Happy third Wednesday in my borderline linear holiday event and giveaway series! Settle in, folks; there’s a lot of stuff you need to know about this week. (Disclaimer: Some of these products and events are given to me for review purposes, but most are things I just really, really like talking about.) Tallyho!
Places to go:
- It’s no secret that the Morton Arboretum is one of the coolest places, ever. Ready to wow your kids (or, you know, your legitimately grown-up peers)? The stunning Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum is now open for the season. A mile-long winter wonderland walk through the 50+ gorgeous woodland acres features unbelievable LED light displays- and even ones that respond to touch and voice. Hey, you can keep your “driving around and seeing the neighborhood lights;” I want to hug a tree and see it respond. (Runs 5-9:30 p.m. through January 2nd.)
- No one wants to think about what they’d do if disaster struck close to home…but what would you do? Points of Light, Chicago Cares, and the Allstate Foundation want to help you out with that answer: on Saturday, December 5th, they’re hosting a Chicago event (as part of a 14-city tour) to create a disaster preparedness kit for your family. These bags will include such hazardous weather necessities as a hand-crank flashlight, first aid kit, wearable blankets, and more. With the impending blizzard season, you can never be too ready! Plus, I love kits. I love kits. (At the Field Museum (Siragusa Center), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on December 5th.)
- If you live in Chicago (or thereabouts) and think women are great (or thereabouts), you should really keep 20% Theatre Chicago‘s stage lineup on your radar. Their newest offering is Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and the 2 p.m. performance on December 12th (doors open at 12:30) is a family event- complete with sweets, Civil War-era Christmas crafts, and Santa. Whether you’re more a Meg or an Amy (I’m a weird cross between Jo and Beth, personally), you’re gonna love this one. (Runs through December 22nd at the Cornservatory.)
Things to do:
- I love crafts. I’m not amazing at crafts, but I love them just the same. Marion T. Nichols also loves crafts, and that love is showcased in a fabulous book of snowflake projects. Stay with me- she’s a former preschool art teacher, so you know she’s totally on your side, here. It’s called 100 Amazing Paper Animal Snowflakes (the tagline: A magical menagerie of kirigami templates to copy, fold, and cut). And oh- what a book. Even the shiny, sparkly text on the cover entices you to go ahead, give it a whirl, you’re probably going to be terrific at this. It’s jam-packed with incredibly detailed ideas, just ripe for the chopping; our favorites are any of the smiling animals (like the cheerful rhino whom I will master in paper form, I will). It’s super easy to trace your favorite design (you can even download and print out templates from the website!), and each book includes 8 pre-printed color templates. Nichols promises that, once you have the tracing and folding down, it gets much easier. And she’s right- at its most basic, you’re really only detailing one tiny corner of the snowflake (and 11 of its best friends resting immediately underneath). This gorgeous (and fun) book is definitely one that’ll grow with the girls for snowy afternoon projects or chilling out in front of a repeat viewing of The Grinch, and one that would make a killer stocking stuffer for the crafty (or even wannabe) maven in your life. (Retails for $19.99.)
- The gals and I attended the Chicago Toy & Game Fair on the weekend before Thanksgiving- and what a crush of “it” toys and excitable adults (pretending everything was “for the children”) it was! While we met many super cool companies with equally cool products, the Sago Sago team was among our very favorites. Do your smallish people know about these guys? They’re award-winning, Toronto-based, and really, really good at what they do. (8 million downloads can’t be wrong.) Their preschool-centric apps focus on the adventures of Harvey the dog, Jinja the cat, Robin the bird, and Jack the rabbit; these gentle games are free of rules, high scores, and (my favorite) in-app purchases. The newest Sago Mini game, the incredibly adorable Sago Mini Superhero (starring the equally adorable Jack, and available in the iTunes store), is a brand new way for kiddos to embrace how little helps can make big differences. Nora’s thoughts: Oh, I love this. Jack is so cute! He’s such a helper. He just saved Jinja! Oh, I love this. (Keely: Who is this game is best for? Nora: Me. Keely: Maybe Susannah and Jasper, too? Nora: …Sure.)
And a giveaway:
And, just in time for the holidays, kids can now snuggle with their favorite minis: the Sago Mini Plush Gift Pack (on Amazon and SagoMini, usually for $39.99 but on sale now!) lets your little one high-five Jinja, soar with Robin, giggle with Harvey, and pal around with Jack in real life. (They come in a cool cardboard house, just perfect for decorating and personalizing.) And because I think your kids are cool, I’m giving away a Sago Mini Superhero game plus a ridiculously sweet pal. Quiet time, good life lessons, and a cuddly friend?
Fa la la, you guys.
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