It is raining in Williamsburg today, not a very pleasant day to be outside, so I took Miles Storm to the Brooklyn Childrens Museum at 145 Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights. If it was a nice day I could in theory walk, it is only 4 miles away, but either way you have to walk through a dodgy part of town, near Bed-Stuy, and that is not such a good idea.
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum was originally the first of its kind in the whole wide world, having opened in 1899 – 113 years ago! It was also the first museum in the United States, and many say the first museum on Planet Earth! There are now about 300 children’s museums in the world based off the Brooklyn model. It also holds the title off the first GREEN museum in New York. In case you are wondering – a green museum is one that incorporates concepts of sustainability into its operations, programming, and facility. In 2010 the First Lady Michelle Obama recognized the museum as one of the best youth arts & humanities programs in the USA. All this right in our backyard Willy B! It is a pretty special place, and an absolute must-visit if you have children.
There was so much to do for my 17 month old. At first, I thought that it would be a little advanced for him as on the BCM webpage all the activities seemed geared towards older children. In my opinion, the website is actually quite confusing with way too much going on. Once I arrived at the museum I found that there is a specific section just for children under 5; which has a sand box, a sound area, a puppet show set-up, a building block section, arts & craft room, reading nook & my Son’s favorite – a water installation. He was so stoked. I did not stop for 3 hours running after him like a mad person; there was way too much to see.
We originally went for “Tales for Tots” story-time which was scheduled for 2.30PM? However, when I asked about it at the front desk I was directed to a free arts and craft event instead, which was fine as Miles Storm did his first painting EVER. I can now say I am one of those parents who has their child’s mish-mash paintings on the kitchen wall. Ha Ha. A milestone moment!
The rest of the museum is totally set up to entertain younger children too. Miles loved the turtles and the Plant-A-Garden section on the bottom floor. He bought pretend mangoes in the grocery store, made a pretend pizza in the pizzeria, rode on a NYC bus and danced to some African music.
I highly recommend a trip to the Museum. It costs $7.50 per person to get in. Annual membership is extremely reasonable at $85 for 2 adults/4 children unlimited. The BCM host birthday parties, camps and seasonal workshops. They have a gift store, café and a huge outdoor space on the roof. I loved it, it was so amazing, we had a great time.
By they way, as I write this I am beyond exhausted and Miles Storm is passed-out in bed. What a day!
