Providence Children's Museum

The quote "children are our future,'' is as important as ever and Providence Children's Museum strives to offer children a place to laugh, grow, learn, and play with others. The children's museum is all about teaching children science, math, shopping, and more while the grownups look on. The museum is located on 100 South Street in Providence, Rhode Island. It can be reached by 95 North to Point Street or Eddy Street depending on the origination location.

The Children's Museum has winter and summer hours. From September to March the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 6pm. It remains open Friday evenings until 8pm. The museum will also open on Mondays that are holidays. From April to Labor Day the museum is open daily from 9am to 6pm, with select Fridays until 8pm. Admission into the museum is $7.50 per person and free for children less than 12 months. Groups can visit with a discount and there are membership options, as well. Met Life offers Family Friday.

There are plenty of exhibits for children to enjoy like Water Ways. Puddles, streams, oceans, rain, and even the kitchen sink are thrown in to this exhibit. Children will learn how water works in a variety of systems, how it sustains life, and much more about what can be found within it. Children are able to play with boats and balls that will float throughout the system to show where it comes out. Kids and their parents are also able to build mazes that will redirect water flow, use solving skills to create a fountain or even clear cylinders of water with their muscles. Children 3 and up will delight in this exhibit. Even preschoolers can have fun in the toddler tank.

Spending time outside is always imperative to growth, which is why the Providence Children's Museum has an outdoor garden exhibit. This exhibit offers picnics beside the fountain and they can learn about plants native to their backyard. Also among the fun are the JunkMusic PlayStation and a host of hands on toys to play with.

Other exhibits include Play Power, Strings Attached, Shape Space, IWay, and Littlewoods Bone Zone. Littlewoods is a delightful area for babies and parents. Children up to four can enjoy this section. Littlewoods offers a chance for all children to practice their motor skills in climbing, sliding, and more. There is a bear cave with stuffed animals, a puppet area for creating your own, and a nice section of picture books. The Baby Nest play area allows infants to be stimulated with toys, while being safe from escaping throughout the entire place.

Another meaningful exhibit is Coming to Rhode Island. In this area one can learn about those who traveled the oceans in the past to come to America. You can add your own ancestral story or just read those that are available in the exhibit. One area examines the Latino Bodega of the 1960's. Providence Children's Museum has some traveling exhibits as well.