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THIS EVENT IS FULL: WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING RSVP'S. PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT PLAYDATE ON 1/28! Sign up here! NPN Playdates are back! Join us for Sunday play at Kids' Work Chicago Riverview! Their large indoor play spaces will be open, crafts will be available, plus goodie bags with snacks for the kids! Parents come and relax and enjoy as your kids experience some fun activities! This event is for kids aged 2 - 5 years old. Spots are limited so register today! Kids' Work Chicago Riverview is located at 3429 N. California Ave, near I-94 on California between Addison and Belmont. The parking lot in front of the building has plenty of spaces and there is also ample street parking in the neighborhood! All families in attendance will be entered into a raffle to win a gift certificate to Goldfish Swim School Roscoe Village.

NPN Playdates are back! Join us for Sunday Family Day at Park West Cooperative for a FREE playdate. "Bring the Outdoors In" at the Sunday Family Day with Park West Co-Op Preschool & NPN on Sunday, November 12th, from 9:00-11:00 am. Come with your child to explore outdoor materials inside our award-winning preschool classrooms and indoor gym! Let your child's imagination be your guide and follow them as they investigate a variety of outdoor materials creatively used indoors. Play in our sand and water tables, investigate sticks, leaves, fruits and vegetables. Try painting, build with blocks, complete puzzles, read books, and more. Enjoy the adventure- we hope you will join us! This event is for kids aged 2 - 5 years old, and allergy-friendly snacks provided A goal at Park West Co-op is to infuse our school environment and activities with opportunities for children to further their understanding of literacy, numbers, arts and science in ways that make sense to them and are developmentally appropriate- all in a play-based curriculum. Learn more about Park West Co-op preschool here Park West Cooperative Park West Cooperative is located at 2214 N Bissell St, Chicago, IL 60614. We are accessible just two blocks South of the Fullerton L stop (Red, Brown, Purple lines) and easily accesible from both the Fullerton and Armitage bus. Metered Parking is available on Webster and Street parking is available but please allow some extra time as we are located in the beautiful and busy Lincoln Park Neighborhood.

NPN Playdates are back! Join us for Sunday play at Bennett Day School! Calling all explorers ages 2-5! Join us for a STEAM Sunday playdate on Sunday, Oct. 15 from 9:00 - 11:00 am. Bennett Day School is so excited to be partnering with Neighborhood Parents Network of Chicago (NPN) again to bring Chicago-area families this FREE playdate. There will be fun STEAM activities for kids and light snacks. Parents – grab a cup of coffee and enjoy as your kids have fun and engage with peers! Bennett Day School is located at 955 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60642 Parking/Public Transportation Info: If you are planning to drive, there is limited parking available in the gravel lot on the NW corner at Morgan and Hubbard (across the street from Bennett's campus). There is also free parking available on the west side of Morgan and south side of Hubbard, or metered parking on Grand Ave. Bennett Day School is two blocks west of the Grand Blue Line stop and the Halsted 8 bus, and 2 blocks north of the Pink/Green Line Stop at Morgan if those options are convenient to you.

NPN Playdates are a perfect start to the day. Join us for Sunday play at the British International School of Chicago, Lincoln Park in their indoor/outdoor play space! Children will enjoy unstructured gross motor activities, sensory play, crafts, and light refreshments. Parents, grab a cup of coffee, chat with other parents, and enjoy an easy morning. This event is best for kids aged 2 - 5 years old but children of all ages are welcome. Spots are limited so register today! Parking Information: There is limited street parking both free and metered around the school. There is a pay-to-park garage directly behind the school and you can bring the ticket into the school to validate for a reduced price. There is also a pay-to-park garage in the New City complex across Halsted. British International School of Chicago is located at 814 W Eastman St, Chicago, IL 60642

Designed and led by Chicago artists, Family Day is a monthly program at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for all families and youth. Enjoy FREE admission while taking part in workshops, open studio sessions, gallery tours, and performances. Free with code FAMILYDAY. This is a free event, but RSVP is required. Please go here to register. Parking available on site. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: gclarke@mcachicago.org.

To cap off the month of Greek heritage celebrations, Greektown commemorates Greek Independence Day by hosting the Greek Heritage Parade the day after Greece’s national holiday. Presented by The Federation of Hellenic-American Organizations (ENOSIS), and sponsored by Greektown Special Service Area #16, the Greek heritage parade has been established as one of the biggest annual events in the Chicago Greek community since its founding in the 1960s. During this parade celebration, visitors can see colorful traditional costumes, experience traditional Greek music and dance troupe performances, and watch as the community officially celebrates Greek Independence. Keep a look out for more parade announcements on GreektownChicago.org. This is a free event! Street parking is available, as is paid parking for $9. Learn more at greektownchicago.org. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: Maggie@silvermangroupchicago.com.

Join us for Sunday play at City Garden Waldorf School! The playdate will start in the private garden where families and children can explore the sandbox, play train, mushroom house, and the rest of the secure play space. Children can roll dough and bake bread with a teacher and while the bread bakes, enjoy a short, age-appropriate puppet play. Afterward, enjoy the fresh-baked bread, continue playing and mingling with other NPN families, and if you like, use the time as an opportunity to talk with the school staff about their program and Waldorf early childhood education. City Garden Waldorf School is located at 920 W 19th St, Chicago, IL 60608. There is ample street parking on 19th Street. Enter the school through the garden located between 920 and 912 W. 19th Street.

Join The Goddard School for a fun morning with the Easter Bunny. Enjoy pictures with the Easter Bunny and do arts and crafts with our teachers. This is a free event, but RSVP is required. Please go here to register. Garage parking is available on Quincy street at the Arkadia garage. Stroller parking is available. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: dchicago4il@goddardschools.com.

What do witches, decorated branches, and Easter have to do with each other? Come learn about and celebrate Swedish Easter traditions at the Swedish American Museum! We will serve a Swedish pancake breakfast while kids can do Easter-themed crafts and activities, including making their own påskris – colorful, decorated branches that are found all over Sweden around Easter. Guests will also learn about the very Swedish tradition of Easter witches, where children dress up as witches on the Thursday before Easter and go door to door asking for treats. After breakfast, we will have an Easter egg hunt and scavenger hunt in our Children’s Museum. Whether or not your family celebrates Easter, you are welcome to join in the fun! Easter is often celebrated as a secular holiday in Sweden and this will be a welcoming event. Guests may also come dressed as Easter witches! These witches don’t wear black hats, though: Swedish Easter witches wear colorful scarves tied around their heads, and old clothes, and paint their faces with freckles and red cheeks. Cost: $15 Swedish American Museum members (adults and children 2 and over); $20 non-members (adults and children 2 and over); $5 children aged 12-24 months; Infants are free. Prepaid and confirmed tickets are required and no refunds are available for cancellations within 5 days of the event. Max 60 participants. RSVP Required: Please go here to register. Museum parking is available on the corner of Foster and Ashland Avenues. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: afarzanehfar@samac.org.

Join us for an opportunity to decorate cookies and create your own Valentine's crafts at The Goddard School of West Loop! No RSVP Required. Garage parking available, at Arkadia Garage. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: Chicago4IL@goddardschools.com.

Come for music class, stay for ice cream! Kids who attend this event receive one free kid scoop with purchase of one adult scoop!! Join us at Jeni's Spendid Ice Creams for a fun and active music class for the whole family! Work up an appetite and earn that ice cream with non-stop interactive songs and activities! For families with children ages 0-6 years old to enjoy with a parent or caregiver. Admission is $18 per child. RSVP required. Please go here to register. Street parking available. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: erin@themusicplayhouseofchicago.com.

As a mom to a boisterous four-year-old girl, I am always looking for ways to entertain her and keep her busy. That's why I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to take my daughter, Clarke, to see The Nutcracker for the very first time this year. Clarke has been captivated recently with dance and gymnastics - so I figured an opportunity to take her to see the greatest holiday show ever would be as magical for her as it would be for me! Growing up, I was the girl that always dreamt of going to fancy shows and getting dolled up to go out with my mother. However, with two busy working parents and four other siblings, there was always either a shortage of time or money which meant no ballet performances for me; the closest I would get would be to watch a performance on television. So, once the ticket notification hit my inbox, I was overjoyed! We were going to see The Nutcracker for the first time ever!! In all of my excitement, I ignored warnings that my daughter might be too young to admire the amazing skills of the dancers or to be truly interested in a performance without words or animation - but as we got closer to our performance date, I began to worry about her attention span and a little bit of everything else. Will our seats be close enough for her to see what's actually going on? Will she want to talk the entire time? Will the people near us be patient and understanding if (when) she does talk the entire time?? Will other kids her age even be there??? Alas, our performance date arrived, here's how it went and how I did my best to prepare her. Hours before the ballet: The afternoon leading up to the ballet, we talked about how ballerinas can be girls and boys and how they study dance and practice for years to take part in performances. We also watched a few clips from a YouTube video on the work that goes on behind-the-scenes to prepare for The Nutcracker performance. Personally, I watched a video about the history of The Nutcracker. (Did you know that it was originally written in 1891?!) I didn't set out to watch this video on my own but my daughter was not at all interested in this content. On the way to the ballet: On the way to the ballet, we listened to the famous Tchaikovsky tunes from The Nutcracker while I called out different melodies that I hoped she'd be able to recognize later. During the ballet: After struggling to find parking, we ended up arriving 8 minutes late and had to sit in the late section for the first act. This was the roughest part of the experience for Clarke. She kept asking questions about why the dancers were so far away and trying to rock around in her seat to peer a tiny bit closer at the action on stage. I silently counted down until the conclusion of the first act so we could move to our actual seats. After intermission, a snack, and a bio break - we finally settled into our seats and enjoyed a much closer view. To my delight, we sat next to a five-year-old girl that was also there for her first show with her mom. Her mother and I exchanged smiles of support as the lights dimmed for the final act. Much to my surprise, Clarke was completely enthralled! She was focused in and amazed at the movements. She recognized many of the songs we'd listened to on the way there and she giggled along during the hilarious moments and clapped loudly at the end. I'm pretty sure I sprained a cheek muscle from smiling ear-to-ear for 45 minutes straight. Afterwards: For about a week, our kitchen floors received a complimentary wax as a result of all of the spinning and gliding from Clarke and her fuzziest socks. She was going to be a ballerina, she exclaimed! The kind that dances with nuts. We definitely just started a new tradition in our home. I cannot wait to take her back next year and to personally experience the magic again, myself. The Joffrey Ballet’s “Nutcracker” runs through late December at the Lyric Opera House. A very special thank you to The Silverman Group for providing complimentary tickets and making our dreams come true!

Hyde Park Art Center, the renowned non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, is hosting a day of free immersive art exhibitions and activities as part of their series Center Days, an all-ages program filled with artmaking activities, workshops, and artist talks. This month’s program, fully in-person on Saturday, December 10th from 1-4 p.m., is centered around the current exhibitions Ground Floor, Joseriberto: BoboDeco, and Regarding the Missing Objects which features its own tour with the curator, artwork activations by exhibiting artists, classic holiday performances by Four Coast Ensemble and all-age artmaking, while offering open studios from the art center’s new roster of resident artists in 2022. The event is free and open to the public, and pre-registration is encouraged at hydeparkart.org. Advanced registration is required, please go here to register. Parking is available outside the main entrance on Cornell Ave. If the lot is full, you can park on the street anywhere around the Art Center; however, it can take 10-15 minutes to find a spot. These are external partner events. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: maggie@silvermangroupchicago.com.

Designed and led by Chicago artists, Family Days are monthly programs at the MCA for all families and youth. Enjoy FREE admission while taking part in workshops, open studio sessions, gallery tours, and performances. Family Days are organized by Christiana Castillo, Manager of Learning, Youth Interpretive Programs. If you have any questions about Family Day programming, please email Christiana Castillo. Admission is free to Family Day attendees. MCA admission is always free to anyone under 18. No RSVP required. ASL interpretation is provided. November 12, Express Yourself Through Movement: Engage in programs and activities focused on movement and self-expression. December 10, Uplift: Engage in programs and activities focused on uplifting visual art-making and bomba and plena performances (11:00AM - 3:00PM). Paid parking available at parking garage 161 E Chicago Ave. These are external partner events. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: sypervaiz@mcachicago.org.

Join us for Play Day for a Cause! This free event has great games and fun activities for your kids while supporting Metropolitan Family Services, a non-profit with a mission to empower families to be the best that they can be. We will be accepting donations of winter clothing for children and adults such as hats, gloves, coats, scarves, boots, sweaters, etc. With a focus on empowering families and children, Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care and Metropolitan Family Services are working together to give every child what they deserve: a chance to succeed. The event is free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated, but not required to attend. No RSVP required. Free parking in shared parking lot right in front of the building. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: jackie.sheahan@kiddieacademy.net.

Greektown Chicago hosts a special free cheer event for the 2022 Chicago Marathon at the corner of Gladys and Halsted Streets. The marathon passes through Greektown twice, at Miles 14 and 17, giving viewers two chances to support their favorite runners. Celebrate the ancient Greek origins of the marathon at Greektown’s event, which includes a sign-making station, complimentary coffee and Greek pastries, and a DJ playing Greek and American music all day to keep the energy flowing. Marathon spectators are encouraged to grab a bite to eat in Greektown during or after the event at one of the neighborhood’s popular restaurants. All are welcome, no RSVP required. Free side street parking in Greektown available. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: nicole@silvermangroupchicago.com

The St. Helen Carnival brings rides, live music and food to the 2300 block of Augusta Blvd. in Ukrainian Village. This a three day event and includes October 1, 2022 12:00PM to 10:00PM and October 2, 2022 12:00PM to 7:00PM Admittance is free for all and no RSVP required. Street Parking available. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: Mbj2307247@aol.com.

Irish Community Services holds a free weekly community playgroup for kids and their caregivers! Meetings are held every Tuesday from 10:00am - 11:30am at the Irish American Heritage Center. Activities include games, crafts, dance, music, and more! This is a recurring event and will meet weekly. Every Tuesday 10:00am - 11:30am This is a free event. All are welcome, no RSVP required. Free Parking available in lot. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: khowlett@irishchicago.org

NPN Playdates are back! Join us for Sunday play at Catherine Cook! There will be fun activities on the Rooftop Playground and there will be two drop-in Read Along sessions 9:15 am - 9:30 am and 10:00 am to 10:15 am in their cozy library. Parents, grab a cup of coffee, share some yummy snacks with your children, relax, and enjoy as your kids experience some fun and unique Catherine Cook School activities! This event is for kids aged 2 - 5 years old. Spots are limited so register today! Catherine Cook is located at 226 W Schiller St, Chicago, IL 60610

NPN Playdates are back! Join us for STEAM Sunday play at Bennett Day School! There will be fun STEAM activities and snacks for the kids! Parents, grab a cup of coffee, relax and enjoy as your kids have fun and engage with peers! This event is for kids aged 2 - 5 years old. Spots are limited so register today! Bennett Day School is located at 955 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60642 If you are planning to drive, you can park for free in the gravel lot on the NW corner at Morgan and Hubbard. There is also free parking available on the west side of Morgan and south side of Hubbard, or metered parking on Grand Ave.

NPN Playdates are back! Join us for Sunday play at Bright Horizons Lakeview! There will be fun art & STEM activities, an obstacle course, a LOVEVERY raffle prize, and snacks for the kids! Parents, grab a cup of coffee, relax and enjoy as your kids experience some fun activities! This event is for kids aged 2 - 5 years old. Spots are limited so register today! Bright Horizons Lakeview is located at 2840 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60657 (plenty of street parking available)

NPN Playdates are back! Join us for Sunday play at CPS's brand-new Lincoln Park Early Childhood Center! There will be an open play space, STEM activities sponsored by Peggy Noterbaert, and snacks for the kids! Parents, grab a cup of coffee, relax and enjoy as your kids experience some fun activities! This event is for kids aged 2 - 5 years old. Spots are limited so register today! Location: 1840 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614 (2nd floor of Hemingway Professional Building) Plenty of Street Parking Available

During a week in July, my husband and I hosted his family for vacation. Spread between three houses (including ours), were 19 family members, ages 6–70 years old. With a small backyard and a basement only a teenager would love, we had to get out and about in the city. To help inspire anyone who's in a position to play host this fall and beyond, I'm sharing what we did and how it went — both the "goal" and the "reality." Chinatown on a (sweltering) Tuesday ⭐⭐ Goal: Drive to Chinatown, take a water taxi to downtown and back, shop, eat, drive home. Reality: The water taxi was only running on weekends over the summer. Bummer #1. Parking was easy in the Chinatown North Parking Lot (2001 S. Wentworth Ave.). After parking, we met inside the beautiful, air-conditioned library (2100 S Wentworth Ave.). So far so good. We ate lunch at Triple Crown Restaurant (2217 S. Wentworth). Amazingly, they sat all 19 of us right away, at two big tables right next to each other. The dim sum was delicious but it was a severely hot day and the A/C couldn’t keep up. I sweated through lunch. [Related: Chicago date-night ideas that go beyond dinner and drinks] After lunch we tried to stay together, but as a big group on a narrow sidewalk trying to make a decision about where to go next, this was not fun. Eventually we all made it to the plaza together and that was much better. Bubble tea, shopping, finding some shade…everything was OK again. Except for the fact that when we got to the parking lot, we realized that we had neglected to get our parking tickets stamped at the restaurant, and had to pay full price for parking. Sigh. Downtown on a Wednesday ⭐⭐⭐ Goal: Take the El downtown, go to the Skydeck Ledge in the Willis Tower, then to Millennium Park and Maggie Daley Park. Eat lunch along the way. Reality: We purchased tickets to the Ledge ahead of time and took the train to Willis Tower. There was no wait to get into the elevator. So far, so good. The winding line that we stood in to actually walk out onto the Ledge was long, but moved quickly. We were a group of 20 and they allowed 14 of us on the ledge at once. Pictures turned out great! Back down at street level, half of our group went home. The rest of us (ages 6-70) ate lunch outside at Willis Tower and then walked to the Crown Fountains at Millennium Park. Everyone had a good day. Climb Zone on a Thursday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goal: Let the kids burn some energy while (some of) the adults do other things. Reality: We had eight kids in our group, ages 7–16. They all climbed and played video games, bumper cars, and laser tag. We ate pizza, chicken strips, and salad. Parking was tight in the lot (2500 W Bradley Pl.), but we had the inside almost all to ourselves. Easy and fun. [Related: Chicago venues that cater to kids with special needs] Miko’s Italian Ice on a Sunday ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goal: Walk to Miko’s (4125 N. Kimball Ave.), eat Italian ice, be happy. Reality: Exactly as planned!

NUBAO is non-profit organization founded by graduate students at Northwestern University dedicated to educating, exciting, and inspiring Chicago Public School students and teachers about neuroscience and STEM. We will be hosting our 11th Annual STEM Neuroscience Fair on Saturday, October 1st from 9am - 4pm. This event is a FREE open house style event where students of all ages and their families/chaperones can stop by to learn about the brain through hands-on demonstrations and fun activities. Advanced registration required. Please go here to register. Parking available at Lurie Medical Research Building with parking vouchers provided. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: nubrainawareness@gmail.com

NPN Playdates are back! Join us for Sunday Family Day at Park West Cooperative! Come and experience a fun day of play in one of Park West Cooperative's award-winning classrooms! Let your child's imagination be your guide and follow them as they explore sand and water, paint, playdough, games, blocks, puzzles, and more. We will have our classrooms and gym space open for families to explore. There will be allergy-friendly snacks provided! This event is for kids aged 2 - 5 years old. Spots are limited so register today! Park West Cooperative is located at 2214 N Bissell St, Chicago, IL 60614