Kohl Children's Museum: a learning playground

 There are dozens of museums in Chicago dedicated to entertaining adults, but tiny tikes have a place to explore and learn thanks to the Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago. This newly expanded museum features exhibits for children newborn to age 8, each designed to promote a lifetime of learning.

Located on 8 acres in the northwest suburb of Glenview, Kohl Children’s Museum  recently doubled in size, now spanning more than 46,000 square feet. The museum was founded in 1985 and incorporates traditional, creative and hands-on approaches to education. More than 350,000 visitors each year enjoy 17 interactive exhibits that teach children about science, math, social studies and the world around them.

Kids love to help grocery shop, but at the Dominick’s exhibit, they can finally be in charge of what to buy. Participants can shop through mini food aisles, use scales to measure, bake bread in the bakery, restock shelves, and scan items at the checkout stand.

The All About Me exhibit lets children explore their likes and dislikes, abilities and unique attributes through activities like face painting and role playing with costumes. The City on the Move area allows kids to experiment and explore a mini city of Chicago, where they can build block skyscrapers, test gravity and even create electricity for a model John Hancock Center.

Nature explorers will love the Fantasy Forest, where they can watch the lifecycle of butterflies, wear camouflage capes, dig in the dirt for worms and learn about the recycling process for glass and plastic. Animal lovers can play Pet Vet, where they learn to care for sick and injured stuffed animals using X-rays, microscopes and computers.

While the offerings at the museum may not appeal to the whole family, parents will appreciate the educational aspects, and young kids will adore playing and learning in so many different spaces all designed for them. In a big world built for big people, Kohl Children’s Museum cuts it perfectly down to size.

children exhibits interactive