Brooklyn Children’s Museum

145 Brooklyn Avenue
(at St. Mark’s Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11213

When it was established in 1899, people thought the Brooklyn Children’s Museum was an odd creation. A museum just for kids? Today, the recently renovated museum-the first of its kind in the world-remains a dynamic resource for children throughout the region. A menagerie of resident animal friends and a permanent collection of more than 20,000 natural science objects and cultural artifacts enliven exhibits and presentations.

Families

The Brooklyn Children’s Museum offers hands-on activities and programs for children and families. In Family Workshops, children and accompanying adults investigate plants, animals, science, culture and the arts. Visitors can attend Drop-in Gallery Workshops, where they examine subjects and themes that are highlighted in current exhibitions. Weekend special events include dance, music, theater and puppetry, all with a distinct multicultural influence.
Age
Family and Drop-In Gallery Workshops: 4-12
Season
Year-round
Information Contact
(718) 735-4400
Reservations Info
Family Workshops: suggested; Drop-in Gallery Workshops: none needed
Admission
Family Workshops, special events and Drop-in Gallery Workshops: regular admission

Schools and Other Groups

School Group Adventures give children the opportunity to examine collection objects and resource materials. From Sounds Like Fun. . . Sounds Like Music (Pre-Kindergarten through grade 2) to Different Feasts for Different Beasts (grades 1 through 7), a wide variety of tours guided by museum educators is available. All tours include an opportunity for students to handle items from the museum’s science or culture collections. Previsit materials are provided. The Summer Group Adventures offer summer camp groups a type of scavenger hunt: children (with personnel on hand to assist them) are led by clues through the exhibitions. Both programs are suitable for children in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 6.

The Brooklyn Children’s Museum Portable Collection Kit and Mini-Museum Curriculum Kit turn a classroom into a museum gallery. Portable Collection: For two weeks, classes may borrow a set of objects to be observed and handled by students. Topics include the human skeleton, Inside India, fossils, Mexican folk art and land birds of New York.
Mini-Museum: On loan for two to seven weeks, kits include objects, resources, teacher and student guides, plus tools needed for investigation and research. Kits include Evi’dents: A Science Curriculum About Teeth in a Mystery Fornat and Take a Walk in My Shoes: A Global Awareness Cirriculum Kit.
Program Location
At facility and at schools & other locations
Grade Level
School Group Adventures: PreK-6; all others: K-6
Program Season
Varies according to program
Maximum Group Size
On-site programs: 25 (PreK-1); 35 (2-6)
Other Requirements
On-site programs: 1 adult for every 6 children
Reservation Lead Time
School Group Adventures and Portable Kit: beginning of semester; Summer Group Adventures: beginning May 1
Fees
School Group Adventures: $50 per class; Summer Group Adventures: $2 per person (50% deposit required at time of booking); Mini-Museum: $25 per week (2-week minimum); Portable Kit: call for information
Special Education Programs?
Yes
Publications for Teachers?
Yes
Workshops for Teachers?
Yes

General Information
Hours
Sept-June: Wed-Sun 11 am-6 pm; July-Aug: Tues-Sun 11 am-6 pm
Admission
$5, free for members and children under 1
Gift Shop Info
The KidShop: low-priced educational toys and games related to the museum’s galleries
Food Services
Vending machines; picnic area in neighboring park
Disability Access
Fully accessible
Directions
Subway: 3 to Kingston Ave, walk 6 blocks in direction of traffic, left on St. Mark’s Ave, 1 block to Brooklyn Ave; bus: B25, B45 or B65 to Brooklyn Ave; B43 or B44 to St. Mark’s Ave; car: Atlantic Ave to Brooklyn Ave, 4 blocks on Brooklyn Ave to St. Mark’s Ave
Parking
On streets

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