There’s not a “don’t touch” sign to be found inside the Kohl Children’s Museum in Wilmette.
In fact, splashing, banging and dropping are highly encouraged in the interactive museum, as are thinking, puzzling and figuring.
On a recent visit, 6-year-old Dylan Fisher ran his fingertips over the Duplo blocks he had used to spell out his name on the wall in the Duplo room. “D-Y-L-A-N,” he recited, then set about disassembling the creation in favor of a new project.
His mother, Sarah, brings Dylan and his 3-year-old sister, Jessica, to the museum at least twice a month. It’s popular with both children.
“If I’m out in less than two hours I consider myself lucky,” Sarah Fisher said. “Every time we come, they’re always interested in something different.”
Sheridan Turner, president and chief executive officer of the museum, likes to hear such comments. For three years Turner has been carrying out the vision set forth by the museum’s founder, Dolores Kohl of Highland Park, a member of the Kohl’s Department Store family.
Concerned that there were too few available resources for teachers, Kohl created the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation in 1985, a concept that evolved into a museum in which children could learn through play.
“Her mission was to provide an educational learning environment in which all children felt safe and comfortable, no matter a child’s socioeconomic, ethnic, physical or cognitive challenges–something for everybody,” Turner said.
There are some parameters: The museum focuses on children from birth to age 8, a concentration recently reaffirmed by the board.
“We decided to stay 0 to 8 because older children are so different cognitively and physically that you have to dedicate more space and resources,” Turner said.
Kohl stepped down as chairman three years ago but remains a trustee emeritus and owns the building.
“She wanted to make sure the museum survived her,” Turner said.
Incorporated as a not-for-profit agency in 1991, the museum draws 210,000 visitors a year. Children and parents are encouraged to explore every inch of the 9,000 square feet of exhibit space, which contain 11 permanent and four traveling exhibits.
Role playing encouraged
Among them is the busy Jewel-Osco & Kraft Foods Center exhibit, which allows children to “shop” for a variety of groceries and play roles as cashiers and stockers.
On a recent weekday, 8-year-old Evan directed his 3-year-old sister, Rileigh, to unload her tot-size shopping cart onto the belt in front of his register, with him “scanning” each item as she did so. Evan used to frequent the museum with his grandmother, Ellie Waldman of Morton Grove, before he moved to Michigan five years ago. Whenever they visit, a trip to the museum is in order–and something that his younger sister can now enjoy.
“I really like this place because the 8-year-old has as much fun as the 3-year-old,” Waldman said.
The Jewel exhibit is a favorite among many of the young visitors. Evan had no intention of giving up his post at the register, noting that the occupation suited him.
“It’s a lot of hard work, and I like hard work,” he said.
All the exhibits target particular concepts, from art and music to science and math. The H2O display allows children to learn about water and gravity. Judging from the crowds around the mini-waterfall, the display intrigues many adults as well.
Other exhibits include All Aboard! which features a life-size CTA train, and Music Makers, which teaches children about rhythm, harmony and vibration. Construction Zone gives children a chance to use a conveyor belt and tile a mock roof with black Velcro squares.
Amid the commotion of children busy at work are their parents or caregivers, some watching from one end of the room, others on the floor at play with the children.
Fun for adults too
“We have an environment that gives [parents] permission to play,” said Mary Trieschmann, vice president of programs for the museum. “They also have a chance to really observe their children in a variety of play environments–and that’s a luxury. Often when you set the children down to play, you’re off doing dishes.”
In line with Dolores Kohl’s early vision, the museum caters equally to the surrounding community and visiting school groups.
During the week the museum hosts children on field trips from suburban and Chicago schools. Because part of the original mission calls for children of diverse backgrounds to play and learn together, the museum has established a relationship with the Chicago Public Schools and works with specific schools and families from disadvantaged communities.
“Seventy percent of our school groups come from underserved communities,” Trieschmann said. “We provide teachers with materials and training and will bus families in from the community so they can learn and play with their children.”
All the exhibits, which were created by early-childhood education experts, call for children to learn through play rather than by rote. Pacing is up to each child.
“There is no failure here, no `oops, you got it wrong,'” Turner said. “[Children] can take charge.”
But success has taken its toll on the museum in the form of crowded facilities and inadequate parking and grounds. The museum plans to move to a new facility in October 2005 in Glenview, at the Glen, site of the former Glenview Naval Air Station.
New, larger quarters planned
The new facility will be nearly double the size, allowing for increased amenities such as a store, cafeteria and coat check, as well as twice as much exhibit space. Outdoor exhibit space, impossible at the Green Bay Road location, will become significant at the new museum. The Glenview site also calls for more than 200 parking spaces, a big improvement over the 35 spots in Wilmette, Trieschmann said.
The new building will be on 8.8 acres situated among single-family homes, golf courses and senior residences. If all goes as planned, the museum will close for one month during the move. No plans have been made for the current site.
Turner expects increased revenues at the new facility, particularly welcome at a time when philanthropic dollars are tight.
“There is simply more competition for those dollars. We have to think of ways to generate revenue and keep true to our mission,” she said.
Though specific cognitive and developmental goals are paramount to the museum’s founder and staff, the facility serves a more practical function for many parents, including Rich Guittar of Arlington Heights.
“Especially when it’s colder out, it’s nice to have a place to burn off all kinds of energy,” he said.
Kohl Children’s Museum
Address: 165 Green Bay Rd., Wilmette, IL 60091-3303.
Phone: 847-512-1300.
Web site: www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org.
Hours: Sept. 1 through May 31, 9:30 a.m. to noon Mondays; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. June 1 through Aug. 30, the library is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays; the remaining days are the same as the rest of the year. Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Day, July 4th, Sept. 1-5 (cleanup week) and Thanksgiving.
Admission: Adults and children $6 each, children younger than 1 free, seniors $5.
Facilities: A 9,000-square-foot interactive museum that encourages learning through play for children from birth to age 8.
Traveling exhibits: “The Shoes We Use” (January-August 2003): Learn what shoes can tell you about a person’s size, culture and profession; try on Michael Jordan’s shoes. “Eggs 2 Chicks” (March-May 2003): Observe an egg incubator and chick hatcheries containing endangered Black Java and White Java species.
