Madison Children's Museum

Family Climate Festival (Day 3)
2024-08-03 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Join MCM for the Family Climate Festival weekend, a community-based collaboration where children and families are invited to engage in programs with the Madison Water Utility, the Wisconsin Institute for Energy and MCM staff educators that inspire children to become environmental stewards while they learn about clean water, renewable energy, and recycling.

Today’s Featured Activities:Our Amazing Aquifer with Madison Water Utility, 10 amSaturday Art Adventures: Egg Carton Flowers, 1 pm

Our Amazing Aquifer with Madison Water Utility
2024-08-03 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-08-04 13:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Stomp your feet! Deep down below is where most of Wisconsin’s drinking water comes from. Join our friends from the Madison Water Utility to learn about the water cycle and local water consumption.

How does the water get down there in the ground? How do we get it out? What happens to it along the way? And what can we do above ground to make sure we have plenty of clean water for years to come.

This event is free with general museum admission, and presented as part of our Family Climate Festival (August 1-August 4).

MCM Roadshow: Sugar Maple Music Festival
2024-08-03 12:00 - 15:00 | Sugar Maple Music Festival, W.G. Lunney Lake Farm County Park, Madison
Join MCM Roadshow and other family-favorite organizations at the 21st annual Sugar Maple Music Festival on Saturday, August 3 from 12 pm–3 pm.

The festival includes many performances and activities specifically for families, including David Landau, Wild Rumpus Circus, and our own MCM Roadshow. Enjoy a wide variety of musical genres, including Americana, bluegrass, blues, Cajun, rockabilly and more. The festival site, beautiful WG Lunney Lake Farm County Park, has playground equipment and open space. Admission for kids 17 and under is free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. See the website for more information.

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

Saturday Art Adventures: Egg Carton Flowers
2024-08-03 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, we’ll create vibrant blooms with recycled egg cartons.

This event is free with general museum admission. Image credit: Cara Huff

Insect Scavenger Hunt
2024-08-03 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-08-07 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-08-08 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.

Family Climate Festival (Day 4)
2024-08-04 09:00 - 16:00
Join MCM for the Family Climate Festival weekend, a community-based collaboration where children and families are invited to engage in programs with the Madison Water Utility, the Wisconsin Institute for Energy and MCM staff educators that inspire children to become environmental stewards while they learn about clean water, renewable energy, and recycling.

Today’s Featured Activities:Our Amazing Aquifer with Madison Water Utility, 1 pmLet’s Make! with Lexie: Junk Jewelry, 1 pm

Let's Make! with Lexie: Junk Jewelry
2024-08-04 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! Today, we’ll create stylish, no-waste accessories with recycled materials.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Camp Kindergarten, 2024 Session A SOLD OUT
2024-08-05 09:00 - 11:00
for kids starting kindergarten in the fall

Session A (August 5-8) is full.

This four-day program runs Monday–Thursday, 9–11 am.

Camp Kindergarten is designed to playfully foster social and behavioral skills useful for school readiness in children starting kindergarten in the fall.

They’ll run like a gerbil, create like an artist, and think like a scientist. Each morning will start with free play time before the museum opens. Then they’ll do a craft or science activity and further explore the museum’s exhibits. Making new friends and playing together will help campers practice important kindergarten skills like turn-taking and standing in line, and will encourage kindness and confidence.

Campers may pack a snack. All activities will take place on site at MCM.

Register for Session AAug. 5–8

Open Tuesdays in August
2024-08-06 09:00 - 16:00
Each Tuesday in August, we’re excited to offer an extra day of museum fun! Make the most of summer before back-to-school and enjoy bonus bonding time with the family, 9 am–4 pm.

Let's Move! in the Wonderground
2024-08-06 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-07 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-08 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-09 10:00 - 11:30 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join us for movement games in the Wonderground! From obstacle courses to dances, group games, balance activities, and yoga, we’ll enjoy different opportunities to move our bodies every day.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Open Art Studio
2024-08-06 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.

Plant Root Flip Books with UW Genetics
2024-08-06 13:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join our guest instructor Angela Johnson from UW Genetics for a drop-in flip book workshop! Learn about the patterns of plant root growth and their importance for obstacle avoidance, soil penetration, and seedling establishment. Best of all, you’ll get to apply what you learned in a make-and-take animated flip book of the growth process.

This event is free with the price of general museum admission. Recommended for ages 7 and older, activity takes approximately 30 minutes.

Exploration Station: Fish Prints
2024-08-07 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Create vibrant prints using silicone models of local fish and paint! Explore the patterns and textures of fish scales while making unique, aquatic-themed artwork.

This event is free with the price of general admission.

Music Time with Tim!
2024-08-07 11:00 - 11:30
Explore the world of music and rhythm! Join Tim in the Wonderground each week to enjoy play-based songs, games, and stories.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Playdough Party with Junko
2024-08-07 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.

Cabin Life: Pear Tasting and Fruit Dehydrating
2024-08-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
It’s pear-harvesting season! Come over to the Wonderground’s log cabin to taste delicious local pears and learn the old-fashioned way to preserve fruit through dehydration.

Cabin Life invites you to try your hand at crafts and activities from around the time our original log cabin was built in the 1840s.

MCM Roadshow: Parks Alive at Hammersley Park
2024-08-07 17:00 - 20:00 | Hammersley Park, 6114 Hammersley Road, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703
Join MCM Roadshow and other local favorite organizations at Hammersley Park, starting at 5 pm. Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, movies, and free food.

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

Tales with Teresa
2024-08-08 09:30 - 10:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
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.

Messy Art with Laurie: Paint with Spinning Tops
2024-08-08 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 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 give abstract painting a whirl with spinning tops. This event is free with general museum admission.

Sensory Worlds with Junko
2024-08-08 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
2024-08-08 16:00 - 20:00
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: Abstract Embroidery
2024-08-08 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! Today, we’ll learn to embroider safely and embrace abstract creativity.

This event is free during our extended Thursday evening hours!

Wild Wonders: Seed Planting
2024-08-08 17:00 - 19:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Decorate your own paper cup planter and plant a seed to take home!

This event is part of our free admission Thursday evenings, 4 pm-8 pm.

MCM Roadshow: Glendale Neighborhood Event
2024-08-08 17:00 - 20:00 | Dr. Virginia Henderson Elementary School, 1201 Tompkins Dr., Madison, 53716
Join MCM Roadshow and other local organizations at a community celebration presented by the Glendale Neighborhood Association.

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