Families visiting the Green Kids Zone at Green Festival Chicago 2011 on Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15 can enjoy a variety of physical, creative, and educational play activities, as well as lively entertainment presented on stage. On Saturday, this area was bustling with happy children doing everything from making newspaper shark fins at the Discover the Depths table to singing along with The Chicago School of Blues on stage. When taking a break from learning about the eco-friendly products on display at the rest of the festival, families can stop by the Green Kids Zone to learn about the natural world in the following fun and playful ways.
Balance Boards and Beams
A popular exhibit for active and creative kids, this movement area is full of small pieces of equipment like carpeted balance beam boards and support pieces and carpeted teeter-totter arc boards. On Saturday, children were busily engaged in rearranging the pieces to make different climbing structures or just playing around balancing on the teeter-totters. Chicago families can order both the balance beams and the arc boards from this local workshop by visiting the Balance Boards and Beams website.
Discover the Depths
At the Discover the Depths table, children can examine Toothless the Great White, a life-sized great white shark made from 90% recycled plastic materials, and learn about the presentations that Deanna LaSusa-Hotchner (volunteer interpreter and diver at Chicago's John G. Shedd Aquarium) makes at places such as schools, park districts, summer camps, and libraries. From traveling and diving all over the world, Deanna has collected an amazing library of underwater video and a great knowledge of sealife that she shares with her presentation audiences in a fun and educational way to teach them about ocean life and what things people can do locally to preserve and protect this important resource.
Toothless the Great White is a reminder of the importance of recycling plastic to keep it from polluting Earth's oceans. It took Deanna and her student volunteers about four months to build this huge plastic shark. They used recycled materials from the Creative Reuse Warehouse in Chicago and Habitat for Humanity's Restore, as well as a blue plastic tarp Deanna had been storing in her backyard. The finished animal model is well worth a visit!
Truck Farm Chicago and Traveling Bug Brigade
To learn about farming and where food comes from, boys and girls can view the Truck Farm Chicago exhibit. Nestled in the bed of a biodiesel pickup truck, this mini-farm of soil and live, growing plants shows kids how easily anyone can grow food given just a little space and natural resources.
Thanks to the University of Illinois Extension Service, children can also meet and greet helpful garden insects, including a hands-on introduction to a tub of composting worms.
Art and craft activities in Green Kids Zone
Creative kids can enjoy many art and craft activities in the Green Kids Zone. Green Parents Network has set up a table where children can use 100% recycled tissue paper to make paper flowers. Artterro is providing children with the supplies needed to design unique bookmarks out of handmade paper from India, wood and glass beads, and sequins. (Chicago families looking to purchase Artterro craft kits locally can find them at Geppetto's Toy Box in Oak Park.) Kids can also play with free coloring sheets provided by Hippoworks (creators of the new movie "Simon Says, Let's Stop Climate Change," which is being screened on a television in the Green Kids Zone) and work together to construct a fun city out of recycled cardboard boxes.
Other live entertainment activities presented in this area include readings by Tim Magner of his book about Earl the Earthworm, a presentaton by Nature's Creatures Animal Show, an interactive performance by Green Kids starring Flow the Water Woman and Aqua Man, a puppet show starring Henrietta Cluck-Cluck, and a Kid's Parade.
While at the festival, families can learn about ecofriendly kids' products such as Pocket Disc throwing toys, Mr. Ellie Pooh elephant dung paper products, and Imagine Greenwear kids clothing and visit the booths of Chicagoland stores that sell ecofriendly and fair trade products.
Visit Green Festival Chicago at McCormick Place (Lakeside) at 2301 S. Lakeshore Drive. This family-friendly event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Comments