Madison Children's Museum

Dino Days at MCM (July 11–July 14)
2024-07-11 09:00 - 2024-07-14 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join MCM for four days of prehistoric play! Enjoy dino dances, raptor rhythms, cretaceous crafts, and more from July 11 through July 14.

Thursday, July 11:– Messy Art with Laurie: Dinosaur Printing– Dino Scavenger Hunt– Wild Wonders: Frozen Dinos!– Dino Dance Party: Angela Puerta Band

Friday, July 12:– STEAM Time: Tiny Dino-Ramas– Clay Day: Dinosaur Cut-Outs– Dino Scavenger Hunt

Saturday, July 13:– Exploration Station: Dino Fossils– Saturday Art Adventures: Mini Dino-Ramas– Dino Scavenger Hunt

Sunday, July 14: – Exploration Station: Dino Fossils

This event is free with the cost of general museum admission.

Exploration Station: Dino Fossils
2024-07-14 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Learn how ancient life was preserved over time and create your own dinosaur fossils out of clay.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Let's Make! with Lexie
2024-07-14 13:00 - 15:00
Explore new materials and creative techniques through facilitated art activities and bring home hand-made treasures. Projects vary each week and may include sculpture, painting, comics, printmaking, and more!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Tuesday Member Morning
2024-07-16 09:00 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Enjoy exclusive, members-only time in the museum each Tuesday for Member Appreciation Month! There’s no better way to play at MCM, especially for our young visitors who are easily overwhelmed by crowds. Stretch out, enjoy the exhibits at your own pace, and enjoy a chilled-out morning together in the museum.

Not a member yet? Become one today! Membership starts immediately, so you can visit for free on Member Morning or any other time the museum is open. Learn more about membership.

Open Art Studio (Member Morning!)
2024-07-16 10:00 - 11:30 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Choose your own art adventure through exploration of materials. Create robots, cars, houses, and more. Drop by the Art Studio classroom for open-ended creative opportunities, facilitated by our talented staff.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Early Explorers Playgroup
2024-07-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Social time for babies and their grown-ups!

This playgroup is thoughtfully designed for our earliest visitors. We will provide a space for infants and toddlers (2 years and under) and their caregivers to explore and play together, and engage in activities that support various aspects of child development. Parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to connect with one another over a variety of topics. Come meet other families and make new friends!

This event will be held in the Celebrations Room and is free with general museum admission.

Exploration Station: Insect Hotels
2024-07-17 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Create your own insect hotel using natural materials to attract and observe local insects right at home!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Music Time with Tim!
2024-07-17 11:00 - 11:30
Explore the world of music and rhythm! Join Tim in the Celebrations room each week to enjoy play-based songs, games, and stories.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Playdough Party with Junko
2024-07-17 13:30 - 14:30
Join Junko in the Art Studio Classroom each Wednesday to create your own scented playdough that’s a squishy, smush-able sensory delight.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Insect Scavenger Hunt
2024-07-17 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-07-18 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-07-19 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-07-20 13:30 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Be very, very quiet… we’re hunting insects! Join us in the Urb Garden, where we’ll sharpen our observation skills and search for bugs hiding in the plants. Gentleness is encouraged—no insects will be harmed in the making of this program.

This program is free with general museum admission.

Cabin Life: Herb Sachets
2024-07-17 14:00 - 15:00
Sashay over to our historic cabin to create fragrant sachets of museum-grown herbs, harvested and dried from the Rooftop Ramble gardens.

Cabin Life invites you each week to try crafts and activities from around the time of our historic 1840s log cabin. This event is free with general museum admission.

Messy Art with Laurie
2024-07-18 11:00 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join Laurie and our Art Studio staff for a weekly drop-in art experience designed for MCM’s younger visitors and their caregivers. Through open-ended & process-based projects, empower your little artist to freely explore materials and art-making with their senses. And the best part? We take care of cleanup!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Sensory Worlds with Junko
2024-07-18 13:30 - 14:30 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join Junko in the Urb Garden as we explore different sensory materials every week!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Fun with Fiber Arts
2024-07-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Explore various practical and artful fiber arts projects like embroidery, weaving, mending, and sewing with our friend Lexie in the Art Studio!

This event is free during our extended Thursday evening hours!

Clay Day: Polymer Clay Beads
2024-07-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Explore the squishy, smudgy, sculptable world of clay! Today we’ll “make and take” custom beads created with colorful polymer material.

Each Friday, join us for a different drop-in clay experience in the Art Studio. We’ll work with a variety of media–ceramic clay, dough, paper clay, polymer clay, and more. This event is free with general museum admission.

Kamishibai Storytelling with Junko
2024-07-19 13:30 - 14:30
Join Junko each Friday for interactive storytelling with Japanese kamishibai cards!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Members-Only Workshop: History in the Making
2024-07-19 16:00 - 17:00 | Wisconsin Historical Society Maker Space, 1 S. Pinckney Street (US Bank Plaza, Floor 1), Madison, Wisconsin, 53703
Enjoy a FREE members-only workshop as part of Member Appreciation Month!

Join us for a hands-on learning experience for the whole family, exploring important themes in Wisconsin History with our friends at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Take on the role of historian by exploring real historical artifacts, images, and documents and asking questions about the past. And best of all, help us create a collaborative museum exhibit driven by your discoveries today.

This workshop takes place at the Wisconsin Historical Society Maker Space, just one block from MCM on the first floor of the US Bank Plaza at 1 S Pinckney. After the workshop, head back over to MCM for our Superhero Shindig Member Party, 5–7:30 pm!

The workshop is completely free, but advance registration is required. Recommended for ages 6-9 with an accompanying adult.

Register Now

July is Member Appreciation Month! Look forward to extra-special perks and events just for our fabulous museum members, all month long. Not a member yet? Become one today! Membership starts immediately, so you can visit for free anytime the museum is open. Learn more about membership.

Exploration Station: Botanical Weaving
2024-07-20 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Weave a one-of-a-kind botanical tapestry with plants from our verdant Rooftop Ramble garden.

This event is free with general museum admission, and open to all ages.

Art Adventures with Laurie: Stamps & Stickers
2024-07-20 13:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Drop into a new art experience with Laurie and the Art Studio team! Explore art through a variety of creative media and processes meant for all ages and abilities. We’ll take care of all the materials and mess mitigation, too! Today, we’ll create our own custom stamps and stickers to adorn…well, everything!

This event is free with general museum admission. Image credit: Eric Gjerde
