This guest post is from Sarah Parisi from Toddling Around Chicagoland, who has put together 7 days worth of activities for families living or visiting the Chicagoland area.

Museum Monday – Visit the Museum of Science and Industry to explore a real plane, train, and submarine. Learn about the science of storms, examine the giant miniature fairy castle, and learn all about YOU! in an exhibit that explores the connection between the mind, the body, and the spirit. The little ones will love the Idea Factory, an activity area for children up to age 10. Plan to spend the day at the museum because there is plenty to explore.

Lego Tuesday – If you have a Lego-lover in the family (and who doesn’t?) you have to visit Legoland Discovery Center in Schaumburg, just 40 minutes from downtown Chicago. At Legoland Discovery Center you can see all the local Chicago landmarks in Miniland, take a walk through a Lego jungle, ride a dragon through a castle, ride on a Technocycle, see 4D Lego movies, and lots more! There’s a cafe inside and plenty of restaurants within walking distance. Purchase tickets online to save money.

While you’re in the area, stop by FireZone, an interactive environment with real fire engines and equipment staffed by real firefighters, or go shopping at Ikea for furniture, home accessories, and toys.

Arbor Wednesday – Take a little road trip to Lisle, 25 minutes from Chicago, to the Morton Arboretum. There are 1,700 acres of trees and gardens to enjoy and you can hike, bike, or get lost in the maze garden. The Children’s Garden has a secret stream, playground, treehouses, and plenty more!

Wednesdays are discounted admission days – only $8 for adults and $6 for children.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream Thursday – Head down south on Western Avenue for some ice cream at the Original Rainbow Cone. It’s hard to miss the historic pink building that’s been serving rainbow cones for more than 80 years. The rainbow cone is made up of five scoops of ice cream – chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (New York Vanilla with cherries and walnuts), pistachio, and orange sherbet. For the little ones, ask for a baby cone. It’s not on the menu, but it’s perfect for smaller appetites and it’s under $1.50.

Wild Friday – Check out the lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) at the Brookfield Zoo. You can walk through the desert, the rainforest, tropic world, the living coast, and the brand new Great Bear Wilderness all in one day. Be sure to save some time at the Hamill Family Play Zoo and the Children’s Zoo, and to go for a spin on the carousel. There are lots of options for food in the zoo (including buffalo burgers!), or you can bring your own picnic lunch.

Science Saturday – Kids Science Labs offers fun, hands-on science classes for kids ages 2-12. Kids get to experiment and problem-solve in the messiest ways possible – spilling water and soaking it up with a sponge to learn about absorption, throwing fruit against the wall to learn about gravity and impact, exploding pop bottles to learn about gas and pressure – and you don’t have to clean up any of it! Classes for toddlers are parent participation classes, while older kids (3 and up) attend alone.

Parents can stay and take advantage of free Wi-Fi, or leave and run errands in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Single classes are $30 for toddlers or $37 for older children, or you can purchase a gift package of 2 classes for only $60. I guarantee you, the kids will LOVE it!

Ready, Set, Grow! Sunday – There’s no better way to relax after a busy week than a visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory. Take a walk through the tropics, the desert, and an indoor lagoon inside. Be sure to dress in layers for the temperature changes! The Conservatory is free to the public every day and they have a beautiful children’s garden with a twirling slide. The weekend family fun program with lots of activities and make & take projects. Bring your own lunch to eat by the fountain in the Horticulture Hall and be sure to check out the outdoor gardens if the weather is nice.

Thanks, Sarah, for being our guide to Chicagoland! Headed to Chicago for a vacation? Be sure to check out Sarah’s website ToddlingAroundChicagoLand.com. Got other plans? See our list of vacation and staycation guides full of places to go with babies and kids, all around the world.

Baby-friendly theaters? Yes, please.

We sure love our DVRs and Hulu, but refuse to give up on going to the theater. Did you know some theaters also have special showings for new parents? These showings have different names in different cities, but the idea that yours will not (most likely) be the loudest baby in the movie theater is the common thread.

Both of our firstborns were frequent attendees of “Baby Brigade” (now known as “Bringing Up Baby“) at the El Cerrito Theater during their first year.

Select theaters are participating in a program called Baby Pictures. Check the website to see if there is a baby movie showing in a city near you.

The Kerasotes chain in Illinois and Indiana offers Matinee Movie Magic. I thought I was pretty magical when I sat in a movie theater while doing my first in public breastfeeding (without crying!) when Julian was 5 weeks old. (This mistakenly led Heather, my 19-weeks pregnant escort, to believe that nursing is easy.)

Stroller matinees are a good early outing for freaked out new parents. Crying is totally allowed.

This is your ninth weekly rookie mom challenge. Even if you cannot find a mom and baby movie in your area, consider taking a risk on an 11 am showing. Heather and I brought baby Milo to Knocked Up while I was super pregnant with Scarlett. We saw the first show of the day and only one other person was in the theater. Milo stayed in his carseat for much of the movie and when he got sick of that, Heather held him up on her lap facing the movie.  The volume at the theater is much louder than any grunting or fussing that tiny babies do.

In LA, Monday Morning Mommy Movies weekly at 11:00 am at the Grove, Glendale, and Northridge.

In Portland, McMenamin’s Kennedy School hosts the occasional Mommy Matinee and for cheap!

Austin, TX has Baby Day Movie at Alamo Draft House Cinema (Tuesdays). Parents are allowed to bring infants into the movie for shows starting before 2:05 pm. (check website for movie times and location).

In San Francisco, realtor Jill Russo sponsors a monthly Mommy Movie on the second Thursday of each and every month. And it’s FREE!

Have you done this outing? Please tell us where!
Loved it or hated it?
Not quite ready for a movie? Pick a challenge from an earlier week.

photos: Grand Lake by ThomasHawk on flickr; theater interior Associated Press

Yes, I’m endorsing a product/service here. No, I am not being paid to do so.  It’s called Music Together and two past experieinces made me decide to recommend this activity.

Several of my friends had done Music Together for three consecutive “semesters” and then decided to skip a semester. During that period we met at the park during the time that many of us used to do Music Together and Sarah was saying how much she missed it, couldn’t wait til it started up again, and that not doing it made her see how much she values it. Our park-based playdate was simply filling the hole in her life left by abstaining from Music Together.

Ok, so Sarah (hearts) Music Together. Her enthusiasm made me think hard about how I feel about it. I had been thinking that it’s just too expensive, and then I decided that I agree with Sarah.

Later that day, I read that most North American families only know two or three songs to sing to their children when they are born, and one of them is often 99 Bottles of Beer. And here’s where I relate to how much value you get out of these classes. From Music Together, my husband and I have learned countless songs in that can be sung and re-sung in different ways. The class is designed to teach you, the parent, how to incorporate music into your kid’s life.* Each song can be changed around to include your kid’s name, interests or description of the activities you’re doing. Our teacher, Ryk, also gives great advice on using music to distract while diaper changing or putting on shoes. People, it works.

Julian was obsessed with the CDs that come with the class. He begged for us to put them on and then, as a baby even, would smile and wave when he heard the first song.

*The class is not about building music skills in your kid. In fact, they are welcome to sit absolutely still and silent. The parent or caregiver is the one participating. The theory is that you can develop musical interest and enthusiasm in children by enabling them to watch you have fun with sounds, songs and instruments. Given that we don’t have community music experiences in this culture, our kids will not pick up songs to pass down to their kids unless we make it happen.

So there you have it. My love letter to Music Together.

Find one near you.

And again, this is not an advertisement.

[Photo from Music Together's website]

Lisa Hazen is one of our very best online friends that we had never met (until we went ahead and met her a few weeks ago when visiting Chicago). She’s friend-of-friends with each of us many times over and she wrote one of the first ever guest posts of RookieMoms when our site was a baby of less than six months.

She shares her favorite baby and toddler activities in Chicago with us.

Her boys are Finn and Cormac. Don’t you just love them?!

Monday: Millennium Park
Millennium Park is pretty much my favorite city attraction, and best of all, it’s free. With nearly 25 acres smack dab in the middle of the city, you can spend an entire afternoon wandering the park’s wonders. The interactive Crown Fountain will delight, two fifty-foot glass block upon which hundreds of city residents’ faces are projected. When you least expected, one of these giant city residents will spit water at you, gargoyle-style. The Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavilion is a great place to picnic, and the “bean” (otherwise known as the Cloud Gate) is an ideal location for a playful family portrait. Extra fun for train lovers: you can take the Red Line directly here.

Tuesday: Nature Retreat
Chicago isn’t all concrete and skyscrapers. Just outside the city, the Chicago Botanic Gardens boasts 26 gardens on 365 lush acres. Open daily until 9pm, this destination is a great retreat all year long—the different exhibits are designed to show off the abundance of each season. Before your visit, be sure to check the Web site to see what family-friendly activities are available. And definitely make a point to see the exquisite waterfall gardens during your visit.

Wednesday: Navy Pier
Navy Pier is totally touristy, but your kids will love it. (Secretly, you will, too.) Start with a boat ride—there are a variety of options based on the age of your kids and their relative attention spans. Older kids will thrill at a ride on the 150-foot ferris wheel, and younger kids will love the musical carousel. There’s a you-can-please-everyone food court, and a variety kid-friendly sit-down restaurants to choose from. Navy Pier is also the location of the Chicago Children’s Museum, which is worthy of a day-long visit all its own. If you do end up staying the entire day, don’t miss the fireworks display, Wednesday and Saturday nights through Labor Day.

Thursday: Get Artsy (and Ice Cream) in Bucktown
Pack a lunch and bring it to Easel Art Studio for their daily open art class between 11:15 – 2pm for kids ages 2 – 5. Children will explore different mixed-media art projects in this free-form class. Afterwards, head to iCream where your kids (and you) can design their own ice cream creations, selecting a base, flavor and color to create a custom treat.

Friday: Pig Out
Devote an entire day to exploring the culinary pleasures of Chicago. Wishbone is a phenomenally kid-friendly restaurant with three Chicago locations and a menu the entire family will enjoy. For lunch, try Smash Cake. This delightful cafe has coffee, soups, salads, sandwiches, and the best cupcakes in town. (Better yet: Free cupcakes with a beverage purchase, and book readings for kids 3-4pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.) For dinner, there is really only one acceptable option if you want to chow down like a real Chicagoan. Giordano’s is the best-known name in town for pizza for good reason. Their stuffed pizza is often imitated, rarely replicated.

Saturday: Butterfly Museum
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum boasts a number of wonderful permanent exhibits, including River Works (a waterplay exhibit that demonstrates how Chicago’s waterways work) and the Wilderness Walk that allows your family to stroll through recreated environments. But the exhibit that will thrill your kids the most is the Butterfly Haven, which allows you to walk among more than 75 species of nearly 1,000 butterflies flutter about in a 2,700 sq. ft. greenhouse.

Sunday: Lamb’s Farm
About 45 minutes outside of Chicago is one of the sweetest petting zoos you’re likely to find anywhere. Lamb’s Farm lets kids can get hands-on with the animals like sheep, goats, horses, cows, and (yes) lambs. The Discovery Center has educational exhibits, revealing facts about the farm. There’s also a miniature train, carousel, miniature golf course, and pet store. Visit the Country Inn Restaurant for a family-friendly lunch or dinner.

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We thank Lisa so much for these excellent suggestions. Almost makes me wish I brought my kids to BlogHer. Almost. And if Lisa ever moves to another town, we hope she’ll write again with her favorite finds.

For more Lisa, visit her portfolio site or read her Week in Oakland.

For more Cormac and Finn, check out the robot t-shirt business they run with their dad.

For more of Chicago, read Jeff’s Week in Chicago.

Shawn Hazen is a Chicago-based designer whom I’ve never met, but I have been emailing with his wife Lisa ever since she became a rookie mom. When she told me last month that her husband and their rookie baby Finn, now three, started a t-shirt company, I developed a crush on him. I think this creative family business is totally awesome, and I would like my husband to start a rock band with Julian, stat.

Three-year old Finn Hazen loves robots, and came up with the name for the company, Robotcha. He also comes up with many of the ideas for new robot designs. “That explains why many of them involve ice cream,” Shawn says.

They sent us two t shirts to show off their new stuff. Julian got to keep one and gave one to Holden for his birthday. Here Julian is, ready to go to Holden’s party, gift in hand.

“Doesn’t it ruin the gift, if Julian is wearing the shirt already?” my husband asked. “Holden is turning four,” I said. “I doubt he’ll notice what Julian is wearing, and if he does admire it, all the better when he opens his gift.”

Julian LOVES his Robotcha shirt because it’s glittery and it sparkles, and he is a glittery type of guy. I caught him admiring his tshirt’s reflection in the side of the car the other day. He was transfixed. I wish I could have videotaped it for the Hazens.

If you have a preschooler in your house, know that you have a fountain of creativity just waiting to be exploited. Make some money off your kid’s fresh ideas before they get watered down by reality.

To see Finn and Shawn’s entire collection, including some girl-friendly designs, visit Robotcha-Co.com.

Hey Chicago moms! Is our week in Chicago too touristy for you? Let us hear from you and we’ll feature your ideas next!

Jeff Pfaller is the rookie dad and blogger behind 365parents.com. He published all 365 posts into this this eBook, 365 First Time Parenting Tips: Infant Edition, for other first-time parents.

Jeff is also a recent transplant to Chicago, one of my favorite (pre-kids) cities of all time. He was kind enough to share his version of “A Week of Windy City Fun” with us — Enjoy!

Looking for stuff to do in the city by the lake, Chicago? There’s something for everybody, no matter who you are or what you like.

Animal Lover Monday
Head up to the North Side (be sure to deck the little guys out in Cubbies> gear) for some wild fun at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The best part? You get to see tons of animals. The second best part? It’s all free!

Beach Bum Tuesday
It got Chicago the World’s Fair way back in 1893. It got us a bid for the Olympics in 2018. The best part about this town is Lake Michigan in the summer. You can walk along the beach and through parks from Bryn Mawr and Sheridan all the way to Navy Pier. Grab a stroller, some sunblock and your best people watching specs.

Shop ’till You Drop Wednesday
Now that you’ve got a healthy tan, it’s time to head indoors for some shopping. Take a stroll up Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. It’s home to the best browsing in the Midwest and your baby will love all the colors, sounds and people of the big city. Plus, it’s not like you need another excuse to go shopping, right? Be sure to stop in Water Tower place for some Wow Bao. It’s like nothing you’ve ever eaten before.

Sail Away Thursday
Need a place that’s perfect, rain or shine? Make a stop at Navy Pier for lots of indoor/outdoor fun. Watch your baby’s smile grow as you ride higher and higher on the Ferris Wheel. Or head inside and stimulate their brain in the Chicago Children’s museum, filled with fun educational activities for everybody. Pick up some grub from any of the Dock Street Vendors. There’s enough variety there for even the pickiest of eaters.

Fireworks Friday
No visit to Chicago would be complete without catching a game, some hot dogs and night-time fireworks on the North Side or the South Side. That’s right, take your little one to their first major league ball game. The choice between the Cubs and the Sox isn’t one to be taken lightly, you could be waiting your whole life for a World Series.

Date Night Saturday
There’s something in this city for everybody. That includes some time alone for mom and dad. Head over to the Edgewater Lounge on 5600 N Ashland Ave. It’s got the finest micro-brews and fried plantains you could ever ask for. Or if you’re in the mood for finer fare, head downtown for dinner and a show, starting at Wildfire Restaurant and ending up stage left at Steppenwolf Theatre.

Fish Face Sunday
Time to wind down the week inside at Shedd Aquarium. Little ones will love the giant fish tank with every kind of fish imaginable, and the older kids will get a kick out of the dolphin show overlooking Lake Michigan. It’s one of the best views in the city.

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Thanks to Jeff for the great suggestions.

Before I let Andrea tell you how much she liked taking her 18-month old twins to IKEA, I want to mention her new business, little uni. She is selling handmade baby clothes that are simple and sweet, with modern appliques. Her babies Mira and Will are modeling for us in these pictures.

Andrea lives in Chicago, where its been freezing and snowing for the past few months. Her kids just moved to one nap a day, so they are always looking for good morning activities. She writes:

My husband and I planned a trip Saturday morning to IKEA to buy a kid-sized table and chairs. I was not looking forward to a day in the suburbs at a crowded IKEA. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that if you get to IKEA early, it is not crowded at all.

We put each kid in one of their odd stroller/shopping bag holder contraptions. The kids loved being pushed around in them, and we loved not pushing a heavy double stroller or 2 cumbersome full-sized shopping carts.

The kids section is really amazing. Besides the unique, colorful toys, bedding and furniture, they have a play
area set up in a maze of child-sized, completely furnished rooms. I bought a great set of plastic, colored plates. We also let each kid pick out a stuffed animal. The kids loved riding the glass elevators, and saying “Hi” every time they heard the beep of the doors opening. Because it wasn’t crowded, we could really see and appreciate the well-designed room displays. The kids pointed out lights, doors, windows, balls, beds as we walked around.

Lunch in the café was excellent. The modern, white highchairs were neatly stacked and easy to find. There was plenty of space at the table for 2 toddlers and 2 adults. I set up the kids and my husband went to get the food. He got mac and cheese and Swedish meatballs from the kids menu, of course served on the wonderful plastic plates. I think the mac and cheese was $.99. The kids gobbled down every bite.

After a couple of awkward trips to the car carrying table parts and babies, we headed home just in time for their naps.

When I saw the web site of Janet Moran, a photographer in the Chicago area, I immediately fell in love with this image. Assuming that this family values their piano, I thought that it was a brilliant idea to include your first baby in a portrait along with your new (real) baby. Whether your first baby is your Vespa scooter, your 12 year-old cat, or a carefully tended vegetable garden, take a picture that includes your two loves.

I emailed Janet and she explained, “A precious family asked me to come over and take pictures of their new baby. When I walked into the home the first thing I saw was the piano – dad is a musician among other things. What better place for a sleeping three week-old than the piano bench (newborn babies are pros at sleeping in whatever position you place them)”

She offered these fantastic tips for rookie moms and wannabe photographers:

Environment
When taking pictures it’s great to look at your home with a fresh perspective. Is there a family heirloom that you can sit your toddler on or inside? What was your favorite pastime or talent before baby? Do
you collect anything? Arrange your collection on the floor and allow your child to explore while you photograph.

Lighting
natural light makes all the difference when taking pictures. Choose the room in your house with the most sunlight. The best time to have a photo adventure outside is early morning or late afternoon when the sunlight is warm and soft. Turn that flash off and go outside even if it means you have to take Aunt Betty’s winged-back chair out the front door with you.

Clothing
Chose an outfit you’ll miss seeing when they grow out of it. Color is the key; high on contrast and texture – low on logos and graphics (leave elmo and dora at home). Shoot, shoot, shoot! Digital means you can take lots of pictures for free.

I wish I lived around Janet so I could hire her!