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
Create seed balls using a native pollinator seed mix grown on the museum's Rooftop Ramble! Find out what it takes to plant pollinator gardens, and gain a better understanding of plants' life cycle from seed to flower. This event is free with the price of general admission. Image credit: Chicago Community Gardeners Association
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.
Join us for story time and hear Teresa read some of her favorite books using her DynaVox. With this speech-generating device, Teresa will share stories and help build listening skills, develop early literacy, and celebrate each other’s differences. 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 create watercolor paintings with everyone's […]
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.
How does a chicken snag snacks off the ground, or a hawk glide through the air? Learn about the ways in which birds have adapted to thrive in their environment--through beaks, feathers, and more! Join us each week for new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities. These hands-on programs foster creativity, ignite curiosity, […]
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 performer is Son del Atlantico, an Afro-Colombian Fusion band that plays the […]
Enjoy exclusive, members-only time in the museum for a great addition to your Farmers Market family outing. There's no better way to play before the museum gets busy! 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 […]
Start your own mini-garden by planting beans to take home, and decorate your own one-of-a-kind plant pot! This event is free with the price of general admission.
Why do bees visit flowers? Do they like some flowers better than others? Come learn about pollination, mutualism, and co-evolution between flowers and bees, and discover how this special relationship shaped our world! Sculpt your own flowers based on real examples from the Rooftop Ramble gardens. Molded replicas of these flowers will be used to observe bee behavior […]
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.
Join us for story time and hear Teresa read some of her favorite books using her DynaVox. With this speech-generating device, Teresa will share stories and help build listening skills, develop early literacy, and celebrate each other’s differences. 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's we'll experiment with texture and negative […]
Join MCM for a free celebration 4-8 pm featuring performances from Beni Daiko and lion dancers from the Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association Traditional Folk Performing Arts Troupe, hands-on cultural activities with the Hmong Institute Women‘s Group and Hmong American Students Association, interactives from artist Meri Lau, refreshments from Moonhalf, and more! Snacks and beverages […]
What's that green stuff? It's chlorophyll! Experiment with plants from the Rooftop Ramble garden to discover how plants process sunlight to get their nutrients. Join us each week for new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities. These hands-on programs foster creativity, ignite curiosity, encourage divergent thinking, build problem-solving skills, and offer new ways […]
Our art studio staff will lead visitors in a weekly assortment of creative clay sculpture activities.
We will create all kinds of collaborative projects- plant pots, jewelry, ornaments, tiles and more.
All ages are welcome to join us and experiment with clay.
It's finally springtime, and the birds have migrated back to Wisconsin! Make a little winged companion out of yarn and imitate the coloring of your favorite backyard bird. This event is free with the price of general admission. Image credit: Muhaiminah Faiz
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 dye our own custom bandanas using tissue paper. This event is […]
It's finally springtime, and the birds have migrated back to Wisconsin! Make a little winged companion out of yarn and imitate the coloring of your favorite backyard bird. This event is free with the price of general admission. Image credit: Muhaiminah Faiz
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.
Madison Children’s Museum will open at 9 am and close promptly at 12 pm (noon) on Thursday, May 16. These abbreviated hours are for one day only, and will accommodate MCM's hosting the Association of Children's Museums InterActivity conference! The museum will return to normal hours (9 am–4 pm) on Friday, May 17.
Create a custom a pet rock to bring home and care for! Fill out an "adoption certificate" with their name, birthday, and personality traits. 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, let's get inspired by spring blooms and create our own paper plants. […]
Create a custom a pet rock to bring home and care for! Fill out an "adoption certificate" with their name, birthday, and personality traits. 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.
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 us for story time and hear Teresa read some of her favorite books using her DynaVox. With this speech-generating device, Teresa will share stories and help build listening skills, develop early literacy, and celebrate each other’s differences. 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 create fiercely adorable dino prints. […]
Experiment with magnets to see how they stick together and repel. Test them on a variety of objects and make your own magnet to bring home. Join us each week for new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities. These hands-on programs foster creativity, ignite curiosity, encourage divergent thinking, build problem-solving skills, and offer […]
Our art studio staff will lead visitors in a weekly assortment of creative clay sculpture activities.
We will create all kinds of collaborative projects- plant pots, jewelry, ornaments, tiles and more.
All ages are welcome to join us and experiment with clay.
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.
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 make custom handmade books. This event is free with general museum […]
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 us for story time and hear Teresa read some of her favorite books using her DynaVox. With this speech-generating device, Teresa will share stories and help build listening skills, develop early literacy, and celebrate each other’s differences. 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.
Our art studio staff will lead visitors in a weekly assortment of creative clay sculpture activities.
We will create all kinds of collaborative projects- plant pots, jewelry, ornaments, tiles and more.
All ages are welcome to join us and experiment with clay.
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 […]
Enjoy exclusive, members-only time in the museum for a great addition to your Farmers Market family outing. There's no better way to play before the museum gets busy! Enjoy complimentary coffee and delicious donuts from Ugly Apple Cafe while supplies last. Not a member yet? Become one today! Membership starts immediately, so you can visit for […]
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 […]
