Early Literacy Activities Calendar for May

Thanks to the wonderful folks in the Youth Services Department of the West Chicago Public Library for sharing their Early Literacy Activities Calendar with us each month. Here's a bunch of easy, creative ideas for how during the month of May you can encourage an early love of reading in your child.

Photo by catd_mitchell on Flickr.May 1: Point out the first letter of your child's name. See how many you see today.

May 2: Narrate what you're doing while you make lunch or dinner.

May 3: Practice counting from 1 to 10. Can you do it backwards too?

May 4: Take a nature walk together, talking about what you see.

May 5: See how many words you can think of that rhyme with "cat."

May 6: Read a Mother Goose rhyme together.

May 7: Have a TV Turnoff Day -- play games, read and talk instead.

May 8: Use funny voices as you read a favorite book.

May 9: How many circles can you spot today?

May 10: Read an alphabet book together.

Click to read more ...

Weekend Spotlight: Free Comics, Star Wars and More

Here a few highlights for the weekend ahead. Of course check the Go West Calendar for events that might better fit your family's budget, schedule or interests.

FREE COMICS: "Free Comic Book Day" is a national event aimed at exposing people to comic books as an art and entertainment form, plus giving some exposure to local comic book shops. This year, it's being celebrated on Saturday, May 4. Participating comic book shops, as well as a number of libraries, give away a free comic book to anyone who comes into the location. Here's a list of participating shops and libraries in the far western suburbs. Call them for more information and to check on any restrictions:

• Graham Crackers Comics of St. Charles: 610 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. 630-584-0610.
• Thomas Comics & Collectables: 740 East State Street, Elgin. 847-697-5550.
• Graham Crackers Comics of Wheaton: 1207 E. Butterfield Road, Wheaton. 630-668-1350. 
• Graham Crackers Comics of Naperville: 1271 Rickert Drive, #135, Naperville. 630-355-4310.
• Modern Age Comics: 1180 Dundee Ave., Elgin. 847-409-6295.
• Geneva Public Library, 127 James St., Geneva. 630-232-0780.
• Oswego Public Library, 32 W. Jefferson St. 630-554-3150.

Click to read more ...

Celebrate Spring With This Easy May Day Basket

When my family returned from a spring weekend away a couple years back, we had a lovely surprise waiting on our door -- a May Day basket! The basket came from a sweet neighbor and her young daughter, and it's a tradition I decided to adopt last year for some of our neighbors and friends. After a bit of surfing, I found directions and a free printable template for a paper basket and flowers. It was so easy even a non-crafter like me could handle it. And there was plenty of work that my preschooler could help out with, too.

Look how cute it turned out:

Here are the supplies you'll need for your paper May Day Basket:

• Heavy paper, either scrapbooking paper or construction paper, at least 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches. (I used scrapbooking paper that was 12 x 12; cardstock weight worked best, but I used some lighter-weight sheets, too.)
• A glue stick or double sided tape
• Scissors
• Some kind of "sticks" to mount the paper flowers. I bought a big bag of popsicle sticks from the craft store, but pipe cleaners or straws would probably work fine, too.
• Embellishments for the inside of your paper flowers, such as pom poms, buttons or stickers. (These are optional; your kids could also just color the flowers.)
• A short piece of ribbon or string for attaching the tag.
• A paper punch would make attaching the tag easier.
• This awesome free printable template from Skip to my Lou, which is a great site full of arts & craft tutorials, ideas for handmade gifts and free printables.

Click to read more ...

Weekend Spotlight: LEGOS, Free Movies, a Party for the Planet and More

Here a few highlights for the weekend ahead. Of course check the Go West Calendar for events that might better fit your family's budget, schedule or interests.

LOVE LEGOS?: Blackberry Farm in Aurora is hosting the "LEGO Bash" on Saturday and Sunday. The Chicago Area LEGO Users Group will showcase their LEGO train layouts, plus scenes and 3D creations. You'll enjoy a complimentary train ride around Lake Gregory. Additional rides are $1 per person. Admission is $4 per person for residents, $5 for residents. The event will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FREE MOVIES: The "Free Spring Movies" series at Goodrich Quality Theaters wraps up this weekend with a showing of the animated 2012 hit "The Lorax." It will be shown at both 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Kendall 10 in Oswego and the Randall 15 IMAX in Batavia. Admission is free, but tickets are available first-come, first-served.

PLANET PARTY: Cosley Zoo in Wheaton is participating in the "Party for the Planet," a national celebration that includes more than 100 other zoos and aquariums across North America. You can visit with representatives from businesses and conservation organizations and learn about a wide variety of conservation efforts related to energy, water and wildlife. The event will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Regular admission rates apply.

PRINCESS PLAY: This is the last weekend for the "Princess and the Moon," being presented by the Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles as part of its "Children's Stage." The play concerns a princess who wants to be a knight and resolves to complete a quest to the moon. Remaining performances are Saturday at 10:30 a.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students. 

Indoor Play: Open Swim and Tot-Time Swim at the Centre of Elgin's Adventure Island

We have nearly five more weeks until the outdoor public pools open for the summer season, and the weather forecast is calling for yet more rain. So I figured this is still a decent time to tell you about an indoor swimming opportunity in Elgin. It also offers indoor swimming lessons, in case your kids need to practice those strokes before summer. 

Name: Adventure Island at The Centre of Elgin. The Centre is owned by the city of Elgin, and it houses a fitness center, preschool, park district classes and indoor aquatic center. The pool was built in 2001.

Location: 100 Symphony Way on the east side of downtown Elgin, in the same area where the Hemmens Cultural Center is located. The phone number is 847-531-7030.

Adventure Island at The Centre of Elgin opened in 2001. Photo by Tara Burghart.

Hours: You can find the hours on The Centre of Elgin's website, but in general, the leisure pool is open in the fall/winter/spring from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The lap pool is open during the fall/winter/spring on Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. (The summer hours are quite different, so check the site for those. Also, hours are different when U46 is off school.) The "Tot-Time Swim" -- aimed at children through 5 years of age -- is held from the Thursday after Labor Day through the Friday before Memorial Day. It is offered on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Click to read more ...