About our programs
Chicago Children’s Museum offers a rotating calendar of programs in the Art Studio, Pritzker Playspace, and Tinkering Lab. Please visit program locations for session times and free passes. The museum also offers a calendar of special programs in Great Hall and all around the museum!
Space is limited in Art Studio, Pritzker Playspace and Tinkering Lab. Free passes are available 1 hour before the workshop starts at each workshop location.
Spring Break Weeks of Play
March 22-April 6: The museum will be open daily with extended hours!
Special programming and activities start March 24.
Playful by Nature
March 24-April 6
Great Hall at Chicago Children’s Museum
Join us to celebrate the wonders of the natural world. Experience live animal encounters with Lucca’s BioHub, Dave DiNaso’s Traveling Word of Reptiles, and Scales & Tales Traveling Petting Zoo. Engage your senses with The Insect Asylum's Touch Lab. Participate in art-making inspired by living things that flutter and fly! Explore items from nature such as a turtle shell, seashells, and a rabbit pelt.
View the full schedule:
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10:15am-11:45am
Decorate wearable works of art inspired by the magical world of bugs!
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10:30am-12:30pm
Join Scales & Tales for a hands-on experience with baby chicks, hedgehogs, a sloth, and more!
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1:00pm-3:00pm
Join experts from The Insect Asylum for a fascinating exploration of natural materials such as fur, bone, and fossils!
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10:15am-11:45am
Decorate wearable works of art inspired by the magical world of bugs!
-
10:30am-12:30pm
Take a closer look at some incredible insects and experience the wonders of our natural world with Lucca’s BioHub!
-
11:00am-12:15pm
Join Dave DiNaso and his team for a thrilling show that gets up close and personal with a python, iguana, alligator, and more!
-
10:15am-11:45am
Decorate wearable works of art inspired by the magical world of bugs!
-
10:15am-11:45am
Decorate wearable works of art inspired by the magical world of bugs!
-
10:30am-12:30pm
Join Scales & Tales for a hands-on experience with baby chicks, hedgehogs, a sloth, and more!
-
1:00pm-3:00pm
Join experts from The Insect Asylum for a fascinating exploration of natural materials such as fur, bone, and fossils!
-
10:15am-11:45am
Decorate wearable works of art inspired by the magical world of bugs!
-
11:00am-12:15pm
Join Dave DiNaso and his team for a thrilling show that gets up close and personal with a python, iguana, alligator, and more!
Note: The museum will be open from 11am-5pm on April 5 (late open due to Play For All).
-
10:30am-12:30pm
Take a closer look at some incredible insects and experience the wonders of our natural world with Lucca’s BioHub!
Art Studio
Workshop Times
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10:30, 11:30, 12:30
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30
Drawing Studio
January 8-February 17
All Ages
Explore drawing with your whole body using oil pastels, markers, boxes and our wall!
Pritzker Playspace
Session Times
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10:30, 11:30, 12:30
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30
Lights and Shadows: Underwater
January 10-April 10
Explore movement, space, and light. Discover how different objects interact with light and cast shadows and colors in surprising ways!
Tinkering Lab
Workshop Times
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10:30, 11:30, 12:30
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30
Special Workshop Hours
Sunday, 2/23: 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 (No 12:30 workshop)
Tuesday, 2/25: 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 (No 10:30 workshop)
Cardboard Lab
January 15-March 10
Ages 2 and Up
What can you create using cardboard? Can you make it strong? Soft? Smooth or bumpy? Explore cardboard like an engineer!
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Be the first to know about new programs, workshops, and special events!
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.