Molly Playworker butterfly monarch release Childrens Museum of Southern Minnesota
CMSM Blog
Courtney Malone

CMSM Needs You Now More than Ever

  These are hard times. Yet, life’s hardest moments seem to be what draw us closer to the people we love. We have missed you greatly during this global pandemic. The Museum thrives on being a community space, but our community’s wellbeing depends on our doors being closed, with our galleries empty and our ears

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CMSM at Home
Courtney Malone

Line Game Art | CMSMatHome

Good morning from #CMSMatHome! Today, we challenge you to a Line Game Art. Get a large sheet of paper (or tape together several letter-sized sheets) and attach it to the wall or lay it on the floor. Use a marker or crayon to draw a line, from top to bottom. Take turns and fill the

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CMSM at Home
Courtney Malone

Germination Exploration | CMSMatHome

  Good morning from #CMSMatHome! Today, we’ll set up a station for germination exploration. To get this going, you’ll need a paper towel, ziploc bag, a few beans, and a stapler. Place a damp, folded paper towel into your bag, then insert 5 staples about halfway up the bag, to keep the beans in the

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CMSM at Home
Courtney Malone

Egg Marbleizing | CMSMatHome

  Here’s an easy one for a (lazy?) Saturday with #CMSMatHome! Prepare some cups, 1 tablespoon of each vinegar, cooking oil, and food coloring, some hardboiled eggs, and water. Combine food coloring, oil, and vinegar, and add enough water to cover an egg. Swirl the liquid around with a spoon, then lower an egg into

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CMSM at Home | Birthday Mud Pie
CMSM at Home
Courtney Malone

Birthday Mud Pie | CMSMatHome

It’s the Museum’s 5th birthday today and we’d love for you to join the party, right here with #CMSMatHome! To help celebrate, we’re asking you to bake the best treat a children’s museum would ever want: a birthday mud pie! Post your creation in the comments through the end of the day on Sunday, May

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Ribbon Cutting Grand Opening of the Childrens Museum of Southern Minnesota
CMSM Blog
Brittany

CMSM Celebrates 5th Birthday

Today, we celebrate five memorable years of the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota! Although CMSM was around long before May 1, 2015, that is the day we officially opened the doors of our current location at 224 Lamm St in downtown Mankato. Oh, the memories that have been made here! Let’s Celebrate! We had big

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CMSM at Home | Seed Tape activity
CMSM at Home
Brittany

Seed Tape | CMSMatHome

Have you ever made your own seed tape? Let’s do it together with #CMSMatHome! Gather supplies: toilet paper (you won’t need too much!), ruler, marker or pen, 1 tablespoon of flour, some water, cotton swab, tweezers, and a packet of seeds. Unroll the toilet paper to the length of your planned garden row. Measure the

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Make Your Own Trail Mix | CMSMatHome
CMSM at Home
Brittany

Make Your Own Trail Mix | CMSMatHome

Make your own trail mix with #CMSMatHome today! This is one of our favorite Toddler Wednesday activities. Offer a variety of family favorites, as well as some new foods: popcorn, pretzels, granola clusters, dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut flakes… Encourage your toddler (and older children!) to pick and choose ingredients and to create their snack

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CMSM-at-Home-0042 Pointillism Art
CMSM at Home
Brittany

Pointillism Art | CMSMatHome

  Are you familiar with Pointillism? George Seurat and Paul Signac developed this technique in the late 1800s. Let’s try to paint with colorful dots to see if we can make patterns in today’s edition of #CMSMatHome! Gather some markers or paint, pencil, and paper. Lightly outline a simple shape or anything else you’d like

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Creative Dance | CMSM at Home
CMSM at Home
Brittany

Creative Dance | CMSMatHome

Start your week with a #CMSMatHome dance party! Choose a song, your favorite or another, and create some moves. Practice, then perform for your family. Teach them how to bust a move and have a dance party! Do the steps and moves change with the song, as it goes faster or slower? How does the

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CMSM-at-Home-0040 Invisible Ink
CMSM at Home
Brittany

Invisible Ink | CMSMatHome

It’s time for secret messages with #CMSMatHome! Get some paper, cotton swabs, and some pure, strained lemon juice. Dip your cotton swab(s) into the juice and write or draw on the paper. Wait for your message or artwork to dry, then bring it to a lamp. Hold up the paper, close to the light bulb,

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CMSM-at-Home-0039 Fort Building
CMSM at Home
Brittany

Fort Building | CMSMatHome

Create a quiet, comfortable space to read or relax with #CMSMatHome: let’s build a fort together! Gather blankets or sheets, couch cushions or pillows, chairs, cardboard boxes. Throw a blanket or sheet over the chairs, and pad the floor with cushions on pillows, then snuggle in. Do you have a large cardboard appliance box? Have

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January 24, 2025, 10:00am:

The Museum will be closed Sunday, April 20.

We will reopen Tuesday, April 22.

The Museum will be Closing at 2pm on
November 16 for a Private Event