Madison Children's Museum

Exploration Station: Nature Miniatures
2025-05-25 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Create a miniature nature scene of your favorite ecosystem using natural materials.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Puppet Parade Workshop: Crafting Creatures
2025-05-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join Lexie, Art Studio staff, and your fellow crafters for a collaborative art experience! Help us generate large-scale puppets and costumes for use at special MCM festivities—Summerpalooza and beyond!

This event is free with general museum admission.

MCM Roadshow: Hedgestock at Van Hise Elementary
2025-05-27 16:00 - 18:30 | Van Hise Elementary School, 246 S Segoe Rd, Madison, WI 53705, USA, Van Hise Elementary School, 246 S Segoe Rd, Madison, WI 53705, USA
Join Roadshow and friends for music and art activities at Van Hise Elementary School’s annual Hedgestock event!

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

Let's Move! with Abby
2025-05-28 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-05-29 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-05-30 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-05-31 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-06-04 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-06-05 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-06-06 10:00 - 11:30 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join us for movement games and activities! From obstacle courses to dances, group games and balance activities, we’ll enjoy different opportunities to move our bodies every day. Program location is subject to change, depending on the weather. Please check our Welcome Wall for the most up-to-date location information.This event is free with general museum admission.

Music Time with Tim
2025-05-28 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-06-04 11:00 - 11:30 | WI
Explore the world of music and rhythm! Join Tim each week to enjoy play-based songs, games, and stories.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Tales with Teresa
2025-05-29 09:30 - 10:00, 2025-06-05 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 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
2025-05-29 11:00 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Join Ms. 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!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Free Thursday Evenings
2025-05-29 16:00 - 20:00, 2025-06-05 16:00 - 20:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
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 offers reduced cost admission and memberships every day to families who qualify through our Access for Everyone initiative.

Wild Wonders: Boat-Building Bonanza
2025-05-29 17:00 - 19:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
All hands on deck! Channel your creativity and engineering skills to build your fastest and float-iest vessel out of tin foil. Test your boat in the pond and don’t be afraid to cast away old designs. Experiment with different shapes and materials to see how they float, sink, capsize, or glide in the water.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Early Explorers Playgroup
2025-05-30 09:30 - 10:30, 2025-06-06 09:30 - 10:30 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Social time for babies and their grown-ups!

This playgroup is thoughtfully designed for our earliest visitors. We will provide a space for infants and toddlers (2 years and under) and their caregivers to explore and play together, and engage in activities that support various aspects of child development. Parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to connect with one another over a variety of topics. Come meet other families and make new friends!

This event will be held in the Celebrations Room and is free with general museum admission.

Music with Junebug
2025-05-30 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-06-06 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.

For today’s Music with Junebug location, please ask at the admissions desk or check the Welcome Wall in our lobby. This event is free with general museum admission.

Clay Day: Ceramic Pinch Pots
2025-05-30 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 “clay it forward” with ceramic clay pinch pots.

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.

Particle Physics Outreach: IceCube Project
2025-05-31 10:00 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Particle physics is fun! Come learn about what it’s like to work and live in the extreme environment of the South Pole in Antarctica from scientists with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Scientists will tell you about the neutrino, the so-called “ghost particle,” and how they study these particles using a unique telescope buried deep in the Antarctic ice.

Photo credit: Ilya Bodo, IceCube/NSF

This event is free with general museum admission.

Exploration Station: Giant Bubbles
2025-05-31 10:30 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
How big can you bubble? Experiment with the science of soap and create ginormous, gorgeous bubbles on the Rooftop Ramble.

This event is free with the price of general admission.

Saturday Art Adventures: Spring Landscapes
2025-05-31 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. We will offer projects in a wide variety of art media and art processes for all ages and abilities. All materials are included and we do all the cleanup! Today we’ll create our own colorful spring naturescapes!

This event is free with general museum admission.

Cabin Life: Cabin Games
2025-06-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Create historic toys and games, and try your hand at playing like a kid from the past in our Wonderground cabin.

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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Related Events

Early Explorers Playgroup

Friday, February 13 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am

Music with Junebug

Friday, February 13 @ 10:30 am – 11:00 am

STEAM Time: Lava Lamps

Friday, February 13 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Aventuras en Español: Ritmos y Raíces - Rhythms & Roots
2025-06-05 17:00 - 19:30 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
Musica interactiva en español para toda la familia! Cantemos canciones tradicionales en español y de forma bilingüe con niños, cuidadores, abuelos, abuelas, tíos, tías y toda la familia. Si hace buen tiempo, se celebrará al aire libre.

Let’s sing traditional and bilingual songs in Spanish with children, caregivers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the whole family. If the weather is nice, the event will be held outdoors.

STEAM Time: Chlorophyll Power Hour
2025-06-06 11:00 - 12:00 | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI, 53704, United States
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 for kids to explore the world around them.

This event is free with general museum admission.

Live from the Wonderground: Los Chechos
2025-06-06 17:00 - 20:00 | WI
Every month 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 space like no other!

Tonight we’re welcoming Los Chechos, a group of notable local musicians who bring their own spin to Latin American tunes spanning a colorful array of genres. Sway to the sweet sounds of cumbia, ska, reggae, and pop-rock, as band leader Alejandro Punguil gives voice to lyrics in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Be sure to grab Venezuelan eats from La Taguara and a dreamy dessert from Stellie’s Ice Cream cart, both offering for-purchase options in the Wonderground.

Live from the Wonderground admission is free! You may choose to provide a donation at the door, but no entry fee is required. Proceeds benefit the work of Madison Children’s Museum and allow us to bring accessible programming to our community. All tickets are at the door, no advance registration. Please enter at the Wonderground gate on E. Dayton Street, by the Log Cabin.

Learn more and view upcoming Live from the Wonderground events.

Live from the Wonderground brings music, dancing, food, and drinks for all ages to downtown Madison’s most creative playground, the Wonderground. This first Friday concert series features local bands, drinks, light snacks, and fresh air fun. Events take place from 5 to 8 pm, with bands performing two sets from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
