Madison Children's Museum

Welcome to the Summer of Little Adventures!

Everyone knows what a big adventure looks like: climbing Mount Everest. Zip-lining through the jungle. Following a flying boy you barely know to an island full of pirates and crocodiles. 

Big adventures are cool, but this summer, we’re celebrating the little adventures. Trying something new. Looking at familiar things in a different way. Finding the magic in the everyday. 

A little adventure might be going down a slide for the very first time or finally climbing all the way to the top. It might be meeting a new friend, learning a new word, or making a masterpiece nobody’s ever made before. With the right attitude, almost anything can be a little adventure!

Seek Out

Climb a little higher. Look a little closer. Dig a little deeper.

Kids grow fast, which means every time they walk through our doors, they’re a little different than the last time. Greek philosopher Heraclitus said you can’t step in the same river twice, but that’s only because he never visited MCM, where you can’t paint the same picture, blend the same salsa, or march in the same Grand Tiny Parade twice. 

The slide your child was too nervous to try last summer might be their favorite thing this summer. The art studio they’ve drawn self portraits in? Today might be the day they try clay. Our daily drop-in programming — from music class sing-alongs to hands-on STEM projects to creative exploration in the art studio — means there’s always something worth seeking out.

So whether your little adventurer wants to try something brand new or do their absolute favorite thing for the hundredth time: it counts. Here are just a few possibilities:

• Climb a little higher than you ever have before
• Look through a microscope and see what’s in a drop of water
• Ride the bike blender and make your own salsa
• March in the Grand Tiny Parade
• Make a masterpiece in the art studio
• Pet a chicken on the Rooftop Ramble
• Learn a new word
• Read a new book, alone or with another
• Go down a slide for the very first time
• Cross the Bone Bridge by yourself
• Meet a new friend and share a little moment with them

Share

Adventures–big and small–are better when you share them. Before you head home, we hope you’ll take a moment to add your story to ours.

On your way out, grab a Post-it and write or draw your little adventure from today, then add it to our wall. Your adventure might inspire another child to try something they never would have thought to try. It might help a grown-up see something ordinary in a whole new way. Together, all those little Post-its add up to a living, growing community story about the magic of small moments.

And if you captured a little adventure on your phone, share it! Tag your photos and videos with #SummerOfLittleAdventures so we can celebrate alongside you — and so other families can see what little adventures might await them here.

The Passport

Every little adventurer needs a way to track their travels. That’s where the Summer of Little Adventures Passport comes in.

Pick up your passport in the museum and get a stamp every time you visit this summer. Collect six stamps and you’ll earn an Adventure Map poster to help you remember every little adventure you had (and dream up the adventures to come).

Step 1: Pick up your passport. 

Step 2: Get a stamp each visit.

Step 3: Earn your Adventure Map. 6 stamps = 1 poster.

Support

Give a little more. Make a big difference.

Madison Children’s Museum exists because we believe every child deserves a place to explore, discover, and grow, regardless of what their family can afford. Play isn’t a luxury. It’s how kids learn who they are and what the world can be.

That’s why this summer, we’re celebrating the joyful everyday moments that make a childhood spent at MCM magical. As children spend the summer seeking out little adventures throughout the museum, your gift can help make those moments possible for even more families. Every gift supports the curiosity, creativity, and confidence that grow through play. 

A gift of any size helps another child climb a little higher, dig a little deeper, and see a little further. Give a little more. Make a big difference.

PS. When you give $100 or more, you’ll receive a poster version of our Adventure Map as a thank you for helping make museum adventures possible for more families and children this summer.