Emily Heinis

If you stop into the Museum–or if you look around this very website!–you’ll notice we’ve been busy making some changes.  The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota adopted a slight refresh of our graphic identity which is emblematic of the bright future ahead. The new brand elements also sync up this updated website. “Play. It’s what

Time spent playing at the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota is always time well-spent. Some families come and stay all day. Some groups visit for three hours. Some of our regular families stop in for just an hour sometimes, to break up the day or on their way to another activity (an excellent perk of

We talk about Messy Play, Nature Play, Playwork, play as a family, Risky Play, and so much more. We quote our Mission Statement which centers around the “Power of Play,” and we consider the ways children play when we design an exhibit or even just a one-day, pop-up program. Sometimes, folks can be so tied

Play is the foundation of everything we do at the Museum. It’s in our mission statement: The mission of the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota is to ignite the natural curiosity of every child through the power of play in a dynamic, awe-inspiring environment.  One of the concepts we talk about a lot is risky

When you walk into the Museum for the first time or the ninetieth time, the sensory experience is amazing. Machines whirring, children laughing, and a visual feast of fun in every direction. One of the unique and exciting things about the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota is its openness. From one spot, you can see

Welcome to Part Two of A Day in the Life of a Playworker! If you missed Part One, please go back and read it here. We spoke with Guest Experience Manager and Playworker, Wyatt Miller, about what Playwork is, who it’s for, and what their goals are. You don’t want to miss his very insightful

The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota and all children’s museums across the world have one thing in common: a team of people making the magic happen. People who make the exhibits, people who raise the money to create the spaces, people who manage members and funds, and many more. When you visit the Museum, however,

Last week the calendar turned from summer to fall officially, and this week it turns from September to October. October means cooler days, longer nights, falling leaves, and the end of harvest. At the Museum, that means it’s time for Autumn Adventures! All month long, guests can look forward to an immersive fall experience. Musical

If you come into the Museum on any given day, there will be a sandwich board in the lobby explaining what’s happening. Could be special events, could be pop-up activities and programming, or it could be one of our regularly scheduled weekly programs. The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota offers weekly programming designed to provide

The bounty from gardens is overflowing. Sweatshirts need to be worn after sundown. The local pools have been drained. The faintest yellowing of leaves on trees hints at what the calendar proves true: summer is almost over. The school-aged kids and their teachers are back in classrooms and the parks are just a little bit quieter.

On Tuesday, July 19, members of the Museum’s Ignite Society joined together to celebrate a year of change and growth. The private appreciation event is held each year at the Museum after hours to highlight the new exhibits, share food and drink, and catch up on everything the CMSM has done over the past year.

A mixed seed packet. Really strong winds. The bottom of someone’s shoe. A bird passing overhead at just the right moment. These are the ways a rogue seed might make its way into a garden patch where it wasn’t intentionally planted. The circumstances might be all wrong for the seed, but it gets plopped down