Museum News – March 2019

March 1, 2019

Featured Events

This Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Join us for a dino-mite event that is full of as much paleontological fun as a Titanosaur! Learn about the size and scale of dinosaurs, explore the past with fossil digs, and create ext-ROAR-dinary fossil-inspired art. Dino Day is sure to transform any ptera–ble mood into one of delight. View the full list of activities, including special programs for “hatchlings” on our website.

March 23–31, 2019

Your stay-cation destination for innovation and imagination

Avoid schools-out frustration with a change of location! Come to Madison Children’s Museum for daily activities designed to stimulate the imagination (as well as fine motor skills). It’s a celebration of kid innovation, to wrangle complication, and through dedication, observation—and sometimes perspiration—to create something worthy of ovation.

Featured Activity: Amaze-Maze

March 25–31, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Celebrations Room
Crawl, wiggle, and clamber though out kid-sized labyrinth made from up-cycled materials. During Spring Break: Creation Destination, we’re transforming our celebrations rooms into a 3D maze just for kids!

View our full list of special spring break activities and drop-in programs on our website!

Other Programs

Wednesday, March 6, 5–8 p.m.

On the first open Wednesday night of each month, we invite our entire community to enjoy the museum for free. Free Family Night is a great time for first-time visitors to enjoy the museum and is a popular time for older children to return to visit their favorite exhibits.

Free Family Night is an Access for Everyone program. Learn more about Free Family Nights.

Friday, March 8, 6–10 p.m.

At Adult Swim, grown-ups take over the museum! This swim we’re going post-apocalyptic: from a DIY zombie makeup station to laser tag in the Wildernest, the end of the world has never been so much fun! Ages 21+ Learn more or buy tickets on our website.

Camp Registration Is Open for All

From fashion design, to wizard school, to solving mysteries, kids at our half-day summer camps have fun while learning and practicing creative problem-solving skills. Learn more about camps and browse our full schedule.

Meet the Museum Staff

Belmont, Facility Rental Coordinator

Belmont, who goes by his surname, was born and raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin. While working at a hotel in Eau Claire, he had to fill in for an injured wedding planner and found his passion. Since then, he’s helped plan a wonderful 483 weddings over two decades in the wedding industry.

At Madison Children’s Museum, Belmont assists all visitors who wish to rent the museum for private events such as weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and other celebrations. He says “I love working here, as I’m able to help create joyous celebrations of love, family, and community.”

Belmont has been recognized for his work at the museum and in the broader wedding industry, where he is a respected leader amongst his peers. His hard work here was a key factor in our winning “Best Unique Venue 2018” from Wisconsin Bride Magazine. For his work with the National Association of Wedding Professionals, Belmont was recently awarded Member of the Year for Madison, as well as National Member for the Year, and the National Innovation Award.

Exhibits Update

News: Rooftop Refresh

We are embarking on the first phase of rooftop renovations this spring. We’re adding features teaching about green energy, including a mechanical, solar-powered, moving flower and a 15-foot windmill circulating rainwater. Additionally, our Clubhouse will be remodeled to a more open format, more accessible to all, and we’ll generally spruce up the entire area.

This will require some downtime with the roof closed to visitors. As we didn’t want to take a minute away from glorious Madison summer on the rooftop, we’re doing the work in two phases. Phase I is April 1 through May 15. Phase II happens in September. Watch our future newsletters for updates.

Collections Case: Play Africa!

We previously featured the cultural exchange project conducted by museum intern Shiloah Coley on our blog. Now you can experience the work yourself as part of the newest addition to our Collections Case exhibit.

Last summer Shiloah visited Johannesburg, South Africa as part of an exchange with their children’s museum, Play Africa. As part of her project, she had kids at both museums draw and write about their lives. The results of her work and this cultural exchange are on display right across from our front check-in desk—and the exchange continues. Visitors are invited to make a drawing of their own and pop it in the box to be sent across the Atlantic to Play Africa!

Become a Museum Member!

Madison Children’s Museum membership offers more than just a year of unlimited admission; it’s your family’s invitation to exclusive events, exciting classes, special discounts, and more. Members receive 10% off camp registration, workshops, Adult Swim tickets, and other programs and events. Members also receive early access to registration for popular events like summer camps. And you can take your membership on the road, where you’ll get free or half-priced admission to hundreds of museums and science centers. Learn about these and other benefits and pick your membership level online.

Discounted Memberships

Families of first babies under 18 months of age are eligible for our free, First-Time Parent Membership program. Thanks to the generosity of many donors, reduced-price Family Access Memberships are also available. Check for qualifying programs.

Drop-In Programs, March 1–22*:

*For programs March 23–31 see our Spring Break: Creation Destination page!

Mondays

Note: The museum is closed most Mondays during the school year. We will be OPEN on Monday, March 24 for Spring Break: Creation Destination.

Tuesdays

Animal Feeding weekly | 9:45–10 a.m.
Let’s Paint! weekly | 10–11 a.m.
Baby Doll Bath Time weekly | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Wednesdays

Animal Feeding weekly | 9:45–10 a.m.
Little Story weekly | 10–10:30 a.m.
Music with Junebug weekly | 10:30–11 a.m.
Wiggle and Jump weekly | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Nature Explorations weekly | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Locavorasaurus weekly | 3–4 p.m.

Thursdays

Animal Feeding weekly | 9:45–10 a.m.
Early Explorers Playgroup weekly | 10–11 a.m. & 2:30–3:30 p.m.
Lily-Pad Theater weekly | 11–11:30 a.m.
Textile Technology weekly | 1–2 p.m.
Celebrate Pi Day! 3/14 (of course) | 1–2 p.m.
Art Studio Printing Press weekly | 1–4 p.m.
Stop Motion Animation 3/7 & 3/14 | 3–4 p.m.

Fridays

Animal Feeding weekly | 9:45–10 a.m.
Mess Monsters weekly | 10–11 a.m
Tales with Teresa 3/1 & 3/15 | 10–11 a.m.
Tea Making 3/1 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Water Testing 3/22 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Playdough Party weekly | 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Building Bonanza weekly | 1–3 p.m.
Pottery Wheel Demonstration with Chandler weekly | 3–4 p.m.

Saturdays

Animal Feeding weekly | 9:45–10 a.m.
Yogaventures weekly | 10–10:30 a.m.
Botanical Bookmarks 3/9 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m
Clover Creations 3/16 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m
Spring Seed Starting 3/23 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m
Match Girl Project 3/9 | 12–1 p.m.
Collaborative Art 3/9 & 3/16 | 1–3 p.m.

Sundays

Building Buddies 3/3 | 10–11 a.m.
Magnetic Mayhem 3/10 | 10–11 a.m.
Sorting with Sarah 3/17 | 10–11 a.m.
Rooftop Watercolors weekly | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Taste of Tech: 3D Printing 3/3 | 12:30–2:30 p.m.
Taste of Tech: 3D Pens 3/10 | 12:30–2 p.m.
Taste of Tech: VR 2/24 | 12:30–2:30 p.m.
STEAM Punk weekly | 3–4 p.m.

Visit our website for a full list of programs and events.

Madison Children’s Museum connects children with their families, their communities,
and the world beyond through discovery learning and creative play.

Madison Children's Museum