Children's Museum in Oak Lawn Pauses Operations

OAK LAWN, IL — Pausing operations after reopening to the public last month following seven months of closure due to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic came as no surprise to Adam Woodworth, executive director of the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn, Beginning Friday, the museum will again close operations until the latest mitigations are lifted.

“We had anticipated that we would have to pause operations again in the fall,” Woodworth said in a news release.

During its time of being open, the museum followed the Restore Illinois Guidelines for Indoor Recreation. Capacity was limited to 50 people at a time. The museum also purchased an electrostatic sprayer and made many modifications to the exhibits and the facility.

“It was costly,” Woodworth said. “But, in order to get reopened, there were certain things that we had to do that would help us work to keep staff and visitors as safe as possible.”

All members will receive extensions on their membership during this pause in operations as they did during the first wave.

“It’s tough financially,” Woodworth said, “but extending membership benefits is the right thing to do for these families who donate to the museum for this yearlong access.”

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the museum relies heavily on donations and visitor revenue. Woodworth reminds patrons that the children’s museum gift shop will be open for parents and grandparents who want to run in to buy a gift, or pick up an online order. Capacity is limited to three people at a time, and face masks must be worn.

“It’s a small store,” Woodworth said. “Curbside pickup is available for folks who don’t want to come in.”

The museum also plans to expand its online gift shop for the upcoming holiday season featuring a wide section of educational toys, puzzles and other items.

Woodworth believes that this pause in operations won’t last as long as their previous pause.

“If people will wear a mask and social distance just a little longer, it appears that at least a couple of vaccines are on the horizon,” he said. “I know people hate this. I hate this. I hate that we had to hit the pause button on our operations due to the state mitigations, but we will do our part and with any luck, we’ll be able to hit the play button again soon.”

The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn will keep the museum gift shop open for limited hours during the closure, and especially leading up to the holidays. Hours of operation will be posted on the museum’s Facebook page.

Items currently available in the online store include plush toys, craft kits, educational puzzles, play sets, science kits, explorer backpacks and more. New Items are being added every week. Patrons can also call the museum at 708-423-6709, ext 201, if they are looking for something specific. The museum offers a wide range of Melissa & Doug items as well as Ty and Wow! Toys. Gift cards can also be purchased online.