Program News

The Second City Improv Visits our EPIC Program A big thanks goes out to the two guest leaders from The Second City who taught our adult participants a little about improv. Participants can learn so much through practicing improv. The EPIC participants built their trust in each other through several of the exercises. One in…

Programs  for All Ages at GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago Pre-Crawlers & Crawlers, Walkers & Runners June 8, 9:00am – 10:00am and 10:00am – 11:00am The Crawlers and Walkers program focuses on the development of gross and fine motor skills through activities that are hands-on and fun! Social skills and language development will also be addressed, with…

EPIC: Empowering Participation Independence Community GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago offers a program for adults called EPIC. The participants work on strengthening their abilities in each of the four categories listed in the title. In April, the EPIC program met at Two Hearted Queen coffee shop and worked on their resume. Who doesn’t enjoy a sweet treat…

Programs for All Ages at GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago   Pre-Crawlers & Crawlers, Walkers & Runners  May 11, 9:00am – 10:00am and 10:00am – 11:00am The Crawlers and Walkers program focuses on the development of gross and fine motor skills through activities that are hands-on and fun! Social skills and language development will also be addressed,…

Self-Advocacy in Teen Programs We offer 3 teen programs at GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago, and they alternate each Thursday night. One night you’ll find Dance and Cooking Club on the agenda, and the following week Teen Tastic will take up the 2 hour block. Like all of our programs, our teens experience purposeful and progressive activities…

Manny the Math Wiz! Manny and Addison were paired up for Math Tutoring this winter season and they hit it off right away! He’s involved in so many programs at our playhouse, but this is the first time he’s ever been matched up for Math Tutoring. Addison made learning fun, and Manny is a cheerful…

Milt’s Barbecue for the Perplexed The adults who attended the last EPIC program met at Milt’s Barbecue for the Perplexed. They ordered dinner and observed potential job opportunities at a restaurant. We often take the skills needed to select, order, and pay for a meal at a restaurant for granted. This outing provided EPIC participants…

Meet Our New Program Leaders! We have 3 great young women leading our new EPIC program for adults. They have worked hard making plans for the participants and we know they will really have a positive impact on the lives of our adults with Down syndrome. Christina, Julie, and Paige all have been a part…

Welcome to GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago! Ximena and her family visited the playhouse for the first time last Wednesday afternoon. After taking a tour and learning about all the programs, her mom enthusiastically asked, “When can we start?” Ximena is a teenager so we said, “Tomorrow! We have our teen programs every Thursday from 6:00pm –…

Empowerment Participation Independence Community When you hear the word “epic” we hope you think of other words like “grand”, “glorious”, and “outstanding”. When  we picture the capabilities of adults with Down syndrome, we think EPIC! It’s no secret to us that our participants are grand or outstanding, but now it’s time to get them out…