Cool Classics

08/28/2026

After 20 years with our wonderful children, their families and their teachers, it is time to say goodbye to Cool Classics! We want to thank all of our students, their families, their teachers & their administrators for confirming our faith in the brilliance of children. We also want to thank all Cool Classics! teachers, student helpers & volunteers for their devotion to our students, & for sharing our belief in the value of education & the ability of our children to make the world a better place. Our gratitude also goes to our Board of Directors, Advisory Council and donors, both individual and institutional.

Our website will remain active for a while so please visit https://coolclassicschicago.org/ & check out our Media Galleries to see the spectacular art Cool Classics! children all over our city created, which was displayed in Chicago Public Library branches, the field trips we took to museums and performances & the fun we had together these past two decades. You can also find out about our 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award to Cool Classics! from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities & the Institute of Museum and Library Services, in cooperation with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies at https://coolclassicschicago.org/media-galleries/honors-celebrations/.

We'll say goodbye the same we started every session for many years, which was to welcome our children to the wonderful world of Cool Classics! by performing Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" with them. You can enjoy it & learn more about it on many platforms:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqhCQZaH4Vshttps://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/s7q8hd/louis_armstrong_what_a_wonderful_world_1967/
https://open.spotify.com/track/29U7stRjqHU6rMiS8BfaI9
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=what%20a%20wonderful%20world%20louis%20armstrong
https://www.instagram.com/explore/search/keyword/?q=what%20a%20wonderful%20world%20louis%20armstrong

Our favorite line of Mr. Armstrong's was:
"I see friends shaking hands, saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying, "I love you."

It was our cue to shake hands & point to all the people we loved in Cool Classics! — & that was usually a lot!

So, once again, & not for the last time, we send our brilliant, beautiful & kind children — many now young adults & college graduates — so much love & gratitude for letting us be part of their wonderful world, & for making our world more than wonderful for nearly 20 years!

Home Introducing Children to a World of Ideas   Cool Classics! uses classic books to connect children to a unified world of reading, art, culture, humanities and ideas. An award-winning journalist who substitute teaches in the Chicago Public Schools designed Cool Classics! to mix pedagogy and ...

08/27/2026

Add some color to your day before summer ends at Garfield Park Conservatory’s “Artist’s Flower Show: Pigments!” Explore plants with hues that have been used to color in textiles, paints & inks from 10 AM-8 PM through September 13. Learn more about the exhibition & visiting for free as a Chicago resident at https://tinyurl.com/bdea64dj.

08/26/2026

Did you know that today is National Dog Day? Fold your own four-legged friend with an origami tutorial at https://tinyurl.com/29xw3fyp.

08/25/2026

Express yourself artistically at the Chicago Public Library after school! The “Artist’s Studio at the Library” offers family art-making projects designed by the Art Institute of Chicago & inspired by the museum’s artists & techniques. This fall, focus on making art with & about family, guided by the works of Romare Bearden, Mary Cassatt & Suzuki Harunobu. Find a full list of participating locations & more information at https://bit.ly/3UvKh0w.

08/24/2026

Here’s to a wonderful 2026-2027 school year for all our children who head back to school! May your year be one of big ideas, breathtaking art & brilliant books!

08/21/2026

Catch a final round of Back-to-School celebrations this Saturday at the Chicago Park District! Enjoy free, family friendly games, music & giveaways at Cole Park, Washington Park, & Hamilton Park. Find the park nearest to you at https://bit.ly/4fWqDDo.

08/20/2026

Marvel at music with the new children’s album, "Cabinet of Wonder." This collaboration between American Singer-Songwriter Natalie Merchant, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Children’s Theatre led to 14 songs based on classic nursery rhymes. Visit https://bit.ly/4bRnIcD to get a sneak peak at some of these songs. We recommend listening to “Little Miss Muffet,” which features delightful child actors, shadow puppetry & music from American Clarinetist John Bruce Yeh, Bassist Robert Kassinger, Trumpeter Tage Larsen & Trombonist Gene Pokorny, at https://bit.ly/4wSRtl7.

08/19/2026

“If called by a panther, don’t anther,” wrote American Poet Ogden Nash, who was born on this day in 1902. Cool Classics! children love the humor of his poems & children’s books, like The Adventures of Isabel. Did you know he wrote The Adventures of Isabel for his daughter? Why not follow his example & write a poem for someone in your family?

08/18/2026

Class starts next Monday for Chicago Public School students, so why not get ready with a good book? Find the Chicago Public Library’s most recent recommendations for the first day of school at https://bit.ly/4bUdDf5.

08/17/2026

Why not enjoy free admission to a Chicago museum before summer ends? Illinois residents with ID can take advantage of year-long free days at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History & the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for free every Tuesday from 10 AM-5 PM, the Field Museum every Wednesday from 9 AM-5 PM, or the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center every Wednesday from 10 AM-5 PM. Want more museums? The Art Institute of Chicago & Shedd Aquarium have free evening admissions this month. Explore the Art Institute from 5-8 PM on Thursday nights & the Shedd from 5-9 PM on Tuesday nights. Find more details about visiting a Chicago museum for free at https://bit.ly/4fUtp9I.