Our Association of Children's Museum (ACM) reciprocal pass took us to the Rockford Children's Discovery Museum during spring break. Coming from the perspective as a parent with a toddler, I was initially upset that the exhibits were geared toward school age children on the first floor. We spent a mere 20 minutes on the first floor and were thinking that it was going to be a quick visit when we took the elevator to the second floor. We were surprised to see a large area completely dedicated to toddlers. The toddler exhibit contained several areas specifically designed for younger patrons. Lydia loved all the themed areas: a home, garage (complete with mechanic tools), construction zone, train station, grocery store, water table, ball exhibit, and baby zone. Lydia played at length in the grocery store, collecting plastic fruits and vegetables in her cart, categorizing and sorting them as she returned them to their appropriate locations.
She spent a short time in the mechanic's garage, but was more inclined to spend time in the 'home' cooking, baking, and setting up the kitchen table before she folded laundry and read books on the couch. She also spent a significant amount of time in a fun ball exhibit in which older kids manipulated various switches and levers to move balls through tubes and tunnels. Lydia loved putting the plastic balls into the holes and watching them whiz their way through the tunnels.
Lydia also loved the boulders at the construction zone. She stacked (and then helped me stack) a tower that was taller than she was. She happily knocked the tower down. The highlight of her play time in the toddler zone was the water table. She loved to splash, pour, and dump water in the various tubs and toys. Despite the smock that she wore to keep herself dry, she ended up wet, but happy.
One of the exhibits in the agricultural area on the first floor had a grain elevator that kids were able to raise and lower to transport grain from one bin to another one. Lydia took one piece of grain at a time and moved them from one bin to the next. I laughed. She would have done that forever hadn't we stopped her and moved her on to a new exhibit. Overall, we had a great experience and we loved spending the day with grandpa!
Toddler Fun Factor: 4.5/5
The toddler areas in all of the other museums we have previously gone to have seemed like an afterthought or a way for the museums to market that they are accessible to younger kids. This museum really catered to toddlers with multiple experiences and opportunities to learn through play. Lydia was engaged and stimulated with many different sensory experiences and was able to discover a lot through the toddler experiences.
Parent Pleasers: 4/5
There was a nursing nook and family restroom in the toddler area. There was also a restroom and open seating area on the main floor. We didn't eat at the museum, but there was an open area to bring a lunch with tables and chairs. There was hand sanitizer throughout the museum.
Car Seat Curb Appeal: 3/5
The museum is located right on the river and easy to locate. There was a large parking lot with ample parking. The museum was built within a campus of other museums (art and natural history).
Overall Impact: 4/5
This is a museum we will be able to go to for a long time. The first floor had interesting and engaging exhibits for older students and children. Lydia spent most of her time on the 2nd story in the toddler town.
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