Today we visited The Notebaert Nature Museum. As a homeschooling mom, I would give it 3/5 stars. I actually enjoyed the Planetarium more, but this has more potential educational value for younger kids.
Key Age Range: PreK to elementary.
Time: This morning we did everything except the water exhibit, and it took us an hour, including a potty break and a snack. If we were there for a school project, we might stay two hours max.
Food: You won’t be here long enough for lunch, but if you are, there’s a little display with $4 sandwiches and various healthy snacks (babybel cheese, pretzels, granola bars) for under a dollar.
Parking: During the winter, parking is free in the lot across the street. We parked in the zoo lot down the street because I have flat rate $7 parking with our zoo membership.
Fun Factor: Well, it’s a lot of looking…at bugs, frogs, fish, turtles, etc. The water exhibit is hands-on, but Tommy is a little young for that. The under 7 play area was lots of fun for both kids–a kid-size mole’s tunnel, beaver lodge, and a few other fun things.
Educational Factor: It’s sortof like Field Museum/Shedd Aquarium Lite. The material is presented in a kid-friendly way, and I could probably learn a lot about bugs and reptiles there. The staff is the friendliest of any museum I’ve been to–I could actually see myself taking Tommy to a nature class there because I think they’d get how to explain things to a 3 1/2 year old.
I’m glad we went with a free pass. The family memberships are relatively cheap, and if one of the kids gets really into this stuff, it would be the sort of thing they’d love. But since I’m not the biggest nature fan, we probably won’t make this a high priority when we’re visiting Chicago. Since it is just across the street from Lincoln Park Zoo, it might make a good addendum to a zoo day (or a good refuge if it’s too hot, cold, or crowded at the zoo). The bathrooms have a nice couch for nursing and are very clean.
“Mommy, is the turtle happy or sad?”
looking through the periscope in the mole tunnel
I don’t even know if there were fish in that tank. Elizabeth just liked pulling up on it.
Tommy liked the slide in the kid area before any other kids arrived.
