Standing FREE DAYS at Chicago Museums - Summer 2009

· Art Institute of Chicago Thursdays, Fridays 5–9pm. (111 S Michigan Ave, 312-443-3600, artic.edu/aic). The new Ryan Education Center is always free (use the Modern Wing entrance on Monroe Street).
· Chicago Children’s Museum Thursdays 5–8pm, first Sunday of the month (Navy Pier, 700 E Grand Ave, 312-527-1000, chicagochildrensmuseum.org)
· Chicago History Museum Mondays (1601 N Clark St, 312-642-4600, chicagohistory.org)
· Clarke House Museum Wednesdays (1827 S Indiana Ave, 312-745-0041, clarkehousemuseum.org)
· DuSable Museum of African-American History Sundays (740 E 56th Pl, 773-947-0600, dusablemuseum.org)
· Field Museum second Monday of the month (1400 S Lake Shore Dr, 312-922-9410, fieldmuseum.org)
· Glessner House Museum Wednesdays (1800 S Prairie Ave, 312-326-1480, glessnerhouse.org)
· Museum of Contemporary Art Tuesdays; families with kids 12 and under on the second Saturday of the month, 11am–3pm. (220 E Chicago Ave, 312-280-2660, mcachicago.org)
· Spertus Museum Tuesdays, 10am–noon, Thursdays 2–6pm. Gray Children’s Center is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. (610 S Michigan Ave, 312-322-1700, spertus.edu)
· Swedish American Museum’s Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration Second Tuesday of the month. (5211 N Clark St, 773-728-8111, samac.org)
· The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Thursdays pay what you can; regular admission is $9, kids $7. Or click here to print out a coupon for free child’s admission any day of the week with a paid adult. (2430 N Cannon Dr, 773-755-5100, naturemuseum.org)
· Oriental Institute Museum Suggested $7 donation every day, kids $4 (1155 E 58th St, 773-702-9520, oi.uchicago.edu).

June Events

June 1-5 - FREE DAYS AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY

Sat June 6 at 11am - Ravinia - KoThi Dance Company, kids concert, $10 pavillion, $5 lawn.

Sat June 6 at 9:30am-3pm - Oz Park - Chalk Festival - FREE - See artists transform a stained and gum-gooed patch of sidewalk into a stunning likeness of the Mona Lisa or a classic Rembrandt. Have a go at creating your own sidewalk mural in exchange for a $10 donation to Art Therapy Connection, the festival organizer, or just check out the art and take in performances by the Chicago Children's Choir and the Jesse White Tumblers.

Sat-Sun Jun 6-7, Whole Foods Lincoln Park Kids' Weekend, 1550 N Kingsbury St (at Sheffield St) - FREE - The massive (75,000-square-foot!) new outpost of the grocery chain keeps the grand opening festivities going with a weekend's worth of fun aimed at little consumers, including kids' cooking classes, a visit by the WTTW Great Foods Van and a bike safety rodeo on Sunday. Some activities are fee-based; visit wholefoodmarket.com for details and specific schedule info.

June 7-12 - FREE DAYS AT ADLER PLANETARIUM

Sat June 13 at 11am - Ravinia - Dirty Sock Funtime Band, kids concert, $10 pavillion, $5 lawn.

June 14-19 - FREE DAYS AT SHEDD AQUARIUM

June 19 - FREE DAY AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY

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Summer Dance Camp for 6-18 year olds

Dance FUNdamentals at the Joffrey!
Designed for ages 6-18
Program runs for five hours, June 1-Aug 23
Dance FUNdamentals is a versatile and fun program in which a Joffrey Teaching Artist introduces participants to the excitement of dance basics. Students master proper stretching techniques, perform an energetic warm-up each session, learn modified choreography from The Joffrey’s repertoire and express their thoughts and emotions creatively by crafting their own dances.

Ballet in the Parks
Designed for ages 9-13
Program runs for 10- and 15-week sessions
Ballet in the Parks teaches dance in the format of bi-weekly afternoon classes at various Chicago Park District locations. The Joffrey Ballet provides an informative study guide and a Joffrey Teaching Artist instructs the students in movement, style, technique and physical awareness.

Water Ballet Workshop
Designed for ages 9-13
Program runs for 90 minutes
During the Water Ballet Workshop, Joffrey Ballet dancers teach the students excerpts from Swan Lake choreographed for the pool, as well as popular dances familiar to the children to foster enthusiasm for dance. This exciting workshop provides an opportunity for Chicago Park District students to experience dance in an informal setting where they work closely with Joffrey dancers.

CAMP Joffrey: Creativity, arts, movement, pride
Designed for ages 12-14
Program runs from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. from June 22 – July 31, 2009
An exciting new initiative, CAMP Joffrey incorporates classes in ballet, modern, jazz, Latin, African and hip hop technique with workshops for creative writing, personal development, team building, water ballet and health and nutrition. CAMP highlights include motivational guest speakers and special field trips. This day camp will engage participants all day long as they get caught up in the excitement of dancing for the summer. For more information, contact Linda Swayze at 312.389.8951 or lswayze@joffrey.org.

Ideas for Father's Day Gifts?

There is a blog called The Crafty Crow that has lots of creative handmade gift ideas for toddlers. Here's the link to the specific section on Father's Day gifts, but there are tons more on the site.