Fun Day

We missed the polar bears, but that was about the only complaint my kids had about our visit to Lincoln Park Zoo.
When we arrived, the zookeepers were explaining the care of the seals. So, we took a seat and watched their antics. It was not until near the end of the visit that we watched them through the underground tank.
Lincoln Park Zoo is free to get into. If you can manage to find parking on the street, (if you are patient enough to drive around until near insanity), the whole day can be free. This was our approach on June 15. I packed some snacks, but I did plan to eat lunch at the zoo. The zoo has a variety of options, which is good because I have some picky children.
What I was most impressed by at the zoo is their Children's Zoo, which is complete with a splash pad. No matter that my kids did not have a change of clothes.


It was hot out and it was fun day, after all. The Children's Zoo also had a really cool treehouse thing kids could climb on. Imagine a typical climbing toy, like you would find at a fast food restaurant, but, instead of brightly colored plastic, there are tree-like sculptures the kids can climb on. The treehouse also give kids a number of different paths they can take.
In addition to all the great attractions always found at LPZ, the zoo has a concert series planned for the summer. With acts like Sister Hazel and Five for Fighting, Jammin' at the Zoo is definately worth a trip. Just make sure you leave enough time to see the polar bears.

Animal Day

The last days of school for my oldest son, Joey were a countdown of the alphabet. On B day, they brought Books to school and had a Beach party. Shortly after the summer began, we implemented the same idea at home and our first day was Animal Day.
We decided to go somewhere local. So, we packed a picnic lunch and headed to Pilcher Park Nature Center.
It made me think about what great places we have in our own backyards.
Before we even walked through the front doors, we began a nature Adventure. My kids, who are total nature babies, began analyzing a bug that was crawling along the front stairs. We went inside and washed our hands and headed out back for our lunch.
We ate our sandwiches while we watched butterflies in the nearby butterfly garden. When we were done eating, we headed to the kids play area. The officials at PPNC built an outdoor tic tac toe board, which left me inspired to build one in my own yard. Then, I came to my senses.
We went on a nature walk, saw a squirrel, a chipmunk, more butterflies, a dragonfly, birds and bugs. We tried to go see the frogs down by the pond, but the kids were exhausted. So was our dog, who had come along for a long walk.
We spent, probably three hours at the nature center. It cost nothing. And the kids had a blast.
Later on this month, is Fun day. Since the kids have a dentist appointment that morning and the dentist is in downtown Chicago (yes, he's that good), I figured we would check out Lincoln Park Zoo. The Zoo is free and if you can find street parking, the whole visit costs nothing.
That's the right price for this unemployed mom.