Chicago Children's Museum

My family and I recently visited The Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier.   What a fun day!   I have been there many times several years ago with my older kids, but haven't visited lately.   There are so many exhibits in the museum that there is something to please everyone.  

My older boys were a bit concerned that they may be "bored" during our visit  .....  and that surely is the first time I've heard that concern from them :)    They found many things to occupy themselves throughout the day.   We stayed until the museum closed!

The new and temporary exhibit is called Circus Zirkus: Where You're the Star of the Show.    The kids can walk a tight rope, try on clown clothes, swing on the trapeze and ride the spinning hoop.   We had a ton of fun in this exhibit.

A Trapeze Act

Flipped Over!

There is a small stage to put on a show after you have tried on all those fun clothes and huge clown shoes.   Our favorite was the big clown pants!

Skyline Building Area

Another great exhibit is the Skyline Building Area with the Skyscraper Challenge.   In the Skyscraper Challenge, you get to build a tall structure while you are creating your own story, all in front of a computer screen.    You are asked various questions throughout your build and your picture is taken at different points as well.   The pictures and verbal responses are used to create a book that tells the story of your building.   You are given an access number and website to view your book from home.    The kids loved to hear their own voices online to go along with the pictures of their building.   It was very cool!

Skyscraper Challenge

The Waterways area is also great fun for various ages.   My older boys paired up with another group to find ways to divert the water using the removable walls throughout the canals.    We were lucky that the exhibit was relatively empty while this was going on as they were getting pretty excited and kind of taking the whole thing over!   One of the museum employees got involved in the action and suggested different ways to get the water moving.    He was incredibly nice and I think just as excited as my boys!  My daughter loved the area where you can "paint" the walls with water.   While the boys were figuring out how to crash objects into the raging water, my daughter was painting flowers, rainbows and hearts on the stone wall!

Some of the other classic exhibits are just as much fun for the younger kids as we remembered.   In Kidstown you can drive a CTA bus, work in gas station, or shop for groceries and make  a meal in the kitchen.    In the Treehouse Trails, you can play in the log cabin,  go "fishing", or pretend to camp out.    In Dinosaur Expedition you can dig for lost dinosaur bones!  

In the middle of the museum, kids aged 5 and over can climb from floor to floor through the ropes in the Family Climbing Schooner.   This was another big hit with our group!

So much more fun than taking the stairs!

The Chicago Children's Museum is a great place to take the whole family.  Our group ranged from age five through eleven, and everyone found something to have fun with.   Navy Pier has lots of options for lunch while you are there.    We parked right in Navy Pier which made it very convenient for access to the museum.   You can make the day very affordable if you check out the Kidwinks Free Museum Days link!   Get all the info you need for your visit to the museum on Kidwinks link to the Chicago Children's Museum, and look for other great places to visit with your family in the Summer Fun Guide.