Exploration Station: Dino Fossils
2024-07-13 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-07-14 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | 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.

Saturday Art Adventures: Mini Dino-Ramas
2024-07-13 13:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Dive into an exciting drop-in art experience each week with Laurie and our Art Studio team. Embark on projects with a wide variety of art media and processes for all ages and abilities. Materials are included—and the best part? We take care of cleanup! Today, let’s create habitats for our prehistoric friends during Dino Days.

This event is free with general museum admission.

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

This program is free with general museum admission.

Let's Make! with Lexie
2024-07-14 13:00 - 15:00 | WI
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.

MCM Roadshow: Environmental Fun Fair
2024-07-14 14:00 - 17:00 | Lussier Heritage Center, 3101 Lake Farm Rd, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703
Join MCM Roadshow at the Dane County Parks Environmental Fun Fair, located at the Lussier Family Heritage Center facility. This FREE fun afternoon will be full of hands-on, sensory activities centered around nature, outdoor recreation, and science. This is an inclusive event appropriate for ALL ages and abilities!

You can find activities under both solar shelter, the big oak tree, and the lower level of the Center. Meet up with MCM Roadshow and get creative at the arts-and-crafts table and flex your collaborative design skills at our fort-building station.

Parking is available at the Heritage Center and across the road at the Capital City Trail/Lower Yahara River Trail Trailhead (3102 Lake Farm Road).

Madison Children’s Museum Roadshow brings mobile exhibits and maker activities to community events in Madison and the surrounding area.

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.

Creative Movement & Dance: Care Bears (Member Morning!)
2024-07-16 10:00 - 10:45 | WI
Celebrate the Nice Age Trail and deepen our connection to nature with Isthmus Dance Collective! Each Tuesday, these imaginative, immersive, and active classes will allow kids and their grownups to explore the Trail’s themes with curiosity, creativity, and exposure to dance concepts from local dance experts. Today’s theme explores learning self care and self love from bears’ life rhythms.

Creative Movement and Dance events will continue through July as part of MCM Member Appreciation Month! Channel that active energy with our friends from Isthmus Dance Collective, and enjoy three dedicated hours of play in the museum each Tuesday (9am–12pm) just for our museum members.

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 | WI
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 | WI
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 | WI
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.

Free Thursday Evenings
2024-07-18 16:00 - 20:00 | WI
Visit MCM for free every Thursday evening, 4–8 pm!

Enjoy extended hours each Thursday, completely free of charge. Please check in at the admissions desk when you visit during free hours.

Looking for more affordable ways to visit? During the rest of the week, MCM also offers heavily discounted admission and memberships to families who qualify through our Access for Everyone initiative.

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!

Nature Lovers Workshop
2024-07-19 09:00 - 13:00 | WI
Is your child happiest with dirt under their nails and seeds in their hair? Does it take at least five minutes for them to list all of their favorite animals? If so, this workshop was designed with your kid in mind!

Kids will venture through the wilder side of Madison Children’s Museum as they harvest plants from the museum garden for projects that fuse art and science. Then they’ll get up close with the museum’s education animals, plant seeds, taste museum-grown food, and much more.

Price & Logistics

This is a drop-off workshop for kids age 6–10. Price includes admission for enrolled child. Participants should bring a sack lunch and water bottle.

Register Now

Read our cancellation policy.

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 | WI
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.

Member Party: Superhero Shindig
2024-07-19 17:00 - 19:30 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Superheroes take over the museum during our next members-only party!

Kids (and parents) are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superhero and save the day one activity at a time! For those who come sans costume, don’t worry, you can make DIY masks and gauntlets in the Art Studio. Enjoy a supercharged scavenger hunt with prizes, create your own super power sand necklace, and snack on free light refreshments courtesy of MCM!

This event is for current museum members only. Registration is $10 per family (after MCM member discount.)

Register Now

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