Children won’t need Dorothy’s magical ruby slippers to do some traveling through time and space at the 12th annual Oz Festival.
They can pretend to be knights in shining armor as they play medieval games, or imagine life as a Native American during the 18th Century in an Indian village or stay in the 20th Century by watching animated films in the Toon Tent.
Children can meet Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow and be players in another kind of fantasy by volunteering to be a character in a play called “The Red Flower.” As members of the Chicago Actor’s Ensemble tell how the whole world is affected when a small red flower is unable to open her petals, children chosen from the audience will act out the story. The child who portrays the flower will wear green gloves adorned with long red petals, the rooster gets to wear a cape covered with feathers and fabrics, and the sun dons a cape of gold.
“The children just explode with creativity when they put on the costumes,” says Hilary Mac Austin, the ensemble’s artistic director. “It’s wonderful to watch their eyes when they realize that what they do affects the audience.”
Children’s Stage, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Oz Festival, Lincoln Park between Cannon Drive and the lagoon, south of Fullerton Avenue and east of Lincoln Park Zoo, $3 adults, $1 children; 312-929-TOTO.
This is the second year that Erica James has selected movies for an African-American summer film series for children at the Du Sable Museum, but the job doesn’t get any easier. “We had a good crop last year but we didn’t want to show the same ones,” she says, “so it gets harder and harder because there just aren’t that many films out there.”
There is an over-abundance of a certain type of film about African-Americans. “The ones with a lot of violence are easy to find,” says James, “but we wanted to show kids situations that aren’t the typical ones you see on the 5 o’clock news.” The films that James has selected include one about the legendary John Henry narrated by Denzel Washington, some about slavery in the U.S. and others filmed abroad. “We want to give kids a fuller view of the black experience,” she says.
Children’s Penny Theater, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 29, Du Sable Museum, 740 East 56th Pl., admission is one penny, reservations required; 312-947-0600 ext. 225.
Children’s imaginations serve them well during the daytime, but when night falls, their flights of fantasy can carry them into scary territory. So an exhibit at the Chicago Children’s Museum called “Night Journeys: An Adventure in the World of Sleep and Dreams” explores the actions and artifacts that various cultures create so that sleep will be a safe haven. In a number of complementary activities scheduled for the month of August, children can explore their nighttime rituals and create some new ones and also explore the meanings of their dreams.
On Fridays during August they can make a dream pillow or a dream catcher or even a map, using geometric symbols, like the ones that Australian aborigines charted so they could remember and interpret their dreams.
“In some cases they provide a form of art therapy,” says Barbara Unikel, the museum’s vice president of education, “because they can open up a dialogue about sleep and scary dreams.”
“Night Journey” activities run throughout the month of August, Chicago Children’s Museum, Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave., $5; 312-527-1000.
Friday
TWILIGHT ADVENTURE: 8 p.m., Sand Ridge Nature Center, 15890 Paxton Ave., South Holland, free; 708-868-0606.
Saturday
CHILDREN’S CORNER PERFORMANCES: 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, noon-3 p.m. Sunday, Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival, Dawes Park, Sheridan Road at Church Street, Evanston, free; 847-866-2910.
CHINESE ART WORKSHOP:”Chinese Bronzes–Patterned Wonders,” 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Kraft Education Center, Art Institute, Michigan Avenue at Adams Street, $7 adults, $3.50 children; 312-443-3600.
Sunday
ANTIQUE AUTO SHOW: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Blackberry Farm-Village, Galena Boulevard and Barnes Road, Aurora, $6.50 adults, $5.50 children; 708-892-1550 (after Saturday, the area code will be 630).
SCIENCE SAMPLER WALK-IN WORKSHOP: Huff & Puff, 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., DuPage Children’s Museum, 1777 S. Blanchard Rd., Wheaton, $1 material fee in addition to $4 general admission; 708-260-9960.
