Kenosha has not one, not two, but FIVE museums that are fun and informative for all ages.
Three museums – The Civil War Museum, Dinosaur Discovery Museum, and Kenosha Public Museum – offer their very own I-Spy Activities tailored to each museum experience so you can jump right in and test your detective skills. Each I-Spy activity can be found on each of the museum’s websites and is structured almost like a bingo sheet. The more images you find from the sheet in the museum earns you prizes at the museum’s front desk! First, give it a try at The Civil War Museum - see if you can find all nine pictures and then grab your magnifying glass and head on to the next.
While spying around the Dinosaur Discovery Museum don’t forget to get your hands dirty! Yep, you can dig for dinosaur bones here! Meet Little Clint, a 3-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex that was excavated by the Carthage Institute of Paleontology. Follow Little Clint’s story from his hatching, his life, becoming a fossil, his excavation, the study of his bones, and his museum life. The kids will enjoy this interactive exhibit full of puzzles and activities. Hint: Little Clint may even be part of the I-Spy activity, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Finally, the Kenosha Public Museum has an I-Spy activity too! While solving the I-Spy mystery, visit the From Curiosity to Science exhibit upstairs. There are plenty of hands-on games and activities in this journey of discovery that dates all the way back to the 1600s. Plus see many different taxidermy animals on display from six different ecosystems. The kids can play games that help them learn how animals find food, water, and shelter. Plus there are videos to watch of scientists researching in the field and you can learn how you can make an impact on our planet.
Other hands-on activities that I have spied at the Kenosha Public Museum are their Summer Workshops! Go to the museum’s website for all the details on their workshops that include Fused Glass, Painting, Baskets, and Arts and Crafts. There’are even Summer Camps! Kids can have fun and spy on dinosaurs, oceans, archeology, art, backyard nature, dungeons and dragons, and explore the Wizarding World. There are even more hands-on opportunities with their take-home activity boxes that specialize in animals, art, dinosaurs, ecology, and wizards.
And that’s not all! Visit the Kenosha History Center and the seasonal Southport Light Station Museum for more fun exploration. See if you can spot the “cat” in the Yesteryear Gallery at the Kenosha History Center. At the Southport Light Station Museum, learn the number of lighthouse keepers that worked in Kenosha and the number of shipwrecks near Kenosha. Count how many boats you see from the lantern room on top of the 1866 Southport Lighthouse!
While exploring our museums, hopefully you can discover some detective skills you never even knew you had! What can you spy with your little eye?
