​Hello Everyone,

I wanted to give you an update as to what is currently happening with the Children's Museum in Oak Lawn now that we've been reopened for nearly three months.  It's not been an easy road and we are not out of the woods, yet.  Your continued support through your donations and membership purchases are helping and we are so very appreciative of your generosity.

Wee Ones Wednesdays have been an absolute hit and I'm so glad we are offering this for the youngest of our visitors. This will likely become a permanent offering of our museum.  Be on the lookout for an expansion of this initiative by summer. We are now starting to offer sensory friendly times as well and will have our first one this month. If it goes well and there is a continued demand, we will continue these into the future.

We have been booking private rental for birthday parties so if you have an interest of having the entire museum for up to 50 people for your party, email us or give us a call and we can tell you how this works.

In addition to parties, we are getting field trip inquiries and actually hosted our first field trip since last March just a couple of weeks ago.  We learned a lot from the daycare who visited us about how we can safely host a field trip.  While we are planning on booking field trips, times will be limited as it is our intent to not hold field trips during the time the general public and our members are visiting us.  Most field trips will be held on Mondays when the museum is closed to the public.

I think the number one question we are getting right now is "How much longer will we need to use the online reservation system?"  It's a common question and a fair one.  The honest answer is that we don't know.  At this moment we can allow up to 80 people (or 25% occupancy) in the museum under the Restore Illinois Guidelines for Museums. We have been intentionally keeping attendance between 50-65 people per session because we want to make sure our guests are comfortable. As the state guidance allows for us to increase our attendance, we will.  Financially, it's been tough but the continued support of membership purchases, store purchases and donations are helping and I want to thank all of you who have been able to help.

One other important thing to note is that we are not back up to our full staffing.  Our focus has been on the front end staff and making sure we have what we need for our visitors and member families to come in and play.  Our office staff is very light right now.  Please be assured that if you call and leave a message you will get a call back, but know that our office staff are still on limited hours.  As our attendance caps are lifted by the Restore Illinois Plan, that will mean more revenue and we'll be able to start increasing the office staff to meet the needs.  It's just tough right now and we appreciate your patience.  One tip for getting a quicker return phone call is to call (708) 423-6709 and press ext 205 when you get the recording.  

If you ever have any questions about the museum or you would like to make a donation or would like to volunteer, please feel free to call me at (708) 423-6709 ext 201 or email me.  

Sincerely,

Adam Woodworth
Executive Director

The photos below were taken back in 2019 and show a quick snapshot of what our volunteers do to assist the Children's Museum in Oak Lawn. 

Being open again has come with a new set of challenges regarding being able to provide safe activities under the current CDC COVID restrictions.  Only being able to have 50 people in the door at a time per the Restore Illinois guidelines also is a challenge because we are unable to afford hiring staff to provide programs the way we used to.  We are able to be open, but we are unable to currently provide many of  the educational extras that we were able to provide pre-COVID.

The good news is that Grandpa Andy is coming back this May to once again turn the art room into a small garden center. It will look a little different due to the world we are currently living in, but he'll be back so be watching for that date sometime in late March.

With a smaller staff size, we are looking for some volunteer help.  Specifically, we are looking for the following:

• Plumbers, electricians and carpenters who could help us with exhibit repairs.
• Scientists, teachers and other educators who could assist with STEM stations.
• People who love arts and crafts who might want to volunteer in our art room.

If you are interested in volunteering, email us at volunteer@cmoaklawn.org and someone from our team will reach out to you.  All volunteers 18 years and older are required to have a background check.  

Now that the Restore Illinois guidelines have gotten us back to Phase 4 and we've been able to expand the number of play sessions we can offer, we've been giving some serious thought to "what's next." Our staff have been having many conversations with parents who tell us that they are glad we have been able to reopen. 

One of the conversations that has happened a few times with parents has been around the young child and how when the world shut down in March 2020, their child was either very young (under 6 months) or not born yet.  In these conversations, we are learning that for many of you, your visit to the Children's Museum in Oak Lawn is your child's first outing... ever.  We are so very grateful and humble that you chose our organization for your child's first outing.  Thank you.

Internally, we've been talking about this phenomena and how children of this age really need something all of their own during this time. Parents may also need time to interact with other parents for both emotional and just general support.  Therefore, starting on February 24 and every Wednesday thereafter, we are opening our museum from 8:30am-9:30am strictly for parents and their children ages 2 and under.

This will be an opportunity for first time parents as well as other parents to get your child 2 and under into a safe, fun environment with other children of the same age group.  There will be no older children in the museum at this time. 

Pathways.org has information about the stages of play development for this age group.

Unoccupied Play (Birth-3 Months)
At this stage baby is just making a lot of movements with their arms, legs, hands, feet, etc. They are learning about and discovering how their body moves.

Solitary Play (Birth-2 Years)
This is the stage when a child plays alone. They are not interested in playing with others quite yet.

Spectator/Onlooker Behavior (2 Years)
During this stage a child begins to watch other children playing but does not play with them.
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Parallel Play (2+ Years)
When a child plays alongside or near others but does not play with them this stage is referred to as parallel play.

Get tickets for the upcoming Wee Ones Wednesday here!

Hello Everyone,

If you missed Governor Pritzker's COVID-19 update today, the state is going to Tier 3 Mitigations on Friday. What does that mean for the Children's Museum in Oak Lawn? It means that we will have to temporarily close our doors again.

Under the Tier 3 Mitigations indoor recreation centers, like museums, must close. We also cannot host gatherings which means no museum rentals for birthday parties. Please take some time to review the state's Tier 3 Mitigations.

As the Children's Museum's Executive Director, I've been so impressed by our staff and volunteers who have worked diligently to keep our exhibits and facility clean and safe. I've been equally impressed by our visitors and members who have worn their masks without fail and helped put used items in the bins when your child was done playing with them. All of you are the reason why we were able to open on October 17th and why we will reopen again as soon as the Tier 3 Mitigations are lifted.

Members, you got a few extra weeks of play in October before we turned the membership clock back on and now as we shut it off again for this second closure, you will continue to earn even more time on your membership. Through your membership, you have shown your philanthropic support for the work we do in providing educational opportunities for children and their families  In today's world the value of unstructured play is often crowded out and even more so during this pandemic. It is through play that children learn vital lifelong skills and we appreciate your support of this cause.

While we don't know just how long the Tier 3 Mitigations will last, what we do know is that we appreciate you. We will maintain a skeletal staff while we are closed to tackle some of the ongoing work we can do during this time. Our museum store will be open if you need Christmas or Birthday presents for a child in your family. Hours will be posted each week on our Facebook page.

Yours in Play,

Adam Woodworth
Executive Director

Tomorrow we reopen.

After seven months of being closed due to COVID-19, we will reopen our doors to a limited number of guests for a two-hour period, which will continue on weekends throughout the month. Go to the front page of the website to buy your tickets or for members, reserve your spots.

There is a lot of excitement from many of you and I know there is apprehension. I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't both excited and nervous. Over these past few months, we've made some changes and we've been trying to raise philanthropic donations to help us with those changes. It's been a rollercoaster of an emotional journey for us.

As the state still has not provided guidance as to where children's museums fit in the "Restore Illinois" plan, our Board of Directors voted to follow the plans for "Indoor Recreation." Other for-profit business like arcades and bowling alleys are adhering to these guidelines and while we are neither an arcade nor a bowling alley, the language is such that it says the list is "non-exhaustive" and it feels like this is the place we fit.

Our plan is to be open on weekends throughout October, assess how many visitors are coming to the museum and if warranted, we will expand those hours in November to include other days of the week. We want nothing more than to get back to a somewhat normal routine here serving you, our wonderful families.

For our members, those of you who purchased your membership with us, the membership clock is not being turned back on so you are still accruing time. We will let you know when that clock is turned back on.

I'm so very excited to start serving families again.  Here is a little video about the importance of play in a child's life.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all back in the museum over the coming days, weeks and months.

Adam Woodworth
​Executive Director

It was 107 days ago that the Children's Museum in Oak Lawn, and children's museums across the country, closed our doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As states start opening up, so are some children's museums in those states. Some of those states are rolling back their opening plan based on the lack of availability of ICU beds. 

The top question I am getting right now is "When will you be open again?"  Usually, this is followed by, "We miss the museum."  

We have a draft of our reopening plans that we are running by various entities to ensure that we meet the standards necessary to do our very best to safely reopen. When approved, this plan will be available on our website. There will be some changes to what you are used to. Some exhibits will be different and we'll have to limit the number of people in the museum. We will likely go to a "timed entry" with online ticket purchase.  Members would reserve their times through this same system. We are working on a plan right now that would allow you to rent out the entire museum for your birthday party. Lots of things are happening to the physical structures of things as well.

The support we received for our "emergency fund" was incredible. It allowed us to stabilize and start turning our attention to reopening. If you would like to support our reopening efforts, CLICK HERE to make a donation or set up your own fundraising page to show your support.

We are optimistic that we will be able to announce a reopening date within the next few weeks, maybe even before the end of July. 

*** For our members, we will be extending your memberships for the length of time we are closed.  

Adam Woodworth
​Executive Director

When I woke up this morning and looked outside the first thought that came to mind was, "The Museum would have been busy today." The museum is usually always busiest when it rains. Like yesterday, and the days before that going all the way back to 3/14/2020 (the first day the museum was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic) there will be no sounds of children playing. In fact, we may not hear that sound in our museums or playgrounds for a few more weeks

That makes me sad.

Beyond the mere socialization of play, the critical thinking skills and interpersonal skills that are developed through playing with peers has been forced to sit on the sidelines. There is always something invigorating about the sounds of children playing together. Those sounds of laughter bring us hope of a better tomorrow. Even though those sounds are not present, we remember them, we miss them and we sit ready for them to return.

These times are depressing in so many ways. I try to just watch enough news to keep me informed without drowning in it. While we do have a stay-at-home order in Illinois, I do go into the museum daily to feed the fish and check the chicken eggs. I have a couple people assisting with that on days I can't get into the office. It's surreal because I have no personal contact with anyone when I'm there.  Normally I'd encounter parents walking with their children to or from the museum from the parking tower, or I'd see families heading into therapy at Cornerstone or grabbing some ice cream at La Michoacana. It's been very odd.

While we are closed, we've been working to ramp up our social media content to give parents ideas on hopefully stress-free things they can do at home with their children. This has fallen on our staff person, Hedy, who is balancing this while working with her own children at home. My role has really become about museum finances, fundraising and plans for reopening once this pandemic passes, and it will. We just don't know when.

Rest assured that the museum is going to reopen, all memberships will be extended and educational play within our walls will resume. We've already set the new Luau fundraiser date for August 7, 2020 and we are anticipating holding our Egg Hunt for Children with Disabilities in June or July, but are holding off on setting a firm date on that until we get deeper into April.

Some people are asking how they can help and that is so appreciated during this time. Here is a list of things you could do right now:

• Make a donation (any size is helpful) either at the graphic below or mail one to us:
  • 5100 Museum Drive, Oak Lawn, IL  60453
• Set up your own fundraising page at the graphic below. This ties straight into our emergency fund. We are trying to cast a wide net in seeking donations and last night we received a donation out of Missouri from a woman who grew up in the area who just wanted to help.
• Like our Facebook page and like/share content from it.
• Like our Instagram page.
• If you are doing some fun, creative things in your home with your children during this time and would be willing to share those, send us an email and we'll talk about sharing what you are doing on our Facebook page.

Thank you, all, for your patience and caring during this time. Together we will get through this. 

Please be safe,

Adam Woodworth
Executive Director

​By K. DeShawn Smith and Jay Betts
 

It's tempting to spend much of the winter hunkered down inside under a pile of blankets — and it’s no wonder! When it snows where the wind blows, it’s hard to mind the motivation to go outside. Oak Lawn gets about 32 inches of snow each year — that’s 4 inches more than the national average. What to do? Along with so many indoor activities for children, there's plenty to do outdoors. The trick is finding something that will motivate them to connect with nature this winter.

1. Garden

Source
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Kids love dirt! (Especially when they're dressed in their finest clothes.) Bundle them up, and introduce them to the joys of winter gardening. Evergreen hollies, snowdrop bulbs, and purple coneflowers hold up quite well in winter and are suitable for USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3 to 7. Ornamental kale and cabbage plants brighten up your landscape. An added bonus? Kids will want to eat what they grow. Buy your children some kid-sized garden tools, give them their own plot, and they'll take pride in their accomplishments.
 
If snow prevents you from gardening outdoors, try an indoor garden. Hydroponic kits and greenhouses are a start to a lifelong love of green thumbing.

2. Take a Hike

​Cold weather doesn’t have to keep you indoors. A thick coat, scarf, and heavy boots, and you're ready for a hike through the snow with your children or grandchildren. Breathe in the fresh air, feel the snowflakes falling on your tongues, and note the glittering sheets of snow and ice. Snow captures the footprints of different animals — you can guess which critter they belong to and take a picture with your cellphone. Point out that no two snowflakes are alike. And think of that nice cup of hot chocolate waiting for you when you return home!
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3. Bird Watching 

Not all birds fly south for the winter. Feathered friends will visit your backyard with a little enticement. Put up a few bird feeders around the backyard where kids can watch from a nearby window. Guidebooks and the internet can help you to identify different cold-winter birds such as cardinals, blue jays, black-capped chickadees, woodpeckers, and snowy owls. Talk about how some birds must seek warmer weather, but others can survive in below-freezing temperatures. Birdhouses may encourage winter birds to come back for a visit in the spring and summer.

4. Treasure Hunt

Nature’s treasure hunts are great for all seasons, even when there's snow on the ground. Make a scavenger hunt list for kids to find: rocks, twigs, leaves, pine cones, empty (fallen) birds’ nests and such. Have them take pictures of birds and trees. Teach your kids about keeping our environment clean by grabbing a few trash bags and picking up litter. A clean planet Earth is a treasure in itself.
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5. Snow Day!

​Snow is part of life. As adults we tend to see it as inconvenient, messy, and exhausting, especially when you have to clear it from the driveway and walkways. Kids often enjoy it, because it means a day off from school. But it doesn't have to mean a day off from learning. Take time to play in the snow. Learn the science of building and lighting an igloo. They'll actually look forward to winter activities like sledding, skiing, tubing, and making that snowman. Start a snowball fight!

6. Indoors

Not every winter day is suitable for outdoor activities, but kids can still connect to nature through books, children’s museums, arts and crafts, science projects, and the like. This is the perfect time to go to the garage and build that birdhouse! Grab a large measuring cup and find out how much snow you need to melt to get a cup of water.
 
Frigid weather won’t stop children from wanting to go outdoors. They may not even feel the cold! It's the parents who often need some encouragement. Be a role model and take advantage of winter’s unique opportunities!
 
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K. DeShawn Smith caught a fish on his first camping trip and he’s been hooked on the outdoors ever since, whether viewed from the deck of a luxurious ski lodge or a hike-in campsite deep in the woods.