Clay Day: Polymer Clay Mini Foods
2024-08-23 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | 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 and take” your very own miniature foods created with polymer clay. Please note: these clay creations are NOT edible!

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
2024-08-23 13:30 - 14:30
Join Junko each Friday for interactive storytelling with Japanese kamishibai cards!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Insect Scavenger Hunt
2024-08-23 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-08-24 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-08-28 13:30 - 15:00, 2024-08-29 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.

Let's Move! in the Wonderground
2024-08-24 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-27 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-28 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-29 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-30 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.

We're on the Bus! with Metro Transit
2024-08-24 10:00 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Madison’s Metro Transit brings one of their buses to the museum—with an MCM Nice Age Trail ad on the side—to show kids and adults alike how to ride public transit.

Practice getting on and off the bus, put a bike on the front rack, and sit in the driver’s seat! Bus will be parked outside the museum on North Hamilton St, right near our front door. This event is free, no museum admission (or bus fare!) required.

Exploration Station: Bike Blender Salsa
2024-08-24 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Blend, baby, blend! Use the power of body movement and our bike blender to make organic tomatillo salsa from MCM’s Rooftop Ramble gardens.

This event is free with general museum admission.

MCM Roadshow: Orton Park Festival
2024-08-24 12:00 - 16:00 | Orton Park, 1103 Spaight St., Madison, 53703
Join MCM Roadshow and other local organizations at the 59th annual Orton Park Festival! Enjoy performances, food, and fun at one of the country’s longest-running outdoor music festivals.

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

Saturday Art Adventures: Nature-Dyed Bandanas
2024-08-24 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 custom tie-dye bandanas using naturally-sourced dyes like indigo.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Let's Make! with Lexie: Abstract Self Portraits
2024-08-25 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 explore self-reflection (literally!) as we create abstracted self portraits.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Open Tuesdays in August
2024-08-27 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.

Open Art Studio
2024-08-27 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
2024-08-27 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.

Co-op Kids: Mac & Cheese with Chef Mike
2024-08-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join MCM staff and friends from Willy Street Co-op to get creative with food in the Lunchbox cafe!

Today, we’ll see how Chef Mike puts together our creamy, dreamy mac & cheese entrees. This event is free with general admission.

Exploration Station: Whimsical Weather Crafts
2024-08-28 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Eyes on the sky! 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 on the Rooftop Ramble.

This event is free with the price of general admission.

Music Time with Tim!
2024-08-28 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
2024-08-28 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: Quill & Ink
2024-08-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Make your mark with a feathery flourish! Explore writing utensils from early European history through a hands-on quill and ink activity.

Cabin Life invites you each week to try crafts and activities from the time of our historic 1840s log cabin. This event is free with general museum admission.

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Wednesday, January 21 @ 11:00 am – 11:30 am

Free Thursday Evenings
2024-08-29 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: Crochet Garlands
2024-08-29 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 crochet dreamy garland decorations.

This event is free during our extended Thursday evening hours! Image credit: Janelle Sowers

Wild Wonders: Bubble Science
2024-08-29 17:00 - 19:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
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 is part of our free Thursday evenings, 4 pm-8 pm every week.

Creative Movement with Madison Contemporary Dance (Session 1)
2024-08-29 17:30 - 18:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
MCM welcomes our friends at Madison Contemporary Dance! Artistic director Sara Rohs will teach creative movement dance classes for children of all ages. Caregivers are also welcome to participate.

Creative movement is a contemporary form of dance that combines movement and artistic expression without the need for specific training. These activities provide a joyful way for children to explore movement through music, develop physical skills, channel energy, stimulate imagination and promote creativity. It focuses on the development of motor skills and emotional expression.

Today, we’ll explore creative movement through play: dance games, interactive songs, and imaginative stories. You will see lots of play with parachutes, scarves, wands, and musical instruments!

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

Creative Movement with Madison Contemporary Dance (Session 2)
2024-08-29 18:30 - 19:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States

STEAM Time: Race Car Rally
2024-08-30 11:00 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Start your engines! We’re offering an expanded version of one of our most popular STEM programs. Come make a mini racecar out of wood and other upcycled materials on the Rooftop Ramble, and then see how it rolls and modify it to make it faster. Kids get a hands-on dive into physics as they explore how weight, aerodynamics, and design affect their results.

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.
