The Fun Resolution

By Carly Andrews, Executive Director, The Alliance for Early Childhood

Over the winter break, I read a gem of a book that my sixteen-year-old recommended, Before the Coffee Gets Cold. This book explores the experience of characters who enter a coffee bar in Tokyo and travel back in time. The catch in this zany plot are the rules of time travel: it must conclude before the coffee gets cold and the travel can't change the characters’ current circumstances.

Like a good book, the premise has stuck with me, and I've found myself thinking about this question long after I set down the book. What would I go back and change - in the amount of time it takes a coffee to get cold - that wouldn't alter my current circumstances? Would I take time to meet up with a friend, make plans with family, enjoy extra moments at the dinner table?

It’s interesting how reflection, even regret, informs future plans, and I find myself this new year inspired by people who are engaging the people in their lives. A friend of mine who is turning 50 in 2024 is planning to attend 50 concerts and invite friends to join in the fun. Inspired by Mike Rucker’s January conversation about The Fun Habit with Molly Pope, I’m planning a winter donut tour with my family - taste testing our way to our favorite cake, glazed, and specialty varieties. Fun doesn’t have to be big - the small moments when we are present - are often the best: the fort building with the couch cushions on a rainy Saturday morning or making a favorite recipe together in the kitchen.

As we look forward to keeping ourselves and our families warm and connected during the months ahead, I hope you’ll join in the fun. 

Let's Play! Winter Nature Exploration

Saturday, February 10, 10am-noon

Heller Nature Center, 2821 Ridge Rd, Highland Park

Registration l link

Bundle-up and head outside to join The Alliance for Early Childhood in partnership with Heller Nature Center and the Park District of Highland Park to engage in imaginative, and child-directed, outdoor free-play. Paint the snow, go ice fishing with our magnetic fish, build forts with sticks and make some icy art pieces.

Let's Play! At Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Saturday, March 2, 10am-noon

2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL

Registration l link

Explore the wonders of The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park with special pop-up experiences for young children throughout the museum along with our partners at The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Park West Cooperative Nursery School. This event, like all Let’s Play! experiences, is free and open to families. Registration required. 

Sincerely, 

Carly