Brooklyn Children's Museum: educational, experiential fun for kids!

Easily our favorite children’s museum in the five boroughs, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is precisely the hands-on, multicultural, high-caliber experience you expect in a city like New York. The focus here manages to be on both the city and universal principles at the same time.

Where to even begin? We usually start by heading down the World Brooklyn staircase, where each landing features a neighborhood stop: A Mexican bakery, a corner grocery store (where my kids will happily scan and check out food, restock shelves, and reload carts for hours), an Italian pizzeria, a travel agency featuring the colors and sounds of Caribbean Carnival, and more.

Kids won’t be disappointed once the end of the stairs because they’ll be face-to-face with the “community cork garden.” This novel indoor sandbox is filled with cork pellets instead of sand. Kids love it for the feel and the fun of digging in the “dirt” for vegetables. Parents and caregivers love it because the cork wipes off ten times easier than sand, and you can introduce your little urbanites to green gardening. The cork garden is part of a broader exhibit on “Neighborhood Nature,” featuring a greenhouse and ecological facts about New York’s waterways, insect life, and more.

Head upstairs to the specially designated Totally Tots area for kids six years and under. Make sure you’ve brought a change of clothes because the water play area is truly fantastic, featuring water toys, dams, and hydraulics to challenge your future civil engineer. The space provides free smocks, but chances are your kids will still get wet – and love it!

Is the Brooklyn Children’s Museum worth a trip to the borough, even if you reside elsewhere in NYC? Absolutely.