Children's Museum in Peoria Celebrates a Decade Serving the Community
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum has spent 10 years serving the children of Peoria, celebrating with cake and cookies on Wednesday morning.
The years of experience have allowed almost one million children to dive into the world of open-ended play. The idea is to let children explore and make mistakes in a safe environment, according to the playhouse's website.
'Play is so important. It is so vital for littles to have that safe, supportive environment, to know that they are secure, that they can make mistakes, that they can grow, that they can do whatever it is that challenges them and be successful to build that resilience,' Melissa Sierra, director of the Peoria Playhouse, said,
The playhouse has a plethora of exhibits that range from a floor piano, water table, movie theater, science lab and more. Even with all the exhibits they have now, the playhouse plans to make expansions as they move into the future.
'Ten years is a long time for a children's museum. It's a relatively new field to be open for ten years and then to get to be able to have that refresh and refurbish. We're looking at some specific progress, programs and projects like glassing-in the porch and then some revitalizing action, like building up our water table areas again,' Sierra said.
Executive Director of Peoria Parks District, Emily Cahill, shared some of the new improvements they plan to make in the future during a press conference.
'We look forward to expanding our farm experience to include a produce stand, a grocery store and a food truck. These efforts will also serve as backdrops for enhanced experiences, focused on workforce development as part of our be anything effort,' Cahill said.
Members of the playhouse expressed how much they have enjoyed watching children grow, as well as the museum itself.
'It is amazing. It is a gift. It is a privilege every day to watch littles learn, grow and explore' Sierra said.
Not only is it a gift, but some people feel the playhouse can become more like a home.
'It's clear that the playhouse has become so much more than a museum. It's a vibrant home where families connect, children grow, and memories are made,' said Robert Johnson, the president of the partnership board of trustees.
For Cahill, not even the walls of the playhouse can hold in the imaginations of children.
'We've learned that it doesn't take these four walls to expose kids to the kinds of open-ended play and imagination that happens in the playhouse,' she said.
It's not only the members of the museum who can enjoy the fun, but also the community as a whole.
'Ever since the first time we brought my four-year-old he wants to come back every week,' said CJ Zeiters, a parent of a playhouse child, 'He just loves everything about it. And they got the zoo and the playgrounds outside. So, it's like there's always something to do.'
Within the past years, there have been many obstacles, one of which was the COVID-19 pandemic. It forced the playhouse to think about play in a different way, and how they can deliver the same services, even during a quarantine.
'COVID was especially impactful. It had us think about the way we delivered services. It changed everything that we did,' said Cahill. 'I think we still see some of the effects, just as we all feel those effects on some days of COVID. But it changed the way we think about the Peoria Playhouse.'
For more information about the Peoria Playhouse, memberships and single-day passes, visit their website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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