Mother’s Day is a much celebrated holiday while Father’s Day seems to come as an afterthought. Staff members at the Chicago Children’s Museum have been thinking about it though, and have come up with a gift idea that will bring some brightness into monotone male wardrobes. Children should dress for some messy fun because they will be creating tie-dyed socks for their dads in the museum’s Artabounds Studio. Museumgoers can use recycled materials and ink stamps to create personalized Father’s Day cards.
FATHER’S DAY SOCKS, every hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Father’s Day Cards, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday, Chicago Children’s Museum, Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. $5. 312-527-1000.
Arthur fans will find lots of books about the adventures of their favorite anteater at the Brandeis Used Book Sale. And there’s more good news too: Most of them will cost no more than $1. The sale will also feature some pop-up books that haven’t been tattered and torn from over-use, as well as good stories and great illustrations to be found in the “I Can Read Books.” Scarier fare is there for older kids who are looking for books in the Goosebumps series, and much more. A small investment at the Book Fair is paid back in hours-worth of literary journeys.
Brandeis Used Book Sale, June 22, Old Orchard Shopping Center, Old Orchard Road and Skokie Boulevard, Skokie. Free except for $5 on opening night. All books 50 cents, June 21-22. 847-724-9715.
Families will be able to find out how farm animals affect our lives during “A Day on the Farm” at Cosley Animal Farm in Wheaton. They will be able to watch sheep being sheared, feel the wool and even the shorn sheep. Wool will be spun into yarn and butter made by shaking up cream in a baby food jar.
Folks can make their own farm animal puppet out of a paper bag, meet a veterinarian, talk with a rabbit breeder and a beekeeper. They can also watch a variety of demonstrations, but the cow who somehow learned to turn on the water and flood the barn recently is not expected to demonstrate her new-found skill.
“A Day on the Farm,” 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Cosley Animal Farm, 1356 Gary Ave., Wheaton. Free admission with nominal fee for pony rides, photo booth and face painting. 630-665-5534.
Little League isn’t the only game in town. Kids can now attend White Sox Training Centers to learn secrets of the skills of throwing, hitting and even running. The one-week camps are held throughout the summer in over 125 Chicago area communities.
More Top Picks Why Sunglasses Indoors Make Light Sensitivity Worse
They will hold Sports Channel Skills Competitions and winners will participate in “Champions Days” in mid-August at Comiskey Park. Kids can also attend free FUNdamentals(cq) clinics at Comiskey Park which begin 90 minutes prior to games and the same amount of time after the White Sox begin their game.
White Sox Training Centers camps, one-week sessions through August 15, for boys and girls ages 7-14. $159. 630-752-9225
To take the children or not to take the children? Mimes Gregg Goldston and C. Nicholas Johnson have broken their silence to say their production called “The Invisible People” is not for the very young, but can be enjoyed by children older than 8 years old.
Among other numbers, Goldston will perform a piece about a man whose hat takes control of him and one revealing the nightmares of a Vietnam veteran. Johnson will present an ensemble piece that illustrates the competitive side of human behavior throughout the ages.
“The Invisible People,” 8 p.m. Saturday and June 20, Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport. $15 adults, $5 children over 8. 773-935-6860.