Saturday, March 23, 2024

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Peoria Playhouse Children’s Museum

Signing Through Our Museum

Virtual Circuitry Fieldtrip

We know that language happens everywhere, even when youre playing in our museum! The PlayHouse is a great place to practice communication skills. That is why the PlayHouse and Communication Junction teamed up to show you FIVE signs to try out on your next trip!

Use these signs at the Peoria PlayHouse, during playtime, or around your town and throughout your day!

Peoria Playhouse Childrens Museum: Real Tools Makerspace Helps Visitors Explore

Editor’s Note: This is the third post in a series during this National Week of Making to highlight Making in museums and libraries.

Director, Peoria PlayHouse Childrens Museum

The Peoria PlayHouse Childrens Museum, which opened in June 2015, features Real Tools, a makerspace area stocked with wood and carpentry tools, as well as recyclables, tape, fabric, and other non-carpentry materials. Over the past year, the museum has watched how visitors use the space, and wondered how can a space like this best achieve our goal of helping visitors become explorers and creators of the world?

Recently, education staff spent a day reflecting on programs, articulating the museums educational philosophy, and proposing program improvements. One of the questions we grappled with is, what are makerspace goals, and how do they align with the museums overall educational goals?

Makerspaces are tool-focused: community centers with tools that enable community members to design, prototype and create manufactured works that wouldnt be possible to create with the resources available to individuals working alone. In a childrens museum, visitors are often encountering tools glue guns, hammers, drills for the first time. When people learn to use tools, they often start by creating proscribed projects. For example, you might learn to use a sewing machine by making a pillow.

But open-ended learning is a core value of many museums, and this is certainly true of the PlayHouse.

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Here Are Some Of The Additional Precautions The Playhouse Is Taking To Ensure Your Safety:

  • The museum and all exhibits and toys are cleaned and disinfected thoroughly every day using non-toxic spray shown to kill the COVID virus.

  • Selected exhibit components will not be available due to COVID-related restrictions. These include:

  • Costumes, dolls, stethescopes, and fabric and plush toys have been removed.
  • Books and bean bags have been removed the Hayloft is closed.
  • Real Tools has been moved to the Noble Center, as our space is too small to allow for social distancing. See our calendar for workshop times these are free for members and $10 for non-members.

Looking for a way to help your child understand these new changes? Read our updated social story together to talk about what to expect during your visit!

Health & Safety Protocols

Peoria PlayHouse Children

As of Feburary 28th the Illinois mask mandate has been changed from required to recommended. With this guidance we are moving to a mask recommended policy at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum locations. We thank you for your continued support as we navigate these new changes!

Thank you in advance for helping us keep our community safe, and helping other visitors feel comfortable. Our current safety protocols include:

  • Face masks are recommened to be worn by all guests ages two and over in all areas. We will have masks available at the PlayHouse if needed by visitors, as well as ideas for helping you ensure masks fit well so that they cover your nose as well as your mouth.
  • If any of the following are true, we ask that you not visit the museum:
  • Fever of more than 100.4 F
  • Exposure to a COVID-19-infected individual within the previous 14 days
  • The following symptoms: cough, sore throat, breathing difficulty or shortness of breath, muscle aches, new or unusual headache, chills, gastrointestinal problems, or loss of taste or smell
  • Hand sanitizer stations are available thoughout the museum we ask that guests sanitize or wash hands between exhibits / throughout their visit

  • The museum and all exhibits and toys are cleaned and disinfected thoroughly every day using non-toxic spray shown to kill the COVID virus.

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Peoria Playhouse Children’s Museum

The Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum in Peoria, Illnois, USA has been secured using the latest Axis Communications audio-over-IP technology in its public address and background music system.

Location: Peoria, Illnois, USAClient: Peoria PlayHouse Children’s MuseumIntegrator: Kern Group Security Solutions

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Kids Career Fair Seeks To Expand Job Possibility Horizons For The Future

Kids have the opportunity to explore career options this weekend with the Peoria Park District.

The Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum is hosting a “Be Anything!” career day for kids this Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at the Noble Center.

Illinois Central College president Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey says most kids make up their mind about the jobs they do not want to pursue by 7th grade.

She says the hope is by reaching kids younger, they’ll be open to more possibilities.

“They think they’re playing. What they’re really doing is giving them basic information about opportunities for their future,” she said. “And that’s such an important part for the development of every child.”

Park district executive director Emily Cahill says that’s the idea behind the Be Anything! event.

“Teaching people about careers when they’re little bitties, and they’re excited for possibility, that’s where Be Anything! came from initially for the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum,” Cahill said. “The idea that you can come to our facility and bring your kiddos, and teach them about careers, and open their horizons a little bit.”

Children’s museum director Rebecca Shulman says kids will have 25 careers to explore.

“They actually get to experience in a hands-on way like they learn at the museum itself,” she said.

That includes news reporting, paleontology, and zoo keeping.

Playhouse Visitors Must Follow Safety Protocols

Be Anything! Online Auction

Thank you in advance for helping us keep our community safe, and helping other visitors feel comfortable. Our current safety protocols include:

  • Face masks must be worn by all guests ages two and over in all areas. We will have masks available at the PlayHouse if needed by visitors, as well as ideas for helping you ensure masks fit well so that they cover your nose as well as your mouth.
  • If any of the following are true, you will not be permitted to visit the museum:
  • Fever of more than 100.4 F
  • Exposure to a COVID-19-infected individual within the previous 14 days
  • The following symptoms: cough, sore throat, breathing difficulty or shortness of breath, muscle aches, new or unusual headache, chills, gastrointestinal problems, or loss of taste or smell
  • Hand sanitizer stations are available thoughout the museum we ask that guests sanitize or wash hands between exhibits / throughout their visit

  • No food is allowed in the museum. Visitors are welcomed to eat outside the museum in Glen Oak Park or on our porch.

Need a mask break? Outdoor activities will be available to enjoy in Glen Oak Park, free of charge with admission or membership. These include bubbles, a Nature Exploration kit, fort building, bags, horseshoe, and croquet. Ask about these outdoor activities at the Admissions Desk!

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All Construction Great And Small

Kids don hard hats to manipulate a loader and dump truck, and use real tools to build objects. A magical bridge triggers a musical surprise. Build things using real tools in the PlayHouse “Real Tools” maker space!

Scroll down to see information about how children of different ages explore and learn in PlayHouse exhbits!

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