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
Plant your own wheatgrass buddy to grow at home! When your plant soon sprouts, add wheatgrass cuttings to your smoothies or give them to family pets as a nutritious snack. This event is free with general museum admission.
Join MCM Roadshow and other local favorite organizations at Elver 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.
Enjoy exclusive, members-only time in the museum each Tuesday for Member Appreciation Month! There's no better way to play at MCM, especially for our young visitors who are easily overwhelmed by crowds. Stretch out, enjoy the exhibits at your own pace, and enjoy a chilled-out morning together in the museum. Not a member yet? Become one […]
Celebrate the Nice Age Trail and deepen our connection to nature with Isthmus Dance Collective! Each Tuesday, these imaginative, immersive, and active classes will allow kids and their grownups to explore the Trail's themes with curiosity, creativity, and exposure to dance concepts from local dance experts. Today's theme is inspired by the adventurous pathways that […]
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.
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 […]
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.
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.
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. Don't forget about […]
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 younger 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 make colorful no-waste creations with […]
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:STEAM […]
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.
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 […]
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 treats from our friends at Ugly Apple while supplies last. Not a member yet? Become one today! Membership starts immediately, so you can visit […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 […]
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.
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 […]
Prototype paper airplanes with different features and test how they fly! 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 […]
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.
Join MCM Roadshow and other local organizations at a community celebration presented by the LOV Inc (Latino Family Navigator Project), the Catholic Multicultural Center, and Dulce Respite Center. This free event is created to support and serve Spanish-speaking families that include individuals with disabilities. Madison Children’s Museum Roadshow brings mobile exhibits, maker activities, and more […]
Get ready for a surprise in this interactive tea demonstration! Join Erin, owner of Telsaan Tea, to see how certain flower teas (hibiscus, chrysanthemum, and butterfly pea flower) change color when adding vinegar or baking soda. Please note: the teas in this program are intended for demonstration purposes or "science tea", not for drinking. This […]
Pluck organic blooms from our Rooftop Ramble garden and create your own flower fairy friend! This event is free with the price of general admission.
for kids starting kindergarten in the fall 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 […]
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.
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.
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 […]
Join MCM staff and friends from Willy Street Co-Op to get creative with food in the Lunchbox cafe! Today, we'll experiment with a produce piano composed of fresh fruits and veggies. This event is free with general admission.
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.
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.
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 dimensional art pieces with […]
Join Junko in the Urb Garden as we explore different sensory materials every week! This event is free with general museum admission.
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) Featured Activities What […]
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 […]
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, […]
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.
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.
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. […]
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.
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! […]
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.
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 […]
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.
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.
Create your very own animal stick puppet. Play together in the wilds of the Rooftop Ramble, and think about how your new friend would act and sound in nature! This event is free with the price of general admission. Image credit: Jamie Bare
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.
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.
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 make-and-take custom paper sun catchers. […]
Join Junko in the Urb Garden as we explore different sensory materials every week! This event is free with general museum admission.
Join our friends from Force of Nature Movement for guided movement games and open playtime in the Wonderground. We'll be practicing organic skills such as climbing, crawling, jumping, and running, and playing games like the classic Floor is Lava. These games are designed for children ages 3-10 years, but all are welcome! This event is […]
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 […]
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.
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.
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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.
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.
Paint one-of-a-kind colorful creations using sticks gathered from nearby parks, and use them in playful imagination games. This event is free with the price of general admission. Image credit: Courtney Sanchez
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.
