The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is great entertainment, as well as, educational. The museum has interactive workshops which appeals to all ages of children. There is a dinosaur section, gigantic building blocks, and musical bells. The favorite exhibit for all ages is playing with the slippery bubbles. For the young child, the musical instruments and the sand toy pit are great activities.
The museum located in downtown Grand Rapids is open daily, except on Mondays. The main floor contains the small child area with sandboxes, games, a toy store to make purchases, and a fake grocery store for the children to shop. The second floor has science exhibits and free daily programs in a workshop where the children can make something to take home. The exhibits are rotated regularly so that the children can play in different environments on return visits. The adults also have fun and enjoy the large beehive.
Admission is good all day with a hand stamp so that families can take a lunch break and then return. Plan on spending 3-4 hours to take in all the activities and relax while the children have fun. A good value is to purchase the annual pass which allows people to visit other museums for a free or discounted rate with the cultural exchange. With the WIC (Women, Infant & Children) program, tickets are over half the original price. There is a senior discount as well, and children under 1 year are admitted free. Weekends at the museum are busy, so a good time to visit is weekdays.
Visit the website www.grcm.org for ideas to transform your living room, backyard, or bedroom into a mini-GRCM with open-ended play and links to other helpful resources.