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 general museum admission.
Enjoy sunny Saturday mornings in the Urb Garden with your little one. Join us for special baby-friendly activities just outside the Wildernest.
This event is free with general museum admission.
Dive into the hidden world of teeny tiny things 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. Learn through observation, test your theories, and get your feet wet (metaphorically!) with the scientific method.
This event is free with general museum admission.
What could be better than a juicy summer strawberry? Homemade strawberry ice cream, of course! Harvest from our organic strawberry patch and find out how make summer’s quintessential treat the old-fashioned way. Learn about phase changes and culinary science while churning ice cream, then taste the fruits of your labor!
Each week, Cabin Life programs invite you to try your hand at crafts and activities from the time of our 1840s log cabin. This event is free with general museum admission.
Make your own trusty textile companion. Join us in our historic cabin to create yarn dolls and play just like kids of the past. Each week, Cabin Life programs invite you to try your hand at crafts and activities from the era of our 1840s log cabin.
This event is free with general museum admission.
Soak up the sun and get taste of Wisconsin summer. Harvest fresh herbs from our cabin garden and enjoy a refreshing batch of museum-made sun tea.
Cabin Life invites you to try your hand at crafts and activities from the lives of European settlers during the time our original 1840s log cabin.
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.
Physicists start your engines! We’re offering an expanded version of one of our most popular STEM programs. Come make a mini racecar out of wood and other upcycled materials and then see how it rolls and modify it to make it faster. Kids get a hands-on dive into physics as they explore how weight, aerodynamics, and design affect their results.
Physicists start your engines! We’re offering an expanded version of one of our most popular STEM programs. Come make a mini racecar out of wood and other upcycled materials and then see how it rolls and modify it to make it faster. Kids get a hands-on dive into physics as they explore how weight, aerodynamics, and design affect their results.
Join MCM for a night of exuberant Brazilian beats, dancing, food, and drink for all ages in the Wonderground. Close out the summer with local group Samba Novistas, and sway to their blend of samba, pagode, bossa nova, samba-reggae, lambada, sertanejo, coco, and forró music. Don’t forget to stick around for a Drop in the Bucket mini-set, performed by a capella ensemble Deliberate Vibrations in our Giant Bucket.
Admission is pay-what-you-can, no registration needed. Enjoy our cash bar with grownup beverages and non-alcoholic options. Munch on light snacks available for purchase from our Camper Concessions. This concert is for ‘bigs’ and ‘littles’ alike–kids are welcome, but not required.
Live from the Wonderground brings music, dancing, food, and drinks for all ages to downtown Madison’s most creative playground, the Wonderground. This first Friday concert series features local bands, drinks, light snacks, and fresh air fun.
Learn more and view upcoming Live from the Wonderground events.
