Sandra Candelas

Child Dev 143-Hunter

June 27, 2014

The Childrens Museum

For my museum assignment, I picked the Childrens Museum. I like this museum
because it is designed for young children. The museum is located at 700 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL at Navy Pier; their direct contact number is 1(312) 527-1000. The Chicago
Childrens Museum hours are as follows: Monday- Wednesday 10 am- 5pm, Thursday 10 am- 8
pm, Friday- Sunday 10 am- 5 pm, and Thursday evenings are free from 5pm 8 pm. Regular
admissions are 14 dollars for adults and children. Children under one are admitted free and
seniors pay 13 dollars. The museum focuses in the development of the whole child and many of
the exhibits are hands on. Some of the displays include but are not limited to Circus Zirkus,
Danger 101, Tinkering Lab, Michaels, Museum, Big Backyard, Treehouse Trails, Dinosaur
Expedition, Skyline, Water Ways, and Kids Town.
I went to the museum with my son, Eli, my daughter, Monica, and My little sister
Jocelyne. One of our first stops was at Water Ways.
My son really liked this display; he enjoyed exploring
the many ways water can be handled. What was
interesting about water play is it promotes scientific
inquiry. For instance, my son was busy exploring
cause and affect with the water materials provided such as pipes, boats, and rubber duckies. He
discovered how boats sank when he poured water onto the boat and how rubber ducks floated on
water. As he explored, I questioned what would happen if we poured water onto the, and we both
discovered that the boat sunk. What I liked about Water Ways is that it provided activities for
both young and older children. The older children explored with plastic covers that were used as
dams for the water flow. Children experimented cause and effect as they controlled the water
flow.
Our second stop was at Kids Town were my son spend most of the time. It was
composed of pretend cars, buses and a grocery store. The grocery store prompted children to sort
out groceries. My son sorted out fruits and vegetables
and placed them in different sections. He even
pretended to buy groceries with fake money. All these
activities provided basic math skills such as sorting,
counting and matching. My son loves cars, and he was
able to change tires from the display pretend cars. This activity reminded me of the one- to -one
correspondence concept. He changed tires and replaced a tire for each rim on the car. This was a
really nice activity for my son because it was individualized just for him, and at the same time it
gave that basic math skills practice.
As our day unfolded, we moved onto the Dinosaur Expedition; where my son and I
pretended to be archeologists. Eli and I used
hand brooms to excavate the Suchomimus dinosaur
bones. I really enjoyed watching my son brush off the
pretend dirt away from the bones. Children are
encouraged to explore and discover dinosaur bones like
archeologists do. Children are provided with hands on experience while learning the scientific
names of dinosaurs. At the very entrance, children can also observe the skull of the Suchomimus
dinosaur, along with the claws and other artifacts. There was also an educational video for
children to watch regarding the history of archeology and unearthing of dinosaur bones.
Moreover, the Michaels Museum has a collection of treasures for children to observe
and also play with. My son played with blocks and sorted out the animal puzzles. He also played
with colored pon pons and put them into muffin trays along with shapes. The materials allowed
my son to sort out and match shapes. Children can also observe the variety of objects in the
expedition. I also noticed older children counting the objects behind some of the crystal boxes.
These were some of the exhibits we spent the most time at. We were not able to observe
all of them, but over all, they provided both Math and
Science. If I were able to plan an exhibit, I would
provide a small aquarium. Children would be exposed to
a variety of different fish. The fish would be of different
colors and shapes were children can identify the
quantity and size. In a scientific perspective, children would be exposed to the Physical Sciences.
Children would be encouraged to discover the characteristics of different fish, their habitats and
the different kinds of foods they eat.
I went on a week day; therefore, it wasnt as crowded as it would be on a free or
weekend day. What I dont like about the museum is that some of the children dont like to give
others a chance. In a classroom setting a teacher would have to observe and make sure every
child had a turn. One of the things I do like about the museum is it focuses on children in every
exhibit. Every exhibit has activities for children at all developmental levels, ranging from infants
to age 8.

I feel that over all the museum provides both Math and Science. This is a museum
designed for children; therefore, if one thinks about it, all of the displays provide Math and
science. Childrens natural curiosity prompts them to
discover and therefore, experiment with the materials.
Basic Math skills are also needed in order to understand
certain activities, For example, when my son was
playing with blocks as he discovered cause and effect when
stacking them up. He also has past knowledge of spacial
sense which reinforces the concepts he has discovered. Activities of this kind help children build
on knowledge. Therefore it is essential for children to learn basic Math and Science skills to
prepare them for higher level academic success.