Fall family fun is in full swing here in Oak Park! Explore free activities—curated by your public library and the Collaboration for Early Childhood—specially designed for families with young children. The season is just packed!
Activities
- New year, new transitions: Caregivers, find books and videos to help smooth the way for new routines and schedules.
- Get ready for fall with new and fun Early Bird Learning videos! Also, check out our new section for caregivers to learn about early learning. Right now, explore using nature to build literacy and science skills and find tips on setting up reading times for success.
- Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) with your little ones through diverse books, engaging events, and fun videos!
- Two fall essentials for families with new babies are a Baby Bundle and a library card!
- Learn about social-emotional learning with Miss Shelley and Mister Rogers.
- Then bring your preschooler to Be Our Neighbor at the Oak Park Public Library to share episodes, discussions, and activities together
- Some kids love to be scared and others don’t. How can you support both? Share scary and not-so-scary stories »
- Every month is a good month to share stories from Native authors!
- Does your child have a disability or a new disabled classmate? Disabilities are a normal, neutral part of life, and this video shares one way and one book to start a conversation. You can learn how to find disability-affirming books in this video and resources for children with disabilities on the Collaboration for Early Childhood’s website.
- Join us for monthly Supported Developmental Playgroups at the Oak Park Public Library, co-facilitated by a local therapist and librarian, for children who receive or are considering therapy services. In partnership with CITY of Support.
- Need to get rid of or find a new costume? Drop off old costumes all through October and come back for the Children’s Halloween Costume Swap!
- Stop by any library branch from October 22 through November 5 to vote with your pennies for Pete the Cat or Bluey. The winning candidate will be “inaugurated” at noon on New Year’s Eve with a dance party for all!
- Bring babies to the ballot box this November: Find resources for families to talk about elections with young children.
- Tell a friend to subscribe to the Early Bird Learner Letter.
Storytimes
- Storytimes in the Park continue through October 10!
- Haunted Trails Tales in the Dark is filled with light fright fun stories. Come early and make Creepy Crawly Jars at our new intergenerational craft series, which will light the night beautifully! The fun gets started at 5 pm on October 21, with the stories at 6 pm.
- Supported Storytimes Social Hour continue every Thursday at 6:30. We start with a storytime and finish with open play for families to socialize.
- Bilingual Spanish Storytimes are available at the Oak Park Conservatory on the first Wednesday of each month.
- And English Language Storytimes are at the conservatory the remaining Wednesdays each month.
Places
- Harvest herbs at the Community Sensory Garden! Disabled kids and adults have been tending the garden all summer, and it’s flourishing.
- Visit the Oak Park Conservatory for monthly Toddler Exploration Times.
- Drop in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for fun and free nature activities at Austin Gardens.
- There’s always open play Friday mornings at the Main Library, rotating trains, blocks, Legos, and Barbie and Ken.
- Brookfield Zoo hosts fun events like Boo! At the Zoo. Check if a zoo pass to admit two is available through Museum Adventure Pass with your Oak Park library card.
Events
- September 22: Fall Fest at Rehm Park and the Conservatory is fun for the whole family with carnival rides, music, games, and food vendors. Plus, stop by and see the bats at the conservatory!
- September 25: Parent/Caregiver workshop on supporting children through transitions
- September 28: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at ¡Viva! Festival! at Village Hall, with food and fun activities.
- September 29: Parent/Caregiver 2-part workshop on meeting children’s social-emotional and regulatory needs
- October 5: Stop by South Town Oak Park’s Fall Fest to say “hi” to the Collaboration for Early Childhood and the library’s Book Bike! The fest will have free, family-friendly activities, a fire truck to explore, an artisan pumpkin sale, and more.
- October 5: Parent/Caregiver Workshop Series begins!
- October 7: Autumn Adventures in AAC will have games, activities, and stories where kids can have fun using their AAC devices and caregivers can chat with local speech therapists.
- October 19: Come experience some of the challenges and frustrations faced by people with dyslexia in this simulation workshop with multiple stations and activities, run by Everybody Reads Illinois.
- October 25-November 4: Check out the library’s Día de Muertos ofrenda.
- October 26: Celebrate fall with a Costume Parade followed by the Early Childhood Resource Fair at Scoville Park and the Main Library.
- November 16: Toddlin’ Around Town and Santa Saturday in the Oak Park Arts District.
- November 24: Want to learn more about autism, ADHD, accommodations at home and on the go, and how to explain them to family members you don’t often see? Register to attend in person, via Zoom, and/or get a link to the slides and recording if you can’t make it.
- November 30: Shop Small Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting.
