The Brooklyn Children's Museum: Outstanding Creative Play for Kids

Museums make wonderful day trip destinations for families with younger children, but not all are created equal. When people think of the museums in New York City, most think of those in Manhattan. But if you have young children, especially kids under the age of ten, visit Brooklyn instead. The Brooklyn Children's Museum offers a wide variety of activities both about nature and city living to entertain kids through open-ended play. We have taken our four kids a few times, and they never seem to tire of the experience, always asking to go back. Even with our kids' ages ranging from infant to age 8, the Brooklyn Children's Museum has enough variety to keep them all happily busy for the day.

A City Just for Kids
Upon entering the museum on the first floor, you're met with the popular "World Brooklyn" exhibit. This is my kids' favorite spot, and they could easily spend most of the day exploring this Brooklyn city block, shrunk to a child's scale. Board (or drive) an MTA bus, knead dough in the Mexican Bakery, shop for goods at the West African Import Store, assemble pizza at the Pizzeria, or, my kids' favorite, load your basket as you shop for groceries at the international market. In this grocery store you'll find all sorts of foods on the shelves, plus a working cash register and conveyor belt when you "check out." Kids seem to have as much fun shopping as they do being the cashier or restocking the shelves.

This small city block provides all of the tools for creative play. Kids can pretend to be all sorts of things, from a shopkeeper to a restaurateur to a customer. Costumes, instruments, crafts, and pretend real-life goods are found inside each store front, providing hours of entertainment. There's even a theatre where kids can sing and dance. The only problem with this section of the museum is that you may have a difficult time getting your kids to explore the rest of the exhibits the museum has to offer.

Interact with Nature
As you exit "World Brooklyn," you'll find a whole host of nature exhibits right next door which teach kids all about the natural world around us through interactive play. The Community Garden is a large cork piece sandbox, where kids can dig and plant play plants, a favorite of the preschool set. There's also a freshwater pond with a tunnel running through the middle, which kids can climb inside to observe the fish. All around are common animals found in that region, as well as a stream that kids can dip their hands into. While this area is pretend, next-door is a greenhouse with live plants, insects and animals to observe. There's also a saltwater section, complete with a large sandbox to play in, live sea creatures to observe, and interactive games and crafts, from a giant board game that teaches about sea turtles to a "decorate your own shell" station. Much of the nature exhibits are hands-on, from digging in sand to playing with puppets and exploring with different sounds found both in nature and civilization.

For Ages 5 and Under
A wonderful feature of the Brooklyn Children's Museum is the "Totally Tots" section, exclusively for kids ages 5 and under (and their caregivers). Sometimes small children can get lost or pushed aside when bigger kids are playing, so this section has special toys and activities just for them. Infants even have a special zone to play in that's soft and safe to explore. There's also a colorful book tent where kids can cuddle up and look at books or be read to, a dress-up section for engaging in pretend play and play-acting, a dollhouse, indoor slide, building zone with blocks and craft area. But perhaps my kids' favorite is the "Water Wonders," a multi-level water table play area where kids can use all sorts of toys to pour, measure, and play in water. Smocks are provided to help keep kids dry, but if your children are anything like mine, they'll probably get a little wet around the edges anyway. In the cooler months, visit this exhibit first so that kids dry off completely before going out into the cold.

There are even more things to see and do at the Brooklyn Children's museum, from browsing through the collection of thousands of artifacts, exploring the latest special exhibit (these change, so check the website), or visiting Fantasia, the museum's 20-foot-long albino Burmese Python. The museum also has a cafeteria where you can eat your packed lunch or purchase food and drinks.

If you live in or around New York City, it's well worth it to take a day to visit the Brooklyn Children's Museum. You and your kids will have a wonderful day exploring and learning together through creative and open-ended play. Chances are, once you visit, you'll want to come back again and again.

Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11213
718-735-4400

Admission is $7.50 per person.
Family memberships begin at only $85 a year.