October 29, 2009 9:00 am to 11:00 am MCM is excited to partner with Happy Bambino to bring you this new event! The museum will come alive with babies experiencing their first Halloween. Guests will enjoy a costume contest, Music Together, refreshments, and a costume parade on State Street at 10 a.m. Regular admission prices will apply. Remember, children under 1 always get in free at MCM. Don’t miss a great deal on a joint membership for both MCM and Happy Bambino at this event.

October 9, 2009 9:30 am to 10:30 am 11:00 am to 12:00 pm Make Books! Tanya and Ximena from Animita Cartonera in Chile, and Tania from Sarita Cartonera in Peru will be here conducting a one-day workshop on making cartonera books. Children will create book covers out of cardboard for La Lupa, an Animita Cartonera publication. The story is about a young boy who finds a magnifying glass that eventually leads him to his discovery of the telescope. After looking at and discussing the story, children will be able to make covers for their own copies of La Lupa. Ages 3 and up with a parent/guardian Class size max: 15 Dates/times: Friday, October 9th 9:30am-10:30am and 11am-12pm Pre-registration required (workshop is free).  Please call Reservations at 608-256-6445, ext. 18.

October 17, 2009 11:00 am to 5:00 pm October 18, 2009 11:00 am to 5:00 pm MAOAS is an annual event celebrating the diversity and vitality of the visual arts in the Madison-area. This year, 126 local artists will open their studios or group sites, such as MCM to the public for this special weekend. Visitors can look at art, try hands-on projects, talk with artists, and learn about technique and craft, in a family friendly, informal environment. MCM will host 5 talented artists for the weekend. They include Sarah Bradley- sculpture/gourd artist, Karen Calkins Ragus-painting, Robin Lee-wacky art, Judi Werner-jewelry, and MCM’s own Angela Johnson-photography. Each artist will have a hands-on activity that families can try together. Maps of other MAOAS sites around town and color catalogs of participating artist’s work will be available at the museum free of charge. As well, artist’s will have a sample of their art work displayed in the 3 galleries located off the Rotunda Lobby in the Overture Center. For more information or to see images of participating artist’s work visit MAOAS.com

September 12, 2009 9:00 am to 12:30 pm The 13th annual Kids for Peace Day will be held on Saturday, September 12, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. outside the museum at 100 State Street. The annual event, provided free to the public, is a local way of bringing the spirit of the UN International Day of Peace (September 21) and Culture of Peace Month to the Madison community. All members of the community and their families are welcome to celebrate this message of international amity and cultural diversity with fun activities, multicultural performances, and a parade around the Capitol Square. This year’s Kids for Peace day will feature performances by the Kids for Peace Community Drum Circle; Suzuki Strings of Madison; Call for Peace: The Next Generation; Rich Baumann; Dances of Universal Peace; Children’s Theater of Madison; Mama Digdown’s Brass Band; Puppet Farm Arts; and Procession of the Species puppetry. The festivities will culminate at noon in a parade around the Capitol Square featuring dozens of local musicians, dancers, colorful floats, and the famous kid-painted Peace-Mobile, and will end at MCM’s future location, 100 N. Hamilton Street, where free lemonade will be provided by UW Credit Union. Kids for Peace Day is supported by the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission with additional funds from the American Girl’s Fund for Children, the Evjue Foundation, and the Overture Foundation. Free museum admission all day! 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Performance Schedule: 9:00     Drum Circle with Elmore Lawson 9:30     Suzuki Strings of Madison 10:00   Rich Baumann 10:30  Dances of Universal Peace 11:00   CTM Season Sampler 11:15   Call for Peace: The Next Generation 12:00   Parade begins

August 30, 2009 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm On August 30, the City of Madison’s first Ride the Drive event will open up a 6-mile route through the center of the city to bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters, and strollers at what organizers are describing as a “car – free, care free celebration of Madison”.  Madison Children’s Museum will get in on the fun, with a “Stroller Brigade Mini Parade”. Stop by the decorating station outside the museum from noon-1 p.m. to decorate your strollers, bikes, and wagons, then join us for a toddler-friendly mini parade down the first two blocks of State Street. For more information about Ride the Drive, visit  http://www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/ridedrive/ .