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.

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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.

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Best-Kept Secret: Pie Boss in Aurora

First, I should make clear that I've never been a big fan of pot pies. Maybe because my earliest memory of one is the frozen Swanson's variety. Honestly, I actually don't like pie crust that much. When it comes to a dessert pie, I'm much more interested in the filling.

But it all changed for me when I discovered Pie Boss, which bills itself as a "new pie experience."

Pie Boss is located in Aurora at 1649 Montgomery Road, about two miles east of Phillips Park and about four miles east of downtown Aurora. Pie Boss creates individually-sized savory pies, with varieties including pepper steak, spicy chicken, cheeseburger pie, spicy chicken and two vegetarian options: Spicy mixed vegetable and spinach and feta.

They are amazing: The rich filling, the flaky crust. Consider me a convert!

The Pepper Steak Pie at Pie Boss in Aurora. Photo by Tara Burghart.

Pie Boss is owned by Tyreal Naidoo, who is originally from Durban, South Africa, although his family's roots are in India. He says the types of pies he makes are common in South Africa -- you'd see them as many of them in a mall food court as you would hamburgers. (That's probably related to the British influence in South Africa -- the Brits love their savory pies!)

You can tell Naidoo takes a lot of pride in his work. Everything is made from scratch and on the premises, which are bright and immaculately clean. The restaurant opened less than a year ago. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed on Sundays. Naidoo says he's had customers drive out from Chicago and leave with a stack of pies for their freezers.

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Summer Camp Spotlight: Weeklong Camps at 5-Star Learning Ranch in Batavia

Editor's Note: 5-Star Learning Ranch is a sponsor of Go West Young Mom. I am proud to partner with such a wonderful, locally-owned business offering quality childcare and education for young families.

It's hard to believe with our recent chilly, gray weather, but summer is right around the corner. So I wanted to shine a spotlight on a great summer camp option not only for families looking for just a week or two of a fun themed camp, but also for families needing full-time childcare. The summer camps are offered by the 5-Star Learning Ranch, which is located on nearly 4 acres of gorgeous property in Batavia, about a mile west of Randall Road.

5-Star Learning Ranch is owned and operated by Anita Graham, who has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education (with a specialization in early childhood development.) She also has a master’s degree in educational leadership and currently holds a principal’s certificate, as well.

During the school year, the ranch offers a popular preschool program as well as before- and after-school care for students through age 12. (It can handle transport to and from Batavia schools.) And year-round, the ranch offers full and part-time childcare for children starting at age 2.

This summer, it is holding some really neat summer camps, and they are open to families who have not attended 5-Star Learning Ranch before. You may choose to have your child attend as many camp weeks as you'd like -- there is no minimum requirement.

Morning summer camps will be from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Thursdays will be the field trip day, so camp will begin at 9 a.m. but pickup times will vary. The cost for the week is $100, not including field trip costs. (The field trip costs range from $6 to $30, with most weeks just around $10.)

Full-day camp will be daily, between the hours of 6:15 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. The cost for a full week is $210 per week, plus field trip costs. 

For more information, and to reserve your child's spot with a $50 registration fee, please call 630-406-5787. 

Here's the schedule and plans for each week:

June 3rd-7th, Transportation Week: Your children will start off the summer exploring all the different modes of transportation including trains, planes and automobiles. They'll take a ride on the train at Blackberry Farm along with riding the ponies on the carousel and exploring all the other fun activities Blackberry Farm has to offer.

June 10th-14th, Zoo Animals Week: It is going to be an exciting week learning about all of the different zoo animals and their habitats.  The week will end with a trip to the Brookfield Zoo, where the kids can experience seeing all of the animals in their environments.  

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