The Bronzeville Children’s Museum is growing so much it's relocated to a bigger space. The only children’s museum in the country devoted to African-American history, it has outgrown its former space in a shopping mall in Evergreen Park, re-opening yesterday at its new location at 9301 S. Stony Island Ave. in the far South Side. The new building has nearly ten times the space as the old museum, and room for three times as many......

We snapped this shot yesterday at Chalk Fest 2008, in Oz Park. It was a beautiful day for sidewalk art. The festival of sidewalk art was a fundraiser for Art Therapy Connection, which works with children at risk of failing in a school setting. Through art, they learn to develop a language of expression. Photo by Timothy State.......

Move over Pokemon, with your boring trading cards: this game has exploding balls. Bakugan, the latest Japanese toy craze to hit the U.S., is leaving Chicago kids whining at empty shelves and their parents paying double for the toys on eBay. Bakugan is a collectible strategic card game -but so much more exciting- because since Bakugan means "exploding sphere" in Japanese, this game has gumball-sized balls that explode into creatures when you throw them. Spin......

Just in case your faith in humanity was in a healthy zone, consider the case of Jaylen Brown, a severely disabled 13-year-old who died last week from sepsis. His mother and two nurses have been charged with felony neglect, and a Trib story today outlines just how severe the kid's suffering was. When the boy with cerebral palsy, mental retardation and severe scoliosis was brought to a hospital March 17, he had ulcers on his......

Terri Bollinger, the principal at Ridge Central Elementary School in Chicago Ridge, promised back in October that she would kiss a cow if her students read over 10,000 books by the end of the school year. Naturally, then, her students managed to tally a total of 11,014 books read, and she found herself actually kissing a cow yesterday afternoon. The cow, named Stella, is owned by Bollinger’s cousin. Huh. We have two distinct memories from......

Oh, Charlie Trotter’s. It is so choice. But recently, diners at Trotter’s were not only sophisticated foodies, but the kids from Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, who were enjoying a signature eight-course meal, compliments of the house. Meals like these are part of Trotter’s Excellence Program, in existence now for almost 10 years. On most weeknights, small groups from area high schools, or groups like those from Mercy Home, are ushered by special invitation......

In a blow to the argument that hand guns help keep people safe, three children have been injured by stray bullets this weekend. First, there was 1-year-old Dashaun Turner. He was standing behind her sister while she cooked noodles at the stove in their West Pullman home when a stray bullet blew through the cabinet and struck his hand. Dashaun’s mother told the S-T: "I heard him holler, and, at first, I thought he'd cut......

Sen. Dick Durbin sent out an email appeal today urging people to celebrate "A Plumpynut Holiday." Our senior sentator wants his constituents to spend $20 this holiday season on Plumpynuts, a "sweetened mixture of peanuts, essential vitamins, minerals and milk served in foil pouches [that] has become a high-nutrient, high-energy weapon in fighting malnutrition." Plumpynuts really are a great way to spend $20. Durbin tells us that the nutritional pouches were developed by researchers in......

Sure, you may be hungry like the wolf for the Duran Duran show tonight (get it? Hungry like the wolf? Duran Duran? No? Nothing?), but the big show we're excited about this weekend is taking place at The Metro Saturday night. Hip-hop legends The Wu-Tang Clan hit the stage in support of their new record, The 8 Diagrams, their first record since 2001's Iron Flag and since the 2004 death of ubiquitous member Ol' Dirty......

The City's settlement in the Burge case has stalled again. Again. Really cute profile of a children's television production company based right here. "Well, the shit really hit the fan last night. And it was the CEILING fan. Maybe I should find a new taqueria." Nothing to do with anything, but we just lost 20 minutes going through the entire archive, and we loved every second. Hey, ladies, don't forget to have a bunch......

Tomorrow Liar's Club is hosting the Fourth Annual Toy Drive To benefit the Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Pediatric Playroom. They are hoping to provide toys and supplies to the KidsRehab program at the hospital. The folks at Liar's Club told us, "KidsRehab works with children who have sustained serious injury and need extensive physical, occupational and psychological rehabilitation." They need a whole bunch of stuff for the kids in the program (look after the jump for......

If you've ever wandered past the ever-under-construction mass of steel and concrete at the corner of State & Kinzie, that's the Museum of Broadcast History, the same group that put out the list of Top 125 American Political Broadcast Moments earlier this week. And, being as that lists are made to be pulled apart, dissected, shredded and argued over, who are we to get in the way of such rich tradition? There are some entries......

Golly, when it comes to Christmas presents why the heck would any parent waste hundreds of dollars on a mound of crappy, potentially-toxic plastic toys for their kid? Most of 'em'll end up in next summer's garage sale anyway. There are so many cooler options out there: do some browsing at this weekend's Renegade Craft Fair and you'll be sure to find a few, or go all out and sign up your kid for......

The sidewalks are covered in ice and the temps are sneaking down to the single digits. That's perfect weather for toting a toddler around, right? Here are three (free!) reasons to spend that extra hour bundling your kid up this weekend. Christkindlmarket is a candy-cane striped Bavarian winter village deposited into Daley Plaza. Come to gawk at the expensive, often hand-made gifts, and snack on traditional German fare. The children's lantern parade is today at......

It took a great amount of self-control for us not to post Snoop Dogg's video for his latest single here, since that has made our own personal weekly awesome list for it's pure silliness. However, with Thanksgiving behind us, and every freaking LITE FM station gone a' carolin', we decided to stick with a holiday theme, and the re-telling of a classic children's tale.......

What's the Speed Limit?...

In the mood for a beer and debate about the war tonight? Considering some of our comment threads on politics, we thought so. Globally Occupied Attention (GOAt) presents a discussion titled Could a Draft Cool Talk of the War? at Schubas tonight. The army is running thin on volunteers, even with clever ad campaigns and more recruitment incentives. Is it time for a draft? And if the draft is reinstated and politicians' children are at......

Lots to rock about over the next few days, from Modest Mouse at the Congress, to Bob Pollard at the Metro, to our beloved Hall & Oates at the UIC Pavilion, but DDaN's gonna keep it live and local this week. InchWORM mounts the stage at the Double Door tomorrow night to fire up the cornfield psychedelia and shambling country pop that have garnered them comparisons to Wilco, Sparklehorse, and My Morning Jacket. Their most......

Last night's 10 o'clock news on Channel 7 led off with the news that former anchor and award-winning journalist John Drury died after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). Mr. Drury was 80 years old. The Peoria native was an institution on local airwaves for forty years. His resume included a stint at Channel 2 and two tours of duty at Channel 9, but it was Mr. Drury's time at......

Dealing with the death of a pet is never easy, but it can be especially crushing for children, since it's probably their first experience with death. When Naperville freelance writer Melissa Wells' beagle died at age 13 from cancer, she found there were no words for her to console her young sons. As part of her own healing process, Wells decided to write her story down to help her family, and others. The result is......

With the new damp chill in the air, we’ve found ourselves craving a cup of hot tea. With a baby on our hip, however, we’ve been less excited about something dressy at the Drake and more nostalgic for sweats in Grandma’s kitchen. Enter Suzi’s Tea and Cafe. This former Lakeview resident is back after a few years’ hiatus in Long Grove. Occupying the former location of Las Tablas on Lincoln, the owners have remade this......

The "nation's report card" for public schools came out yesterday, and Chicago ranks behind other urban areas on reading and math for 4th and 8th graders. about 16 percent of the 2,400 4th graders who took the reading exam showed proficiency, compared with an average of 22 percent in cities as a whole. In math, 16 percent of Chicago pupils were proficient, compared with an average of 28 percent in other cities. About 17......

In an interview in today's Sun-Times the Reverend Donald McGuire, who was convicted of molesting two boys at Loyola Academy in the 1960s and now faces federal charges of traveling overseas with a minor to engage in sexual conduct, said that he's appealing an expulsion decree levied by Chicago Jesuits to the Vatican and that, regardless of Rome's final say, he will "always be a priest." This despite criticism from numerous people, including a nephew......

Who gives last rites to the priest? Who installs a new crown in the dentist's mouth? Who buries the gravedigger? Or, more importantly, who gives the eulogy when a funeral home dies? If you're the family that has held sway over Griffin Funeral Home for 60 years, you give it yourself. The historic, African-American-owned parlor at 32nd and King Drive is closing its doors come New Year's Eve. Griffin has played host to such final......

The note says "To Inspector of Buildings: Meet me next door at the restaurant. Harry Sometimes the coziness of local politics can be infuriating, like when Children's Memorial Hospital is represented by the law firm "Daley & George, whose partners once included Mayor Daley and still include the mayor's brother, Michael." Gah, that's no good. Or that a Blagojevich donor and associate was apparently able to buy a vacant Aurora hospital on the DL,......

Things were jumping at the Will County Court House. Lisa Stebic's children testified in front of a grand jury yesterday about their mother's disappearance six months ago. Craig Stebic, Lisa's estranged husband and person of interest in the case, hasn't allowed the police to interview his kids, even though they're two of the last people to see her. Lisa's family says they wanted the kids to be interviewed at a child advocacy center instead,......

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.......

Everyone knows puberty is the #1 most awkward and mortifying stage of growing up, but what if it hit you before you were even 8 years old? According to today's Sun Times, kids as young as 4 are experiencing early-onset puberty. Precocious puberty, which is not as fun as it sounds, is more common than you'd think. According to the Oak Park-based Magic Foundation, between 1 in 5,000 and 1 in 10,000 kids become gangly......

Where Do Cows Go to Retire?...

Everyone expects to be shuffled through several waiting rooms without any pants on during a regular doctor visit, but it can be very frustrating to wait when you have to go to the emergency room. Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in the western suburb of Glendale Heights has embraced the idea that time is crucial in emergency situations, spending $7 million on an emergency room with no waiting rooms. Emergency room patients now skip the waiting room......