Madison Children's Museum

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 […]

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

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.

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, […]

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 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 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.

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 […]

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. […]

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.