Summer breaks

Photo: Daniel Alvarez

Kick it
Your tiny dancer can bust a new move with capoeira, a dance/martial-arts fusion set to Portuguese music that teaches kicks, “escapes” (a.k.a. skillful ducking) and acrobatics similar to cartwheels. Gingarte Capoeira, 2056 W 18th St (773-443-3220, gingartecapoeira.org). Beginners’ class, Mon–Thu 6–7pm. $10, kids $5.

FREE Chalk it up
Take your budding artist to Chalk Festival 2009 to watch pros create cool sidewalk murals on 6-by-6-foot squares. Kids can get their own square-foot concrete canvas for $10 (chalk provided) or try their hand at arts and crafts ($2–$4 depending on activity). Oz Park, 2021 N Burling St (arttherapyconnection.org). Jun 6, 9:30am–3pm. Free for viewing.

FREE Plan an American Girls’ day out
A trip to the American Girl store doesn’t have to automatically cost an arm and a leg. Take advantage of the store’s historical character activity days (Jun 6, 7, 15, 17; Jul 1, 8; Aug 12, 19) and craft sessions (Jul 4, Aug 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 15, 23), when fans of the dolls can make and take goodies free of charge. Water Tower Place, 835 N Michigan Ave (877-247-5223, americangirlplace.com).

Take a cheap cruise
Bypass expensive river cruises with a 10-minute Chicago Water Taxi ride, between 2 North Riverside Plaza (Madison Street stop), 325 North LaSalle Street (LaSalle/Clark) and 400 North Michigan Avenue (6:30am–6:30pm weekdays; 9:45am–6:06pm Saturdays; 10:45am–4:45pm Sundays, $2). Or take a 25-minute ride from Michigan Avenue to Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown (10am–6pm Saturdays; 11am–5pm Sundays, $4). (312-337-1446, chicagowatertaxi.com).

FREE Find a hidden treasure
Let your kids borrow the handheld GPS for some high-tech scavenger hunting, a.k.a. geocaching. Geocachers of Northern Illinois has hidden caches all over the area so anyone who wants to can go on a hunt. GONIL placed a Time Out Chicago Kids cache at N 42° 00.204 W 087° 46.817. Find the box and exchange one of its small treasures for your own. No GPS? Check out low-tech letterboxing at letterboxing.org.

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