Madison Children's Museum

Madison children's museum's (MCM) Downtown Backyard project will create a landmark park that addresses critical community health needs. The park will include a whimsical five story climbing sculpture, toddler zone, historic log cabin, stream, secret forest, and skating rink. Open-ended, cooperative, active play in Downtown Backyard will improve social-emotional skills, motor skills, and executive function and is intended to strengthen bodies and minds. Annually, the project will benefit 300,000 children and adults from diverse backgrounds, allowing them to gain confidence and resiliency while caregivers will become more comfortable giving their children the freedom to explore. Working with two evaluators, MCM will seek to understand how design encourages positive behaviors, how active play enhances learning, and what motivates visitors to choose active play.