Upcoming Events

WECA Child Care Providers Night
Thursday, September 16, 6-8 pm.

Local child care providers are invited to tour the museum, participate in training workshops, and learn about museum programs available to child care groups. Co-sponsored by Wisconsin Early Childhood Association. Free admission for child care providers.

Retro Technology Night
Thursday, September 23
5–7 p.m.

Join us at the Tinkerers Workshop for hands-on demonstrations of retro technologies. All ages; no registration required.

High Rise Harvest Festival
Saturday, September 25
11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Come celebrate harvest season and sample the bounty of our rooftop garden! Join us 1-2:30 pm on the Rooftop Ramble for nature crafts, scarecrow-making, cooking demonstrations, and food tastings.

Meet the Musician
Saturday, September 25
11–11:30 a.m.

Meet Rachel Hauser from the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and get to know the violin! All ages. No registration required.

Wisconsin Book Festival: Maryann MacDonald
Thursday, September 30
5:30 pm

Author Maryann Macdonald reads from her new children’s book, The Little Piano Girl, about pianist Mary Lou Williams’ years growing up in Pittsburgh as a child prodigy. Free program in the museum’s Community Concourse, presented in collaboration with the Mary Lou Williams Centennial Celebration.

Art Studio Gallery Receptions

6–8 p.m. the first Thursday of each month
Next reception: September 2

The first Thursday of each month is Twilight Thursday. That means admission to MCM is free beginning at 5 p.m.! Each month, the Art Studio will have a featured monthly medium, and the Art Studio Gallery show’s theme will correspond with that medium. Here is the 2010-11 schedule.

September: Painting
October: Photography
November: Sculpture
December: Building
January: Ceramics
February: Weaving
March: Drawing
April: Papermaking
May: Bookmaking
June: Collage
July: Printmaking
August: Mixed media

Next reception: Join us from 6–8 p.m. September 2 for our first Art Studio Gallery reception! September’s featured medium is painting. We have work by young artists from 6 elementary schools, including Gompers, Allis, Lowell, Nuestro Mundo, Randall, and Shorewood Hills; plus Madison Waldorf School. Katharine Goray, Martha Vasquez, and Tom Linfield are the featured adult artists. The show will be up through September 30.

Green Building Tours

Third Thursday of each month
Next tour: Thursday, September 16, 5 p.m.

Join us for a free building tour that points out all of Madison Children’s Museum’s sustainable features, along with salvaged and repurposed materials. This tour is geared toward an adult audience, but all ages are welcome. Registration is required in advance; please call 608.256.6445, ext.156.

Weekend Workshops

Sun in a Jar Workshop
Saturday, September 11, 2–3:30 p.m.

Join us for a workshop collaboration between the Rooftop Ramble and Art Studio. Learn how to collect the power of the sun in a jar and experiment with the ways light and color intersect. Ages 5 & up; $4/child program fee. Registration required; registration@madisonchildrensmuseum.org or 608.256.6445, ext. 146.

Mushroom Madness
Thursday, September 16, 5–6 p.m.

Join guest fungi enthusiast Brandon Norsteadt to learn about the wonderful world of mushrooms. Ages 4 & up; $4/child program fee. Registration required; registration@madisonchildrensmuseum.org or 608.256.6445, ext. 146.

Ice Cream Making
Saturday, September 18
1-2:30 p.m.

Come help us make ice cream on the Rooftop Ramble with all local and homegrown ingredients—then taste-test your creation!  Learn about where each ingredient comes from and how each is produced. Also, learn the science behind why things freeze! All ages. Registration required due to limited space; registration@madisonchildrensmsueum.org or 608.256.6445, ext. 146.

Spark Family Art Workshop
Saturday, September 18
2–3:30 p.m.

This program is for a child, a parent, and a grandparent affected by memory loss.  The workshop includes art looking, artmaking, and a family reception at the end. Ages 7 and up with accompanying adult. Registration required due to limited space; registration@madisonchildrensmsueum.org or 608.256.6445, ext. 146.

Solar Cooking Demonstration
Sunday, September 19
1–3 p.m.

Underground Food Collective presents a local food-solar oven cooking demonstration. All ages. Registration required due to limited space: registration@madisonchildrensmsueum.org or 608.256.6445, ext. 146.

Portraiture Painting Workshop
Saturday, September 25
2–4 p.m.

Join Dale Malner, accomplished local abstract painter and part of the Art Studio’s design team, for a two-hour workshop focusing on portraiture. Ages 5 and up with an accompanying adult; $4/child program fee. Advance registration required; registration@madisonchildrensmuseum.org

Model Railroad Outreach
Sunday, September 26
1–4 p.m.

Meet Larry Enlow, leader of the regional National Model Railroad Association Youth Group (http://www.nmra-scwd.org/), and one of the volunteers that built the museum’s popular garden railroad exhibit. Join us for program sessions starting at 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm, entitled “Dream, Plan, Build”. These sessions include train demonstrations and provide information on joining the NMRA Youth Group or starting your own model railroad project at home. Recommended for ages 8 and up, but younger children are welcome. No registration required.