Intro Email 9/10/25 to all exhibitors
Dear School Fair Partner,
Over the next three weeks you will receive three emails in preparation for NPN’s Annual Preschool and Elementary School Fair coming up on Sunday, October 5th from 9am - 12pm at the Nature Museum. Here are the topics of each email you will receive:
Sharing the School Fair with your community
Arrival information including parking
Museum rules and other information
Additionally, if you signed up to participate in the attendee bag or swag bag you will receive an extra email.
Email #1 will follow shortly. Thank you for your support!
Email 1, 9/10/25 to all exhibitors
This email contains information that you can use to promote the fair and give the parents in your community free entry to the fair (and to the museum!)
Attached you will find the following:
⚫ An image you can use to share the fair on social media
⚫ A flyer you can send to your network via email, or print and distribute or hang up.
Free Entry for Your Families
As a school fair exhibitor, you are invited to provide current and potential members of your community with free tickets to the fair. Share promo code SF25 with your families so they can enter the fair and the museum for free!
Sample Language for Emails and Social Media
Join us at NPN’s Preschool & Elementary School Fair and Family Playdate! Visit our table on the second floor, enjoy a music class, attend a session, and explore the museum with your family. Attend for free by entering SF25 when you register at npnparents.org/schoolfair!
Social Media Sharing
We also invite you to like and share NPN’s social media posts about the fair. Our handle on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn is @npnparents. Parents can register for the fair at npnparents.org/schoolfair. Here are direct links to posts you can share:
⚫ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DN3be4w4oBr/?img_index=1
There are 20 families registered for the fair so far, which is slightly more than last year at this time. We’re optimistic that with your help, we can reach many more Chicago families.
Email 1A, 9/10/25 to sponsors and exhibitors who selected special marketing opportunities
Thank you for taking advantage of additional opportunities associated with the school fair. Here is information about providing attendee bag items and swag bag items.
Attendee Bags
50 flyers or brochures
Swag Bag Items
25 swag items. Our swag bags are paper bags, size 8 x 10 x 4 inches. If your item is too big for our bags, please email me separately.
Session Chair Drops (available to Supporting, Major, and Presenting sponsors only)
50 flyers or brochures
Please do not provide more items than listed above. Extra items are too cumbersome and heavy for the NPN team to manage. If extra items are delivered to NPN, the items will be discarded and not transported to the fair.
Preferred Delivery Method: Please mail your items to NPN to arrive by Thursday, October 2nd. Items should be labeled “attendee bags”, “sessions”, or “swag” as appropriate. You can mail them to this address:
NPN
Attention: School Fair
3320 W. Foster Ave, STE 138
Chicago, IL 60625
⚫ All of the items except the raffle basket must be delivered to NPN by Thursday, October 2nd.
⚫ We can not accept items at the event, as we will not have time to put them into the bags.
⚫ If you can’t mail your items in time, or they are cost-prohibitive to mail, please email me for drop-off information. (Drop-off is in Irving Park)
⚫ Raffle gift baskets can be delivered to the NPN desk at the fair when you arrive.
Raffle Gift Basket Request
Send a lucky family home with a gift from your school!
⚫ The gift basket should be a value of $150 and come ready for display.
⚫ Include your school swag, toys, gift cards to local businesses, or other family-friendly items.
⚫ All gift baskets will be featured on our social media accounts on October 5th.
To see what you signed up for, check the list below:
Ballet Chicago: Swag bag
Barnette Academy: Swag bag
Bennett Day School: Swag bag, Attendee bag, Session chair drop
Black Bear Academy: Swag bag
Blue Bird Day: Swag bag
Bright Horizons: Swag bag
British International School of Chicago, Lincoln Park: Swag bag, Attendee bag, Session chair drop
British International School of Chicago, South Loop: Swag bag, Attendee bag, Session chair drop
Bucktown Academy: Swag bag
Center for Talent Development: Swag bag
Cherry Preschool: Swag bag
Chicago School GPS: Swag bag
Chicago Waldorf School: Swag bag
CST Academy: Swag bag
Francis W. Parker School: Swag bag
German International School of Chicago: Swag bag
Hope Learning Academy: Swag bag
Intercultural Montessori School: Swag bag, Attendee bag
Kids’ Work Chicago Riverside: Swag bag, Attendee bag, Session chair drop
Latin School of Chicago: Swag bag
Lycee Francais de Chicago: Swag bag, Attendee bag, Session chair drop
Montessori Academy of Chicago: Swag bag
Near North Montessori School: Swag bag
Old St. Mary’s School: Swag bag
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy: Swag bag
Park West Cooperative Nursery School: Swag bag
Sacred Heart Schools: Swag bag
Scuola Italiana Enrico Fermi: Swag bag
St. Andrew School: Swag bag
St. James Lutheran School: Swag bag
St. Matthias School: Swag bag
St. Viator Elementary School: Swag bag
Wander Through Wonder Academy: Swag bag
Wee Care Preschool: Swag bag
Remember, if you can donate a gift basket to our raffle, please reply to this email to let me know.
Email 2, 9/19/25 to all exhibitors
Dear School Fair Partner,
We are getting excited for the school fair on October 5th and hope you are too! This email contains information about arrival, unloading, and parking at the school fair. To see prior emails, go here: https://www.npnparents.org/resources/advertise/school-fair-2025-exhibitor-information-r50/
Unloading
You can unload your car before parking by driving to the loading dock at the north end of the museum. There is a driveway off of N Canon Dr. Please do not unload in the circle drive or at the main entrance. Here are some additional, important details:
The Nature Museum’s unloading area can only handle 15-16 cars at once. With that in mind, I have created a sign up sheet for you to sign up for an arrival time. Your choices are 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30 AM. Please sign up for a time slot here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1y6vjizhvxCAeiAFvHXlgQzCahem9okpEX32RbeR-1Kw/edit?gid=0#gid=0
All load-in should occur through the loading doc at the north end of the museum off of N Canon Dr. (See attached map.)
You must move your car after unloading. We can not park in the small lot near the unloading dock.
Parking
Vendor and guest parking will all need to be offsite. The museum does not have its own public lot. Cannon Drive is free to the public but fills up quickly. There are often outdoor events in the park areas surrounding the museum. We suggest carpooling or ride-sharing. You could also use the Spot Hero app to reserve a parking space, or park at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The lot at the zoo opens at 6:00 AM. Here are the rates:
1-3hrs $30
3-6hrs $35
6+hrs $40
Number of registrants
As of today there are 31 families registered for the fair, consisting of 55 adults and 38 children. Please continue to help us spread the word about the fair. Images, a flyer, and social media links were attached to my previous email, and attached again here. You can share the discount code SF25 so your community of families can attend the fair for free.
The NPN staff has promoted the fair via email, social media, community calendars, alderman newsletters, press releases, partner sharing, and more. The Nature Museum will also promote the fair on their website and will be sharing on social media later this week. All museum visitors will be welcome to stop in and enjoy the fair as well.
Individual communication
Many of you have emailed me this week with individual questions about the fair. I will respond to those emails individually over the next few days.
Email 3, 10/1/25 to all exhibitors
Dear Exhibitors,
The school fair is almost here! This is the last preparation email that I will send. It contains arrival information, the schedule for the day, and important information from the museum. To read prior emails go here: https://www.npnparents.org/resources/advertise/school-fair-2025-exhibitor-information-r50/
Unloading Information
Unloading information was shared in the previous email. Here is a reminder:
You can unload your car before parking by driving to the loading dock at the north end of the museum. There is a driveway off of N Canon Dr. Please do not unload in the circle drive or at the main entrance. Here are some additional, important details:
The Nature Museum’s unloading area can only handle 15-16 cars at once. With that in mind, I have created a sign up sheet for you to sign up for an arrival time. Your choices are 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30 AM. Please sign up for a time slot here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1y6vjizhvxCAeiAFvHXlgQzCahem9okpEX32RbeR-1Kw/edit?gid=0#gid=0
If you have not signed up for a time to unload, you still have time at the link above.
Parking information was shared in a previous email. You can review it above.
Arrival Information
If you are able to walk from your car with all of your belongings and do not need to unload before parking, you do not need to sign up for a time slot to unload.
After you park your car, enter the museum at the main entrance. Ring the bell, and security will let you in. As we get closer to 9:00 AM, families will be arriving for the 9:00 session and will also be entering the museum this way.
As a reminder, the school fair starts at 9:00 AM. Please have your table ready by 8:45 AM.
Tables
Your table and two chairs will be provided.
Each table should be staffed by 1-2 people and no more.
Exhibit tables in the South Gallery are 6 feet long. Exhibit tables in the Science Lab are 4 feet long. Please plan for either size.
Schools will be placed throughout both the Science Labs and the South Gallery, arranged by expected traffic flow to avoid bottlenecks and ensure that families visit both rooms.
Important Museum Information
Please open and read the attachment provided by the Nature Museum so that you understand the museum’s rules and guidelines. Be sure to share this information with everyone who will be staffing your table at the fair. The museum has been a pleasure to work with and we want to return the favor by being excellent guests.
Event Schedule
9:00 AM
Exclusive access to Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for museum members and registered NPN school fair attendees
Exhibit halls open
9:15-9:45 AM
Breakout Session I begins: CPS 101, presented by Grace Lee Sawin of Chicago School GPS. In this 30-minute session, parents will learn about elementary options in Chicago Public Schools and how to navigate the CPS elementary application and admissions process.
10:45-11:15 AM
Enjoy a musical performance with Bubbles Academy
Visit with school representatives in the exhibit halls
11:30 AM-12:00 PM
Breakout Session II begins: Private School Options. In this 30-minute session, parents will learn about some of Chicago’s most sought-after private schools
Visit with school representatives in the exhibit halls
12:00 PM
Fair ends, continue to enjoy the museum
Attendance
As of today, there are 60 families registered for the fair. This breaks down to 100 adults and 71 children. Please continue to promote the fair wherever you can. Registration is available at the door.
If you have any questions or need any other information from me, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can email me at amy@npnparents.org or call me at 773-789-7002.
Thank you so much for your support!
