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Monday
KIDS COOKING: THANKSGIVING TREATS Schaumburg Park District looks ahead to Thanksgiving (and not prematurely to Christmas, which makes us thankful!) with two 90-minute classes designed to get kids busy in the kitchen. The 6 p.m. Monday class is for little ones, ages 4-5, with a grown-up; the 6 p.m. Thursday class is for 6- to 12-year-olds. Bring a container to take home the snacks you make. At Bock Neighborhood Center, 1223 W. Sharon Lane, Schaumburg. $30-$45.
Tuesday
‘SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS’ Chicago Kids Company presents its hourlong take on the classic tale of the beleaguered lass who flees an evil queen and takes refuge in a cottage with seven little folk. The musical performs Tuesday through Friday this week; it continues its run through Nov. 27 (the day before Thanksgiving), then again Jan. 15 through Feb. 21, at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. $14-$18. chicagokidscompany.com/snow-white/
‘ELEANOR’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS WISH’ It’s opening night for a rare bird in the aviary of Chicago theater: a new Christmas show! Native Chicagoan Denise McGowan Tracy collaborated with a composer to adapt her children’s book into a full-fledged musical. Will rag doll Eleanor, who lives at the North Pole with Santa and Co., get her wish for a home all her own? (Magic 8-Ball says: Signs point to yes.) The show runs just over an hour, with a Santa photo op afterward. Through Dec. 29 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. $29.50. https://tinyurl.com/yxhxudaf
Wednesday
‘TROLL HUNT’ In just a few days, a large swath of Morton Arboretum will begin glowing with the annual “Illumination: Tree Lights” spectacle, a huge draw. So here’s a tip: Six giant wooden trolls still lurk on the arboretum’s 1,700 acres, and if you haven’t yet found them all, now’s your chance to try before the crowds arrive. (If you opt to wait, two of the trolls will be lit up during December.) Be sure to pick up the free “Troll Hunter’s Handbook,” which contains clues and a map. Daily at Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle. Typically $15, $10 for kids 2-17; $10/$7 on Wednesdays; free parking. https://tinyurl.com/y822r4mq
Friday
CHICAGO’S CHRISTMAS-TREE-LIGHTING CEREMONY Millennium Park hosts the city’s enormous beacon to Santa Claus — an enormous 55-foot-tall blue spruce that will glow for the first time Friday evening. The lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m. with performances by Grammy winner Jonathan Butler; Cielito Lindo, Chicago’s own family mariachi band; and cast members from “Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish.” Look for the tree inside Millennium Park, near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street. https://tinyurl.com/yyrd6zrp
Saturday
STORY TIME WITH LIBRARIAN-AUTHOR BETSY BIRD A rock-star librarian and children’s-book author, Evanston’s own Betsy Bird has a fun new book out with Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat: “The Great Santa Stakeout” documents the follies of mischievous Freddy Melcher, a kid determined to surprise Santa with a selfie as he emerges from the chimney. Will Freddie pull off his scheme? Meet Bird and find out! At 10:30 a.m. at The Book Stall, 811 Elm St., Winnetka. Free to attend, $18 for “The Great Santa Stakeout.” (Can’t make this date? Find future area appearances — including Naperville and Evanston, both on Nov. 30 — at Bird’s site: betsybirdbooks.com/events.) https://tinyurl.com/y5dk7m3f
CHICAGO TOY AND GAME FAIR With an enormous hall filled with new toys and games, this annual convention (affectionately known as ChiTAG) maximizes the fun factor. Check out the “World’s Largest Kid-Powered Rocket,” launched every 15 minutes after small teams of kids jump on stomp pads that convert kinetic energy into air pressure. Be the first to play some brand-new games, including a few that have been mass-produced after their designers won past iterations of the Young Inventor Challenge. Families will find familiar brands too — like a “Frozen II”-themed scavenger hunt and merch from the upcoming “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” movie. ChiTAG opens at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday at Navy Pier (Exhibit Halls A and B, on the pier’s east end), 840 E. Grand Ave. $14-15, $7-8 for kids 3-12; grandparents are free Sundays with a paid kid’s ticket. www.chitag.com
MEET ‘CARDBOARD KINGDOM’ CREATOR CHAD SELL This fun graphic novel is also sort of a puzzle, conceived and drawn by Chicago artist Chad Sell for middle-school readers. The book’s discrete chapters trace the varied adventures of a group of kids, living in the same neighborhood, who use cardboard to create colorful costumes. Each chapter is written by a different author, and the fun increases as the different stories intersect, climaxing in one grand quest. At this interactive event, Sell leads a drawing demo and a craft project from noon till 2 p.m. at Aw Yeah Comics, 7925 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Free to attend, $13 for “Cardboard Kingdom.” https://tinyurl.com/y4p4wvf6
LILLSTREET FAMILY WORKSHOP: MINI MENORAHS Hanukkah begins Dec. 22 this year, but Lillstreet is ready to help you prepare now. At this two-hour workshop, kids work with an adult family member to create a mini menorah using terra cotta. After families decorate the clay pieces, Lillstreet staff will glaze them; you’ll pick your menorah up later, before the holiday. 10 a.m. to noon at Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave. $70 per adult-child pair; $35 for each additional kid. https://lillstreet.com/class/15351
BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE Harris Theater kicks off this season’s three-show Exelon Family Series, geared for ages 4 and up, with a thrilling ensemble that hails all the way from Australia. Bangarra celebrates the rhythms and dances of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. After the hourlong performance, kids can interact with the performers. At 2 p.m at Harris Theater at Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph Drive. $10-$15; or subscribe to all three shows (the next two will be in early 2020), $18-$27. https://tinyurl.com/y5nr3z9x
MAGNIFICENT MILE LIGHTS FESTIVAL One of the city’s biggest and brightest holiday traditions returns, once again with Mickey and Minnie Mouse leading the parade down Michigan Avenue. But the fun starts long before dark: From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., families can visit Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Ave., to meet Santa and play in the Kid’s Zone. The tree-lighting parade kicks off at 5:30 p.m., but you’ll have to line up early if you want a good vantage point. The parade heads south along Michigan from Oak Street to Wacker Drive, and the day ends with a bang: fireworks just before 7 p.m. Can’t attend in person? ABC 7 Chicago broadcasts live at 6 p.m. https://tinyurl.com/ow7o4ez
Sunday
SUNDAY-MORNING CARTOONS AT WNDR Tucked into the West Loop is wndr, a family-friendly museum dedicated to playfulness and cool art. The institution kicks off a new monthly series Sunday, geared toward families: Watch classic cartoons while you help yourselves to an all-you-can-eat cereal bar! With such a perfect weekend-morning outing, nobody will blink it you wear your comfy pajamas. 10 a.m. till noon at wndr, 1130 W. Monroe St. $20, free for kids 10 and under. https://tinyurl.com/y6kp65bc
SETTLERS’ DAY Get in the Thanksgiving spirit when this south-suburban forest preserve becomes a wayback machine. Costumed instructors demonstrate daily life for settlers and lead various family activities, including an exploration of pioneers’ cabin homes, an imaginary wagon train and craft time. Donations of nonperishable food or money will be accepted at this annual drop-in event. 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. at Sand Ridge Nature Center, 15891 Paxton Ave., South Holland. Free. https://tinyurl.com/y4692unb
MEET ‘SISTERS FIRST’ AUTHORS AND FORMER FIRST DAUGHTERS Granddaughters and daughters to a president, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush released a 2017 memoir, “Sisters First,” about growing up in the public eye. Now they’ve used that title for a children’s book about the importance of sisterhood. Meet the grown-up twins at this special ticketed event, hosted by Anderson’s Bookshop; a portion of the proceeds from this event benefit a local children’s charity. At 2 p.m. at Pfeiffer Hall on the campus of North Central College, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville. $25 admission includes one pre-signed copy of “Sisters First.” https://tinyurl.com/y39s89q2
BROOKFIELD ZOO/CHICAGO WOLVES SKATING RINK Calling all winter-sports lovers: The Snow Queen has heard your prayers! Well, actually it was Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Wolves, bringing back a popular attraction from last winter: This skating rink is open daily, regardless of outdoor temperatures. Its surface isn’t made of ice but of Glice, a synthetic plastic that requires no water nor electricity, so it doesn’t matter if temps rise way past freezing. Open noon to 4:30 p.m. daily at Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st St., Brookfield. $22, $16 for kids 3-11 (save $1 per ticket with advance online purchase); $14 for parking; $7 to skate. BYO skates, or rent a pair for $5. www.czs.org/Skate
Web Behrens is a freelance reporter.