View our calendar
Does your child want to be an athlete? Engineer? Architect? Performer? Scientist? Chef? Travel through the PlayHouse chatting with a variety of professionals, introducing your children to all types of careers.
Be Anything! also features a unique online auction, open September 23-28, allowing adults to bid on individual career-related experiences for children, and fundraiser with a live auction on September 28. Learn more here.
Adults, it’s your turn to play! HopScotch is the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum’s annual adults-only event, helping to kick off a fantastic new year. Leave the children at home and enjoy whiskey-based cocktails and local brews from eight local restaurants and breweries. The event also features food from Two25, games, and a silent auction. Tickets include all drinks and food; VIP tickets also include a whiskey tasting with Hugh Higgins from Hearth and access to a special VIP lounge.
Proceeds benefit the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum, including our Maker Space and monthly Maker workshops which foster innovation and problem solving skills in children ages 3 and up.
Visit this page for more information or to purchase tickets.
Join us to BE ANYTHING! at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum! In June we are exploring careers related to nature, animals, and the Illinois River. Meet a wildlife biologist, animal handlers, environmental scientists, a green energy designer, the Captain of the Spirit of Peoria boat, and a horticulturalist! Each station features activities appropriate for children ages 4-12, engaging children in work related to the featured careers.
Visit with:
Wildlife Biologist, Peoria Park District Environmental Team- Ship’s Captain, Spirit of Peoria
- Therapy Dog Handler, Peoria Humane Society
- Water Quality Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy
- Soil Scientist, Bradley University
- Solar PV System Designer, Ruyle Mechanical Services, Inc.
- Horticulturist, Hoerr Nursery
Visit all the stations and be entered into a raffle to win a “Natural World” basket, featuring a family pass for a cruise on the Spirit of Peoria, a Family membership to Forest Park Nature Center, a solor-powered race car kit, and more!
This event is free with membership or admission to the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum. No advance registration required.
Join us to BE ANYTHING! at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum! In July we are exploring careers that involve using your hands (and sometimes your whole body!) as well as your brain to make new things and fix or reuse what you have.
Visit with:
- Bike Mechanic, Bushwhacker
- Architect, Dewberry
- Muralist
- Ballet Dancer, Peoria Ballet
- Electrician, IBEW
- Ironworker, River City Construction
- Toy Designer, The Bandit Ball Project
- Landscape Architect, Designer Concepts
- Project Manager, Caterpillar, Inc.
- Analytics Engineer, Caterpillar, Inc.
- Musician, Peoria Symphony Orchestra
Visit all of the stations and be entered to win a raffle basket with items that allow you to extend the experience, including costumes, Nutcracker tickets, art supplies, and a bike helmet.
This is the second of four career days. Learn more about the Be Anything! series here.
Join us to BE ANYTHING! at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum! In August we are exploring careers that save lives. Meet representatives and explore vehicles from the police and fire departments, explore an ambulance, learn about the work of doctors and nurses, and more!
Visit all of the stations and be entered to win a raffle basket with items that allow you to extend the experience.
This is the third of four career days. Learn more about the Be Anything! series here.
Join us to BE ANYTHING! at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum! In September we are inspired by the PlayHouse exhibit Peoria Then and Now to look at community jobs:
Visit with:
- Meteorologist, WEEK (and explore the Weather Tracker vehicle!)
- Salon Owner, Whispering Willows Salon
- Finance Professional, CEFCU
- Recruiter, Girl Scouts of Central Illinois
- Librarian, Peoria Public Library (and come aboard the Bookmobile!)
- Grocer, Sous Chef
- Maintenance Worker, Peoria Public Works Department (and learn how a Street Sweeper vehicle works!)
- Dentist, Just Kidz Dentistry
- Mechanic, Bob Lindsay Honda (and explore the inside of a car!)
- Behavioral Therapost, GBC aba
- Anchor, WMBD
Visit all of the stations and be entered to win a raffle basket with items that allow you to extend the experience. And online bidding is now open – bid on one-on-one career experiences for your child, and join us at Trailside Event Center on October 3rd for an adults-only cocktail event featuring a live auction of career experiences for children and adults! Learn more about the Be Anything! series here.
Join us at Trailside Event Center on Thursday, October 3rd from 6-9pm for a playful cocktail party featuring a live auction with Be Anything! experiences for adults, raffle, and PlayHouse-style activities. The event is emceed by WMBD’s Greg Batton, and tickets include two complimentary drinks as well as heavy hors d’oeuvres from Cracked Pepper.
Learn more about this event and our online career auction.
Be Anything! is an innovative program that propels “Take Your Child to Work Day” to a new level. All children can be anything; they need only the tools and opportunity to imagine, practice, and become!
This online auction features experiences with 50+ local professionals, ranging from police officers to ballet dancers to Illinois State Representatives. Help a child in your life explore the careers that excite them through Be Anything! experiences.
Welcome to HopScotch 2021: “Making” the Best of It!
HopScotch is an annual fundraising event of the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum. This event supports the PlayHouse’s maker programs, which help children gain the tools and skills they need to be the creators of tomorrow’s world.
This year we are excited to present a virtual event featuring:
· a choice of Illinois beers, whiskey-based cocktail kits, or mocktail kits
· videos of children, families, and adults participating in three amazing maker challenges
· videos demonstrating how to make your very own craft cocktails
· your own maker kit for you and your family to join us in this celebration of making
· a silent auction and a raffle
The PlayHouse turns 6 this year! 
Thank you for joining us in celebrating 6 years of play in Peoria!
Be Anything is an innovative program that propels “Take Your Child to Work Day” to a new level. Help a child in your life explore the careers that excite them. All children can be anything; they need only the tools and opportunity to imagine, practice, and become! Do they want to be an architect, veterinarian, fireman, meteorologist? Are they unsure, but excited to try new experiences? Be Anything! is a great way to expose children to the endless possibilities they have for their future!
Join us on October 2, 2021 from 1 – 4pm to meet dozens of career professionals and learn more about what they do! This event is $5 for children 3-18, and free for adults and children under the age of 3. This event will take place at the Noble Center in Lakeview Park.
Our Be Anything: Career Day this year will feature in-person workshops with a career professional. These workshops will take place during our Career Day event and will feature a news reporter, architect, and a wildlife biologist! Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.
This year you can be anything from home with our Be Anything: Career Kits! Our Be Anything: Career Kits correspond with videos from our 2020 Be Anything: Virtual Career Day videos available on our website. Our Be Anything: Career Kits feature an engineer, a graphic designer, and a doctor, and they will include all the tools you need to practice these new skills at home. Be Anything: Career Kits are available for pre-order online and at the PlayHouse leading up to the Be Anything: Career Day event.