girl helping pack food

Helping in the Community, Volunteer Opportunities

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Giving back to the community is something children and teens can do to “pay it forward”.  Here are a couple websites that can help find the best match as well as a few sites that offer volunteer opportunities.    

WEBSITES:

1)    Volunteer Match  www.volunteermatch.org

-can choose area (advocacy, animals, arts/culture, children, community,  etc.)

-can choose location

-lists names of places needing help if you don’t have a specific place in mind

2)    HandsOn Suburban Chicago  www.handsonsuburbchicago.org

-can search opportunities by city and zip code, distance, date to and from

-a calendar is available and you can search specific listed events

3)    Anti-Cruelty Society  www.anticruelty.org/get-involved

-lists projects and number of service hours each is worth

-gives ideas for group volunteering where the entire family can help

-a schedule is available for volunteering at the shelter

4)    Special Olympics   www.soil.org/volunteers/

-anyone 10 years or older can volunteer

-can sign up to volunteer in a specific area via a “calendar of events”

-contact Aubrey Deerwester at 800-394-0562 for questions

5)    Greater Chicago Food Depository  www.chicagofoodbank.org

Help in the following areas (minimum age is listed):
          Repacking Food

-Tues.-Sat.

-3 hour timeslots; morning, afternoon, and evening slots

-volunteers must be 14 yrs. old to volunteer alone

           Loading Trucks

-ages 16 and older

-must be able to lift up to 50 lbs.

             “Kid Days”

-ages 5-13 with an adult

 -monthly on Saturdays

 -Call: 773-843-5422 or Email: volunteerservices@gcfd.org for details.

 

Chicago Holiday Family Activity Guide

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Let’s face it, we live in a great city. Chicago is awesome. There are so many things to do, places to go, and people to see, especially around the holiday season! With winter break approaching, your kids might start to get stir crazy. Here is a list of 8 fun activities and events to enjoy with your family in Chicago this holiday season.

Chicago Holiday Family Activities:

1. Free Museum Days
December and Year Round
The holidays are a great time to visit Chicago cultural institutions like the Museum of Science and Industry or The Adler Planetarium.
2. Build Your Own Gingerbread House – Art Institute of Chicago
Saturday, December 15, 11:00 am
The museum provides gingerbread kits, frosting and decorating candy for families to create their own gingerbread house.$50-$60 per family of 4.
3. ZooLights – Lincoln Park Zoo
Now through January 5th
Two million lights adorn the grounds of beautiful Lincoln Park zoo. Activities include ice skating rink, ice-carving demonstrations, kids craft activities and photos with Santa.
4. Winter Wonderfest – Navy Pier
Now through January 12th
Rides, slides, skating, snow bouncer – all indoors! You can also meet Santa, visit the Candy Cane Lighthouse, visit the giant decorated tree, and much, much more! Read more

Top Ten Family Friendly Runs in Chicago this 2013 Holiday Season

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It’s the holiday season, and the kids will have plenty of time off. Wondering what you can get the kids involved in other than video games and holiday snacking? Surprisingly, Chicagoland has quite a few family-friendly races/walks that will get you and your family moving and off the couch. These fun runs will certainly warm up little bodies and little hearts in the chilly upcoming months.

1. Girls on the Run 5k – November 16th

Girls on the Run-Chicago (GOTRC) is a non-profit organization that teaches girls 8-13 year old important life skills through running activities to encourage positive emotional, social, and physical development.  This annual 5k is not just a run, but a morning full of fun activities, open to the public. If you have a child who can benefit from some encouragement and more involvement in physical activities to build their confidence, or if you want to introduce your child to the fun side of exercise, this is a great event for the whole family.  The runners are not timed, and everyone who crosses the finish line is a winner. Your little runner will get cheers from the crowd throughout the whole race. There will also be face painting and tiara decorating, in addition to a great post-run festival that features food, games and sponsor giveaways! Read more

5 Tips for Successfully Navigating your School Search

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Today’s guest blog is by Laura Gradman, founder of Chicago Preschool Pro.

As a mom, September is one of my busiest months of the year.  It’s back to school, back to activities, carpools, homework and early bedtime.  And if you’re the parent of a toddler, September could mean that it’s also admissions season.  Finding the right school for your child can feel equally exciting and stressful.  If your child is someone who has special needs, that stress multiplies.  Here are my top tips for keeping it simple, staying focused, and finding success in your school search.

 Tips for a successful school search:

  • Do your research to learn your options.  It sounds simple enough, but research can be time consuming and confusing.  In order to stay in the right mindset, streamline your process.  The most important part of any school’s website is their mission statement.  Once you have read that, you should have a good idea of whether or not further research is worth your time. Read more

The Benefits of Ride-On Toys

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Today our guest blogger, Full Throttle Toys, Inc. owner Matt Westfallen, gives us the 411 on benefits of ride-on toys.

Around Chicagoland, summer is in full swing. Along with the extra hours of summer fun and sun comes the worry thatfull throttle our kids are losing the skills they acquired during the school year. Worksheets and flash cards will help, but there is another fun way to help kids with some of the “intangibles” of learning.

When used safely and properly, battery operated, ride-on toys have been proven to provide children with opportunities to practice many early learning skills that are rarely taught in school yet are vital for balanced growth.

Skills that Can Be Developed by Using Ride-On Toys:

  • Gross and Fine Motor Skills: Battery-operated, ride-on toys provide many ways to develop gross and fine motor skills. By operating the vehicle on various types of terrain, opening and closing doors or manipulating the dashboard, children will be using both fine motor skills and gross motor skills.
  • Exercise and Exploration: While playing with a ride-on vehicle toy, not only will children be burning calories, they’ll be outside exploring their world.
  • Sense of Balance: While operating ride-on toys, children will also develop an improved sense of balance. Children who have played with ride-on toys find it easier as they grow older to ride bikes, and to use roller blades and roller skates, because they have learned to distribute their weight while operating vehicles on various surfaces.
  • Spatial Play: It is also important to note that spatial play is stimulated when your children are out exploring the outdoors in a ride-on vehicle. This type of play will improve observation skills and stimulate their imaginations. Read more

5 Chicago Performing Arts Programs to Encourage Speech and Language Development in Children

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Performing Arts programs provide an excellent avenue to encourage speech and language skills in children.  LearningChicago performing arts happens best during fun and engaging multisensory experiences, such as acting out a story, dancing to music, or singing a new song.  Through performing arts programs, children gain opportunities to socialize with other children, follow directions, engage in pretend-play, further develop creativity and imagination, build narrative language skills and cultivate expressive language skills.  This blog highlights 5 top performing arts programs in the Chicago area for children of all ages, including a program designed for children on the Autism spectrum.

5 Top Performing Arts Programs in Chicago for Speech and Language Development:

  1. Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop: Dream Big offers a variety of performing arts camps and classes for children ages 2 through 18.  Classes encourage children to explore dramatic play, creative movement, music, team-work, self-expression and creativity while having fun singing, dancing, and playing games.  Classes are separated by ages: “Spotlighters” (2 years), “Mini Showstoppers” (3-5 and 4-6 years), “Moving Stories” and “Creative Drama” (3-5, 5-7 years).  Programs also include customized, age-appropriate parties that include singing, dancing, theatre games and other drama fun! Read more

Zumba for Kids

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We all know the many benefits of exercise for people of all ages: physical fitness, endurance, strength, coordination, and zumba for kidsmotor planning.  However, making physical fitness a regular part of daily routines can be a real challenge not only for adults, but also for children.  Many children who live more sedentary lifestyles require more motivation to get moving, since it has become their habit to be still.   So what is the trick to increasing kid’s enthusiasm for fitness and getting sedentary kids off the couch?  It’s simple: FUN!  Fitness for children, just like any other children’s programming, should be fun, socially appealing and inviting!

A common activity that many families find enjoyable for all ages is Zumba!  Zumba is a dance-fitness combination that includes culturally diverse music and various elements of dance and cardio, including Hip Hop, Latin dancing, and traditional aerobics.  Zumba is a wonderfully unique fitness program that is set off by its enjoyable, party-like scene.  The bright, bold wardrobe colors, loud music, and rhythmic beats create an energetic and enticing place to get fit.  Zumba is also great for kids! Read more

The Scoop on Ice Cream and Nutrition for Kids

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When you think of summers as a kid, at least one memory probably includes licking a delicious, melting ice cream cone. ice creamIce cream is a popular summer treat for families, but some parents worry it doesn’t fit into a healthy diet plan.  Parents need not worry, though.  Ice cream can be included as a summer treat if you follow the guidelines below.

How can you preserve the ice cream ritual while keeping nutrition in mind?

  • Balance: The phrase “everything in moderation” is especially applicable to nutrition. Ice cream should be an occasional treat as opposed to a nightly routine. Refrain from keeping huge tubs of ice cream in the house, and instead buy small containers that can be divided among family members in proper portion sizes.
  • Portion size: The serving size for most ice cream is ½ a cup. If you imagine a baseball is about 1 cup, then half a baseball is about the amount of ice cream that  should be in a serving. One serving of regular ice cream can have 250 calories or more in it. Eating an extra 250 calories per day will result in a half a pound a week weight gain. This is two pounds per month or six pounds over the whole summer. Read more

Navigating the Playground with a 2-Year-Old

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Summer is a great time to explore the playground with your child. Playgrounds provide a fun and exciting playground with toddlerenvironment that gets your child outside and active. Children of all ages can enjoy a playground in many different ways.

Read on for specific tips to navigating the playground with a two-year-old:

  • Choose the right time of day to play.  Pick a time of day when peers of a similar age will be at the park. Older kids play differently, and it’s best to have your little one playing with children his own age.
  • Climb the stairs and uneven surfaces. A two-year-old is expected to be able to climb stairs independently and walk over uneven surfaces without losing balance. The park is a great place to practice these skills. If your toddler is a little unsteady on the wobbly bridge, hold their hand to increase confidence.
  • Go down the slide. Depending on your toddler’s confidence and the size of the slide, you can either hold them on the way down, or let them slide down by themselves. Many parks have smaller slides that are good for beginners.
  • Play in the sand. This will help to develop your toddler’s fine motor skills and tactile sensory processing. If you can, try and build a castle or mountain to help develop spatial skills.
  • Ride the spring-animals (the kind you sit on that wobble). This will help improve your child’s balance and strength while having fun!

Parks are a great environment to encourage your kids to get outside and play. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, playgrounds help to foster social skills, build friendships, and support a healthy lifestyle.

The Importance of Swimming Skills

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Swimming was always one of my favorite activities as a child, which is why so many of my childhood memories from mysummer swimming chicago summers off of school take place at the neighborhood pool or at one of Chicago’s beautiful beaches. Aside from the fact that spending a day at the pool is a fun way to pass the hot days of summer, swimming has many other benefits for your child’s development. Below is a list of the top reasons why learning to swim is so important for your child.

Reasons Swimming Skills are Critical for your Child:

  • Strengthening: Negotiating the water requires your child to use all of her muscles. From her core to her arms and legs, your kid will become stronger while playing against the resistance provided by the water.
  • Coordination: Swimming requires a lot of coordination! While each swimming stroke is different, they all require simultaneous movement from your child’s arms and legs in different directions. As your child learns how to swim using a variety of swimming strokes, she is learning how to coordinate multiple movements from multiple body parts at the same time.
  • Sensory input: Swimming is a great way to get a lot of sensory input. The water itself provides deep pressure input to the whole body. The constant sensation of the water can help to decrease tactile sensitivity that your child may experience out of the water. The water also provides proprioceptive input to the body, which can help your child’s body awareness and the body’s position in space. Lastly, the changing position of your child’s head that is required with swimming provides vestibular input, which will help your child strengthen that sensory input both in and out of the water.
  • Safety: Being able to negotiate the water safely is an extremely important skill for your child to learn. While you can never predict what situation your child may encounter in the water, being able to swim, as well as being able to tread water, is the best way for your child to be prepared in challenging and potentially unsafe  water situations. However, it should be emphasized that no matter how strong of a swimmer your child is, all swimming and play activities around the water should be supervised by an adult.

Happy swimming this summer!