly and helpful. They took the time to explain the narrative of Planet Explorers and walk us through the entire exhibit. They even engaged my toddler so I could feed the baby while he safely played. A lovelier group of staff people I have never met.

After lunch, we checked out the "One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure." It's only 25 minutes, and features Big Bird, Elmo, and a Chinese muppet, Hu Hu Zhu. Children learn about the sun, moon, stars, and Chinese language and culture. Because it is designed for children, they can be as raucous and unruly as they like, which takes a lot of stress off mom. The theater completely surrounds you and the seats recline so little heads were going everywhere. It was too much fun! The show does double your admission price, however.

As with all institutions on the Museum Campus, you do pay extra for parking and it is outside. But the walk to Adler is short from the back lot.

All in all, I was blown away by Adler Planetarium. The helpful, friendly staff made our visit even more enjoyable. We will certainly be back!

Addendum: My son has been asking to return since we left ("Big Bird Elmo Moon, please") so I can safely say this was a big hit!