Kohl Children’s Museum is well-known throughout the Chicago area for its 17 hands-on interactive exhibits that inspire learning through play. From shopping and checkout in the beloved Whole Foods Market grocery store to splashing in Water Works and face painting in All About Me, the Glenview museum’s exhibits have sparked the imaginations of more than 3 million visitors since opening its current facility in 2005.
Regular visitors know that exhibits are only part of the story, however. The Museum offers daily programming created by its professional education and visitor experience staff to augment the learning that takes place in the play environments. Take a closer look at some of the regular activities — all free with Museum admission — that prove Kohl Children’s Museum is surprisingly serious about play:
Have a Budding Artist at Home? Try the Museum’s Art Adventures, daily guided art activities led by a Museum art professional. With stations every day for clay sculpture, 2-D visual art, weaving, and 3-D sculpture from recycled materials, there is a creative medium for every taste. Monthly programs explore concepts like painting with ice, making art with typography, and color mixing. Activities take place daily in the “Adventures in Art” exhibit from 10 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. whenever the Museum is open. (Underwritten in part by CDW and the Illinois Arts Council.)
Give Your Child a Leg Up on Math: Math is frequently cited as the most frustrating school subject for students, but research has shown that exposing preschoolers to the “Big Ideas” of math (such as numerosity, part-whole relationships, and simple geometry) can make a big difference in later learning. The Museum’s Math Counts program does just that, with programs every other Friday at 2:30 p.m. that bring difficult concepts down to size. Explore patterns in nature, discover how mathematical shapes are utilized in art, and dive into the most classic math-ready playthings: simple building blocks. (Underwritten by Wells Fargo.)
Discover Your Inner Star: Theatre is all about pretend play, and children are natural actors. Every Thursday at 1:30 p.m., we explore dramatic exercises, gross and fine motor skills, and listening and speaking skills through Theatre Games. Each week, explore a different element of showmanship: scenery, pantomime, improvisation, plot, choreography, and most of all, imagination, as children build self-confidence and explore literacy.
Check out the full list of programming at kcmgc.org!
