Join the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota for 14 weeks of hands-on Indigenous learning!

Each Thursday from 4:00–6:00 pm, children ages 7–12 explore a new cultural theme through artmaking, storytelling, games, traditional knowledge, and guided activities. Co-sponsored by MSU’s Elementary Education program and Mahkato Okawitaya, these mini-workshops celebrate Dakota and Ojibwe traditions while encouraging creativity, curiosity, and respect.

Weekly topics include forest animals, dance regalia, beading, traditional tools, Indigenous games, star quilts, dreamcatchers, lodges, sacred foods, buffalo lifeways, drums, seasonal calendars, gardens, and ledger art. Children will handle replica tools, design patterns, build mini models, plant seeds, create artwork, and learn about the land and its first peoples.

Families may attend any or all weeks. Activities are designed to be inclusive, educational, and joyful—perfect for young learners who love culture, nature, and hands-on exploration.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. And others:

College of Education, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Blue Earth County Public Library
Blue Earth County Historical Society

Project Advisory Council Members

SkyAnne Walker, Hocąk artist
Alex Ek, Wiinik stone artist
David Clobes, Apache Nation photographer & filmmaker
Gwen Westerman, Dakota, MSU, Mankato
John Armendariz, Hocąk artist
Megan Heutmaker, Dakota, MSU, Mankato
Jessica Potter, Blue Earth County Historical Society