Madison Children's Museum

All hands on deck! Channel your creativity and engineering skills to build your fastest and float-iest vessel. 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 […]

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! This event is free with general museum admission.

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 explores teamwork and collective action through mimicking […]

Join MCM Roadshow and other local favorite organizations at Aldo Leopold 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.

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 […]

3... 2... 1... Launch! Make your own catapult and see how far pom poms and other projectiles can fly. Learn about the physics of force and motion while launching objects of different weights and sizes. This event is free with general museum admission.

Explore the world of music and rhythm! Join Tim in the Celebrations room each week to enjoy play-based songs, games, and stories. 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.

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 the hottest party in town—MCM's Baby Beach Party! Babies and toddlers take over the Wonderground for an evening of fun in the setting sun. Bring a swimsuit or change of clothes so your little one can really dive into the activities! Enjoy sensory play with taste-safe "sand", custom footprint crafts, music time with Junebug, splashing around […]

Join MCM Roadshow and other local favorite organizations at Meadowood 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.

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 fiercely adorable dino prints. […]

Be very, very quiet... we're hunting dinos! Join us in the Urb Garden, where we'll sharpen our observation skills and search for little dinosaurs hiding in the plants. Gentleness is encouraged—no toy dinos will be harmed in the making of this program. This program is free with general museum admission.

 Join Junko in the Urb Garden as we explore different sensory materials every week!  This event is free with general museum admission.

Explore various practical and artful fiber arts projects like embroidery, weaving, mending, and sewing with our friend Lexie in the Art Studio! This event is free during our extended Thursday evening hours!

Help free our dinosaur friends from frozen blocks of ice during Dino Days! This event is part of our free admission Thursday evenings, 4 pm-8 pm. Image credit: Kimberly McLeod

Join MCM Roadshow and other local favorite organizations at Penn 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.

Join us for a free family concert by Angela Puerta and her band. Angela incorporates Latin beats, Colombian folkloric music and other familiar songs in both English and Spanish for kids to sing along! Kids will dance and explore a variety of Afro-Latino songs while jamming with their prehistoric faves. This is an interactive show […]

From soaring structures to delicate sculptures, humans have been making amazing things out of wood for 90,000 years. Now it's your kid's turn! In this workshop, kids will learn to cut, shape, drill, sand, and create with wood. Using hand tools they'll transform wood scrap pieces into sculptures. Price & Logistics This is a drop-off […]

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 in our Celebrations room, and is free with general museum […]

Create mini habitats for our prehistoric friends during Dino Days! 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 […]

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.

Meet up with MCM Roadshow at Harmony Apartments for hands-on activities with our team! Get creative at the arts-and-crafts table and flex your collaborative design skills at our fort-building station. Madison Children’s Museum Roadshow brings mobile exhibits and maker activities to community events in Madison and the surrounding area.

Join Junko each Friday for interactive storytelling with Japanese kamishibai cards! This event is free with general museum admission.

Be very, very quiet... we're hunting dinos! Join us in the Urb Garden, where we'll sharpen our observation skills and search for little dinosaurs hiding in the plants. Gentleness is encouraged—no toy dinos will be harmed in the making of this program. This program is free with general museum admission.

Learn how ancient life was preserved over time and create your own dinosaur fossils out of clay. This event is free with general museum admission.

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, let's create habitats for our prehistoric friends during Dino Days. This event […]

Be very, very quiet... we're hunting dinos! Join us in the Urb Garden, where we'll sharpen our observation skills and search for little dinosaurs hiding in the plants. Gentleness is encouraged—no toy dinos will be harmed in the making of this program. This program is free with general museum admission.