Get excited for InterActivity 2024: Flourish!
Explore the Preliminary Program

Online registration is now closed. You can register onsite starting Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00 a.m. at Monona Terrace Level Four Foyer. Any questions, contact Registration@ChildrensMuseums.org.

Conference registration rates and discounts are listed below. Please read our Registration Policies, Code of Conduct, and Duty of Care Statement before registering.

All sessions take place at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive,
Madison, WI, except where noted. All times are Central Daylight Savings Time (CDT begins March 10, 2024). See the Preliminary Schedule and concurrent professional development session descriptions.

Full Conference Registration
May 15-17, 2024		MemberInternational
Member		NonmemberInternational
Nonmember
Early Bird
October 30, 2023–January 29, 2024
Up to a $115 discount off full registration depending on membership category.		$585$585$685$685
Regular
January 30–April 15, 2024
Up to a $65 discount off full registration depending on membership category.		$635$585$735$685
Late
April 16–May 17, 2024		$700$585$800$685
One Day Registration
May 16 or 17, 2024		MemberInternational
Member		NonmemberInternational
Nonmember
Early Bird
October 30, 2023–January 29, 2024
Up to a $80 discount off One Day registration depending on membership category.		$325$325$425$425
Regular
January 30–April 15, 2024
Up to a $30 discount off One Day registration depending on membership category.		$375$325$505$425
Late
April 16–May 17, 2024		$405$325$535$425

Full-Time Student Discounts

Full-time students in a degree-granting undergraduate or graduate program qualify for a 50% discount off the registration category they would otherwise fall into (member, nonmember, international member, international nonmember). Students must fax (703.224.3099) or email Registration@ChildrensMuseums.org) an official copy of their current course registration and their student id. ACM staff will then provide a discount code for registration.

Fellowships and Financial Aid

The InterActivity 2024 Diversity in Action Fellowship, sponsored by Lord Cultural Resources, and InterActivity 2024 Small Museum Financial Aid Program, provide opportunities for individuals at ACM member museums to receive complimentary registration to InterActivity 2024: Flourish!, hosted by Madison Children’s Museum, May 15–17, in Madison, WI. Click here for more information about fellowships and financial aid.

Take 5! Rebate

ACM member institutions registering five or more individuals (full-time and part-time staff members, interns, volunteers, board, and trustee members) at the Early Bird, Regular, or Late registration rates for the full conference will receive a rebate totaling five percent of the institution’s InterActivity registration total. An institution is not required to register its entire group at one time. Additional museum-sponsored individuals that register onsite will count towards the Take 5! Rebate. Surcharges, membership dues, pre-conference fees, and ticketed events are not included in calculating the total rebate. ACM’s InterActivity cancellation policy will apply to all Take 5! registrations. A canceled registration that causes an institution to send fewer than five individuals to the full InterActivity conference will void the Take 5! Rebate. The rebate will be issued to the member institution as a check and mailed by June 30, 2024.

Add-Ons

Pre-registration is required for add-on offerings. Click on title below for description.

Please note that most add-ons have sold out.

Sponsored by Imagination Playground, LLC

Pre-registration is required; $235 ACM Member | $335 Nonmember. This event is limited to emerging museums and individuals starting a children’s museum. Registration fee includes breakfast and lunch, and handout materials.

ACM offers the annual Emerging Museums Pre-Conference to share foundational and effective practices of the field with those in the process of starting a children’s museum. The agenda changes each year informed by trends and topics suggested by the field. This pre-conference is limited to emerging museums and individuals starting a children’s museum. Registration includes breakfast, lunch, and handout materials.

Sponsored by CambridgeSeven

Pre-registration is required; $95. Registration includes lunch. Attendance is limited to CEOs and Executive Directors at ACM member museums.

Museum CEOs and executive directors are once again invited to re-energize, recharge, and engage with their peers before the conference begins in full. Together we will explore issues and opportunities of interest to ACM member museums of all sizes. This retreat is a great opportunity for museum executives to network, learn from each other, and develop new strategies for addressing shared challenges.

This retreat will be decidedly tactical guided by direct input from attendees in real-time. Using the unconference approach, attendees will be asked to select hot topics for discussion to steer discussion in relevant and meaningful directions. Attendees will leave inspired and energized with ideas, effective practices, and innovative approaches to take back and advance their museums.

Pre-registration is required. Tickets are $45. Transportation is provided. Dress for the weather (rain or shine) and wear comfortable walking shoes. Participants should eat lunch prior to the trip. Snacks may be brought along or purchased at the ICF gift shop. 

Connect and recharge with colleagues outdoors in Wisconsin’s beautiful “Driftless Area” as you explore and take inspiration from unique gems of the Baraboo region of Wisconsin.

The International Crane Foundation (ICF) is a global conservation organization that works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds and flyways with its sites in East Asia, North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South/Southeast Asia. This study tour will include time for self-guided exploration of the world’s fifteen crane species in outdoor habitats and exhibits, and a guided sneak peek of the foundation’s new immersive indoor exhibit space designed for children.

Dr. Evermor’s Sculpture Park features a wonderland made from scrap metal as created by visionary vernacular artist Tom Every (1938-2020). His work graces the entrance of the American Visionary Art Museum and the roof of Madison Children’s Museum, but it is in his sculpture park that his full vision can truly be appreciated. MCM staff will discuss their collaboration process and lessons learned from working with artists such as Every and the Madison artists he mentored, who continue to add creative sparks to MCM and Madison’s public art spaces.     

Pre-registration is required. Tickets are $35. Madison Children’s Museum is about a 10-minute walk from Monona Terrace. Transportation is not provided.

*Please note that this Study Tour has sold out.

Join Madison Children’s Museum staff and two inclusive play experts to explore the museum’s outdoor spaces through the lens of nature play and universal design. This 90-minute study tour will be split into two 45-minute experiences. As one group investigates the outdoor spaces to explore ways that gardens and outdoor play can be used for rich educational experiences, the other group will examine how museums can foster active play for children of all abilities. Attendees will learn about designing spaces with playground safety standards in mind, while encouraging children to become smart appraisers of risk. The tour will also showcase ways to go beyond ADA compliance to create spaces that welcome children with sensory and self-regulation challenges. Wrapping up with a discussion of available resources, the tour will offer insights into how we can all work to improve accessibility and support all kids’ connection to nature.

Pre-registration is required. Tickets are $35. Transportation is provided.

Step outside and explore the hands-on environmental education programs that the Aldo Leopold Nature Center offers to young children and families. Through outdoor childcare programs, they are leading the way to educate the next generation of stewards of the land for a healthy, happy, and sustainable future. Tour their wetland, woodland, and prairie trails to learn how climate change affects native Wisconsin species and how the center offers opportunities for children to build empathy and connect with nature.

Center staff will share how The Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool—designed for children ages 3 to 5—is integrated into the center, with a mission to engage current and future generations, empowering them to respect, protect, and enjoy the natural world. The preschool provides outdoor and indoor environments rich in interactive materials, literature, and open-ended play time, which encourage wonder, discovery, and the opportunity to see the results of one’s actions.

Pre-registration is required. Tickets are $50. Madison Children’s Museum is about a 10-minute walk from Monona Terrace. Transportation is not provided.

Madison Children’s Museum staff, board, and volunteers for an evening of modern Madisonian delights fueled by a brandy old fashioned—the official state cocktail. 

Forward! Marching Band will lead guests to the museum. Enjoy local food and iconic cocktails, mocktails, and local beers throughout the museum. Unleash your inner toddler in the Wildernest, our early childhood space: don a chipmunk vest, slide down a hollow log, and send a flag to a friend on a high-flying clothesline. On the second floor, visit the Art Studio to make a souvenir to take home, scale the Hodge Podge Mahal climber, and explore the wild inside our newest exhibit. Head up to the Rooftop Ramble to amble through the garden, take in spectacular views, and meet the resident chickens. Head out to the Wonderground to enjoy live local music while you clamber on the Thicket Climber, shimmy in our Giant Bucket, and explore the 1830s Log Cabin.

Make it a green evening with special activities including screen printing upcycled t-shirts and tote bags, touring the Trash Lab mobile exhibit, sampling edible insect treats, and cheering on all-star teams of exhibit fabricators as they repurpose treasures from Madison Children’s Museum’s storage to compete in the ultimate re-fab prototype challenge. 

After the party, let the State Capitol light your way back to your hotel, or take advantage of local nightlife within walking distance around the Capitol Square.

Pre-registration is required. Tickets are $35. Transportation is provided.

*Please note that this Study Tour has sold out.

At the heart of the city of Madison is the beautiful, sprawling campus of a world class university.  Among University of Wisconsin-Madison’s various endeavors is the Center for Healthy Minds, founded by world renowned neuroscientist Dr. Richard J. Davidson. The Center for Healthy Minds envisions a kinder, wiser, more compassionate world; their mission is to cultivate well-being and relieve suffering through a scientific understanding of the mind.

Learn how incorporating the concepts of kindness, compassion, gratitude, and other important social-emotional skills in the daily lives of children will build resilience and well-being into adulthood. Explore how the takeaway concepts from the Kindness Curriculum can be applied in your museum in a hands-on way to allow children to flourish.  The Kindness Curriculum maps directly to improvements in cognitive and social-emotional well-being going forward. When children are taught to recognize and care for their own emotions, they are also more likely to connect and empathize with the emotions of their family members, friends, and teachers, and to learn how to care for their community, environment, and world.  

Pre-registration is required. Tickets are $35. Madison Children’s Museum is about a 10-minute walk from Monona Terrace. Transportation is not provided.

*Please note that this Study Tour has sold out.

Madison Children’s Museum staff lead this sustainability study tour that highlights green exhibits, programs, and museum-wide sustainability initiatives. Madison Children’s Museum became the first LEED Gold certified (existing building category) museum in the state of Wisconsin in 2014. MCM models replicable best practices in a green building using local, reclaimed, recycled, natural, non-toxic, and organic materials. The health of visitors, the community, and the environment is at the forefront of MCM’s sustainability commitment. We will explore how to connect with our communities through strategic partnerships and help them flourish by improving health and well-being. The tour is designed to spread knowledge of sustainable practices through ideas that can help museums become greener, one step at a time.