• Exploration Station: Love Bugs

    Build a buddy to bug around with! This playful Valentine’s Day activity invites kids to design their own “Love Bug” using fuzzy materials and plenty of imagination. Will your creature have wings, feet, hearts, or extra eyeballs? There’s no wrong way to love your bug.

  • Imagination Station with Abby

    Join Abby in the Art Studio classroom on Wednesdays to stretch your creativity with common materials used in unexpected ways. Each week will feature a different activity.

  • Nice Age Tales

    Snuggle in for a delightful mix of stories, puppets, and songs! This trail-side program invites young children to explore emotions, rhythm, and imagination through movement and mindful moments. Grown-ups welcome, too—this is a peaceful pause for the whole family.

  • Music Time with Tim

    Explore the world of music and rhythm! Each week, Tim leads children in singing, rhythm games, and musical stories that inspire creativity and connection. It’s an engaging experience for kids and families—free with admission.

  • Tales with Teresa

    Join us for story time and hear Teresa read some of her favorite books using her DynaVox. With this speech-generating device, Teresa shares stories that help us build listening skills, develop early literacy, and celebrate each other’s differences. This event is free with general museum admission.

  • Messy Art with Laurie

    Join MCM art educator Ms. Laurie for a weekly burst of color, texture, and joyful experimentation. Young children can freely explore art materials in a welcoming space designed especially for our youngest artists. It’s creativity without limits—or cleanup. Come make a beautiful mess with us! Free with general admission.

  • Black Heritage Celebration

    Join Madison Children's Museum on February 19, 5–8 pm, as we honor the contributions of Black people in our community with a celebration featuring Black artists, musicians, and leaders. Free admission begins at 4 pm, and activities continue from 5 to 8 pm. No event tickets required! Acompáñennos al Madison Children’s Museum para honrar las […]

  • STEAM Time: Squishy Circuits

    Bright lights, squishy fun! Explore the world of electricity by making your own soft circuit using play dough and LEDs. Kids will shape conductive materials into silly forms while learning how power moves through a circuit. It's a perfect combo of creativity, science, and glowing hands-on discovery.

  • Exploration Station: Dot Painting

    Tiny dots, big creativity! Inspired by pointillism and Indigenous art forms, this colorful workshop invites young artists to explore how small shapes build big pictures. Use vibrant paints to make animals, patterns, or abstract designs—all one dot at a time. A mindful and meditative way to express yourself with color and shape.

  • Exploration Station: Chinese New Year Lanterns

    Celebrate the Chinese New Year by making a paper lantern to take home or share with someone you love. Inspired by age-old traditions, this activity invites children to welcome the Year of the Horse with color, light, and stories of celebration. A perfect blend of hands-on art and cultural exploration.

  • Imagination Station with Abby

    Join Abby in the Art Studio classroom on Wednesdays to stretch your creativity with common materials used in unexpected ways. Each week will feature a different activity.

  • Music Time with Tim

    Explore the world of music and rhythm! Each week, Tim leads children in singing, rhythm games, and musical stories that inspire creativity and connection. It’s an engaging experience for kids and families—free with admission.

  • Tales with Teresa

    Join us for story time and hear Teresa read some of her favorite books using her DynaVox. With this speech-generating device, Teresa shares stories that help us build listening skills, develop early literacy, and celebrate each other’s differences. This event is free with general museum admission.

  • Messy Art with Laurie

    Join MCM art educator Ms. Laurie for a weekly burst of color, texture, and joyful experimentation. Young children can freely explore art materials in a welcoming space designed especially for our youngest artists. It’s creativity without limits—or cleanup. Come make a beautiful mess with us! Free with general admission.

  • Through Wild Eyes bilingual family program (Spanish and English)

    Through Wild Eyes Bilingual family program (Spanish & English) Once on the brink of extinction in the 1990s, the Iberian lynx is now slowly returning thanks to major conservation efforts. Explore this remarkable story through wildlife photography by David Álvarez and hands-on learning that invites children and caregivers to see nature through “wild eyes.” Learn […]