Reading for girls

I have a four year old daughter, as well as two young sons, and they all love books and being read to. I love children's books, but I wish it were not so hard to find good children's books with strong female characters. When I do find such books, of course I read them to all my children!

This is, of course, part of a larger problem whereby the palette of my daughter's wardrobe tends to be limited to the pink-to-purple spectrum, my son is told by his preschool teacher that boys don't do ballet, and Disney princesses adorn the walls of the girls' restroom in the Family Resource Center (Thomas the Tank Engine for boys - how original).

I don't mind reading the occasional story about princesses, but it should not need to be said that interesting fictional characters do not *need* to be princesses. Disney still thinks they do, though - the original Rapunzel, unlike the lead in Tangled, is not a princess, but the daughter of a poor woman whose husband climbs over the wall to get her the herb (rapunzel) she craves in pregnancy. The original main characters in Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen (recently transmogrified into Disney's Frozen), are two perfectly ordinary little children, Kai and Gerda, who live in attics.

If you have thought about this, please join me in putting together a list that celebrate - rather than limit and stunt - the potential of girls.

The books in my list are not all feminist books, and they are not all empowering in the same way, but they are all quality children's books that allow scope for the imagination and tell a good story. Some gently debunk the Princess myth (the Princess and the Pig), while others celebrate girls behaving in non-gender stereotypical ways, overcoming adversity, pursuing their dreams and so on. Good stuff!

So here are some of my favourite picture books for girls - what are yours?

1. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, by Kathleen Krull and David Diaz
2. Brave Irene, by William Steig
3. Sheila Rae the Brave, by Kevin Henkes
4. The Princess and the Pig, by Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene
5. Alice through the Looking Glass
6. Vassilissa the Beautiful
7. Me... Jane, by Patrick McDonnell
8. Ladybug Girl
9. A Baby Sister for Frances (and other Frances books)
10. The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate, by Margaret Mahy

In researching this list, I came across other lists with a similar intent, though quite different choices - see for example Picture Books with Strong Girl Characters and the great list of over a hundred read aloud books Top Read Aloud Books Starring Mighty Girls.

For older children, although some are quite dated (not a problem for me, a history student!), I still proudly stand by many of the books that I cherished, read and re-read while growing up, such as
Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfield
Anne of Green Gables (and sequels), by L.M.Montgomery
Flambards, by K.M.Peyton
Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
Emily of New Moon, by L.M.Montgomery
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (and other Wolves Chronicles), by Joan Aiken
What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge

In fact, apparently, for an older demographic, good books for boys become more of a problem - this is uncharted territory as yet for me, but I'd be curious to hear from any parents who have older boys whom they have difficulty finding good books for.

Thanks to my son, I have discovered some great chapter books with strong female leads, including:
- The Penderwicks
- Igraine the Brave, by Cornelia Funke

 

GSA Student Parent Profile!

Grad Student Affairs has profiled Johnae Strong, a fellow-student parent who had her child while an undergrad here and came back for grad school! Check it out here.

UChicago Lactation Space, Continued

The Maroon story on lactation space has been picked up by Inside Higher Ed. Read and consider!

Lactation stations?

The Maroon has an article on the lactation stations on campus available to graduate student parents - or rather, the absence thereof. Read it here

Welcome, New Student Parents!

           I brought my infant daughter to Grad Orientation the year I entered my program. After the colleagues I met stopped assuming I was someone’s wife and discovered I was the student, they almost always said the same thing. “Being a parent while in grad school - that must be sooooo hard!”
            Sound familiar?
            If it does, trust me: don’t listen to them. As I walked around Orientation, picking up free stuff and coupons I threw out six months later, I had a growing sense of dread. I imagined myself in tears at 3 AM, frantically trying to finish an important research paper in a class I was failing, trying to get the baby back to sleep, and falling asleep myself. I imagined making a fool of myself in class discussion after losing my analytical skills to “mommy brain.” I remembered the horror stories about professors writing off their female students because they were mothers. If not for the one older student who quietly said, “Don’t listen to them,” I probably would have panicked.
            Notice I say, “don’t listen to them,” not “they were wrong.” Sometimes, grad student parenting is really hard. A lot of the things I’d imagined did happen. There were tears and late nights. There were occasional instances of benevolent bias. There was the quarterly, weekly, daily headache of finding someone in my cast of friends, family, and colleagues who could watch my daughter for the few hours daily I had to be apart from her, and of finding last-minute childcare when the schedule changed unexpectedly. And sometimes, I definitely spaced out in long seminars, worrying about whether my 6-month-old could survive so long without me. Yep, my colleagues were right. It’s hard being a parent at an institution that assumes its students are sexless and child-free.
            What I didn’t anticipate was all the ways grad student parenting would be easier than if I were "just" a student. I didn’t anticipate how having a child here would make me feel like more of a Chicagoan than ever, even after six years of living in the city. I didn’t realize that my daughter was a built-in outlet to get my mind off my studies, and a great excuse to get out of the UChicago bubble. My daughter was a great incentive to eat healthy and to stay well-rested – it’s one thing to slack on a term paper, and quite another to snap at my toddler. And all those things I feared? They didn’t turn out to be as bad as I expected. For every challenge, with time there came a strategy for handling it.
            After a full day of hearing about how hard my life would be, I finally came up with a response to my fellow-students. I realized they too had yet to experience grad student life, let alone life as a parent. And how could I respond when I’d never been a grad student either? When people accosted me about the challenges of my future life, I started to answer, “I don’t know yet; I haven’t tried.”
            Happy trying, everyone. And welcome to UChicago!

FREE performance of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors in Nichols Park this Sunday

Spectralia Theatre is giving a FREE ("donations accepted") all-ages/family friendly performance of William Shakespeare's  "Comedy of Errors" at 5pm on Sunday 7 July. 

The flier says "Swordfights and slapstick comedy abounds in this classic". See more here

Free Summer Fun for Families

Here's a quick line up of the regularly scheduled or always available family activities in Chicago. As I don't drive, most of these are easily accessible on foot or by public transit. All these activities are free, because that's how we roll. Do email me with your suggestions or additions!

Close by

Beginning with the obvious, among our greatest pleasures are a walk or bike to the Point and along the Lakefront, and to explore Jackson Park, including Bobolink Meadow and the Osaka Japanese Garden.

There's a series of outdoor movie screenings called "Midweek on the Midway", which begin at dusk (around 8pm) on the Midway Plaisance (by the ice rink). They will be showing Madagascar 3 (07/03), Wreck-it Ralph, Oz the Great & Powerful, and so on - check the events calendar for full details.

We love to cool off by splashing around in the Law School Reflecting Pool, a zero depth pool we think of as our local Crown Fountain (which is itself something of a Holy Grail to my kids - they can't go often enough). No need for bathing suits, but you might want to pack a change of clothes for the way home, as little ones will get very wet here. The Law School is on the south side of the Midway, at 1111 E 60th St.

For a real swim, head to the Washington Park Pool, which features a zero depth pool and sprinklers for little ones, as well as a great water slide for older children. The changing rooms are not great or very clean, but it is possible to bypass them by wearing your bathing suits under your clothes, and keeping your belongings with you in a bag by the poolside (leave your valuables at home).The pool offers Family Swim time, as well as Female Only and Male Only swim times. The latter are strictly enforced - as a woman, don't bother trying to bring even a very young son with you, as he won't be admitted (unless he is in disguise? I once brought my girl/boy twins to female swim time by dressing them both in girls' bathing suits...).  It's worth calling ahead to double check the schedule, as it can change suddenly. With a little forward planning though, the Washington Park Pool can be a great place to spend a hot summer morning or early evening, and I encourage you all to give it a try!

Further afield

Millenium Park has a lot going on to attract children of all ages. Wiggleworms performs daily at 10am in the Family Fun Tent at Chase Promenade North, which also hosts other fun activities for kids, such as crafts and story time. More information on the Family Fun events here

Grant Park hosts the annual Summer Dance festival. Not all events may be equally suitable for young children, as some dance styles and traditions are clearly more accessible to/ more tolerant of youthful exuberance, but we have enjoyed all those we have attended. We are looking forward to Indian Dance Music on next Friday (07/05, see the calendar)!

Lincolnwood is about a half hour's drive from Hyde Park, and the Lincolnwood park is hosting a series of free summer concerts every Thursday evening, combined with a different family activity each time.

Of course, the Art Institute and Museum of Contemporary Art, both free to UChicago students, are great places to escape the heat and quite well suited to entertaining even young children, at least for an hour or so - they both have regularly scheduled activities for children.

There are a myriad neighborhood festivals across Chicago all summer - here is a handy roundup of what's happening when & where. Several have special events for children, such as the Square Roots festival in Lincoln Park, which has family fun events scheduled for July 13 and 14, including African Drumming, yoga, story time and a Gamelan workshop.

It may be too late for families with young children (which is why we have not gone yet), but I am hoping this year to find a time to go and watch the weekly firework display on Navy Pier - every Wednesday at 9:30pm or Saturdays at 10:15pm.


What would you add to this list?

Make Music Chicago! Friday 21 June

You're invited to celebrate the first day of summer by making music, or listening to music - there will be music of all sorts being played all day all over the city this coming Friday.

For kids, there will be live music at the Lincoln Park Zoo Farm (2001 N. Clark St):

Quintet Attacca & Mark George – Peter and the Wolf 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
SuZOOki kids play-along 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

 

You can find the full, city-wide program here at Make Music Chicago, but there is a surprising amount of musical happenings right in Hyde Park - including a full day's programming specially for children at Joan's studio on 57th st.

Joan’s Music Studio 1438 E. 57th St., Chicago Holliday/ Wickman Voice Studio 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Greenwood Trio 12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Tarima Son 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Chicago Waldorf School Summer Camp sing-along 1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Zeus Preckwinkle & Friends 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Chicago Didjeridu Chorus 3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Sid Yiddish and his Improv Orchestra 4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Toki Takeushi and Students 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Also within walking distance, there will be concerts in Nichols Park:

Nichols Park 1355 E. 53rd St., Chicago 89Minds 1:00 p.m.
Dr. Cuz’s Drums 2:00 p.m.
Providence St. Mel 3:30 p.m.
Kenny and the Swordfish 4:30 p.m.
Friends of the Forest Preserve 5:30 p.m.
Sun Ensemble 6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

... and hosted by Experimental Station (6100 S. Blackstone Avenue):

4pm—Friends of the Forest Preserve (rock)
5-6:30pm—Open mic
6:30pm—Ruoyu Xu (Chinese folk songs and Taize hymns)
7pm—Hyde Park Shapenote Singers
7:40-8pm—Skinny Vinny (guitar & vocal)

There will also be a lot of music going on at International House, and at the Logan Center (contemporary / classical).

Hope to see some of you at Joan's Music Studio!

Babies on the Quad: Navigating Campus with an Infant

Sometime in April or May, I found myself on the main quad with my hungry baby daughter. I automatically started running through my mental directory of campus buildings. First I should nurse her, but then she'll need a diaper change—and where do I want to eat my lunch? I was halfway across the quad before I realized that I didn't need to go inside at all—it was one of the first really warm and sunny days of the season, and there were babies and kids everywhere. (Finding a bench was another story!)

Seven months earlier, I was in a very different situation. I had a newborn, a class to take and seminars to attend, and a student husband with his own tight schedule on campus. The Family Resource Center, while wonderfully equipped for kids, was too far away to be a daily resource for us. Through much trial and error, I established a set of favorite places to regroup with my daughter, to tend to her needs and my own, and to hand her off to other caregivers.

last minute - free circus performance TONIGHT

Le Vorris & Vox, the University Circus RSO, is performing Fire Spinning this evening at Logan, for FREE.

Come watch members the circus' fire crew perform under the night sky, sending flames spinning and spiraling about them in elegant dances.

The Elephant and the Whale

The Elephant and the Whale, a co-production of the Chicago Children's Theatre and Redmoon, is on tour round the city this month, and these performances are FREE!
My then 6 year old loved the show when he saw it earlier this year, and judges it suitable for children of all ages (not too scary or long, very engaging).

There will be performances at 10am, 1pm and 3pm in the following days and venues:

Sunday, June 16, National Museum of Mexican Art

Saturday, June 22, Broadway Armory

Sunday, June 30, South Shore Cultural Center

For more information, see here


And there's a teaser on youtube 

WELCOME

Welcome to the shared blog for student parents at the University of Chicago, hosted by our RSO (registered student organisation), called SPO (yes, the Student Parents Organisation!). Here we hope you will find useful resources, links, and commentary on what the University is doing for student parents, what it could be doing, and what our Hyde Park neighborhood has to offer student parents.

Please do get in touch in you would like to ask a question, join our group, make a suggestion or post to this blog - we welcome guest contributors!

Contact:
Flora Roberts, PhD Candidate in History: florajroberts at uchicago dot edu

Playgrounds and outdoor fun

Which are your favorite playgrounds in Hyde Park? Leave us a comment and let us know why.

Here are mine:

• Bixler Playlot. We love it because we almost always see someone we know there. It's enclosed, so there's (almost) no danger of my little ones running into the road. There's a sprinkler/ splash pool in the summer, and a nice sand box animated by a revolving cast of donated/discarded toys. It's just opposite Medici, where the staff are kind enough to let kids use the toilets. And did you know? Ray Bixler was the principal of Ray Elementary in the 1940s, and he had a Masters from the University of Chicago.
• Washington Park is so beautiful, it's not to be missed. The landscaping is fantastic, with a necklace of ponds traversed by bridges and little parthways, thronged with waterfowl and butterflies in season. There is a waterfall with stepping stones downstream that any child would love. There is an outdoor swimming pool open between June and September (approx. Memorial Day to Labor Day, but exact dates vary), which is free. There are family swim times, and women only swim times. The park house offers high quality, very affordable dance classes (ballet, tap, hip hop) and other athletic activities offered through the Chicago Park District.
• Midway Plaisance: great for soccer and other ball games - I appreciate the fact that the steep slopes in the central section keep small children somewhat contained (or at least easy to keep an eye on). It has an ice-rink in winter, which is free if you have your own skates. Both AYSO and South Side Fire run their soccer programs on the Midway. 

offspring of student parent picking flowers in Washington Park

To be reviewed soon:

• Harold Washington Park
• Law School Reflecting Pool
• Butternut
• Nichols Park
• Jackson Park
• Florence Stout Park
• Botany Pond and the Main Quad

Free stuff to do with kids in & near Hyde Park - indoors

• Family Resource Center (only free to UChicago student families)
• 57th Street Books  has a nice selection of children's books and is very friendly to browsers, with kid sized chairs and rugs to sit on. They have a free story time (aimed at preschoolers) every Wednesday at 10:30am. They also have occasional story times and author events on weekends, advertised on their website. 
• The SMART Museum of Art offers not only a pleasant space for little ones to stretch their limbs in winter, and for older ones to explore some great art, but it also has a nice cafe (with pastries from Medici) and special activities for children. Along with their drop-in family programs available anytime, the Smart also hosts free family activities on the first Saturday of every month. For more information on upcoming family activity days, see here
• Oriental Institute Museum: Elementary school children love visiting Tutankhamen and the colossal stone Lamassu, but even younger preschoolers and toddlers will find some of the exhibits engaging, though possibly less so than the interactive computer games aimed at children (sigh!). The labeling and informational posters in the museum are excellent, guided tours are available, and the museum hosts family programs and special events quite regularly - check here for upcoming programs 
• FREE days at the Museum of Science and Industry are always very crowded, but if you can cope with the crush, your little ones are sure to enjoy themselves here. Also, this museum is eyewateringly expensive at other times, so... Note that most free days happen in January and September, but that there is at least one every month except July and August: see here
• The Logan Center is the new space for the Arts at the University of Chicago, and occasionally puts on free programs for families, alongside their excellent but pricey theater and circus classes for children. Many free events, some of which will be suitable for children, are listed on their events page.

Please get in touch if you know of something we should add to this list!