First, a confession… my son is only 18-months old, I didn’t have to go to Habitot every rainy day last year. I don’t (yet) call it Hellitot and I know I may feel differently by the end of the winter.
Whitney turned me on to Habitot because her family membership allows her to bring two guests. Holden and I joined them a few times and really liked it before biting the bullet on our own family membership. I have to talk about the membership for a three important reasons:
- It’s almost 100% tax-deductible
- It gets you in at a bajillion other children’s museums around the country
- It makes Habitot more appealing than all the other fabulous play cafes in town because going there doesn’t cost a penny (and there’s a Starbucks upstairs and a Peet’s across the street if you want your caffeine fix)
Ok, with that out of the way, I can tell you that it’s a fun, varied, and dark/cavernous place to hang out. We like the water tables (Holden likes to drain them, so bring dry clothes and socks!) and the art studio most right now. Julian seems partial to the train table and the grocery area. Two weeks ago, I even painted Holden’s face… but that was definitely more for me than for him.
There are hallways just outside for toddlers who want to run. Unlike the other kiddie destinations I’ve reviewed this month, there is no danger of them exiting the building onto on a busy sidewalk.
Bottom line: a great weekly activity. Go with a friend and then get a membership!
Hi Heather,
Thank you for the nice write-up about Habitot Children’s Museum. When we first opened back in 1998, there were no interactive places for young children in the East Bay, and only recently have the cafes and other such places you mentioned opened.
I would like to emphasize for your readers, that Habitot’s mission is much more than being just a “rainy day” outing, though we are certainly popular on those days! We have a deep commitment to early childhood education, and we have the professional staff and well thought-out programming to help make the first five years of life really count. We want all young children to arrive at kindergarten excited about learning, confident, curious and creative!
Young children’s success depends heavily on what parents bring to childrearing. Habitot also actively encourages parenting behaviors that really help children grow and flourish. Many of our staff are able to provide information and support for what is often called the toughest job on the planet. In addition to being a community setting where parents and caregivers can connect and learn from with each other, we offer formal parenting classes on a wide range of topics, informational handouts, a Family Resource Center of books and other references, a monthly email newsletter, parent-child classes with early childhood educators that help parents (and caregivers) develop and practice successful parenting strategies, an annual Child Safety campaign with car seat checks, CPR classes, and demonstrations about everything from babyproofing to poison control. We even have a free Toy Lending Library for members.
Probably the most important thing that distinguishes Habitot from the other indoor play places you mentioned is our commitment to diversity — especially economic diversity — in our audience. With donations from individuals, corporations and foundations, we are able to provide monthly or bi-monthly Free Admission Days with wonderful multicultural performances, free family memberships for low-income families, a monthly teen parent program, organizational passes in libraries and homeless shelters and hospital based programs. We subsidize thousands of dollars worth of scholarships for children’s and parenting classes, and every Head Start or state-funded preschool can schedule a field trip for free (and hundreds do, every year!) Each year, over 10,000 visitors are able to use Habitot because of our outreach services for low and modest-income families.
We are proud that Habitot functions as a true community center that is accessible to everyone. And by the way, we have plans to relocate the Museum to a 2-acre site in Emeryville in the coming years, with room for more exhibits, parking and outdoor space. Anyone who would like to get involved in supporting this effort is welcome to contact me at 510-647-1111x 11 or by email.
Best regards,
Gina Moreland
Founder & Executive Director
Habitot is a 501(c)3 organization, and all donations are tax deductible.
Hi! I love your blog and your website, and usually agree with you 100% about your recommendations for places/activities. But, I had to take exception with this one. We are habitot subscribers, and would love to go as much as possible, but everytime we have gone, my son gets SICK. And when I say Sick, I mean… febrile seizures (for the first time ever at 2 years old), intense vomiting (for the first time ever at 2 1/2 years old) and another bout of fever/vomit/general disgustingness the last time we went. I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt, thinking that this was all coincidence and whatnot. But the more I asked around, the more my suspicions were confirmed. I hope that when they move to their new digs, the sanitation gets better. As for now, I’ll forego renewing my membership, and pitch in for some lysol or clorox.
I’m so sad to hear that Sarah… it sounds awful. I will say that I am a fiend for hand-washing every time — I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I wouldn’t go there without Purell.
And, did I mention that he showers in the water table?
I empathize with parents who experience frequent colds, fevers and ear infections in their young children, but I do believe it is unfair to blame Habitot or any other public setting for them.
The reality is that young children get sick 12 times a year on average, more frequently in the winter months, simply because people are indoors more, and there are more germs around. There is some consolation in knowing that exposure to germs in the early years actually builds a child’s immune system. Toddlers with frequent colds will be robust school-age children!
We, at Habitot — many of us are parents, too — take cleanliness and hygiene at the museum seriously. A custodial firm comes every day to shampoo the carpet and sanitize bathrooms, sinks and every surface. We clean exhibits and loose parts regularly with non-toxic cleaners. Purell (hand-sanitizer) dispensers have always been located throughout the museum. We have a $30,000 air filtering system to collect dust, germs and allergens. We change the water in the water play area constantly — we really don’t allow “showering” in the water table, but sometimes parents do unhygienic things before we can stop them! And we do our best to discourage parents/caregivers with obviously ill children from visiting, but understand that all of us can be contagious before we actually “come down” with something.
The choice is really for every parent to make — balancing the time spent exploring the larger world and the people in it vs. protecting one’s child from the risks of exposure.
Our philosophy and mission are clear – we believe children benefit from a wide range of engaging and social experiences which are needed for optimum development in the early years. So wash yours and your child’s hands coming and going to Habitot, don’t eat or diaper on the carpet, and be happy!d