Free museums!

We rang in the new year with a doosy of a flu in our house, but now we are through it, settled back into our school routine, and even looking for a fun day outing! Fortunately, there are lots of opportunities to enjoy museums in Chicago for FREE this month:

(Hat tip to Free things to do in Chicago)

The Adler Planetarium:January: 14, 15, 16, 17, 28, 29, 30, 31

The Art Institute of Chicago January: Every Weekday from January 7 – January 31

Charnley-Persky House Museum – FREE guided tours are offered every Wednesday at 12 Noon. Tours are limited to 15 guests, first-come, first-served.

Chicago Children’s Museum – FREE for all visitors every Thursday, 5-8 pm. FREE on the first Sunday of each month (January 6) for children 15 and under.

Chicago History Museum January 21free chicago museums in january 2013

Clarke House Museum – CHICAGO’S OLDEST HOUSE – Wednesdays

DuSable Museum of African American Art – Sundays

Field MuseumJanuary 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 28, 30

Glessner House Museum: – Wednesdays

Jane Addams Hull House Museum – Free every day

Loyola University Museum of Art – Tuesdays

Museum of Contemporary Art – Tuesdays

Museum of Science and IndustryJanuary 14 – 18, 21 – 25, 28 – 31

Museum of Surgical Science – Tuesdays

The National Museum of Mexican Art – Free Tuesdays to Sundays

Notebaert Nature MuseumJanuary 17, 24, 31

Shedd Aquarium January 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 28, 29

Smart Museum of Art at University of Chicago – Free every day

Get in on this one fast!

“Speak Up, Speak Out for Freedom and Rights,” on Monday, April 23, 7:00 AM – 4:30 PM, at Student Center West and the Forum at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This seminar is FREE to the first 100 registrants.

The seminar will provide a unique opportunity for teachers to engage in discussion on global citizenship, with morning workshops by the partners, a luncheon keynote from former President Jimmy Carter, and the opening afternoon of the World Summit with Nobel Peace Laureates. A draft agenda is available here. The seminar is accessible by CTA, and parking will be reimbursed.

Participants will receive 7 CPDUs. All CPS participants are eligible for subsidized release time. Non-CPS educators are eligible for subsidized release time on an “as needed” basis from a limited pool of funds. Participants must attend the entire seminar to qualify for subsidized release time.

You must be registered to attend, and the deadline is April 6.  (Already full, but you can check out more info and find out about the webcast)

Free Things on MLK Day

From Free Things to do in Chicago:

There are lots of great free things to do on Martin Luther King Day in Chicago.  Three of the leading museums have free admission on this holiday:

FREE Museum of Science and Industry on MLK Day – Jan 16martin luther king 197x300 Free Admission to Chicago Museums on Martin Luther King Day   Jan 16

Come on out on MLK Day and enjoy the health-focused new “You! The Experience” gallery, and the awesome  “Science Storms.” Science Storms reveals the science behind seven natural phenomena—lightning, fire, tornados, avalanches, tsunamis, sunlight and atoms in motion. Investigate the basic scientific principles behind nature’s power as you try more than 50 amazing experiments that take two floors and 26,000 square feet to contain … barely. It’s a perfect storm of physics, chemistry and curiosity. Also take in the renovated U-505 German submarine, a simulated coal mine and a glass-covered hatchery of chicks. Illinois residents can take advantage of free general admission on Monday, January 16.

Museum of Science and Industry – 773-684-1414
5700 S Lake Shore Dr
msichicago.org
9:30am–4pm.

FREE Shedd Aquarium on MLK Day – Jan 16

The Shedd aquatic galleries are home to creatures from the Waters of the World – rivers and reefs, Great Lakes and small ones, and the global ocean. So take a tour of the water planet. Want to explore a little deeper? Immerse yourself in the Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising’s flooded forest, the Oceanarium’s Pacific Northwest coast and Wild Reef’s Indo-Pacific reef. Go totally polar in Polar Play Zone and be sure to see Shedd’s aquatic show.   Admission to original exhibits “Waters of the World,” “Caribbean Reef” and “Amazon Rising” is free to Illinois residents on Monday, January 16. Discounts are also available for packages that include entry to exhibits such as “Abbott Oceanarium,” “Wild Reef” and “Polar Play Zone.”

Shedd Aquarium – 312-939-2438
1200 S Lake Shore Dr
sheddaquarium.org
9am–5pm

FREE Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activities at the Chicago History Museum

Commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through family activities and crafts reflecting his messages of peace and justice. Listen to music that honors Dr. King, and attend a performance of The MLK Project by the Writers’ Theatre.    Cost: Free Admission and includes complimentary Museum admission

Schedule of Events

All day

Kids Crafts with Artist Sue Romanelli

Crown Room, first floor

11:00 a.m.
The MLK Project: Fight for Civil Rights
The Writer’s Theatre
Rubloff Auditorium, 1st floor’

12:30 p.m.
Precious Lord: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chicago Chamber ChoirChicago Room, 2nd floor1:45 p.m.
“I have a Dream” speech
Re-enactment by Oba William KingChicago Room, 2nd floor2:00 p.m.
Voices for Freedom
Gwen Hilary, Storyteller and Enoch Williamson, MusicianChicago Room, 2nd floor2:45 p.m.
“I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech
Re-enactment by Oba William KingChicago Room, 2nd floor

Chicago History Museum – 312-642-4600

10am–3pm
1601 N Clark St

Spring brings syrup season

Another fun activity I heard about through Free Things to do in Chicago:

Mark your calendars!  Bring the family out to the North Park Village Nature Center on March 26 & 27, 2011 to experience the entire maple syrup making process, from tapping the tree and collecting sap to boiling it down to syrup. Stroll the sugar bush, enjoy storytelling and live music, make a craft, and taste homemade syrup.

Date: March 26 & 27, 2011
Start Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Cost: free
Location : North Park Village Nature Center

5801 N. Pulaski Road
Chicago, 60646
312.744.5472

Come out to these family friendly and nature friendly events. From campfires and hikes, to story-telling and canoe trips, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Brookfield Zoo free days

Brookfield Zoo is a great field trip destination even in the winter months. They also have an abundance of free days in the next couple months. I like to look for warmish days that fall on these free days and enjoy some great outdoor time with my kids. The zoo offers plenty of educational content for a day of learning outside of your home “classroom.”

Even on free days you should plan on paying for parking, but general admission is free on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. You can also enjoy the Children’s Zoo and the Hamill Family Play Zoo every day of the week the rest of January and through February for free. The Family Play Zoo has some great indoor activities especially geared toward younger kids that can be a great way to enjoy the zoo even on a colder day.

Check the forecast and make some plans to enjoy the animals in their winter habitats.

View the press release from the zoo with all the details.

Free museum days this week!

More free field trips! Info from Free things in Chicago . . .

Looking for things to do in Chicago with the kids? Here are some of the museums in Chicago that have free days this week.  Found another? — leave a comment for the community!

The Chicago History Museum is free to the public every Monday, 9:30am-4:30pm.

The Museum of Science and Industry has free general admission (basic entry) to the public on Monday May 3

The Adler Planetarium is free on May 4th with hours being 9:30am – 6pm during the summer; 10:00am – 4:00pm otherwise; Charter One Discount Days at the Adler are made possible by the generous support of the Charter One Foundation.

The National Museum of Mexican Art is free every day but closed on Mondays.

Museum of Contemporary Photography. Free every day and open Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm (Thurs. until 8pm), Sun. 12-5pm. 600 S. Michigan Ave. at Columbia College, Chicago.

The Notebaert Chicago Nature Museum has “Free Days” every Thursday.

The Oriental Institute. Free every day (suggested donation of $7 adults, $4 children). Open Tues.-Sat. 10am-6pm (Wed. until 8:30pm), Sun. 12-6pm, closed Mondays. 1155 East 58th Street at University of Chicago.

The Art Institute of Chicago is free to the public every Thursday evening (May 6) from 5pm-8pm.

The Chicago Children’s Museum is free for everyone – every Thursday evening (may 6 this week) from 5-8pm

The Lincoln Park Zoo is free and open to the public 365 days per year. Generally open 10am-5pm.

Free stuff in Chicago!

Budgets of course limit our opportunities. But, here’s a great site that offers lots of ideas for free stuff that you can do or access.

Check out the Free Things to Do in Chicago for more, but here are a couple highlights from recent posts:

**Upcoming Mini Model Build**:LEGO-chick-free-mini-model-build-chicago

Build a free LEGO Chick: Tuesday, April 6, begins at 5:00pm until supplies last.

Bring your kids to the free monthly LEGO mini-model build at any of the four Chicago area LEGO stores  and take home a free mini-model that your child has constructed! On the first Tuesday of every month, LEGO has this free event and your children can learn how to build a cool mini model, and take it home – for free! A new model will be available every month and will be specially themed to that month – Quantities are limited and offer is good while supplies last only. One free per child. Event is open to children ages 6 to 14 only. See store for more details.

The** Chicago History Museum **is free on Mondays so come out in April 5, April 12, April 19 or April 26 2010 with the kids and family to see this Chicago museum devoted to collecting, interpreting, and presenting the rich multicultural history of Chicago and Illinois. Check out the outstanding “Abraham Lincoln Transformed” exhibit which closes on April 12 after a long run.

**Free Audio Download!** Each month Christianaudio.com gives away a premium audiobook download for free. How does it work? Well, they give away one audiobook download (that they have published or that a partner has allowed them to give away) absolutely free; available only during that month and only once, ever.

During April, ChristianAudio.com  is offering a free audiobook download of “Stuff Christians Like” by Jonathan Acuff. To get the deal, use promo code “APR2010”.

free audiobook download stuff-christians-like

Lots more free stuff to be enjoyed. Check it out!