Five-year-old Sylvie spends Fridays with her grandparents, Laurie and Mike DeMoss. They plan their schedule in advance, finding fun activities to do together around Milwaukee. On one recent morning, two events were penciled in the calendar: Play Date with Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum and a workshop at a different venue. Sylvie listened closely to the two options before exclaiming, “I want to go to the art museum!”
The trio started attending Play Date with Art in early 2024. Designed for the Museum’s youngest visitors, ages five and younger (with their adults), the drop-in program turns Windhover Hall into a kid-approved gathering space one morning a month, September through May. Many families call themselves regulars and mention the comfort they feel in the Museum with their children and the impact of the developmentally focused activities as reasons they return.
Arriving at Play Date, guests are welcomed by Museum educators who guide them through a project. The activities, from making stamps to building sculptures, are developed to spark curiosity, engage problem-solving skills, and improve dexterity. Participants go at their own pace, and a collaborative play area encourages socialization. Steve Girman, a musician and early childhood educator, frequently joins us, captivating all ages with singalongs, puppets, and dancing that weave in the day’s theme.
Play Date also connects young learners and their guardians with local organizations. The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) of Southeastern Wisconsin, for example, showcases the Bezos Family Foundation’s Vroom early literacy information and provides free brain-building materials.
As Sylvie heads off to kindergarten in the fall, Laurie and Mike are eager to bring their grandson to Play Date: “My husband and I loved the low-key introduction to the specialness of the Milwaukee Art Museum…At that first Play Date, we spontaneously decided to become Members the same day—one of the best decisions we’ve ever made, and one that will reap benefits for not only Sylvie but also our other grandchildren as they attend in the future.”
Sponsored by
Four-Four Foundation
Anonymous donor.
