Habitot Children's Museum

Preschoolers love water, hands-on art, and dramatic play. Your preschooler will be able to do all these things and more at this museum geared especially for them. Habitot Children’s Museum offers interactive exhibits, a drop in art studio, and children’s classes designed to promote early childhood learning.

What preschoolers will love about Habitot

There are several exhibit areas to keep your preschooler occupied. These encompass a wide variety of things since preschoolers like a wide variety of stuff.

The Dramatic Arts area currently has a huge rocket ship. Along with the ship are the requisite silver outfits, complete with the NASA emblem and accompanying space pack.

The Face Painting area has water-based crayons that are non-toxic and wipe off easily. Given the opportunity, what preschooler doesn’t like to draw on himself?

The Wiggle Wall is where your preschooler can pretend to be a worm or a mole wiggling in an underground passageway. A staff member can open an escape hatch if you need to remove your preschooler.

The Art Studio is where they emphasize open-ended art experiences, not the final product. Educators are here to provide your preschooler the tools to foster his creativity and development.

The Waterworks area is comprised of a water table, river ramp, and pumping station. These contraptions teach problem solving, science concepts, and encourage hand-to-eye coordination.

The Little Town Grocery and Café is where your preschooler can pretend to be a cashier, server, or cook. This area comes complete with lots of play food to shop for and grocery carts to wheel the food in.

What parents of preschoolers will love about Habitot

The Family Resource Center is a fantastic library of books, articles, videos, and handouts about any and all things related to parenting.

Multicultural Events such as Lunar New Year, Black History Month, and Persian New Year (Norooz) are celebrated here. These events can include folk dancing, story telling, art projects, and live music.

Families come first at Habitot. Parenting classes, parent support groups, Family Art Days, and many opportunities for diverse families to connect are offered at Habitot.

The Toy Lending Library has hundreds of educational toys. You can check out the toys for up to three weeks at no cost.

A snack room is adjacent to the play area where your preschooler can refuel. Habitot sells juice and light snack. If you bring your own food, Habitot enforces a peanut-free environment.

What parents of preschoolers should know about Habitot

Habitot is located in a basement. More times than not, the space can get crowded, stuffy, and fairly hot. Dress yourself and your preschooler appropriately and bring water to drink.

A gift shop is located near the entrance/exit of the museum. Your preschooler may whine or beg or cry for a purchase from this area. On a positive note, they only sell educational toys, puzzles, and art supplies and all proceeds support the museum's programs.

Parking is tough. Habitot is located in downtown Berkeley and free parking is always a challenge. You can visit Habitot by riding public transit. The Berkeley BART Station is located one block from Habitot.

Parking garages near the museum are listed below:
Oxford Lot - corner of Oxford and Kittredge; $2 hr.
Center St Garage - Center between Shattuck and Milvia; $2 hr.
Allston St Garage - Allston between Shattuck and Milvia; $2.50 hr.
Library Gardens Garage - Kittredge between Milvia and Harold; $2.50 hr. 

General Information

Cost of admission:
Child - $7 (child under 12 months is free)
Adult - $6 (Senior/Disabled - 10% discount)

Fall / Winter Hours (effective October 1):

Monday: Closed      
Tuesday: 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Wednesday: 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Thursday: 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Friday: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Sunday: Private Parties Only

Closed: Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year's Day
Open: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Location:
2065 Kittredge Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

Phone number:
(510) 647-1111

Website:
www.habitot.org