New Exhibit at Children's Museum is Out of This World

A miniature astronaut climbed a tower to board a spaceship in Naperville this week, preparing to be the first toddler to depart for outer space.

The young boy was exploring the new exhibit at the DuPage Children's Museum, which allows kids to soar through the land of imagination and make-believe.

The Play's the Thing Act II is a one-of-a-kind, interactive play set on the second floor of the Children's Museum, and its popularity is growing by the day, coordinators say. When asked how the museum settled on the atmospheric theme, Marcia MacRae, the exhibit's developer, said she turned to the kids.

"I interviewed over 50 children throughout the museum and gave them four chances as to what they'd like this giant play tower to be turned into," she said. "Rocket ship won by a landslide for both boys and girls."

And what goes along with a rocket ship? A control center, of course. Complete with a keyboard, dozens of knobs and dials, and even a "whisper tunnel" that lets kids talk to the "astronauts" aboard the ship, the exhibit encourages teamwork.

"Collaborative play is important," MacRae said. "We thought connecting the kids in the rocket ship with a ground control team would encourage partnership. You can hear kids on the ground counting down to blastoff and the kids in the ship acting accordingly."

The DuPage Children's Museum recently was named the Best Chicago Museum in the 2010 Nickelodeon Parents' Picks competition, an annual nationwide online poll that invites voting for favorite family places, products and parenting tips.

The local museum was in the running with the Chicago Children's Museum, Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium.

"We were honored to even be considered in such a prestigious field, especially since we were the only suburban museum on the list," Alison Segebarth, the museum's spokeswoman, said in a news release. "… We know that we've got the best visitors, members and fans in the Chicago area."

Exhibits such as The Play's the Thing Act II may have helped the DuPage Children Museum earn that honor, coordinators said.

Developers design their exhibits with the idea of "open-ended play." They provide materials, props and stages, but none come with instructions or examples. The staff wants to see kids inventing actions and imagining scenarios all on their own, encouraging development and growth, Segebarth said.

The museum is divided into six "neighborhoods" where there are stations to stimulate all things sensory. Music, air and movement, art, water, bubbles, physical science, literature, dress-up and dance sections are available to children of all ages.

Most popular?

"I'd say the water station," Segebarth said. "It's very sensual for kids to feel the water and direct the flow of it with the pieces of PVC pipe. I've even seen dads in here when their kids have long gone on to the next activity."

The new space exhibit is drawing the crowds just as well.

"It's only been open to the public since Monday, but it's already crowded, as you can see today," staff member Tracy Tryban said.

A colorful space car lets kids pretend they are driving on the moon and a box of costumes is filled with silver and shiny futuristic outfits the kids adore. The two-story rocket ship is complete with winding stairs and a steering wheel.

Naperville residents Alison and Ava Angele, both 5 years old, had a blast steering the rocket ship Tuesday, avoiding aliens along the way.

"Our favorite thing at the museum is the rocket ship," Alison said excitedly. The Act II exhibit will be at the DuPage Children's Museum for the next year.

Coordinators encourage families to bring their kids for blastoff.