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Homewood Science Center (HSC) is the best place in the south suburbs of Chicago to play indoors!
We’ve brought Imagination Playground to HSC, thanks to a donation from CN!
Parents and guardians are encouraged to play too, so bring your crew and dive into Imagination Playground
during Family Fun Friday or
Fourth Saturday for STEAM!
What is Imagination Playground?
Imagine dozens of excited kids in a room filled with big blue foam blocks of all shapes and sizes. Using oversized cogs, wheels, spools and tubes, they create whimsical sculptures, construct castles and forts, and design vibrant vehicles that move. Joining curvy blocks with grooves, they form elaborate ramps and tracks and send balls rolling through. They stack, connect, design, configure and play-
the possibilities are endless!
Experience Imagination Playground at Homewood Science Center!
A breakthrough playspace concept conceived and designed by renowned architect David Rockwell.
Imagination Playground was developed to inspire unstructured, child-directed play — the kind of free play that experts say is critical to children’s healthy development, with its interactive play and learning environments. With Imagination Playground blocks kids build a new world every day. They make objects like animals, rocket ships, and robots. They make imaginary places like houses, factories, and cities. They make new dramatic scenarios, settings, and games to play. Most important, they make the rules. Because Imagination Playground is child-directed and open-ended, it encourages self-expression through deep, joyful play.
Why is play important?
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Exercises hand-eye coordination and fine motor development
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Builds spatial awareness, foundational math and science thinking
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Encourages sharing, collaborating, and interpersonal communication
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Challenges children to be creative
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Increase their frustration tolerance
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Develops leadership skills as children work to resolve disagreements