Kohl Children's Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1985 |
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| Location | Glenview, Illinois, United States |
| Type | Children's museum |
The Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago is a special place in Glenview, Illinois. It's a children's museum where kids from birth up to 8 years old can learn by doing fun, hands-on activities. It's like a giant play space designed to help young children explore and discover new things.
The museum is named after Dolores Kohl. She was a generous person who loved helping others, especially through education. Her family started the famous Kohl's department stores. Dolores Kohl created the museum in 1985 through her education foundation. The museum is quite large, with a big building and an outdoor area for exhibits. All the activities and programs at the museum are designed to make learning exciting and match what kids learn in school.
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Museum History
The Kohl Children's Museum first opened its doors in 1985. It started as part of the Kohl Teaching Center. The original location was in Wilmette, Illinois.
Later, in 2005, the museum moved to a brand new spot in Glenview, Illinois. This new home is in an area called "The Glen." This area used to be a naval air station. The new museum building is much bigger, about twice the size of the first one!
Easy to Visit for Everyone
The museum is designed so that everyone can enjoy it, no matter their abilities. This means guests with physical, sight, hearing, or thinking challenges can easily visit. All parts of the museum that are open to the public follow special rules to make them accessible.
The museum and its exhibits are created using "universal design" ideas. This means they go beyond just being accessible. They use different ways to learn, like activities that involve touch, sight, and sound. This helps all visitors, no matter their abilities, have a great time and learn from the museum's offerings.
A Green Building
The Kohl Children’s Museum is also very friendly to the environment. Its building is designed to save energy and be good for the planet. Because of this, it earned a special "Silver-level" award. This award comes from the U.S. Green Building Council for being a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building.
Inside and outside the museum, there are signs and activities. These help children and families learn about important environmental topics. You can explore these green exhibits all year round!
Fun Exhibits
The Kohl Children’s Museum has 17 different exhibits. Each one is hands-on and interactive. This means you can touch, play, and explore to learn new things!
Who Visits the Museum?
Every year, about 350,000 people come to visit the Kohl Children’s Museum. That's a lot of kids and families! The museum also has over 7,500 families who are members.
Helping the Community
For many years, the museum has worked to help communities that might not have as many resources. They do this through a program called Early Childhood Connections. This program mostly works with schools in Chicago Public Schools.
The museum now also offers its programs to families in nearby towns. These include Wheeling and Waukegan. The museum has also created special programs to teach about being fair to everyone and living healthy lifestyles.
