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FOOD

‍If you want to eat lunch during your visit, you are welcome to bring in a cooler and use our Family Lunch Space located in our front lobby. However, we do NOT permit peanut butter or other nut products out of consideration for our guests with severe allergies.

While we certainly understand the need for snacks, we kindly ask that you do NOT bring food onto the exhibit floor. This helps keep the Children's Museum in great shape for future visitors.

‍DRINKS‍

You are allowed to bring coffee/water bottles into the museum, but please drink carefully!

Nope.‍

The rule at the Children's Museum has always been that every kid must have a grown-up (16+), and every grown-up must have a kid! Although our staff does an amazing job of maintaining a safe, fun environment, we are not a childcare facility and are not staffed adequately to supervise your child while they play in the Museum.

‍We Get The Appeal, Though

‍We LOVE places like the YMCA that allow for kid drop-off. We know it helps mom and dad out! However, CMEC serves as a unique community location where kids and their grown-ups can play, grow and learn together. Parent-child connectedness is one of the greatest contributors to a happy, healthy kiddo.

Yes

‍But only if they're paired with shoes! For the safety of our guests, we ask that all visitors keep their shoes ON while playing in the Museum.

Yes & No‍

We do have light snacks available for $1 each at our front desk.  However, We do not currently sell beverages, so please plan ahead. If you'd prefer to pack a lunch, you're welcome to use our Family Lunch Space in the lobby. (no peanut butter or nut products, please).

‍Local Options

‍Your Daily Admission Pass is good all day. If you need to leave for lunch or a nap, just hang onto your receipt and come back later in the afternoon!

Although we don't have our own eatery, downtown Eau Claire is home to some great restaurants within a few minutes walk. We'd love for you to check out some of our neighbors! Grab pizza at The Plus, enjoy sushi at Ninja, visit the Menomonie Food Market for a sammy, or bite into a hoagie at the Acoustic Cafe.

Play-for-All is our Discounted Membership/Admission Program

Through the Play-for-All Program, we offer a discounted membership or admission fee for families in financial need.

The Children’s Museum of Eau Claire currently offers a discounted membership program (or reduced daily admission fee), aka Play for All, that allows families in need to purchase a membership for $30 annually. With a Play-for-All Membership, families have access to most of the features of The Family Membership.

In partnership with the Pablo Center

We Are For All Children

The Play-For All program aims to ensure families on WIC, Medicaid or the Free and Reduced Lunch program enjoy expanded access to educational and arts related programming and events.  This includes:

1. ‍Reduced-priced annual Play-for-All memberships
2. Reduced daily admission rate ($4)
3. Reduced tickets for shows at the Pablo Center

For more information or to apply for this membership, stop by the Front Desk or talk to a real person by calling us at 715.832.KIDS.

Nope!‍

We're all about screen-free play, for kiddos and grown-ups! If you can, try to put your phone away and enjoy some unplugged play with your kids.

‍Try Making A New Friend

‍Pretend it's 1999 and talk to some of the other grown-ups! Trust us, they will feel anxious just like you. From experience we can tell you that there is no better place to make a new friend than the play area.

$11/Person

‍A Daily Admission Pass is $11.00 per person, ages 1-100.

Reduced rate available ($4) for guests on WIC, Medicaid, and free/reduced lunch (show proof at check in).

‍Infants under 1 are admitted free!

It depends!  

If your specific membership card has a ASTC (Association of Science and Technologies Centers) you will receive free admission.  If your card has an ACM (Association of Children’s Museum) logo on it, you receive a 50% discount.  If it does not have either, you will need to pay the daily admission rate.

Our program offerings change every week, and there's almost always something happening at the museum. Visit our handy online Event Calendar to find out what's happening during your visit! Most programs are free and included with admission or membership.

Believe It Or Not

‍There's no end to what a child can learn at the Children's Museum. Our exhibits cover topics ranging from nanoscience and nature to building and business ownership. That said, the most important type of learning that happens here very often looks like play!

‍Child-Driven Play‍

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, unstructured, child-driven play and exploration is crucial to healthy development. Playing helps children learn to solve their own problems, handle emotions like anger and fear, socialize with others, grow a love for learning and develop executive function; the very important ability to work independently at setting goals and figuring out how to reach them. However, because play disguises all of this development as "fun," kids don't even realize they're learning stuff!

‍Kids Today Are Missing Out‍

Unfortunately, kids today spend 8 hours less each week playing than their counterparts did two decades ago. Not only does this loss of imaginative play mean kids are less creative and independent, but it also puts them at greater risk for anxiety, depression, self-control and problems paying attention. In other words, although it may look like kids are "just playing," under the surface they're hard at work...er...play, becoming happy, healthy adults. Or as we like to say, play is very serious business!

Great Question‍

Adults often ask us why they are charged admission, especially when the kids are doing most of the playing. We have a few helpful answers for that:  

1. ‍Although we understand that grown-ups sometimes need a break from the often exhausting task of caring for kids, a Children's Museum is not a childcare facility. We exist as a community advocate for caregiver-child interaction. After all, as an adult you are your child's first play partner.
   
   Your involvement helps to scaffold your child's ability to play in ways that are more sustained and sophisticated through your comments, questions and prompting. While kids are often perfectly content playing on their own or with peers, they also need time to bond with their parents or caregivers. This is a critical building block necessary for child-development.
2. Research shows us that adults who spend time playing tend to be more creative, less stressed and better at solving problems!
3. Charging a fee for adults helps us keep admission costs lower across the board.
4. We're also big fans of saving you money through membership! Starting at just $179 a year, two adults and all kids under 18 living in the same household can get FREE, unlimited admission to the Museum for the entire year.

Details On Memberships