Our cover shoot for the second issue of Time Out Chicago Kids was full of energy and didn’t lack on cuteness.  With three girls, ages 6 and under, running around photographer Audrey Woulard’s studio, the laughter became contagious. Pretty soon, classmates Alyssa and Amisha were playing tug-of-war with ribbons. Contessa only sat down long enough to slurp her hot cocoa. They danced, they jumped and they giggled. Woulard, a local photographer specializing in children’s portraits was the instigator of most of the shenanigans.

The girls were most excited about the new clothes they wore for the shoot. The parents were big fans of the edgy outfits that stylist Courtney Rust provided from Psycho Baby (1630 N Damen Ave), but the kids were more crazy about the super comfy pajamas, also from Psycho Baby.

Saturday 7

More than 2,000 kids are expected to join the one-mile Fall Fun Run in Washington Park (5700 S Russell Dr), where there will also be Nike giveaways and pre-run warm-ups with former Olympians Connie Moore and William Scherr. 10am–noon, FREE.

Old Town School of Folk Music Wiggleworms instructor Lisa Derosia plays a family show at pop-up shop Kooky (3447 N Southport Ave). (Stream some of her awesome grown-up tunes with her country roots band Lush Budgett here). 2pm, FREE.

The Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N State St) brings back last year’s popular program devoted to master Muppeteer Jim Henson with Muppets, Music & Magic: Jim Henson’s Legacy. The month-long program screening movies, commercials and shorts kicks off today with a 90-minute screening of rare clips hosted by Craig Shemin, vice president of the Jim Henson Legacy organization. 8pm, $5-$10.

Sunday 8

The Chicago Humanities Festival is hosting two great family events in conjunction with the grown-up Laughter! fest: Trickster!, spotlighting the mischievous characters in classic folklore, including West Africa’s Anansi the Spider and King Ravana from the Hindu story Ramayana. (Thorne Auditorium, 375 E Chicago Ave) Noon-1pm.  Insect Antics: A Louse-y Sense of Humor explores science and comic aspects of bugs with entomology expert May Berenbaum and writer Amy Leach. Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S State St, 1:30–2:30pm. Each event is $10, $5 in advance at 312-494-9509 or the CHF web site.

Last night around 6pm, I received a text tip from a friend saying that Truman College still had an armful of H1N1 vaccines, and there was no wait. (Chicago set up six free clinics at city colleges last week to administer the supply of two million doses it expects to receive from the federal government.) My son and I (who both have chronic asthma) happened to be just a few minutes away. I called my husband and daughter, and in 10 minutes time we all met our lovely friend. He himself had waited about two hours to get his dose, but patiently walked us through the various stations of paperwork and privacy-statement signing. Within half an hour, we received out doses (the options were shots or spray) and were back out the door. The nurses who treated us said that since the clinics opened last week they have gotten the process down. It showed: the staff inside the makeshift clinics were smiley and helpful  (the help desk staff inside the college, not so helpful, according to my friend, who told me they seemed unfazed by their lack of where-to-go, what-to-do information). My kids got lollipops, speedy treatment and kind words as they winced through the vaccines. So nice to see city services working smoothly and for us, not against us.

Your dancing days shouldn’t be a thing of the past just because you’ve got rugrats. Why not bring them along and show them how to bust a move or two? Baby Loves Disco, a monthly, afternoon dance party for ages 6 months to 7 years, has a live DJ, snacks, a juice bar and other kid-friendly add-ons that perhaps the late-night clubs ought to consider (face painting, temporary tattoos and a “chill-out” zone where everyone can take a break and get in some quiet time).

Sounds fun, right? Even more fun: You can win one of two family admission four-packs, a $120 value, to the next Baby Loves Disco event at Metro on November 22. Sign up for the weekly Time Out Chicago Kids online newsletter to be eligible. We’ll pick winners on November 16, so start getting your groove on now.

It can be a long day for parents when Halloween falls on a weekend, when there’s no school to distract your kids and they’re up and itching to start trick-or-treating by 7am. Following, some things to keep them busy until late afternoon or so when your neighborhood’s festivities get under way.

Get an early start on the scary stuff by attending the Shedd Aquarium’s Spooky Seas overnight. Come in costume tonight to get a close up view of some of the creepier aquatic residents and participate in Halloween-themed games and crafts. There’s also a live DJ and inner before  you have the option of retiring with sleeping bags inside the aquarium for the night. Breakfast will be served in the morning, so the kids can get some real food in before all the candy. For ages 5 and up. Evening-only event is $25; overnight is $60. Register by calling 312-692-3206.

Kids will get free nutrition placemats and water bottles at the kick-off Saturday for Chicago Marathon Kids, a six-month running/walking, nutrition and gardening program aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle. Hanson Stadium, 5100 W Fullerton Ave 9am. FREE!

Theater troupe Barrel of Monkeys will keep everyone entertained at the Chicago Cultural Center’s annual Halloween event. Hallowed Halls: On Stage! kicks off Saturday at 10am with mask and costume making, followed by playwriting and acting workshops and performances by BOM. Don’t forget your costumes! 78 E Washington St, 312-744-6630, 10am-1:30pm. FREE!

Head to Lincoln Park Saturday for the Clark Street Spooktacular from 1- 4pm. After kids register at “Halloween Headquarters” (2338 N Clark St) they can do some early trick-or-treating on Clark Street between Armitage Ave and Diversey Pkwy, and on Diversey from Orchard St to Lakeview Ave, plus join in free games and crafts. Also planned: a scraecrow display, a Hoyle Brothers concert at 1pm and a costume contest at 3:30pm. Free.

Sure, getting the sugar shakes while hopped up on Snickers bars is core to having a righteous Halloween but this week’s Freebie offers kids a different kind of thrill. The Garfield Park Conservatory hosts its Halloween-themed Creatures of the Night nocturnal animal meet-and-greet October 31 from noon to 3pm. A handler will show kids different tricks animals such as fruit bats, owls and spiders use to get around at night. Sugar-free hands-on activities involving spider plant planting, nectar cups and wormy apples are also in the bag. 300 N Central Park Ave, 312-746-5100, garfield-conservatory.org.

One reader wanted to know which of the venues mentioned in our “Haunted Houses and Halloween Happenings” would be suitable for mature 10-year-olds, so we sorted out the Haunted Houses geared toward kids and added a lengthier list of scare-free happenings.

The Chicago Park District hosts Halloween events throughout the city. Contact individual parks or go to chicagoparkdistrict.com for more information.

Columbus Park, 500 S Central Ave, (773-287-7641). October 28–30, 7–9pm. $3. Masked volunteers and staffers jump out to spook strollers on the haunted trail. Although the West Side neighborhood tradition is geared to children ages 6–12, a fictional hell-raiser like Freddy Kruger may be more than a hair-raiser for smaller children.

Archer Park, 4901 S Kilbourn Ave, (773-284-7029). October 29–31, 6–9pm. $5. Local teens use simple tools, like flashlights, music and foggers to create mildly, creepy scenes.  Unlike some superfreak shows for mature audiences, touching is prohibited. Candy treats will be handed out to ease the shivers. Park administrators advise Mummies (wah wah) to keep the 5 and under crowd at home.

Peterson Park, 5801 N Pulaski Rd, (312-742-7584). October 23–31, 6:30pm–9:30pm. $10 kids 13 and older, $8 kids 12 and under. Designed to give you goose bumps instead of nightmares, Trails of Terror is the aftermath of a storm-ravaged, seaside town.  Enter with caution to uncover the crew’s ghosts, an eerie abandoned store and other crazed mortals. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

SCARE-FREE HAPPENINGS
Parents are you still afraid that these happenings will leave you to do some ghost-busting (checking in closets and under beds for monsters) of your own? Then read on for other fright-free family options.
Read more »

Second City fans of a certain vintage may recall the ballyhoo during every mainstage performance about other shows at the theater, including the long-gone weekend children’s show, which was promoted, to general laughter among adult audiences, as “Sunday, Sunday, the little bastards’ fun day.” Well, those fun days are about to come back, you lucky little bastards:

Second City is set to debut the kids’ show Hogwash in the de Maat Theater on the third floor of Pipers Alley Nov. 8. Tickets will be $10 a pop (and a mom and a kid). The new 50-seat theater is named after late instructor Martin de Maat. (Disclosure: I took classes from Martin at Players Workshop of the Second City in the ’80s and also performed in one of the Second City kids’ shows back in the day.)

Hogwash is an improv show for kids that’s been around a while–in fact, we profiled it in the very first issue of TOC. But Kerry Sheehan, president of Second City Training Centers & Education Programs, told me recently, “We’re going to do our own Second City productions” in the space as well. I spoke with Sheehan for a story in the next issue of Time Out Chicago Kids, which will be out next month, so watch for our roundup of improv classes for little bastards boys and girls.

Three days after attending the opening of Chicago Children’s Theatre’s The Hundred Dresses, the company’s original musical adaptation of Eleanor Estes’ classic kids book, I’m still humming its songs in the back of my head. That’s saying something given all the background noise in my life provided by two kids who take piano and violin lessons, and the fact that many children’s musicals fall flat of entertaining anyone over the age of 9.

I loved this production as much as my kids did. I loved the energy of the top-notch cast and the excitement of little kids taking in a matinee at a big-deal theater like the Royal George. I loved that it balanced silliness with a topic as sensitive as bullying. Most of all, I loved the universality and simple joy of Ralph Covert’s songs. The guy knows a thing or two about catchy tunes, and he seems to be at the top of his game when he’s working on original theater with writing partner G. Riley Mills, with whom he also wrote A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas for Emerald City Theatre.

All that said, I’m a sucker for a musical. If you are, too, or if you want to give your kids a great introduction to the magic of theater, take ‘em. Read more about The Hundred Dresses in this week’s Kids section.

It doesn’t get much cuter than seeing your wee one dressed up as Yoda or the Pillsbury Dough Boy, does it? Why not share the memories with us? Time Out Chicago Kids wants to see pictures of your little ghosts and goblins, Doras and Diegos, Spidermen and High School Musical heartthrobs. The sillier (like Elvis and Priscilla here) or the spookier, the better. Email us pics of your kids in their Halloween costumes and we’ll post our faves in an upcoming slide show.