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Oak Lawn Children’s Museum

Oak Lawn Children’s Museum Reopens Saturday For Play Dates

Children’s Museum of Oak Lawn

OAK LAWN, IL Yay! After seven months of closure due to the pandemic, the Childrens Museum In Oak Lawn will open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 17. Staff cant wait to hear the sound of play in the museum.

All guests must reserve a play session in advance. Museum members must also reserve a session tickets are free to members, but they still have to make a reservation.

The museums limited play sessions are an important part of commitment to the safety of guests and staff, allowing for social distancing and additional deep cleaning. Guests can expect some changes in exhibits to allow for easier cleaning.

Everyone aged 2 and up must wear a mask. Temperature checks will be taken prior to entry. If youre not feeling well, please stay home.

The pandemic has been tough for Illinoiss childrens museums, which have had little revenue coming in. COVID-19 has closed the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum in Champaign. In August, the Oak Lawn childrens museum opened for private parties.

Plan Your Visit to the Childrens Museum in Oak Lawn at the following times and dates:

More play dates will be scheduled in the near future. Tickets can be reserved online.

The Children’s Museum In Oak Lawn Partners With Engiven Becoming The First Children’s Museum In The Us To Accept Cryptocurrency Donations

OAK LAWN, IL — The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn is now accepting cryptocurrency as donations, becoming the first children’s museum in the country to accept such donations.

“We learned a lot from being closed most of 2020,” the museum’s executive director Adam Woodworth said in a news release. “The one thing we learned is that people want to support the museum through donations and volunteering and we need to be able to meet those supporters where they are.”

A cryptocurrency, or crypto, is a digital currency that can be used to buy goods and services, but is secured but uses an online ledger with strong cryptography that makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. The most popular form of cryptocurrency is Bitcoin.

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Cryptocurrencies work using a technology called blockchain. Blockchain is a decentralized technology spread across many computers that manages and records transactions, according to NerdWallet.

The children’s museum already offers multiple ways that people can contribute, by donating a vehicle, stock, including the museum in your will or as partial beneficiary of your life insurance policy, as well as donating by cash, check or credit card. Cryptocurrency offers another option, especially if you’ve already purchased some, to support the museum’s mission.

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What We Are Doing To Keep You Safe

  • We have installed a barrier at the front desk.
  • We have installed additional hand sanitizing stations.
  • We will be sanitizing high touch areas frequently throughout the day. This includes doors, handles, railings, buttons, bathrooms and frequently touched exhibit pieces.
  • After each day we will conduct a museum wide sanitizing.

The Childrens Museum In Oak Lawn Il

We Band of Mothers: How the Oak Lawn Children

Parents are always looking for a way to keep their children entertained while also providing some education. Most children learn faster through fun and exciting interactions, and when children dont see it as learning, its fun for parents too. If you live in or near the Oak Lawn area in Illinois and are looking for a fun, educational experience for your child, you have to visit the local Childrens Museum off of Museum Drive and 95th Street.

The Childrens Museum in Oak Lawn is full of interactive rooms, exhibits and performances that offer hands-on learning opportunities for children of all ages. As a non-profit organization, their goal is to positively impact a childs potential in life through play-based education.

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A Tour Of The Childrens Museum Of Oak Lawn

On the first floor, children experiment with ramps and challenges while learning about potential and kinetic energy . . . or just having a ton of fun sending balls up and down the bumpy tracks. There is also a popular water table!

Around the corner is another large sensory table. The sand had been removed during our visit, but toy cars and roads kept children creatively exploring this fun space.

The second level is huge and has several areas with different themes. As you reach the top of the stairs, there is an ambulance area the kids can play in. There is also a hospital area with donated medical equipment. Your doctors-in-training can run checkups on toy patients

In this area, there is also a drum that beats to your heartbeat and a table with bones and organs that is set up similar to the game Operation.

Beyond that, there is a grocery store called the Friendly Market where kids can scan their items before bagging them. The registers actually beep when scanning! Your kids can then prepare and pretend to eat dessert at the Moo Cafe.

In the center, there is a baby and toddler area reserved for the littlest guests. Its well stocked with things to play with and explore. Some of the softer toys have been removed for easier cleaning, but there is still quite a bit to explore in here.

No Field Trips On Wednesdays

Per IDPH and CCDPH guidance, while not required, the museum strongly encourages the wearing of masks in order to continue to protect our youngest visitors. As always, if you are not feeling well, please come visit us when you are feeling better.Advanced tickets are no longer needed except for special play sessions like Wee Ones Wednesday and our Sensory Friendly Play Session.

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What We Aim To Solve

The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn is working in the field of education, specifically working off of many studies showing that play is an important aspect of learning. Our goal is to create environments that embrace a learning-through-play experience focused not only topics of science, math, etc., but also on such things as critical thinking skills, social-emotional learning, and curiosity. We aim to be a support for teachers and parents.Additionally, because of our admissions model, we work to remove the economic barrier at our institution by allowing families on WIC or who have an EBT card to come into the museum at just one-third of the admission price. While we do need to be able to keep the doors open, we do believe that families currently in hardship situation should not be turned away from the educational opportunities we offer.

Some Exhibits Have Been Temporarily Changed To Follow Current State Guidelines

Testing the Nova2 hand dryer at Oak Lawn Children’s museum
Earth and SpaceThis is a new exhibition about our planet, the solar system, the universe and the big questionsscientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are trying to answer. Follow the engineering design-build-test cycle while you build a model spacecraft for yourown mission to space. Reveal hidden images using the same tools NASA scientists use to explore the otherwise invisible forces and energy of the universe. Learn about the planets, the moon and so much more!This exhibit is on loan to us from the Discovery Children’s Museum in Rockford.For more information about the exhibit, .Want to learn more? Check out the companion website, .
Imagination Playground Children have a natural curiosity about building. With these oversize blocks, children and adults alike are encouraged to let their imagination run wild! This exhibit promotes cooperation and teamwork
The Topography TableEver seen a topographical map? Ever try to explain that to a child? In this interactive exhibit, children can move the sand in the table and literally change the topography of the world they create. Make islands, peninsulas, mountains, lakes and rivers. Children will learn about many different landforms at this exhibit.

Tuneful Tree House Air Mazeair-mazingHealth Quest

Health Quest Learning Standards.pdf

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Children’s Museum In Oak Lawn

Donate Cryptocurrency

Per IDPH and CCDPH guidance, while not required, the museum strongly encourages the wearing of masks in order to continue to protect our youngest visitors. As always, if you are not feeling well, please come visit us when you are feeling better.Advanced tickets are no longer needed except for special play sessions like Wee Ones Wednesday and our Sensory Friendly Play Session.

Children’s Museum In Oak Lawn’s Educational Exhibits

The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn features hands-on attractions and educational events for kids through various interactive rooms, exhibits, and performances. Here are just a few of what guests can expect:

  • Earth and Space: This exhibit covers our planet, the solar system, and the universe. Visitors can uncover the same tools NASA scientists use to explore the energy of the universe, while kids can build a model spacecraft for their own mission to space.
  • Imagination Playground: Here, children learn through play using oversized blocks. This exhibit promotes cooperation and teamwork.

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  • The Topography Table: This interactive exhibit allows children to move sand in the table and change the topography of the world they create, making islands, mountains, lakes, and rivers.
  • Haven Animal Shelter: Here, kids can discover important concepts about endangered species and how to care for pets.
  • We the People: This attraction promotes patriotism by teaching about the events surrounding 9/11. Kids are encouraged to ask questions and post ideas about unity and friendship.

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Moraine Valley Partners With Oak Lawn Childrens Museum With New Fitrec Kid Area

Mike Schneider, director of the Health, Fitness & Recreation Center, instructs kids how to transverse the bouldering wall at the KidRec.

While members of the Health, Fitness & Recreation Center at Moraine Valley Community College climb the Stairmaster, their kids now can climb the walls literally in the centers new KidRec, which opened July 11.

KidRec offers care for children ages 3 months to 15 years, but the space also is used for programming, sports camps, birthday parties, and more.

Each KidRec area is designed with age-appropriate activities to keep kids active. Tots Landing is geared for children ages 0 to 6. In addition to the play space, this area houses two hands-on, experiential learning exhibits provided by the Oak Lawn Childrens Museum. The veterinary area where kids can take care of animals helps create empathy and helping others. The building exhibit provides different blocks kids can build with, which bolsters critical thinking skills. Both areas teach cooperative play. The museum plans to switch out exhibits from time to time.

Moraine Valley and the Childrens Museum have been partners for several years. The museum has been an internship location for the colleges Job Resource Center since 2009 and awarded the college its Partner of the Year in 2015. At that time Woodworth asked Dr. Sylvia Jenkins, college president, about other ways the organizations could collaborate, and she introduced him to the HFRC staff.

What To Expect

Oak Lawn Chamber Business After Hours
  • Additional hand sanitizing stations have been installed in the museum. Guests and staff are encouraged to sanitize often in addition to washing hands frequently.
  • Social distancing is encouraged and some exhibits have a limited capacity of one family at a time
  • Some exhibits have been changed to allow for deep cleaning and sanitizing .
  • Additional bins have been placed around the museum for items that need cleaned. We encourage guests to place small items here when you are done using them. We will clean them before placing them back out in the exhibit.
  • For more information about memberships, click here.

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