By Leah Wilson, Executive Director
I’m thrilled to announce that Kidzeum in downtown Springfield is re-opening July 3, 2021!
After more than a year of closure due to COVID, we will be open every Saturday and Sunday from 9am – 4pm and plan to slowly expand hours in the future, based on community demand.
Also back—the popular Bees, Butterflies, and Blooms exhibit. Kids will be able to get up close and personal with live honeybees and butterflies, make a robotic butterfly move, and do the waggle dance like a honeybee, among other fun and family-friendly learning activities.
Kidzeum’s third Birthday celebration will be held on Saturday, July 17 from 9am – 4pm. Science and Art programs will be held throughout the day. We didn’t get to celebrate our second birthday last year, due to COVID, and it makes me think of all the kids out there who missed out on parties with friends and family, too. We hope that we can help make up for “lost” birthdays with a special celebration.
Keeping in step with IDPH’s guidelines for schools, Kidzeum will require face masks for all guests above the age of two, to protect children who cannot yet be vaccinated for Covid-19. The museum will have sanitizing stations and cleaning wipes on all three floors and will be taking extra cleaning precautions to ensure safety for guests.
Birthday parties are available for booking at the museum during operating hours. For more information and to book a party online, visit kidzeum.org/birthday.
Looking toward the next school year, Kidzeum has developed a partnership with Springfield School District 186 to launch a 2nd grade STEM/STEAM program in the museum that will run for the entire 2021/2022 school year. The two-week long program aims to inspire kids to love science, technology, engineering, art and math and will take learning out of the classroom and into exhibits, where kids will collaborate on projects, practice coding and construct their own STEAM-based exhibit.
After so much time with our museum closed and quiet, I can’t wait to see your smiling faces again. Come see us this summer!
To learn more about Kidzeum’s reopening, visit kidzeum.org/reopening.
