Live, learn and play

• Submit events at least to weeks in advance by e-mail to dupageneighbor@dailyherald.com or by fax, (630) 955-0895.

Monday, Sept. 22

• The Backyardigans Bash will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22, at the Itasca Community Library, 500 W. Irving Park Road. Children ages 2 to 5 will make a craft and eat a snack. Registration is required. For details, call (630) 773-1699 or visit www.itascalibrary.org.

• The College of DuPage will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with "Aztec Stories" featuring Michael Heralda at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22, at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd. Glen Ellyn. For details, call (630) 942-2848 or visit cod.edu.

• Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 will hold a Parent Involvement Initiative meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, at Hadley Junior High School, 240 Hawthorne Blvd., Glen Ellyn. The program involves parents volunteering to be a Parent Involvement Liason. For details, e-mail Julie Worthen at jworthen@d41.org.

Tuesday, Sept. 23

• Parents of students in grades six through eight may attend the Catholic Schools Showcase from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at St. Pius X School, 601 S. Westmore Road, Lombard. Representatives from local Catholic high schools, including Montini, Driscoll, Fenwick and Nazareth, will be on hand to talk to visitors. Admission is free. For details, call St. Pius X at (630) 627-2353.

• Children in grades three through six may attend "Globetrotters: Spain" from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Itasca Community Library, 500 W. Irving Park Road. Participants will learn about culture, customs, food, sports and more. Registration is required. For details, call (630) 773-1699 or visit itascalibrary.org.

• College of DuPage Health Sciences programs will hold group advising sessions on the following dates at the college, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. For information, visit cod.edu. Dental hygiene, 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, in room 185 of the McAninch Arts Center. Call (630) 942-3250. Physical therapy assistant, 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in IC 1P. Call (630) 942-4076. Diagnostic medical imaging and nuclear medicine, 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29, in IC 3E. Call (630) 942-3065.

Wednesday, Sept. 24

• Central DuPage Hospital will offer Dinner with the Doc at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, at Danada House, 3S501 Naperville Road, Wheaton. Pediatrician Dr. Dana Brazdziunas will present "Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders: Sorting Out the Truth from the Myths." The program, which includes a meal, is free. Registration is required. For details, call (630) 933-4234 or visit cdh.org.

• Champion Youth Outreach, a not-for-profit organization, will offer self-defense classes for children 5 and older from 7 to 7:40 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 24 to Jan. 14, at Gary Elementary School, 130 E. Forest Ave., West Chicago. New registration will be accepted at 6:45 p.m. Sept. 24 or Oct. 1. The fee is $6 per class if paid in full at registration, $7 weekly at each class. There is a $5 registration fee per course. For details, visit championyouth.net or call (847) 759-0576.

• The College of DuPage Adult Fast Track program will hold an information night at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, in SRC 2052, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. The Adult Fast Track program allows students 24 and older to earn an associate degree in about two years by attending class once per week. Reservations are required. For details, call Angela Nackovic at (630) 942-2398 or visit cod.edu/fast/.

Thursday, Sept. 25

• The next installment of the Lombard Historical Society's Junior Historian Series will be a program about school during pioneer times from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Sheldon Peck Homestead, 355 E. Parkside Ave., Lombard. Children ages 8 to 12 will experience what school was like during the 19th century. Advance registration is required. The program is free for members, $5 for others. For details, call (630) 629-1885 or visit lombardhistory.org.

• The Roberts Marionettes will perform Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Oak Brook Public Library, 600 Oak Brook Road. Registration is requested. For details, call (630) 368-7700 or visit oak-brook.lib.il.us.

• An informational session about secondary boarding schools will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Avery Coonley School, 1400 Maple Ave., Downers Grove. The event will include a panel discussion, a question and answer period and a chance to meet with representatives of schools from all over the country. For details and a list of participating schools, call (630) 969-0800 or e-mail agilla@averycoonley.org.

• The North DuPage Special Education Cooperative will offer free preschool screenings for children ages 2.9 to 5 years who live in Roselle School District 12 on Thursday, Sept. 25. Appointments are required. Children will be tested for vision, hearing, motor development and language skills. Those who score significantly below age level will be referred for further testing. For details, call the school district at (630) 529-1883.

• Glen Crest Middle School's Community Night will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the school, 725 Sheehan Ave., Glen Ellyn. Visitors may view an exhibit honoring the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. For details, call (630) 469-5220.

Friday, Sept. 26

• Children in grades one through three will discuss "Miss Daisy is Crazy!" by Dan Gutman from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at the Itasca Community Library, 500 W. Irving Park Road. The program also will include games, crafts and other activities related to the book. Registration is required. For details, call (630) 773-1699 or visit itascalibrary.org.

• The Carol Stream Park District will offer "Hannah Montana Mania" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at the Simkus Recreation Center, 849 Lies Road, Carol Stream. Girls ages 5 to 10 will receive a makeover and dance in a show. The fee is $35 for residents, $49 for others. Registration is required. For details, call (630) 784-6100.

Saturday, Sept. 27

• "The Amazing World of Creepy Crawly Bugs" will be offered at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Winfield Public Library, 0S291 Winfield Road. Entomologist Beth Davis-Berg will lead the program for children ages 6 and older. For details or to register, call (630) 653-7599.

• Wheaton Montessori School will hold an open house from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the school, 1960 N. Gary Ave., Wheaton. For details, call Rebecca Lingo at (630) 653-5100.

Sunday, Sept. 28

• Learn about American Indian harvest traditions and make a corn husk doll from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at Graue Mill and Museum, 3800 York Road, Oak Brook. Graue Mill and Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, except holidays, April to November. Admission costs $3.50, $3 for seniors and $1.50 for children. For details, call (630) 655-2090 or visit grauemill.org.

• The Addison Park District's annual catch-and-release fall fishing derby for kids 16 and younger will be Sunday, Sept. 28, at Wood Dale Grove Forest Preserve, on Wood Dale Road between Lake Street and Oak Meadows Drive, Wood Dale. Registration begins at 7 a.m., followed by the derby from 8 a.m. to noon. The cost is $5. Prizes will be awarded. Advance registration also is available online at addisonparkdistrict.org. For details, call (630) 833-0100.

• The Montini Broncettes Poms will offer "Loving to Dance" from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at Montini Catholic High School, 19W070 16th St., Lombard. Children in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade will learn a pom routine and then perform it for family at the end of the day. The cost is $45, which includes a T-shirt, a set of poms and a snack. Registration is required. For details, call the Montini Athletic Office at (630) 627-6930.