at the Illinois State Museum

• The Illinois State Museum has exciting plans to replace our popular hands-on children’s gallery and create a new Play Museum. This will be a tremendous educational resource for children and families that is free and open to all.You can see a larger version of the Play Museum here.
  

• For over 25 years, A Place for Discovery has been a valued community resource and a safe, fun place for over 1,000,000 visitors. It is an environment where children and families have hands-on educational and engaging experiences together. The all new Play Museum is inspired by new approaches in education that emphasize the importance of family play in learning, health, and happiness.

• The Play Museum is designed for children ages 3-10 and their caregivers.  In the Play Museum, children will be able to learn through play about the nature and culture of Illinois and develop a foundation for caring about their world.

• At the Play Museum children can...

Load a Jeep and go on an expedition like a Museum scientist

Climb a rock outcrop or crawl through a cave

Excavate a Mastodont skeleton

Collect and identify minerals, mussels, and much more

Discover birds and other animals

Sort, identify, and classify artifacts and other objects of nature and culture

Frame works of art

Create their own exhibits

Play Museum!

• The Museum Society has received a prestigious $150,000 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and is committed to raising additional funds.  Commitments totaling over $100,000 have already been received.

Contributions to the Play Museum are welcome and appreciated. Contributions are fully tax deductible. Checks should be made payable to the Illinois State Museum Society and sent to 502 S. Spring St., Springfield, IL  62706-5000.  Your donation will be matched, thanks to a generous challenge pledge from Bud and Mary Jo Potter.

Learn about other exhibitions currently at the Illinois State Museum, Springfield.