Fall hours: open Weds–Sun, 9 am–4 pm • Free Thurs nights, 4 pm–8 pm • Get tickets
Fall hours: open Weds–Sun, 9 am–4 pm • Free Thurs nights, 4 pm–8 pm • Get tickets
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.
Join Laurie and our Art Studio staff for a weekly drop-in art experience designed for MCM's youngest 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! Today we'll use the spin art technique […]
Start your own mini-garden by planting seeds to take home, and decorate your own one-of-a-kind plant cup! This event is free with the price of general admission.
THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT! Can't make the party? Come to Member Morning, on Saturday June 1, 8–9 am In honor of the opening of the Nice Age Trail, we’re throwing a preview party just for museum members. Enjoy exclusive early access to the Nice Age Trail and engage in nature-themed fun throughout the […]
Come celebrate the grand opening of MCM's brand-new nature exhibit, the Nice Age Trail! Buzz, slide, hop, flutter, and tromp through a four-season environment as you "walk in the paws" of some of Wisconsin’s most amazing animals. This interactive nature experience encourages imagination, exploration, and practicing kindness — to animals, to nature, to people, and […]
Come celebrate the grand opening of MCM's brand-new nature exhibit, the Nice Age Trail! Buzz, slide, hop, flutter, and tromp through a four-season environment as you transform into some of Wisconsin’s most amazing animals. This interactive nature experience encourages imagination, exploration, and practicing kindness — to animals, to nature, to people, and to yourself. All […]
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.
Illuminate the past and make your own beeswax candle like an early Wisconsin settler. 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.
Drop-off class for preschoolers on Thursdays Come to the museum and practice becoming a Super Friend! Speaking to new people, taking turns, and making friends are new skills for 3 and 4-year-olds. Super Friends Club offers a preschool-style group experience within the museum. Guided by MCM's early learning team, Super Friends Club gives kids a […]
Drop-off class for preschoolers on Fridays Come to the museum and practice becoming a Super Friend! Speaking to new people, taking turns, and making friends are new skills for 3 and 4-year-olds. Super Friends Club offers a preschool-style group experience within the museum. Guided by MCM's early education team, Super Friends Club gives kids a […]
Every first Friday this summer, enjoy free concerts at MCM featuring an eclectic mix of Madison bands. Adults get to dance and chat, kids climb and play, and caregivers enjoy low-stress social time in an outdoor play space like no other! Tonight's featured act, Panchromatic Steel, fuses island styles with pop hits, rock, and jazz, […]
MCM's 11th annual free family celebration and kickoff-to-summer returns to the Capitol Square! SummerPalooza includes free museum admission all day (9 am–4 pm), along with exciting activities, guest programs, and live entertainment. Be sure to "take a walk in their paws" and enjoy our brand new nature exhibit, the Nice Age Trail! Performances at Rotary […]
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! This event is free for SummerPalooza!
Soak up the sun and taste the Wisconsin summer! Harvest fresh herbs from our cabin garden and enjoy a refreshing batch of museum-made sun tea.
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.
Join astronomers from the American Astronomical Society for daytime skygazing activities and an art project exploring the sun and planets. Make a UV-reactive bead bracelet, view the sun safely in the sky, and color a crater! This event is free with general museum admission.
Start your own mini-garden by planting seeds to take home, and decorate your own one-of-a-kind paper plant pot! This event is free with the price of general admission.
Join Junko each Wednesday to create your own scented playdough that's a squishy, smush-able sensory delight. This event is free with general museum admission.
Join Junko in the Urb Garden as we explore different sensory materials every week! This event is free with general museum admission.
Create your own sustainable stationery with recycled paper and water! This event is free with general museum admission.
Join us for Music with Junebug led by Junko Yamauchi. This program gives toddlers and preschoolers the opportunity to sing, dance, explore instruments, and play! Music and movement activities promote brain development and connect us to our family and community. Music with Junebug takes place in our Celebrations room, and is free with general museum […]
Enjoy sunny Saturday mornings in the Urb Garden with your little one. Join us for special baby-friendly activities just outside the Wildernest. This event is free with general museum admission.
Investigate how trees age by counting the rings of "tree cookies", then make a decorated necklace of your own as a keepsake. This event is free with the price of general admission.
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, you'll create your very own mosaic masterpiece to take home. This event […]
Investigate how trees age by counting the rings of "tree cookies", then make a decorated necklace of your own as a keepsake. This event is free with the price of general admission.
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.
Rain or shine, we're making crafts inspired by the day's weather! Possible crafts include kites, sun paper art, rain art, and other weather-related creative projects. This event is free with the price of general admission.
Join Junko each Wednesday to create your own scented playdough that's a squishy, smush-able sensory delight. This event is free with general museum admission.
Join Junko in the Urb Garden as we explore different sensory materials every week! This event is free with general museum admission.
Madison Children's Museum hosts a stage for the city's annual Make Music Madison event! Enjoy free, family-friendly live music at Rotary Plaza Stage, just outside the museum's front entrance. In the event of rain, performances will take place in the Museum's Community Concourse. Rotary Plaza Stage (outdoors) 10–10:30 am, Madison Children's Museum staff band10:45–11:15 am, […]
Join Junko each Friday in the "Down Under" area of the Wonderground for interactive storytelling with Japanese kamishibai cards! This event is free with general museum admission.
Enjoy sunny Saturday mornings in the Urb Garden with your little one. Join us for special baby-friendly activities just outside the Wildernest. This event is free with general museum admission.
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, we'll create tactile paintings using colored sand. This event is free with […]
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.
Join Junko each Wednesday to create your own scented playdough that's a squishy, smush-able sensory delight. This event is free with general museum admission.
What could be better than a juicy summer strawberry? Homemade strawberry ice cream, of course! Harvest from our organic strawberry patch and find out how make summer's quintessential treat the old-fashioned way. Learn about phase changes and culinary science while churning ice cream, then taste the fruits of your labor! Each week, Cabin Life programs […]
Join Junko in the Urb Garden as we explore different sensory materials every week! This event is free with general museum admission.
See yourself in vibrant color! Get your photo printed and create a collage with joyful colors and affirming messages. This event is free and open to all ages.
Join the International Crane Foundation for programming in our brand new Nice Age Trail exhibit. Learn more about how cranes move and how their bodies have adapted to environments like that in Wisconsin. This event is free with the price of general admission.
Join us for Music with Junebug led by Junko Yamauchi. This program gives toddlers and preschoolers the opportunity to sing, dance, explore instruments, and play! Music and movement activities promote brain development and connect us to our family and community. Music with Junebug takes place in our Celebrations room, and is free with general museum […]
Join Junko each Friday in the "Down Under" area of the Wonderground for interactive storytelling with Japanese kamishibai cards! This event is free with general museum admission.
Enjoy sunny Saturday mornings in the Urb Garden with your little one. Join us for special baby-friendly activities just outside the Wildernest. This event is free with general museum admission.
Lets get messy! Make mud pies and other (non-edible) creations with your little one in the garden to celebrate World Mud Day. This event is free with general museum admission. Image credit: Amity Hook-Sopko, Green Child
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, we'll create printed textiles using dyes and resist made from mud. This […]
Somebody burst your bubble? No worries—we can make new ones! Explore the shiny, pearlescent world of bubble science and learn how these squeaky-clean beauties are formed. This event is free with the price of general admission.
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.
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.
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.
Get decked out with wooden beads and sinew thread while exploring early jewelry-making. Flex your fine motor skills and practice hand-eye coordination to design custom bracelets and necklaces out of natural, historical materials. Cabin Life invites you to try your hand at crafts and activities from around the time our original log cabin was built […]
Join Junko in the Urb Garden as we explore different sensory materials every week! This event is free with general museum admission.
Join us for Music with Junebug led by Junko Yamauchi. This program gives toddlers and preschoolers the opportunity to sing, dance, explore instruments, and play! Music and movement activities promote brain development and connect us to our family and community. Music with Junebug takes place in our Celebrations room, and is free with general museum […]
Join Junko each Friday for interactive storytelling with Japanese kamishibai cards! This event is free with general museum admission.
Every first Friday this summer, enjoy free concerts at MCM featuring an eclectic mix of Madison bands. Adults get to dance and chat, kids climb and play, and caregivers enjoy low-stress social time in an outdoor play space like no other! UPDATE: Don't Mess with Cupid will be unable to perform due to illness. We […]
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 weave handmade baskets. This event is free with general museum admission.
