// Home

Wonder Works

In the burbs: Families — Area museums offer whirlwind of fun

Submitted by Renee Tomell on February 15, 2010 - 2:21pm

It’s easy for families to plan science adventures at suburban sites.

Mr. Freeze’s cryogenics show will be part of an open house Feb. 21 at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which straddles the Kane-DuPage border. Targeted for third-graders through adults, hands-on activities will explore the world of physics. The free event is from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, and registration is required. Space for special tours is limited.
 
Fermilab’s Lederman Science Education Center welcomes visitors Monday through Saturday. “Because we’re an international facility, we do get a lot of visitors from outside the local area,” says Andrea Varry, administrative assistant. The center offers classes for students and families in the summer and Saturdays during the school year.
 
The gaze shifts to the skies at the “Out of This World Costume Party” at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at the DuPage Children’s Museum. It’s part of Family Fun Friday Nights and highlights different programs from 6 to 8 p.m. each week. The Friday Night series is free with admission. 
File under:

In the burbs: Children’s museums make learning fun

Submitted by Renee Tomell on October 15, 2009 - 9:40am

Giggles greet your ears when you enter the DuPage Children’s Museum, a discovery playground designed to engage adults and kids as young as 6 months in a shared partnership of learning.

Founded in Hinsdale two decades ago, its permanent home opened in 2001 in Naperville, a three-story structure full of interactive exhibits that teach young minds math, science and the arts under the guise of pure fun. Some let them float balls in midair atop pressurized tubes, tackle real carpentry, make music, bounce light, splash into water games or encase themselves in a giant bubble. Helping families maximize the experience is a pool of 500 volunteers devoted to the museum’s mission, says Alison Segebarth, marketing director.


A visitor tries out the wind tunnel at the DuPage Children’s Museum. SUBMITTED PHOTO

File under:
Syndicate content