After visiting 60 museums this summer, the Yu family decided SciTech Hands On Museum in Aurora was their favorite.
“They built some sort of building/structure (at SciTech) and the director saw that it was so nice and took a picture,” said mother Peng Yu. “My daughters’ favorite was probably the static electricity program there though that makes your hair fly up.”
Peng, her husband and their five children ages 3 to 12 visited museums spanning from Addison to Winfield as a part of Bartlett’s “Passport to Adventure” summer program. The Yu children were among 650 others who participated.
“Passport to Adventure” began in Bartlett 12 years ago and encourages children and their families to visit local museums, nature centers, science centers and working farms during summers.
The exhibition at the Bartlett History Museum this summer was “From Horse to Horsepower, Celebrating a Century of Motoring in Bartlett.” Children were invited to learn about the early cars in Bartlett and how they changed the face of the community.
This summer, six families visited all 60 sites, which set a new record for the number of first-place recipients for the Bartlett community.
Though the end date for the passport program was Sept. 5, the Yu family finished almost two months early on July 19.
“We planned ahead of time,” Peng said, of her family’s early finish. “During the summer, I decided we were determined to finish. I heard they were awarding a medallion to the winner. Kids love to win something, and my kids like challenging stuff.”
Peng said her children not only obtained a lot of valuable information from the experience, but the entire family also became aware of many places in the area they had not previously known about.
Family: Mom, Peng; Dad, Chung; Kids: Beverly, 3, Brianna, 5, Britney, 8, Brian, 11, Brandon, 12
Years in Bartlett: 13
Notable: The family visited 60 museums with five children in less than three months.
Quotable: “If you think I am better, I think you are better.” — mother, Peng Yu
Family philosophy: Anything that needs to get done today, get it done today. You can’t wait until tomorrow.
Favorites: Besides SciTech, the Morton Arboretum in Lisle was a favorite. The Arboretum has trees and other plants from around the world, and the Yu children enjoyed the children’s garden and maze.
