Low Cost Valentine's Day Crafts

Saturday February 7th from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm at the Norris Center (Northwestern University) Kids of all ages are invited to make fun paper crafts just in time for Valentine's Day. All supplies are provided. Snacks will also be provided. Cost is $2.00 per person. Follow this link for more information and to buy your tickets.

Glencoe Carriage Rides

Carriage rides, hot chocolate, music and free breakfast. What could be better? Saturday December 13th and 20th. Click here for more information, then scroll down to December events.

Visit Santa in Evanston

Children can bring their wishes to Santa December 6th, 7th, 13th and 25th from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm downtown Evanston at the Sherman Plaza (1620 Sherman Ave). Parents can take their own pictures of their children with Santa. After the kids visit the North Pole, you can explore Evanston by collecting trinkets and candy from coupons in Santa's goodie bag. Click here for more information.

Swim Lessons

OK, so swim lessons aren't free, but after checking the prices of everyplace in Evanston that I could think of that would offer swim lessons (YMCA, YWCA, EAC, etc) I discovered that Evanston Township High school offers lessons (both parent/tot classes, and just the child classes) year round in the evenings Monday-Thursday, and Saturday mornings. Their website, which shows dates, times, and prices is pretty sparse on other information, but if you have any questions, contact Joe Springer at lts@wildkitaquatics.com, and he can help.

Note: Northwestern offers pretty cheap classes too, but unless your child is 4 years old or older, classes are only offered on Sundays.

Brookfield Zoo

So, the Brookfield Zoo isn't super close to Evanston, but it is supposed to be bigger and better than Lincoln Park. (I've never been) Starting October 2, 2008 through December 30, 2008 zoo admission is free on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Free zoo admission is good only during normal zoo hours. Parking costs $8.75.

Meet your favorite Star Wars™ characters

Bring your kids to meet their favorite Star Wars™ characters in action at a special event at participating Pottery Barn Kids stores. Bring your camera and get ready to experience the Force in person. Priority tickets are available for this event. Visit a participating store anytime prior to the event day to pick up your complimentary tickets. (* Limit 10 tickets per person. One ticket per person required for entry to priority line. Lineup order within the priority line is on a first-come, first-served basis).

Special notes about this event: Pottery Barn Kids stores cannot confirm which characters will appear. Circumstances beyond the control of the organizers may necessitate substitution, postponement or cancellation without prior notice.

Here are the stores participating in Illinois:

Chicago, Pottery Barn Kids - Market Sq.
September 13th, Noon - 2 p.m.

Deer Park, Deer Park Town Center
September 6th, 10 a.m. - Noon

Oakbrook, Oakbrook Center
September 6th, 10 a.m. - Noon

Food for Thought

Come to the Downtown Evanston Whole Foods Market from 10:00-11:00 a.m. one special Saturday a month to learn how to make your favorite breakfast delights. Kids will learn how to measure, mix, chop and cook up breakfast in this free class open to children ages four and up. Space is limited, so please pre-register at Customer Service, or call 847-733-1600.

Saturday September 20th is waffles, last month they did omelette's. There isn't a set schedule of dates/recipes, so stay tuned here at the whole foods calender.