Sumayyah and Suleiman Syed were covered with mud, shaving cream and slime Saturday morning outside the DuPage Children’s Museum. And they couldn’t have been happier about it.
The 9- and 6-year-old Naperville residents were among the (messiest) faces of the second-annual Mess Fest, which allowed kids to get dirty, frothy and slimy — then wash themselves off on the way out. Their parents couldn’t have been happier about that.
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“It’s the best. It gives them a chance to get messy outside the home, and we don’t have to clean up,” said Sumayyah and Suleiman’s mother, Faten. “It’s also a great learning experience, giving them a chance to exercise their creativity without any rules.”
Her husband, Shahrukh, whose hair was covered with foam, shrugged: “Why not?”
“I like all of it, the foam and the mud,” Sumayyah said. “We can do whatever we want!”
How does it feel to be so messy?
“Fun!” her brother replied.
About 2,000 children participated in the event on a hot, early summer day, hopping between the various stations: slime-making, foam, messy music, a paint pendulum and the mud kitchen. Nearby, local artists did chalk art while a DJ played upbeat tunes.
“Kids love a mess,” the museum’s marketing manager, Jaime Johnson, said, watching her theory prove correct in real time. “It’s a sensory experience. It lets them experiment with the way different things feel. You have kids who like more, kids who like less.”
Some children literally just dipped a toe or finger in the mess, while others were covered head-to-toe in gunk.
Three-year-old Easton Donkin, of Naperville, fell into the latter category, as he banged on paint-covered drums that splattered as he played.
“He loves messes,” said his mom, Michelle. “Mud is his favorite thing in the world.”
When asked if the mud was real, Johnson said, “100%. We mix it up ourselves.”
“It’s great for the kids to get messy, and you can keep the house clean — somewhat,” said Michelle Donkin, two younger children in tow.
Four-year-old Peyton Loos, of Naperville, said her favorite part of Mess Fest was making slime — the museum had a mere eight types of it available. “I have dance class today!” she reminded her mother, Courtney, as she stepped out of a shaving cream-filled kiddie pool, the color of Casper the ghost.
“She was all in the mud. She loved the DIY tattoos and had a chance to tattoo her mom and herself,” Courtney Loos said, repeating a familiar mantra: “It’s an opportunity for her to get messy in a place that is not our home.”
Meanwhile, the Syed children got hosed off in another nearby plastic tub. They went from looking like they emptied an arts-and-crafts aisle on themselves to normal kids, albeit ones soaked with water. The blazing sun would help take care of that.
And like that, the family went on with their day, the mess contained to the parking lot behind them.
Giles Bruce is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
