Madison Children's Museum

Let's Move! in the Wonderground
2024-08-14 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Chicago) | 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.

Exploration Station: Flower-Dyed Fabric
2024-08-14 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Explore the colorful potential of plants! Pick flowers from our Rooftop Ramble garden and dye fabric using the pigment in your chosen blooms.

This event is free with the price of general admission.

Music Time with Tim!
2024-08-14 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
2024-08-14 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.

Insect Scavenger Hunt
2024-08-14 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-08-15 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-08-16 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-08-17 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: Beeswax Candle Making
2024-08-14 14:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
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 in the Wonderground. This event is free with general museum admission.

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Related Events

Be My Baby: Valentine’s Party

Tuesday, February 10 @ 9:00 am – 11:30 am

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Wednesday, February 11 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Nice Age Tales

Wednesday, February 11 @ 10:30 am – 11:00 am

MCM Roadshow: Parks Alive at Warner Park
2024-08-14 17:00 - 20:00 | Warner Park, 2930 N Sherman Ave, Madison, Wisconsin, 53704, United States
Join MCM Roadshow and other local favorite organizations at Warner 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
2024-08-15 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: Puffy Paint Pictures
2024-08-15 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 create dimensional art pieces with homemade puffy paint. This event is free with general museum admission. Image credit: Crystal Foth

Sensory Worlds with Junko
2024-08-15 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.

Kids in the Rotunda Season Announcement Party!
2024-08-15 16:00 - 19:30 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join Overture’s Kids in the Rotunda for a free, fun-filled evening at Madison Children’s Museum and their first-ever Season Announcement Party! Participate in a special scavenger hunt and search for performers around the museum before the official season announcement at 5:15pm. Then put on your dancing shoes and jump around to the beats of DJ Nick Nice!

This event is part of MCM’s FREE Thursday evenings, 4 pm–8 pm every week.

Free Thursday Evenings
2024-08-15 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: Fabric Painting
2024-08-15 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 use fabric paint to create textile designs.

This event is free during our extended Thursday evening hours! Image credit: Sarah Whiting

Wild Wonders: Water Explorers
2024-08-15 17:00 - 19:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Dive into the hidden world of teeny tiny critters that thrive in our local waterways. Give your fine motor skills a workout while sampling lake water and get a reeeeeally close look at microorganisms with our microscope.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Music with Junebug
2024-08-16 10:30 - 11:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
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 on the Rooftop Ramble, dependent on the day. Please ask at the desk! This event is free with general museum admission.

STEAM Time: Succulents
2024-08-16 11:00 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Learn how to care for plants and what they need to survive. Decorate a piece of pottery from our clay program and adopt a succulent 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 new ways for kids to explore the world around them.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Clay Day: Roll and Cut Shapes
2024-08-16 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 creative shapes with rolled-out clay.

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
2024-08-16 13:30 - 14:30
Join Junko each Friday for interactive storytelling with Japanese kamishibai cards!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Adult Swim: Summer Camp
2024-08-16 17:30 - 21:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Break out the jorts and trail mix— it’s Adult Swim: Summer Camp!

We’re packing a whole summer of laughs into one nostalgic night at MCM! Enjoy custom crafts, signature cocktails, songs under the stars, marshmallows on a stick (with a twist), and much more at Adult Swim: Summer Camp.

Tickets (21+ only)

$20 advance

$25 day of event

Bring 10 or more friends and get 10% off your ticket order.

Get Tickets

Featured Activities

Campsite Arts & Crafts: Make friendship bracelets, nature miniatures, and more nostalgic crafts

Marshmallow Onna Stick Challenge: Channel your inner kid competitor with our structure-building challenge (with prizes!)

Premier Trivia: Team up with friends to win fabulous prizes with Premier Trivia

Don’t Drink the Pond Water: Learn to test lake samples with UW Microbial Sciences

Camp Crystal Lake Scavenger Hunt: Test your summer camp horror movie knowledge and discover what’s lurking in the Wonderground

Monty the Mammoth Meetup: Take a photo with this iconic beast from Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail

MCM Land Games: Limber up and best your buddies in competitive games in the Wonderground

Camp Lodge Singalong: Join Hoot ‘n Annie String Band for classic camp songs and acoustic favorites in the Down Under

Custom Cocktails: Break into the counselors’ cooler for camp-themed cocktails and mocktails (plus beer and wine) at our cash bar

Todofresco Treats: Take a bite outta nature with plant-based grain bowls, salads, and fresh juices from Todofresco

Learn about volunteer opportunities with our event partners, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and the Ice Age Trail Alliance

What is Adult Swim?

Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum borrows the age-old camp tradition of kicking out the kids, so the counselors get the lake to themselves. Adult Swim makes space to play like a grown-up—crafting, drinking, and s’mores-ing your way through the museum.

Ticket cancellation/exchange policy

Adult Swim is presented by

Exploration Station: Clothespin Butterflies
2024-08-17 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-08-18 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Learn about the metamorphosis of butterflies from egg to adult, and make a colorful clothespin butterfly that really flaps its wings!

This event is free with the price of general admission.

MCM Roadshow: Africa Fest
2024-08-17 11:00 - 16:00 | McPike Park, 202 S Ingersoll St., Madison, Wisconsin
Join MCM Roadshow and other local organizations at Africa Fest, presented by the African Association of Madison, Inc. Each year, Africa Fest celebrates and shares African traditions and cultural heritages withour Madison community.

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

Saturday Art Adventures: Whimsical Windchimes
2024-08-17 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 make windchimes out of clay shapes generously created by other visitors.

This event is free with general museum admission.

MCM Roadshow: Magic Pride Festival
2024-08-18 12:00 - 17:00 | Warner Park, 2930 N Sherman Ave, Madison, Wisconsin, 53704, United States
Join MCM Roadshow and other local organizations at the 6th annual Magic Pride Festival, presented by OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center at Warner Park. Enjoy games and activities for the whole family, take in a stage show with local LGBTQ+ identified performers, chow down on refreshments from Madison-area restaurants, browse a large marketplace area, and more!

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

Let's Make! with Lexie: Polymer Clay Pins
2024-08-18 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 make-and-take polymer clay pins.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Camp Kindergarten, 2024 Session C
2024-08-19 09:00 - 11:00
for kids starting kindergarten in the fall

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

Registration for Session C has closed.

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.

Open Tuesdays in August
2024-08-20 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.
