Ready, Set…VISIT!

If you’re looking forward to a trip to MCM, there’s lots you can do before and after to get the most out of your time here. Our staff has compiled some tips to help make sure you and your children are ready for an amazing visit—and important information on how to keep making connections through discovery learning and creative play after.

Things to Do Before Your Visit

• Go over the Five Rules for Safe Fun with your group of children:

1. Stay and play with your chaperone
2. Use your walking feet
3. Share the space
4. Help clean up
5. Eat only in the café area.

• Review the floor plan to decide which exhibits you would like to attend and in what order
• If you are visiting Madison, be sure to explore nearby attractions and family-friendly restaurants

Ways to Continue Learning after Your Visit

• Practice Sustainability: Teach your group of children about the importance of recycling and composting. Keep your own recycle or compost bins, and tell kids which items go in each bin, how they are reused, and why it is necessary. Reading children’s books like The Lorax and watching movies like Wall-E are easy and educational ways adults can help spark children’s interests in saving the environment at an early age.
• Do It Yourself: Encourage your group of kids to be creative through various DIY projects. Use recycled materials or natural products to make your very own piece of artwork. Take a look at our Pinterest account for tons of amazing craft ideas that your kids will love.
• Make Chores Fun: Let children know their help is genuinely needed and appreciated. Include them in cooking meals; they will be excited to try new foods, especially if they helped prepare it. Other tedious chores such as cleaning and doing laundry can seem more entertaining to kids if adults can turn them into a game or sing a song while doing so. If they think their work is necessary, they will be much happier doing it.
• Gardening: Help kids tend to a small garden or even just one or two plants this summer. One beneficial way to ignite an interest in children is to teach them how to take care of a small container garden. In doing so, they will learn about the life cycles and the production of food. This also fosters children’s sense of responsibility when they have spent time helping their plants grow.
• Active Play: Make sure your kids enjoy the beautiful summer weather by going outside to play. There are hundreds of sports, games and various other activities to do outdoors, and kids love to go on walks or go to the playground as well. By moving and playing outside, children are able to exercise, learn, and enjoy the fresh air.