Kohl Children's Museum
add photosKohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago is a hands-on learning laboratory for children ages birth to 8. All of the exhibits and programs are aligned to the Illinois State Learning Standards and are designed to make learning fun and interesting for young children.
We went during salways busier at Kohl. There are often field trips from day capring break, which is a very busy time at the museum. My friend's kids had a hard time with the number of kids there. Mine didn't care except when they had to wait to go play in the Dominick's. Mornings are res, schools, etc. Around noon it gets a little easier to handle.
16 Reviews for Kohl Children's Museum
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"Great way to spend a winter day..."
The Nitty Gritty: Parking was free in an adjoining lot. We arrived first thing when they opened up so we found a spot but as we were leaving, people we stalking our spot.
The fun: We went here in January. We spent about 2 to 3 hours here.
Son's fav moment: Crawling areas
Parent's fav moment: Music stations
Bottom Line: Definitely recommended. But would recommend for children 2 or 3+. Bring your sanitizer as its germs galore!
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"10 and under :) good times"
I started going here when my now 6 year old was a year old. Now I go here with all 6 of my children. they love this place. A real to life fully stocked grocery store with shopping carts and everyhing. the kids can shop in with fake food, fake check out, etc. One of the best water play areas i've ever seen.
Another extremely popular exhibit is the pretend PotBelly's, which has all fake food very realisic. The layout of the store so cool, like real thing down to the serving baskets, sandwhich heater, and even fake bread, was exactly like PotBelly's. The kids love being behind the counter making sandwhiches, filling pretend drinks, and putting fake money in the register.
There is also a Vet Center, where you can put stuffed dogs and cats in cages my kids have also been known to get into the cages themselves :) , look at real X-Rays and even look through a microscope.
the museum is designed to be a 'green' musuem, so kids can also learn about conservation, etc.
there is a cafe in the museum for lunches.
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"Such a fun place"
Kohl Children's Museum is a really great place to take children to learn and explore. I would say that it is more geared towards the 1-8 crowd and any older than that and the kids might get bored. There are so many interactive activites that interst the kids and different exhibits that get changed on a regular basis. The kids will definatley be tired after at day at the museum.
Just make sure that you get there early, it definatley gets busy and you want to make sure you can get to all of the activities.
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"Many activities"
I have been taking my boys here since they were born. This place is great for all young children! There is a baby/toddlers area near all the main activities. There is a wonderful interactive water room which is my boy's favorite activity.
It is best to get there early to avoid the crowds.
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"Great for kiddos"
Kohl Children's Museum is a big happy-fest for the little ones. There's lots to do. I'm not sure kids over the age of 8 would be interested for very long however, and for kids under 3, they may not get the point of the exhibits. Great for kids, but I got bored pretty quickly, to be honest. Some stuff was more about playing than learning... for example, making a 'pizza' with plastic sauce, pepperoni, etc. Not that exciting, or educational. Kids loved it though.
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"Hours of fun for little ones"
We started taking our daughter here since she was 2 years old. She really enjoys the grocery area, the baby nursery area and the pet area. We also spend quite a bit of time in the water play area. There is also a instrument area where kids can make music. For sunny days, there is also a nice play area in the museum. There is a section for tots where there is a block table and train table. The cafe prices are quite reasonable. Although we usually carry our lunch and use their cafe tables. Sometimes I find coupons for free kid admission with adult purchase online.
0 families found this helpful
"Really Nice Kids Museum"
This is a really nice kids museum. We've never been to the large one at Navy Pier, but we found this one to be plenty big enough for us. You could spend hours here if your kids are really into playing with every exhibit. Our boys love the race car ramp exhibit that's there right when you walk in, and the little grocery store and water rooms are always a big hit too. Great activitiy to do on the weekend with the whole family.
1 family found this helpful
"good size, ideal for 2 - 5 year olds"
We've driven the 30 minutes out to this museum several times because it's such a great place. There's a mini grocery store the kids love, but our favorite is the music room where they can create all sorts of masterpieces. My daughter likes the face painting section - of course - and there's a great little maze for very short people. Probably the under-2 set can really get lost - anyone else will have their head above the maze.
And if you're in the area on a hot summer day, there's a great (free!) water park across the street!!
3 families found this helpful
"Great place to spend a day!"
There's not much more to say about this place-- the other reviewers have said a lot about the wonderful exhibits, the interactive play and the hands-on learning.
My kids could play all day and never get bored here! On a nice day, there is an outdoor playland to explore called Habitat Park. It has been expanded since the last time we were there.
There are fabulous temporary exhibits as well-- always exciting for my kids!
One fun way to get there is by taking Metra Milwaukee District North Line (get off at North Glenview). Kids under 7 are free, and kids ages 7-11 are half price. The museum is a half-mile walk from the train station. It's a straight shot to the museum, an enjoyable walk. The museum has a shopping plaza nearby (The Glen: Tower Center) for your enjoyment, including dining options like Noodles & Company (www.theglentowncenter.com).
1 family found this helpful
"Best children's museum in area"
This is a child's paradise. You can definitely see the quality of a children's museum goes up when it goes commercial. There is a mini Potbellies where children can pretend to make sandwiches. Also there is a small scale Dominicks with junior sized shopping carts and checkout stands. My kids also like the fix it shop where you can play with all things auto.
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"This is a MUST for families!"
This museum is PACKED with things for every age group. My daughter attended a birthday party there and everybody, parents included, had an absolute blast! It was one of the most FUN educational trips we'd taken. It is easily accessible from the city of Chicago, as well as the suburbs. It has a wide variety of exhibits, many of which are interactive. I highly recommend this one!
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"Check it out"
Kids can create melodies and rhythms in the Music Makers area or wander through the maze, the walls of which are low enough that parents can spot their youngsters amid the layout. Especially appealing to the tinier tots is the Water Works play area. You may want to stuff a change of clothes in your carryall bag if your toddler is especially fond of splashing, pouring, and floating things, because there’s a lot to do here.
1 family found this helpful
"Great Interactive Museum"
My son who is almost three loves this museum. We have a membership. We keep coming back and he never gets bored. His favorites have changed as he has gotten older. He loves the car room (with a car wash), the grocery store, the water room, and the musical instrument room. It big and we never get bored each time. They also have these little areas especially for toddlers to crawl around. It's free for children under 1. The only negative is that some days it can be crowded especially if there is a field trip going on. Though if you're a member, there is a member only time for 30 minutes each day.
1 family found this helpful
"Never bored!"
My kids and I totally LOVE this place! I cannot count the number of times we have visited. Yesterday we went again and enjoyed the new temporary exhibit, "Let's Play Railway!" which is there through May 4, 2009. The coolest part for my daughter was the wheel on one of the train cars where she got to press her hands and leave temporary hand prints (due to body heat). My son enjoyed it but not as much as my friend's 4 year old who loves trains. This is one exhibit meant for the younger crowd.
During the summer, the outdoor Habitat Park is open. I read that there are some improvements being made. My kids loved it how it was so I can't wait to see what they do.
Other favorite exhibits of ours are Pet Vet, Potbelly's (sandwich makers), Hands-on House, Car Care and Water Works.
There is a place to have lunch at the museum or many close restaurants to go to. If you bring your own lunch, you may eat it in the museum's restaurant, if there is room. It's Kim & Scott's Pretzel Bakery & Twisting Cafe. Very good food, though pricey. There is always a coupon in Oaklee's Guide for a BOGO pretzel. Check online for a printable version (as well as $1 off admission; Chicago Parent online has a BOGO admission).
A cool thing you can do at the Pretzel Bakery is make your own, decorating it with food coloring, chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc.
This museum is all on one floor and very open. It can be loud. But some exhibits are more "contained" than others so you can keep a better eye on your kids.
1 family found this helpful
"Kohl Chidren's Museum"
For the most part, I liked this museum. But I didn't like how compartmentalized it feels. With two young boys running around, it was hard to keep track of both of them without feeling stressed out myself. The decor is very cool, though. And you are very closeby some nice restaurants to eat at for lunch.
0 families found this helpful
"Ok but i like DuPage Children's museum better"
This is a great children's museum located in a great newer area of glenview called the glen. the museum itself is huge. this can be a plus but also a minus. it's a great indoor place for kids with everything to do including a water area with smocks available. I prefer the DuPage Children's Museum simply because i find it to be much more managable.
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