The amazing Discovery Center Museum is a hands-on Children's museum in Rockford, IL, full of over 300 exciting exhibits spread over a two-floor area. Out in the museum's backyard, visitors can explore Rock River Discovery Park, a giant, multi-level science park with a hands-on twist!

All the exhibits at Discovery Center Museum relate to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math). The Discovery Center Museum also hosts traveling exhibits, special events, and programs throughout the year.

5 Reasons to Visit Discovery Center Museum

We spent the afternoon at the Discovery Center Museum and my children were filled with knowledge. This little hidden gem of a museum in Rockford, IL has so much to offer children up to the age of 12 / Grade 7-8. I couldn't get my children out of stations to move on to the next station, they were having so much fun. FUN!

The Discovery Center Museum is two floors of exhibits and is easy to navigate. It is just a matter of getting your children to move to the next station, but totally a doable museum in one day. We began upstairs and then worked our way to the first floor.

5 Reasons to Visit Discovery Center Museum

1) WILD WEATHER

In the Wild Weather exhibit, you will see a tornado. This dancing, twisting column of water vapor, that is completely accessible to your children's touch! My children loved the Nano exhibit the most. (See all the above images - I literally had to beg them to leave this exhibit) Magnetite sand and powder and non-sized ferrofluid had my children working hard to figure out these amazing stations. They even built a carbon nanotube. This is a great area to explore if you are studying Apologia General Science this year in your homeschool classroom for your middle schoolers.

2) POWER OF ELECTRICITY

We all converted energy into electricity in the Power of Electricity exhibit The kiddos figured out who could throw the fastest pitch. Children can check out the Plasma Globe, the Ring Launcher, and the Circuits stations. There is also a Wind Build and Test interactive station and a spot to see what is inside a nuclear power plant. This is a great area to explore if you are studying Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics this year in your homeschool classroom.

3) BODY SHOP

There was more learning about the body, naming organs, and bones (of which I was delighted my homeschooled kids knew all!) in the Body Shop and this was all on the second floor. We had not even been on the first floor yet. Kiddos can get moving on the Fitness Floor and can have a race in the Heart Race and another spot to test your Balance. DCM still has the Flexibility, Jump Reach, Hang 10, and the Genetics areas too. This is a great area to explore if you are studying Exploring Creation Through Anatomy and Physiology this year in your homeschool curriculum.

4) COLOR & LIGHT

I finally was able to get my kiddos downstairs to check out the Color & Light exhibit. They loved the Laser Table, the Recollections Room, and Prisms and Rainbows station as well as the Shadow Room. The big hit of this exhibit was the Bubble Window and Body Bubble stations. This is a great area to explore if you are studying Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics this year in your homeschool classroom

We finished off our day making corn husk dolls. There is so much more that we did, but you will have to get yourself to the Discovery Center Museum to make your own discoveries.

5) ROCK RIVER DISCOVERY PARK

Rock River Discovery Park is an outdoor area at this museum that hosts an outdoor science park area. There is even more hand-on fun in this huge outdoor playground. If your children are anything like mine, they will be drawn to the water and playing in the water at the Waterworks. Waterworks is an 8-foot water wheel measuring 40 feet in length where children can manipulate water wheels or use the boat blaster to give vessels a boost through one of four racing lanes. All the children can build whitewater makers, dams, and wheels to control the speed and path of the flowing water in the Wacky Plumbing and Water Jets areas. PLUS, there is a SECRET BONUS outside as well!

ANOTHER BONUS: PERMANENT EXHIBITS

Check out more of their incredible permanent exhibits!

Simple Machines
Wild Weather
Air & Flight
Figure It Out
Body Shop
Art Studio
Color & Light
Discovery Center Planetarium (This is a great area to explore if you are studying Exploring Creation with Astronomy this year in your homeschool classroom)
Ag-Zibit
Tot Spot

In addition to all the permanent exhibits that Discovery Center Museum offers, they also host Special Events and Programs regularly each month. Each month is themed based and the special events are included in the daily price of admission. Be sure to check out the calendar before you pop into DCM.

But wait, there is more! Each quarter or at last a few times a year, Discovery Center Museum will have SPECIAL EXHIBITS that are only at the museum for a short time. So, you have to pop in or you will miss their exciting NEW exhibits.

HOMESCHOOL CLASSES

One aspect that I simply adore is the Discovery Center Museum offers Homeschool Classes! There is an additional fee to attend a class and you will need to pre-register your child(ren), but the fee is minimal compared to the content of the classes offered! These are great for supplemental science activities to go along with any of your science learning unit studies or curriculum.

DCM can even accommodate group homeschool consortium or co-op and tailor a class OR Lab to your needs! Each engaging lab at Discovery Center Museum features hands-on activities for all the students, investigations, and full demonstrations that match your curriculum, unit study, or specific lab goals. The DCM technicians and teachers will reinforce science concepts you are already teaching your children in their Junior STEAM and STEM LABS!

If you can't make it to the Discovery Center Museum, they can bring the Science to your homeschool classrooms, co-ops, and consortium for an additional fee. These would be great for all your Homeschool Science Fairs!

Learning is so much fun at the Discovery Center Museum. They are begging to return next week. Check it out now, you will not be disappointed.