Seeking Places to Have Nanny Take 12 Month Old in the Winter Months

I would agree with all the suggestions you have received so far (especially the Exploratorium in Skokie). In addition you should definitely check out Fundamentals Playroom at Luther Memorial Church on Wilson just west of Western. It is is perfect for little ones. It is open Wed and Fri mornings from 9:30-11:00 and they usually add an afternoon session from Jan-May. There website is funplayroom.org for more info. It is run by a Occupational Therapist named Misti. Good luck!

We live in Edgewater and have been taken our little one to music classes at the church that it on Elmdale just east of Clark, it is very inexpensive something like $85.00 for about 3 months and they meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, they have a great time and they interact with other kids and the most important it is not a religious class.
Also check out the Ardmory, it is on Broadway & Thorndale it is own by the Chicago Park District and they have all sort of classes I believe registration starts by the end of November.
We also have tried on Wednesday mornings the library on Elmdale & Broadway they have storytelling & music.
Good luck, I know it can be a bit boring for kids at home all day during the winter.

Not in the Edgewater area, but there are several good places throughout the city to take toddlers. Navy Pier Children's Museum, Barnes and Noble does story time (and also has a train set that's fun to play with), as does Flourish Studios, the LP Zoo has an African exhibit that's all indoors and is fun to wander around, Pump It Up in LP, Room 2 Play in the South Loop, and even Ikea is a fun place to play!

Try:

*Chicago Park District Classes.
*Chase Park on Ashland & Leland has a brand new tot room with drop-in play time for just $2 !!! Call them for details.
*Storytime at the libraries, or at Women & Children First bookstore on Clark St.
*Merry Music Makers music classes in Edgewater/Andersonville.
*Gymboree classes are more expensive but are totally worth it during the winter months because of their "open gym" - free open gym like 3 times a week for almost 3 hour sessions. It's a great place to have the option on crummy winter days.
*Ebenezer Church has a playgroup for tots. So do some of the schools, just call around in your area and ask.
*Find a local Mom's group, they usually take turns having play dates at everyone's houses. Check out Northside Parents Network (I think it's npn.com???) to see what's going on in your neighborhood.

Have fun!
M.

My nanny takes my 8 month old daughter to the library 2 to 3 times a week - new books and new cds regularly, the opporutnity to meet other nannies and chilren, early exposure to reading, it's all good!

We have registered for a walkers and crawlers class at the park district 1 day a week (to begin in January). There is an large aquarium supply / fish store a few blocks from our home that provides a great deal of entertainment for them both.

Finally, in my neighborhood, there are a few "nannies' groups" - just like mother's groups, but run and organized by nannies in the area. If there isn't something like this in your neighborhood, perhaps you can help your nanny organize one!

hth,

A.

garfield park conservatory is not very close, but it's free and beautiful. there's also a baby-preschooler play area that's nice.

Definitely check out www.kidwinks.com for ideas. There's an event calendar so you can find things going on a particular date, including story times at libraries, book stores, etc. You can also search in their Ongoing Activities area for Indoor Activities. Become a member, and you can sort your search results in order of distance from your house. It's an awesome site, and they're having some great contests right now to win free tickets to the Barnum & Bailey's Circus and also an iPod.

See if your local public library or park district site has story time and play group sessions. Many are free or very affordable! If your nanny has been a nanny elsewhere, she might have ideas, too. We allowed our former nanny to invite a couple of her nanny friends and their kids to our place for a couple of hours a day so that the kids could socialize and let's face it, socializing makes for a happier nanny, too!

Skokie Exploratorium
Kohl Children's Museum

Check out storytime at Women and CHildren First.
Also-
My daughter's nanny used to take her here -
Parents and Tots Playgroup more...
Ebenezer Lutheran Church
1650 W. Foster Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
###-###-####
Location:
Our church is one block west of the intersection of Ashland Ave. (1600W) and Foster Ave (5200N).
Not religious tho it is in the church - here is what it says on the website:
Do you have a toddler who is too young for pre-school? Or is your toddler with a child care person during the day? Whatever your family situation, our Playgroup provides indoor play opportunities for kids and supportive conversations for adults. This group meets Thursday mornings, 9:30-11:00 , from September through May. No need to pre-register -- just come. A nominal fee of $2 is requested, but come even if finances are too tight. The space is large and the fellowship is great. Most participants are under age 3, but older siblings are welcome to join younger kids with supervision.

I have the same problem! My girl is 28 months now, but winter is really hard in these two neighborhoods. I usually have my nanny take her outside anyway - even last winter when it was so cold and she was younger. We did some dancing inside, try to set up things like races down the hallway. I will be watching this post to see if anyone else has ideas. If the nanny drives - the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum is like THE BEST for the winter time.