Fun and education all part of Pilsen’s Dia de los Ninos

PHOTO: A parade launches the activities for the annual Chicago Dia de los Ninos, which is Saturday . | JEAN LACHAT~SUN-TIMES MEDIA

Children are celebrated with a parade and lots of other activities at the 16th annual Chicago Dia de los Ninos.

The event begins at 11:30 a.m. Saturday (April 25) at Plaza Tenochtitlan: 18th Street and Blue Island Avenue. The parade kicks off there and travels to Harrison Park, 1824 S. Wood, where games, face-painting, musical performances and more will take place.

Also that day, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin will be recognized for his support of immigration reform. Recipients of the Dream Scholarships will be lauded.

Woven into many of the activities will be a bit of education. For example, Reciclarte Studio will have arts and crafts projects for the younger set where they’ll be using recycled materials. St. Anthony Hospital will be teaching the children about making good food choices. (The hospital also will be handing out reminders about its Back to School festival where free vaccinations as well as free dental and eye exams are provided.) The National Latino Education Institute will be providing free blood pressure screenings and BMI (Body Mass Index) readings for folks of all ages.

Dia de los Ninos — or Children’s Day — is celebrated nationally throughout Mexico. The activities built around the day are meant to make children feel they are special. (The actual day is April 30, so if you want to mark it with your own children, there’s still time.)

Many libraries use this time to emphasize the importance of literacy among children and have a variety of events. Check out the list here.