Busy hands, busy minds at area children's museums
With the kids back in school, you may be looking for something a little more intellectual to do on the weekends. Whether they're interested in learning more about art, science, theater or their community, these children's museums are packed with activities to keep them engaged - and that might just teach you something, too.
Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago, 2100 Patriot Blvd., Glenview, (847) 832-6600, kohlchildrensmuseum.org
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to noon Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Admission: $7.50, $6.50 for seniors, free for children under 1
Age range: Exhibits are geared toward kids 8 and younger and there is something for toddlers to do at every one. Four of the exhibits have crawler areas for kids younger than 18 months within sight of the rest of the attractions so you can keep an eye on your older kids.
What they'll learn: With 23,000 square feet of public space, Kohl has more than a dozen hands-on permanent exhibits. The most popular are the Dominick's grocery store, Water Works and Music Makers. At Dominick's, kids can decide what to buy from healthy shopping lists and work behind the counter or as a cashier in a kid-sized store. Music Makers teaches about the properties and science of music. Kids can experiment with harmony and melody, how the placement of notes on a bar affects the sound and play with percussion instruments in the jam room. Water Works lets them splash around and learn the properties of water, including how it's used for energy and transportation. If you come after Oct. 7, you can also check out their new train-themed exhibit, where children can explore cars in a giant toy train and enjoy different activities and information about railroad safety.
Upcoming events: The Great Chicago Kiddie Express will be giving train rides for kids around museum property from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23 to 26, Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 and Oct. 7 and 8 for $2 a ride. Train rides are free on Oct. 7 for the opening of the museum's new exhibit, Let's Play Railway.
DuPage Children's Museum, 301 N. Washington St., Naperville, (630) 637-8000, dupagechildrensmuseum.org
Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Admission: $7.50, $6.50 for seniors
Age range: Six months to three years, with three young explorers sections for children under 24 months
What they'll learn: The museum reopened Sept. 15 after closing to do a deep cleaning and refurbishing of exhibits. One of the biggest renovations was to Cat's Paradise which was installed last year. Kids can dress in costumes and explore a fantasy world based on the work of a surrealist painter and packed with toys and moving parts.
Upcoming events: Watch and try Greek dancing from 10:30 to noon Oct. 4 followed by a taste of Greek food. The entertainment is free with museum admission.
Children's Neighborhood Museum, 814 Hart Road, Round Lake, (847) 546-8558, rlapd.org/parenttot.html
Hours: Admission is blocked off into set times. Check the Web site or call for details
Admission: $5
Age range: 1 to 6 with a crawler zone and mats for toddlers.
What they'll learn: The museum is set up like a town with different areas where kids can drive cars to including a gas station, a grocery store, a fire station and a home complete with stove and dishwasher. Each area contains interactive parts costumes to try on including uniforms and big rubber boots. A backyard area contains a climbing wall, miniature workout equipment and a big pipe organ kids can play.
Upcoming events: Neighborhood Players will present "Enchanted Sleeping Beauty" at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7.
Wonder Works, 6445 W. North Ave., Oak Park, (708) 383-4815, wonder-works.org
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Admission: $5, free for children under 1
Age range: Eight and younger, with a special area for babies to play.
What they'll learn: Lights, Camera, Action is one of their most popular exhibits, allowing children to dress up in various costumes and face paint and take the stage to act in or direct their own play. The Great Outdoors is another favorite, where children can hear animal noises while exploring an indoor tree house.
Upcoming events: From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 11 kids can play with Froebel blocks, which helped inspire Frank Lloyd Wright. The event is free with admission but registration is required.
The Children's Museum in Oak Lawn, 9600 E. Shore Drive, Oak Lawn, (708) 423-6709, cmoaklawn.org
Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
Admission: $4, $3.50 for kids
Age range: 2 to 10 with an infant toddler area with appropriate toys
What they'll learn: Kids can play with everything from oversized Lincoln Logs to giant Legos at the Under Construction Zone, build and fly their own kites and splash around in a pond to learn the properties of water.
Upcoming events: From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 4 you can tour the site of the new Oak Lawn museum at 5100 Museum Drive and enjoy a festival featuring food vendors and games and crafts for kids.
Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St., Rockford, (815) 963-6769, discoverycentermuseum.org
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Admission: $6, $5 for kids, free for kids under 2
Age range: A hybrid children's and science museum, Discovery Center can hold the interest of kids up to 12. A tot spot is set aside for preschoolers, with role playing areas that change every two to three months.
What they'll learn: In addition to a full array of indoor attractions, Discovery Center has an 8,000-square-foot outdoor science park. You'll find some usual playground equipment like slides, swings and a sandbox but all of it is geared toward teaching science. For instance the slide contains information about friction and plaster models of dinosaur bones are buried in sand to dig up along with information about the prehistoric animals. A water play area with a series of locks and dams also provides a fun spot to cool off on a warm day.
Inside the science of sports exhibit is the most popular with both kids and their parents. You can measure the speed of your pitch, try to find the sweet spot in a tennis racket by hitting balls and play soccer or go snowboarding in a virtual reality exhibit. Not just dedicated to science, there's also a hands on art studio.
Upcoming events: Oct. 11 is the opening of Loads of Legos, a traveling exhibit of Lego models of famous buildings by Adam Reed Tucker, some of which are 17 feet tall. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. kids can meet Tucker, get some tips and then apply them to building their own Lego creations.