Johnson County Museum
Tucked away on Lackman Road just north of Shawnee Mission Parkway is the Johnson County Museum. Many times I have driven by it on my way to soccer, Target, a friend’s house, etc. but have never been inside until recently. I heard about the KidScape exhibit and decided to check it out.
My four-year old and I went one morning. Ally was very excited to go to a museum and the exhibit did not disappoint! Set up like a suburban street, kids are able to visit six different locations to learn about life in a community. Each area is localized by telling about Johnson County residents who work in or are associated with different parts of our community.
Our first stop was the park. Kids can bowl, fish, golf and even try their hand at some other activities via a Wii! Ally enjoyed stocking the lake, catching the fish and then repeating. I was thankful there were no worms to wrestle with in this park! Across from the park is the City Hall where kids can become everyone from a fire fighter to a city planner. There are blocks to build with and an area to design your very own town.
We spent a few minutes in the library and fashion boutique, but the majority of the rest of our visit was spent at the theater. At the theater kids can dress up and put on their own stage show complete with stage lights that the children control. I think I must have sat in the theater seats for at least an hour as Ally put on show after show. At times she performed with children visiting the museum and other times she put on a solo act. She had so much fun, but I’m not sure performing is in her future! We didn’t have a chance to visit the hospital but I promised that next time we would. Ally didn’t have to wait long for the next time as less than two weeks later when my mom was in town, she took Ally to the museum for the morning. On this visit she got to make a bracelet at the fashion boutique and perform “looking inside” surgery at the hospital.
Even if your daily routine doesn’t drive you by the Johnson County Museum, I hope you’ll make plans to take the kids. The exhibit is so much fun and a great way to spend the day! Be sure to check the website before you go, often there are special events that run in conjunction with the exhibit.
Johnson County Museum
6305 Lackman Road
Shawnee, KS 66217
913.715.2550
Exhibit is Free and runs through August 2009