The museum’s exhibit From Coops to Cathedrals: Nature, Childhood, and the Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright closes on January 2, 2024, but the museum has a longstanding practice of reusing and upcycling exhibit elements, often in surprising ways.
Slippery the Calf, in the museum’s Coops to Cathedrals exhibit, June 2017–January 2024
One of the most iconic elements of Coops is a calf unofficially named “Slippery” who started out as part of a dairy-themed exhibit when the museum was in its former location on State Street. Slippery is so-named because, for a while on State Street, there was a sign on the calf that said, “Be careful climbing on me, I’m slippery.” Kids understandably began to call the calf Slippery and the name stuck.
Every election season, the museum sets up a temporary exhibit called The Polling Place, where children can see realistic ballots and vote on matters in the museum. (Thus was Poop Day instituted, when the four- year-old vote turned out in strong numbers. These elections have consequences.) When the museum moved from State Street to its current home on N. Hamilton Street, kids voted on which old elements should be included in the new space and the cows won. Instead of recreating the former exhibit in the new location, the cows were incorporated in new ways. One became part of the “cow jumping over the moon” over the museum’s atrium and another overlooks the Wonderground. Slippery joined Coops in 2017, and became a popular feature, with kids brushing, bottle-feeding, and riding the calf constantly.
Plans are already underway for how this beloved bovine can become a part of another exhibit. So it won’t be “goodbye” to Slippery, just “So long, and see you later!”
Slippery is frequently a noble steedEven toddlers will often immediately begin to brush, feed, or hug SlipperyThe “stone” blocks often became houses and pens for SlipperyEven adults at the museum’s Adult Swim and In Good Company events found Slippery irresistable.
As a children’s museum, we care about the safety and well-being of children and their families, as well as the community we are raising these children to inherit. We owe it to our children to work toward a world where racism, gun violence, and police brutality are unacceptable.
As our community processes the results of this trial, we as parents and caregivers need to look to the immediate needs of our children. In the short term, you can limit children’s access to news and discussion of frightening events. Young children often can’t contextualize events the way adults and adolescents can, meaning that distant dangers can feel immediate and one event reported repeatedly can feel like many instances of violence. For more information, NPR’s Parenting: Difficult Conversations series has a useful podcast/article: What To Say To Kids When The News Is Scary.
In the long term, ignoring racism and violence will not protect our children from their effects. Caregivers should talk to children in age-appropriate ways about these tough topics.
In 2020 we put together a selection of resources on teaching children about racism. Tragically, these are as relevant now as they were then:
To that list, we’ll add the picture book Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice (Marianne Celano, PhD, ABPP, Marietta Collins, PhD, and Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin and published by the American Psychological Association’s Magination Press.) As per the publisher “Something Happened in Our Town follows two families — one White, one Black — as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children’s questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives. Includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers with guidelines for discussing race and racism with children, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues.”
There’s much work to be done. As an organization deeply invested in creating a society where all children and families can play and learn together, and as a cornerstone of our downtown, we will stay active in the conversation and the work.
This summer, Madison Children’s Museum is thrilled to launch a new initiative to give free memberships to first-time parents with a child under 18 months. The First-Time Parent Membership includes two adults and a newborn child, from birth to 18 months. This new membership program is completely free. We want parents to come explore what the museum has to offer for very young learners, and to provide these vital early learning opportunities to everyone in the community.
MCM wants to provide a free membership to ALL first time parents, giving ALL families the tools to thrive. Throughout March and April, MCM will be educating families about our upcoming membership level, launching in summer 2017. This membership is just one branch of MCM’s Access for Everyone programs, which aims to always say yes to play!
The museum is created for families, by families, and in anticipation of launching our new membership program we wanted to better understand what families with young children value about MCM. We spoke to seven families that currently have a membership with a child under 18 months. Their stories and comments emphasized the valuable resource the museum is for early learners, as a place for children to learn and grow while they play. Below is a summary of what we heard.
Exploring the Exhibits
Amanda first visited the museum when her daughter was 6 months old. She was immediately impressed. “I was really drawn to the Wildernest. It was an area that was designated for smaller kids.” The Wildernest is on the first floor of the museum, and is intended for children under 5, where they can freely explore in a safe, age-appropriate environment. There is a sensory play area within the Wildernest intended for the youngest visitors that includes light, texture, movement, and color.
Luba and her son observing the mice in the dollhouse; Keri and her daughter reading in the Wildernest
Sara brought her son on his first birthday and they played mostly in the Wildernest. “He couldn’t even walk yet but he was so excited. I think we spent an hour playing the drums… I was really surprised he could do everything downstairs except for the water room before he was walking. And he still had fun checking the other things out.” She purchased a membership the same day, and she feels good about the time they spend here because the “museum was made with development in mind.”
Jessica started bringing her son regularly, and she appreciates the types of toys available in the Wildernest. “You can play with baby dolls, you can put on dress up clothes, and you can do whatever you want. It’s all given here, and it’s not pink, gendered – it’s not separated.” The Wildernest is built with natural and sustainable materials.
Valuing Unstructured Play
Sara’s son investigating the telescope in Possible-opolis
The museum is designed to encourage unscripted and open-ended play for our visitors, which is highly valued by our members. Melissa believes it’s important to praise her daughter for the effort she puts into an activity rather than for doing an activity correctly, and the museum’s unstructured play philosophy facilitates that. “I want to provide things that she can try and things she’s never done before and those things are what you want to encourage them to do. So that is what I value about MCM.”
Luba sees the same value for her son, and she appreciates the museum because “you can do whatever you want… everybody is curious at this age and the less you distract them the better.” Sara chimed in to say the museum’s activities are flexible enough that she can choose to structure her son’s day, or let him play spontaneously. And with their membership, they have the freedom to come back another time if the day doesn’t go as planned.
Making Learning Fun from the Very Beginning
Many of the parents agreed that the museum provides a space for experiences that will shape the person their child will become. A baby’s first learning experiences deeply affect their future physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Katie brings her daughter to build her confidence. “I want her to be confident and I want her to know she can do anything. And I think that comes by coming to a place like this and exposing her when she’s young.”
Amanda’s daughter smiling during playgroup; Jessica and her son exploring a toy during playgroup
Keri spoke passionately about “cultivating curiosity” in her daughter. She said, “I personally find learning fun and when learning is fun you can do it anywhere… I want my child to know that she can turn anything into a fun learning experience.”
Amanda agreed that the museum is an important source of unique educational experiences and believes that “being exposed to as many things as possible… makes you open and courageous, and an outgoing person,” which is what she wishes for her daughter.
Connecting with Other Parents
All of the families agreed a key advantage of coming to the museum is the opportunity to connect with other parents. Keri purchased a membership knowing that meeting other parents was a big benefit for her. “A huge part of it is socialization not just for the baby, but for me. I can sit on my own floor and play with my own toys, but I would rather come here and sit in the soft space and play with their toys, and not just because I don’t have to clean them up, but because I’m a talker.” Many of the parents she’s met at the museum have become friends.
Amanda agrees, arguing that it’s important for new parents to be around peers who understand their day-to-day experiences. Becoming a parent isn’t easy, but the museum is a supportive place where “no one is going to judge you.” Being a first-time parent of a young child is a unique experience that makes connecting with other caregivers effortless. Spending time at the museum creates opportunities to bond with other adults and share stories. Jessica also appreciates those moments, because for her, “I’ve just been talking to a baby all day… when I go out and there’s other adults I find that I’m a lot calmer by the end of the day … even if it’s just a passing conversation, it’s still nice to have another adult to talk to.”
The Early Explorers playgroup meets regularly during the school year. Check the website calendar for dates and locations.
MCM has an Early Explorers Playgroup to help forge these connections. A play space is set up for children under 3, where they can engage in activities that support various aspects of child development. Parents and caregivers have the opportunity to connect with one another while their children play. The group meets regularly on Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m., check the website for dates and locations.
MCM as a Teaching Resource
Museum members place a high value on the variety of activities available at the museum. Activities in the museum range from climbing and movement, to imaginative and sensory play, to art, nature, science, music, and literacy. Jessica described some of the activities her son enjoys, “there is music, drums, and puppets, and there are baby dolls, and dress up and water and art and blocks and everything.” When he got a bit older, at about 14 months, “the art room became a fun place.” Jessica explained the pressure she feels like this, “You want them to excel in life… so you constantly have to think of things to engage them.” Amanda agreed that she felt a similar pressure, and that the experiences at the museum, “take that pressure off that we need to find creative things for her to do.”
The First-Time Parent Membership will be funded through the museum’s Access for Everyone program. We are thrilled to invest in the young children of our community, and to build a thriving future for everyone. You can find out more about our Access for Everyone programs on our website. Please consider making a gift to support our access programs, including the First-Time Parent Membership.
This annual downtown fun event features FREE museum admission, special activities inside and outside the museum, live music, bike decorating, a parade, and so much more. New this year, you’ll find a bouncy house and a Father’s Day Dunk Tank. Check out pictures from last year’s fun-filled event and join us Saturday, June 14!
SummerPalooza 2014 is a partnership between Rotary Club of Madison and Madison Children’s Museum, and made possible by BMO Harris Bank. Additional support is provided by Habush, Habush & Rottier, S.C. Media support has been provided by Isthmus and Midwest Family Broadcasting.
Rotary Club of Madison, a long-standing supporter of Madison Children’s Museum, is celebrating its one hundred year anniversary. RCM is honoring its lasting success for recruiting and retaining members, making it consistently one of the top ten Rotary clubs in the world. (more…)
