New Exhibits and Front Desk are Here and Ready to be Explored!
The Front Lobby renovation is complete and Exploratown is now open at the children's museum. Exploratown features a soda shop & diner, invention center, market, auto shop, post office, safety center with fire truck and a kids sized house. The lobby renovations also included a new front desk that resembles a train with an engine and caboose kids can play in. Join us Saturday, January 9th for our Grand Opening Celebration of Exploratown from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
To view all of the new exhibit areas Click Here!
Children's Museum is Raising Funds by Going Green !
Exploration Station...a children's museum is proud to announce it's participation in the Lights for Learning Program. Lights for Learning is an education-based outreach and fundraising program sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Com Ed. Through the program, Exploration Station will be selling energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) and LED holiday lights to raise funds for new recycling containers and related supplies.
Don't forget to stop out the the Exploration Station...a children's museum to see the new Christmas Tree Display that shows the energy use of traditional christmas lights verses LED lights. Check out the wattage meters to see how much energy can be saved by switching your holiday lights!
Coming
soon: New Parent Resource Center
The Parent Resource Center
will be an area especially for parents. The
focus of this resource center will be information
on child growth and development, child behavior, health
issues, parent and child interaction, as so much more!
If you have topics of interest you'd
like to see in the resource center, please contact Tammy
anderson, Outreach Coordinator, at 815-933-9905, Ext.
2.
Exploration Station now has Donation Afternoons on Tuesdays and Thursdays
As of September 29, 2009, free afternoons will
be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays after 2:00 p.m. with additional free
afternoons offered during the summer months.
A printable calendar of the free afternoon times is now
available our our web site.
Learn More
Museum Hours
September
– March
Closed Mondays (except special holidays)
Tuesday & Thursday: 10:00 a.m.– 5:30
p.m.
Wednesday, Friday & Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00
p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas, The day after Christmas (Dec 26), New Years Eve and New Years Day.
April – August
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
& Saturday: 10:00 a.m.
– 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday Thursday: 10:00 a.m.– 5:30
p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Closed on Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Annual Fall Shutdown.
Don't Forget about our Annual Shutdown: Each year we close for 2-4 weeks at the end of August and the begriming of September to update exhibits and work on major cleaning projects.
Shutdown dates are subject to change. Please call prior to your visit to verify facility hours.
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New Overnight Packages
Overnights are a perfect way to explore the exhibits of the Exploration Station...a children's museum after hours. Choose from a variety of packages and overnights can feature programs that can be tailored to scouts to fulfill badge requirements! Check out our printable overnight flyer by clicking here or call (815) 933-9905 for more information!
New
Birthday Party Prices and Times We
have updated our birthday party packages and party times and if you book a birthday in January and recieve two free party guests or book in February and recieve 1/2 off face painting for your party guests! For more party details check out our Birthday Party
Pages!
Learn More
Up-coming
Inter-Activity Stations:
Inter-Activity Stations are temporary exhibit activity
centers for children to play in and explore. Inter-activities
change regularly and can have games, craft projects
or activities targeted for children ages 5
Terrific Teeth!
Celebrate Dental Health Month a the children's museum with a new interactivity center! This interactivity will be open February 1- March 31, 2010.
Baby Chicks are Coming Back!
An embryology display featuring an incubator and baby chicks will be on display this spring a the children's museum. Interactivity dates are coming soon!
Check
Out Our New Membership Packages
Exploration Station ..a children's
museum is now offering membership packages that include
the Association
of Children’s Museums Reciprocal Program that
provides FREE admission to more than 130 museums around
the country.
Learn
More
New Resource for Parents
with Young Children
Check out the new Success by 6
"Parents Page" web site at www.parentspage.org.
The Parents Page is written for parents of newborns
through age 6, and includes many parenting tools produced
by the United Way of America and the Ad Council. The "Kankakee County Cares"
button is a thorough resource of local services, ranging
from parent support groups to early childhood education
to child care resources. Most of the parenting
tools are available in both English and Spanish.
Learn More
Exploration
Station needs your help!
As we work to meet the
needs of all of our visitors, we have to reach out to
our members and frequent visitors. This project will
take not only large amounts of time but funding as well.
Exploration Station is in dire need of an Annual Fundraiser.
This fundraiser will raise funds for new and future
exhibits, as well as maintenance, repairs, and enrichment
activities for some of our current ones. The Exploration
Station and staff are looking to raise the bar. We want
our visitors to leave here knowing their needs have
been met, but wanting to come back for more. If you
have experience with fundraising — or just want
to help get an annual fundraiser started — please
contact General Manager Sarah Winkel at 815-933-9905.
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for kids who are going places.
