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 [email protected] 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!