Information
Landmark: Brooklyn Children's MuseumCity: Brooklyn
Country: USA New York
Continent: North America
Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn, USA New York, North America
Overview
Tucked into Crown Heights, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum stands as one of the borough’s most storied and inventive institutions, a place where history hums alongside fresh ideas.Opened in 1899, it’s known as the world’s first museum built just for children, with bright rooms made to spark curiosity.BCM centers its work on playful, hands-on learning that invites kids to explore and interact, weaving in cultural awareness, the arts, science, and the wonders of the natural world-like the rough bark of a tree or the swirl of paint on a canvas.You’ll find it at 145 Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights, just steps from Brower Park, with more than 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space.The building, renovated and expanded in 2008, earned a LEED Silver certification for its sustainable design.It comes with solar panels and runs on energy‑saving systems, quietly humming as they work.The museum stretches over three floors and spills outside to a rooftop terrace, plus a towering wooden sculpture called The Nest.BCM’s mission is to spark children’s curiosity, inviting them to explore the world’s culture, nature, and arts-like listening to a street musician’s song or studying the colors in a butterfly’s wings.The museum focuses on cultural understanding, creative expression, scientific curiosity, and community engagement, offering multilingual, inclusive programs designed for kids-from a babbling six‑month‑old to a curious ten‑year‑old-through exhibits they can touch, explore, and enjoy.Permanent Exhibit No. 1 stands quietly in the corner, its polished brass catching the light.Totally Tots is designed for kids ages 0–5, offering a lively play space with a splashing water table, gritty sand pit, climbing frames, soft mats, and bright musical instruments, all sparking motor skills, imagination, and time together for parents and children.World Brooklyn feels like a tiny neighborhood, with child‑sized shops-a Dominican bodega stocked with bright cans, a bustling Chinese restaurant, a West African import store, a Mexican bakery, and more.Kids step into different roles, exploring the cultures that shape Brooklyn’s diverse communities, all while building early economic and cultural know‑how.Neighborhood Nature invites you to discover local ecosystems and meet the city’s wild residents, with live turtles gliding in a tank, jars of shimmering beetles, a cork forest you can wander through, and a sandy “beach” perfect for hands-on play, all while teaching how sustainability shapes urban life.ColorLab is an open art studio where kids can get messy with paint, clay, and other materials, exploring themes that shift from color to identity to self-expression.It offers guided projects and easy drop‑in sessions for anyone who wants to join.Step into The Nest, a towering walk-in sculpture shaped like a bird’s nest, where you can climb through beams of smooth, sun-warmed wood and explore its nature-inspired design.Made from sustainable timber and other organic materials, it blends play with themes of ecology and art.BCM’s rotating seasonal exhibits range from STEM activities to vibrant cultural celebrations like Lunar New Year, Diwali, and Juneteenth, as well as collaborative art installations and sensory spaces for kids with diverse needs.Its permanent collection holds more than 30,000 artifacts-shells, fossils, African masks, musical instruments, ceremonial clothing, thousands of dolls from around the world, Roman coins, Egyptian figurines, and Native American tools-many of which come to life in hands-on workshops and school programs.The Brooklyn Children’s Museum works closely with schools, libraries, and local artists to spark curiosity through hands-on workshops, after‑school clubs, and vacation camps; it offers free hours for low‑income families, programs in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, and sensory‑friendly spaces where the lights are low and the noise stays soft.Visitors find easy wheelchair access, nursing rooms, family restrooms, a seasonal café, a shop stocked with bright educational toys, and outdoor picnic tables beside Brower Park.The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays and Tuesdays, with $15 admission (free for children under one) and free entry on Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. by subway, it’s just three blocks from Kingston Ave station on the 3 train, with several buses nearby; street parking is limited.For generations, it’s been a cornerstone of early childhood education in New York City.BCM blends immersive exhibits with a rich cultural focus and a dedication to equity and inclusion, inspiring generations of families-whether they’re exploring hands-on art tables or gathering around a storytime carpet-to learn and create together.With its hands-on approach, learning stays effective-and it feels joyful, the way a bright idea clicks into place.
