Hip, Fun & Family-Friendly Online Resources!

Hello Clients, Families & Friends!

As we all know, the internet has become an excellent resource for families looking for local events, vendors, classes, daycare, schools, hands-on activities…and everything else in between! With all the websites and newsletters dedicated to local family resource guides, it can be difficult to find one that gives valuable, consistent, and up to date information, without all the advertisements.

This month, we thought we’d tell you about our two favorite hip, fun and family-friendly websites. We think that you’ll find them both useful and relevant for all your urban lifestyle needs!

Favorite Site #1
www.savvysource.com

This online treasure focuses largely on educational outlets for your children, such as preschools, camps, classes, activities, books, toys and more. Chicago is one of the most recent additions to their nationally-based site, so you can expect even more local coverage in the near future. Savvy Source provides reviews and recommendations posted by seasoned parents, and daily featured activities, books, and toys to browse that are fun, unique and user-friendly!

Savvy Source stands out above all others for both the quantity and quality of its content:

- Preschools: Browse by zip code and find all the schools in your area. Several have parent reviews and a star-rating to help you in your search.

- Educational Toys: Organized by category, this section has everything you and your little ones could dream of!

- Books: Daily “featured” books for different ages, descriptive write-ups, and well-organized into seven categories for easy searching.

- Camps: Choose from over 2,500 camps in 8 metro areas. Chicago will be on the board in this section soon!

- Classes: This section is a new addition to Savvy Source, and work is in progress. Four cities are sited so far, with more to come.

- Activities: Activity Encyclopedia, find the perfect one by type or by age! Great hands-on activity ideas to try at home, or outside with your young ones. This will be a great tool to use as the winter months approach. If you have a great idea for an activity, Savvy Source welcomes you to submit it to share with other parents.

- Mom’s Blog: Any new, great ideas? Need a suggestion? Have a solution for someone who needs help? Post it on their blog and converse with mom’s across the country.


Favorite Site #2
www.urbanbaby.com

Online membership and browsing is free to all active UrbanBabyites. Founded in 1999, Urban Baby has an innovative style that puts a spin the traditional online local resource guide. We’ve signed up to it, browsed it, and searched it…and we love it! Traveling or vacationing with your kids? Check out urban baby in the city of your choice to find great, family-friendly places to visit while you’re there!

Below are some of the basics that you’ll find to be very useful within the pages of UrbanBaby.com:

- Message Boards: Parents chime in about all kinds of topics, both local and national. Search option allows you to zone in on any specific topic you may be interested in.

- UrbanBaby Daily: A daily email to fill you in on all the best places to eat, shop, play, and travel with your kids!

- Moms About Town: Stories, snippets, and interviews on inspirational city moms.

- Expert Q & A: Answers to so many common questions that parents have!

- Urban Life: Articles, ideas, and solutions for the urban parent dedicated to raising their child in an urban landscape

- Kids Eat Out: A local list of family friendly restaurants in the city of Chicago

- Parents Talk Back: A question and response message area where parents are free respond to a specified topic.

- Expecting, Care & Health: Your local guide to hospitals, doctors and wellness centers through every phase from pregnancy to parenting.

- Play: Mommy & Me’s, Daddy & Me’s, playgrounds, indoor activity centers, birthday parties, haircuts, annual events…and on and on! All the local hotspots where Chicago parents can have fun and stay active with their young ones!

We hope our favorites sites will help make your family’s online searches more enjoyable!