Westchester Children's Museum: A Welcome Addition to the County

When I heard that a new children’s museum had opened recently in Rye, I decided to take the kids and check it out. Despite an abundance of great kid-focused activities in the area, Westchester was sorely lacking a children’s museum, with the wide range of hands-on educational, fun activities that that would bring. Westchester Children’s Museum is definitely a work in progress—what opened constitutes just the first piece of a multi-phase plan—but it is a great start and well worth a visit, especially for kids in the preschool and young-elementary age groups.

The museum is in a long-abandoned building on the boardwalk adjacent to Rye Playland and the beach. Its location is beautiful and opens the possibility for a full-day outing when coupled with the amusement park and/or beach.  The price—$7 per person, $6 for seniors—is low, befitting a small venue, and we found the staff to be knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and effective at communicating with kids and drawing in those who are shy and not self-directed. 
 

What to do at Westchester Children's Museum

Most of the activities are creatively simple, by which I mean they provide engaging, educational fun without fancy equipment or devices. One station that my 5-year-old loved features a wind tunnel: a fan pointing up into a large, clear cylinder. Kids are invited to use the provided materials to create something that will hover above the fan, neither falling to the ground nor shooting too high up. Those who are successful get their name posted on the wall. 

Also on the arts-and-craft theme, another area focuses on shadow puppets, where kids make their own and then improvise shows behind a screen with an overhead projector. A reading room provides space for quiet time, while a “toddler beach” lets kids run, climb, and pretend to swim on the play structure. For older kids, an area with tons of Keva Planks offers a chance to build, balance the planks, and challenge themselves.