The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota is all about hands-on play and unique programs and events. Read below to learn more about what is happening in the Museum galleries. If you would like the Museum’s upcoming events delivered to your email address, click here to sign up for our mailing list!
The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota reserves the right to change the programming plans. Please watch this website and Facebook page for updates.
Open on Mondays, 9 am – 4 pm
June 4 – August 27
Friday, July 27, 4:30 – 7:30 pm
Children with special needs or sensory challenges and their families are invited to a playdate at the Museum on Friday, July 27, during a time when fewer visitors will be present. Explore the Museum from 4:30 – 7:30 pm at no cost thanks to the sponsorship by Downtown Kiwanis.
To help prepare your child for this playtime, check out the Museum’s social story: “A Trip to the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota.”
July and August
An exciting and healthy summer is on! Stop by the Museum in July and August to participate in Healthy Habits all Summer Long, a wellness initiative developed in partnership with Mayo Clinic Health System. Be sure to pick up an activity tracking card each month and then complete the challenge for a chance to win a healthy cooking kit!
In July, the wellness initiative will be all about moving your body to keep your heart healthy. On Thursdays, 11:30 am – 12:00 pm, experts from Mayo Clinic Health System will be here to share fun activities to get you moving. (No event on July 5.)
In August, you can explore your feelings with experts from Mayo Clinic Health System’s social work team. They will be here on Tuesdays, 10:00 – 10:30 am.
Prize Drawing: Turn in your June challenge cards by July 12 to be entered into a drawing! The prize is a healthy cooking kit.
Monday through Friday, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
All summer, cool down at the Museum with our Loft activities available from 1:00 – 3:00 pm daily, Monday through Friday.
July 2 – 6
Fireworks – Come explore firework effects in water! We’ll use common kitchen supplies to make fizzing and floating firework fun.
July 9 – 13
Petal-Palooza – With gardens in bloom (especially with all the rain!), this week we’ll be taking a closer look at flowers as we make some exciting mathematical discoveries. We’ll count, sort, compare, and identify patterns in flowers, and also drawn and create folded paper flowers.
July 16 – 20
Animation Studio – It’s all about caterpillars! First we’ll craft them, then have them star in stop-motion animation movies.
July 23 – 27
Sailing through Summer – Have you ever made a sail? This week is your chance!
July 30 – August 3
Symmetrical Surprises – Join us in the Loft to work on folded paper painting. We’ll experiment with paint and paper to explore symmetry in our designs.
Dairy Barn – in the AgLab until July 14
Our popular Dairy Barn exhibit is back and will stay in the AgLab for six weeks! Come care for cows by feeding and watering them, scooping manure to haul to the field, and controlling temperature and lighting in the barn. How good a dairy farmer are you?
Monarch Metamorphosis – July 15 – August 12
Learn how a tiny egg on a milkweed plant turns into a beautiful monarch butterfly. Participate in hands-on activities about monarch metamorphosis and help release live monarchs after they hatch.
A pair of Boer goats are in the Alltech Farm, visiting from the Ernie & Sharlie Hansen family from Good Thunder. Meet Merlot, a doe, and her kid Brandy.
Wednesdays, 10:00 am
Please arrive early to reserve your spot.
July 11
This week, we’ll explore ways to keep us physically active and to stay cool during the warm months. Join us for a summer wellness initiative developed with Mayo Clinic Health System!
July 18
Sunshine on our shoulders makes us happy! Let’s do yoga in the morning sun. Join us for a summer wellness initiative developed with Mayo Clinic Health System!
July 25
Learn about hidden sugars in common child-friendly foods and learn about healthy alternatives for fun summer treats. Join us for a summer wellness initiative developed with Mayo Clinic Health System!
Thursdays, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Saturdays, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Sundays, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
July 5, 7 & 8
Extraterrestrial Expeditions – Ready to launch? Zoom up to the Loft and explore space and rocketry as we make our own straw rocks and planets. We’ll test our designs and share the findings with other visitors.
July 12, 14 & 15
What’s the Buzz about Pollinators and Wildflowers? – Take your adults for a walk in the Museum’s prairie gardens, then climb into the Loft to investigate pollinators and wildflowers.
July 19, 21 & 22
Crazy about Caterpillars – How much do you know about caterpillars? Let’s learn about them together!o!
July 26, 28 & 29
Sailing through Summer – Sail up to the Loft where we’ll be designing, creating, and testing foam boats to see if they float.
Available daily, Tuesday through Sunday, in the Kato Engineering Explorers’ Lab
July 2 – 8
Create a Flag – Cut out paper shapes and glue them onto paper to create your own flag to celebrate Independence Day.
July 9 – 15
Flower Sorting – Explore a variety of flowers and sort them by color, smell, size, or shape.
July 16 – 22
Balancing – Test your balance on a beam and balance insects on a fulcrum.
July 23 – 29
Loose Parts – Organize found objects by shape, color, size, or any way you’d like.
Wednesdays, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
The North Mankato Taylor Library Bookmobile will stop at the Museum every Wednesday from 2:00 – 3:00 pm. Check out some new materials, or return any area library books. During the Bookmobile’s visit, Amy will come into the Museum for a storytime in one of the galleries.
Thursdays, 12:30 – 2:30 pm
New mothers and mothers-to-be interested in breastfeeding are encouraged to visit the Mankato Area Baby Café. Baby Café is a national network of breastfeeding drop-ins, combining breastfeeding information with a relaxed, informal environment where mothers can chat and learn about breastfeeding from skilled practitioners and each other. Mankato Area Baby Café is made possible by Mayo Clinic Health System.
For more information, call 507.594.2967.
Join us for a second season of Yoga at the Museum in September and October, on Tuesdays from 5:00 – 6:00 pm.
September 11 – October 16
Tuesdays, 5:00 – 6:00 pm
$30 for all sessions with preregistration
$10 per session, drop-in
Register here today!
All levels welcome. Please bring your own mat. Classes are intended for adults, but children 10 years and older are welcome to register and participate with a registered adult.