Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview has a new permanent exhibit, Roots of Kindness, built around gratitude, respect, and kindness. We visited on a Tuesday morning with my 2-year-old daughter. Here’s what we found, along with everything you need to know to plan your visit to the rest of this children’s museum.
We were invited to the exhibit opening, all opinions are my own.
The Roots of Kindness Exhibit
The exhibit is set around a large tree in the center of the space. It’s a beautiful, diverse space that features different skin tones, languages, and animals, and the signage throughout is in multiple languages. The exhibit itself is fairly small, but it has a lot packed in. Depending on how long your kids want to linger, you could spend anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes there.
Around the space, kids can:
- Write notes of gratitude with pencils and notebooks
- Say what they’re grateful for out loud at a speaking station
- Learn kind phrases in six languages
- Curl up in a cozy storytime area with cushions and books
- Play a large-screen kindness game. Kids pick English or Spanish, choose one of two children on the screen, and then find a kind way to help that child.
My daughter’s three favorite spots were:
The Noticing Nest: When you place your hands on a colorful, glowing orb and stay quiet for a few seconds, you start to hear birds and other animals in the nest. It needed a little explanation from a staff member, but it seemed to be a crowd favorite and was a great sensory activity for helping kids slow down.
The Fair Playground: My daughter loved the lights on the floor and walls. The lessons here were a bit over her head, though.
The Celebration Treehouse: Kids place objects on a flat surface and see them projected on the wall. The same activity is also on the treehouse’s second floor, which kids can climb up to, so that wheelchair users can join in too. There are also bilingual “Caregiver Tips” booklets to help you talk through the exhibit’s ideas with your kids and keep the conversation going at home.
When we arrived, a very charismatic storyteller was leading a storytime in the treehouse and playing a djembe drum. Staff said they’re still working out a regular storytime schedule for this space, but storytimes are held throughout the museum and all kids are welcome.
A heads-up: a few of the electronic pieces, like the large touchscreen and the floor lights, had some kinks during our visit. A staff member told us they’re still working out bugs. She reset them for us in a few minutes, and we didn’t have any problems after that.
Beyond Roots of Kindness
There’s so much more to explore at Kohl. My 2-year-old loved the live turtle. There’s also an art room where kids can paint and build with cardboard, which my older daughter would love. In the water area, kids can now wear waterproof aprons. A past Kidlist reviewer recommended saving the water area for the end of your visit, and we think that’s still great advice. Please note that the outdoor Habitat Park is closed for the season until March.
Age Recommendations
According to staff, the museum overall is geared toward ages birth and up, while the Roots of Kindness exhibit is geared toward ages 3–10. Much of the exhibit’s message relies on reading, so pre-readers can still enjoy the activities as a play space, but they’ll get more out of it with a grown-up reading the signs aloud and explaining.
Admission and Membership
- Adults and children ages 1–64: $20
- Seniors 65+: $18
- Infants under 12 months: Free
- Members: Free
Discounts
- Military and veterans: Buy one, get one free
- Glenview residents: Free admission on Wednesdays from 1–4pm
- EBT cardholders: $5 per person, for up to 6 people
- ACM Reciprocal members: 50% off, for up to 6 tickets
Hours and Best Times to Visit
- Tuesday–Saturday: 9:30am–4pm
- Sunday–Monday: 9:30am–1pm
- Members-only hours: 8:30–9:30am daily
The museum says afternoons, weekdays, and sunny days are usually slower. We went on a nice Tuesday at 10am, and it was still fairly busy, with a few field trip groups there.
Sensory-Friendly and Special Events
Everyone at Play: These are eight free afternoons a year for children with disabilities and their families. They include extra accommodations like registered therapy animals, quiet rooms, and additional staff support, and families also receive a free pass to return. Capacity is limited, and registration is required. Upcoming dates are November 8, 2026, and January 10, February 28, April 25, and June 27, 2027.
Play Attention: This is a free Sunday afternoon play session for military and veteran families. The next one is February 21, 2027.
Many other events are included with admission, such as Paw Patrol meet-and-greets, Kohlights, Touch a Truck, member events, and a Family Festival. Check the museum’s website for the latest schedule.
Tips for Visiting Kohl Children’s Museum
Parking
There is plenty of free parking close to the entrance.
Food
The on-site café has kid and adult meals, drinks, snacks, and desserts. Prices run a little high for the portions, but the kids’ food is a lot of fun. We saw a sandwich with eyes and a mouth and a hummus dip shaped like a crocodile. There’s also a fridge with grab-and-go drinks and pouches. QR codes in the play spaces let you order ahead and pick up at the café, and the online menu makes it easy to flag allergens.
Signs outside the building say outside food isn’t allowed in the café. If you’d like to bring your own snacks, there are tables right outside the building.
Restrooms
There are at least three restroom areas spread throughout the museum. Family restrooms are at the front, and two more sets of restrooms with changing tables are farther into the play spaces. They have automatic toilets, lower sinks for little kids, water fountains (no bottle fillers), and plenty of hand sanitizer stations.
Accessibility, Strollers, and Lockers
The museum uses universal design, so the play areas are accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. You can bring your stroller into the exhibits or park it in the coat room at the front. Lockers rent for 25¢, and there’s a change machine in the room. Outside the water area, you’ll find hand sanitizer and air dryers that aren’t too loud for kids. The Roots of Kindness exhibit also has plenty of sensory textures, including woven floor mats, felt in the storytime area, and different fabrics on the walls for kids to touch.
Nursing
There is a nursing nook with a cushioned bench in one of the play areas. It does not have a door.
Plan Your Route
There are a lot of exhibits, so look over the exhibit list on the museum’s website before you go. The museum doesn’t currently have a printed map or exhibit list on-site, though staff said they’re working on one. If you’re bringing multiple kids, it can help to talk through a plan before you arrive so no one runs off in different directions.
Leave the Special Stuffies at Home
We lost my daughter’s beloved stuffed animal during our visit. While we were quietly searching, a staff member walked up holding it. She had remembered my daughter carrying it earlier. The staff were kind and helpful throughout the museum, and that moment really stuck with us.
Kohl Children’s Museum
2100 Patriot Boulevard
Glenview, IL 60026
(847) 832-6600
