Play Make Learn Conference next week!

 There is still time to register for next week's Play Make Learn Conference taking place in Madison, WI. 

Photo by Quilia on Unsplash

Register for Play Make Learn 2026 TODAY!

Don't miss your chance to be a part of the conference; Play Make Learn has historically sold out each year. Come to Madison to Play, Make, and Learn alongside inspiring peers!

Calling all librarians, teachers, makers, designers, and more!!

Can you believe we are only a week away from the 2026 Play Make Learn Conference? The countdown has officially begun for registered folks to convene on July 9–10 at the Memorial Union in Madison, Wisconsin for a fantastic learning and networking experience. Whether you are coming to share, create, or discover, the energy of this community is something you won't want to miss!

To help you map out your experience, we have two updates for you today: The Full Session Schedule is officially live -- and we are introducing a brand new networking experience (more below). From hands-on workshops to groundbreaking presentations, this year's lineup is packed with inspiration. Take a look at some of our featured highlights:

• July 8 (Pre-Conference): Dive deep early with special sessions like CONTRACKED: Collaborative Complex Playful Learning through Noise and the STEAM and Making MiniCon.
  
  
• July 9: Kick off day one with an inspiring keynote by Brenda Baker (Co-CEO, Madison Children's Museum). After that, the schedule bursts open with interactive sessions: preview PBS Wisconsin's newest history video game project, discover how to blend tabletop RPGs with ePortfolios in the Questfolios workshop, or explore Teaching and Designing through the Fluxus Lens inspired by Yoko Ono. Don't forget to explore the interactive Arcade to level up your PML experience with community creatives, and wrap up day one with the Poster Reception.
  
  
• July 10: Start day two with an illuminating keynote from Camilla Zamboni (Wesleyan University). Dive back into more dynamic workshops and presentations exploring the intersections of play, design, and education, and make sure to explore more of the Arcade before we gather one last time for our community Closing Session.

View the Full Session Schedule Here

Tips and Info from DPI's February 26, 2026 Youth Services Newsletter

Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is an email newsletter chockfull of great resources we've come to rely on. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list!

Here is the February 26, 2026 edition:

 

Hello All,  Check out these youth services weekly resources and reminders!  Play Make Learn Conference July 9 and 10, 2026  The Play Make Learn Conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for preK-12 educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work – each year!  Register Now! Registration is open now (until we sell out) — but don’t wait! Register by May 29, 2026, to secure the Early-Bird discount. Play Make Learn has sold out for multiple years in a row; don’t miss your chance to attend! We have different pricing options available. The Call for Proposals still open!  CSLP Newsletter  Check out the latest Collaborative Summer Library Program newsletter full of great information and resources, including a partnership with the American Museum of Natural History, a vendor survey, Save the Date for the Theme and Slogan Wordsmithing sessions, and more!  Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant  The DPI does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only. Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

Play Make Learn 2026 Registration Open NOW!

Calling all creatives, educators, librarians, games & learning practitioners, and education researchers!

Play Make Learn is getting ready to bring you the best in research and practice on educational games, making, arts, playful learning, creative education, and more! The Play Make Learn Conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for preK-12 educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work – each year!

Play Make Learn 2026 will be hosted on July 9^th and 10^th (with optional pre-conference activities on July 8^th) the at the beautiful Memorial Union on the historic University of Wisconsin-Madison campus in Madison, WI.

 Register Now!

• Registration is open now (until we sell out) — but don’t wait! Register by May 29, 2026 to secure the Early-Bird discount. Play Make Learn has sold out for multiple years in a row; don’t miss your chance to attend! We have different pricing options available.
  
  

Call for Proposals still open!

• You are invited to submit a proposal to present at the Play Make Learn Conference! Applicants will be asked to select themes that applies to their proposal, including: Playful learning, Games for learning and positive social impact, Making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and Arts in education. There are multiple session “formats” to choose from for your proposal, including: Hands-on Workshop (75 minutes, 1-6 presenters), Organized Panel Presentation (75 minutes, 3-4 presenters), Individual Presentation (15 minutes, 1-2 presenters), Poster, Playful Demo, or a “Break the Mold” session. For more details about session strands and formats, please visit our Call for Proposals webpage.
  
  
• In the interest of providing diverse perspectives any individual will be limited to participating in a maximum of two sessions. Posters and Arcade Demos do not count towards this maximum.
  
  
• Sessions should focus on new insights, learnings and innovations of broad interest to the PML community and should not be promotional in nature. If you are a for-profit company interested in showcasing your product to the PML audience, please reach out to conferences@education.wisc.edu for sponsorship opportunities.
  
  
• We believe that everyone has unique contributions to bring to the conference. PML aspires to foster a learning community that has a diversity of perspectives and practices. Are you a first time presenter, young person, or practitioner considering submitting for Play Make Learn and need additional support? Reach out to our planning team at: conferences@education.wisc.edu.
  
  

 This year's conference theme: “Scrappiness”

• Setting out to create something involves both big dreams and many obstacles. We quickly run into time constraints, limited materials, access challenges, administrative rules, and the inertia of how things have always been done. We push against that resistance. We fight to get in and get on with it. We are scrappy. We pull from the bottom of our own buckets of energy. We are outsiders, leftovers, left-outs. We are educators who deserve more but make do. We are makers who build with the materials at hand. We are inventors who cobble together rules to turn our surroundings into a game.
  
  
• “Scrappiness” means using whatever is around us—the trash, the leftovers, the scraps. We cut construction paper and leave tiny bits behind. We make a meal and compost eggshells and orange peels. Those leftovers become opportunities to make again, to play, and to learn. A cardboard box becomes a rocket ship. Compost becomes soil for a community garden. From scraps, we create beautiful art, meaningful experiences, and community.
  
  

Questions? You can email organizers at conferences@education.wisc.edu or connect with Chris.Baker@dpi.wi.gov!

Tips and Info from DPI's January 15, 2026 Youth Services Newsletter

 Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is an email newsletter chockfull of great resources we've come to rely on. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list!

Here is the January 15, 2026 edition:

 

 

Hello All,  Check out these youth services weekly resources and reminders!  Building Community Based Summers CSLP Spring Cohort application open!  The Collaborative Summer Library Program is excited to launch a third national cohort of Building Community Based Summers in Spring 2026.  BCBS is designed to help member libraries identify the “whys” behind their summer services, build strategies to engage community voices, and create and provide inclusive summer services for all members of their communities. The spring 2026 cohort will gather for online learning sessions once weekly for 6 consecutive weeks in March-April 2026.   There is no charge to participate. The application period is open through Monday, January 26, 2026.  CSLP Unearth a Story 2026 Manual Highlights Recording  Dig into some 2026 manual highlights and unearth some exciting programs, ideas, and adaptations for next summer!  View highlights video here!  View the highlights slides  Play Make Learn 2026 Conference: Call for Proposals  You are invited to submit a proposal to present at the 2026 Play Make Learn Conference (PML). The conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers of all kinds to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work.  Call for Proposals Deadline for Submissions: March 9, 2026, at 11:59PM Central  Submit Your Proposal Here: go.wisc.edu/PMLsubmit  STARnet Science Across America  As America celebrates its 250-year anniversary, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and STAR Net have launched a new campaign to help libraries highlight the history of scientific achievement in our country, and the local connections to science in our communities. SCIENCE ACROSS AMERICA, the newest campaign from Spark of Science@ My Library, invites libraries to showcase local scientific advances and scientists, engage your communities with focused Community Dialogues, and host educational and inspirational activities that shine a light on the past, present, and future of science in our lives.  The deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, January 23, 2026. For more information, visit the STARnet Community blog post.    Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant  The DPI does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only. Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

Play Make Learn Conference Proposals Open Now!

Logo from Play Make Learn Website

The 2026 Play Make Learn Conference Call for Proposals is OPEN NOW!!!

 

The Play Make Learn Conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for preK-12 educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work.

 

• July 9-10, 2026 | Madison, WI
• Call for Proposals deadline for submissions: March 9, 2026 at 11:59PM Central
• Notifications sent out: April 2026
• Submit Your Proposal Here: go.wisc.edu/PMLsubmit

 

We believe that everyone has unique contributions to bring to the conference. PML aspires to foster a learning community that has a diversity of perspectives and practices. Are you a first time presenter, young person, or practitioner considering submitting for Play Make Learn and need additional support? Reach out to our planning team at: conferences@education.wisc.edu

 

 

Wait List Opens for Play Learn Read Conference

From Chris Baker, Public Library Consultant, WI DPI Bureau of Libraries:

Registration is SOLD OUT for Play Make Learn 2025, but we have a waitlist this year if you'd like a chance to attend in case folks drop out. For those attending, we have some excellent vs Conference Activities and other interactive, playful experiences that you'll be able to participate in. I want to highlight three specific items up top that we would like to get more folks involved with -- and then I'll include the rest of the Conference Activities info after.

1. First off, consider joining our *new* Play Make Learn Discord Server. "To help connect members of our community, share experiences of the conference, and carry on the excitement of PML throughout the year, we have created a Discord server. Keep an eye out for an upcoming email with a link to join, or email the conference organizers for an invitation. We will be using Discord as a hub for the GEE! Streams as well as the PML Card Game."

2. Register for our introductory Dungeons & Dragons "one-shot adventure" at PML! It will be  offered onFriday, August 22nd, from 12:45pm - 2:45pm in the Festival Room. "Newbies, casuals, and experienced players are all welcome to join us on this adventure designed to introduce you to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Friendly local Dungeon Masters will guide you through the story, assist you in learning the ropes, and support you in your wild antics. Supplies will be provided, but, adventurer, please do bring your imagination."

• Seriously — if you're going to PML, you're going to want to register for this... get your spot to play before they're all taken! 🐉

3. Prepare to play a brand new Play Make Learn Card Game (and possibly win FREE video games at the conference!). "For the last several years PML has hosted a conference wide game, and this year it is getting a big makeover. Prepare to be embroiled in some light Murder Mystery improvisation mixed in alongside your ordinary conference activities. You can find some cards describing your character when you pick up your conference badge, and a lot more information on the PML Discord page."

• There will be opportunities to win digital video game codes throughout both days of the conference. More info will be shared during conference announcements! With overwhelming thanks to GOG.com for their generous sponsorship of Play Make Learn 2025, we are proud to share that 100 lucky attendees will be able to claim a digital game code by participating in certain conference activities. These codes can be redeemed on GOG.com to acquire FREE games!

_______________________________

Full 'Conference Activities' Schedule

• Pre-Conference Reception at Madison Children’s Museum

• Wednesday, August 20th 5pm - 8pm

• 100 N Hamilton St, Madison, WI 53703

• Are you going to be in town the evening of Wednesday, August 20th? Join us  at the Madison Children’s Museum (downtown on Capitol Square) for a night of exploration, play, small bites and a cash bar – while connecting with other PML attendees and conference facilitators before official sessions kick off the following morning.  You’ll be able to enjoy a beautiful tour of the museum, including the newer exhibit called “Nice Age Trail”. Tours will be led by Cheryl DeWelt, MCM Environmental Education and Gardens Manager, at both 5:30pm and 6:45pm.Chat informally with some of the attendees to the conference and learn more about the role that the Madison Children’s Museum plays in the local community. Please note: The front doors to the Museum will be locked so please enter on the north west side of the building. Pre-conference reception spaces are first come, first served and limited, so come early! Please note: The front doors to the Museum will be locked so please enter on the north west side of the building.

• Discord Server

• To help connect members of our community, share experiences of the conference, and carry on the excitement of PML throughout the year, we have created a Discord server. Keep an eye out for an upcoming email with a link to join, or email the conference organizers for an invitation. We will be using Discord as a hub for the GEE! Streams as well as the PML Card Game. Join the Discord server here, and introduce yourself!

• A New PML Card Game

• Thursday and Friday,  All Day

• For the last several years PML has hosted a conference wide game, and this year it is getting a big makeover. Prepare to be embroiled in some light Murder Mystery improvisation mixed in alongside your ordinary conference activities. You can find some cards describing your character when you pick up your conference badge, and a lot more information on the PML Discord page.

• GOG Video Game Code Giveaways at PML 2025

• There will be opportunities to win digital video game codes throughout both days of the conference. More info will be shared during conference announcements! With overwhelming thanks to GOG.com for their generous sponsorship of Play Make Learn 2025, we are proud to share that 100 lucky attendees will be able to claim a digital game code by participating in certain conference activities. These codes can be redeemed on GOG.com to acquire FREE games! We have 10 codes each for 10 different legendarily good video games, including:

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Disco Elysium - The Final Cut
• Unavowed
• The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
• Braid
• Hollow Knight
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
• Overcooked! 2 Gourmet Edition
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

• The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

• Please note: Lucky attendees can claim only one code each, so we can share them with as many people as possible. Game options are “first come, first served”; once all codes for a game have been given out, winners will have to select from whatever else is available. Winners will be given a “token” at the conference that they can bring to a GOG.com table in the Arcade during arcade hours (we can give you your code after the conference if you aren’t able to make it to the table). You can check out more info about the games at the links above!
• Play Make Learn Arcade in Tripp Commons
• Join us in the PML Arcade for a panoply of making, games, and activities. Join conference sponsors, partners, and creatives from our community to take part in playful learning experiences that will level up your PML.
• Both Thursday and Friday:
• Vintage Arcade Cabinet courtesy of I/O Arcade Bar: Relive the golden age of gaming! This vintage arcade machine offers classic thrills and pixelated fun. Experience the nostalgia or discover retro charm for the first time.
• The new PML Card Game: Learn more at the conference.
• Hello! Loom Fiber arts: Enjoy the relaxing activity of weaving and collaborate to wonder about the uses of weaving to foster scientific and mathematical thinking. This activity will be guided by the brilliant folks at Hello! Loom themselves, so even if you’re new to fiber arts, you’ll be in good hands!
• GOG Video Game Code Giveaways: Visit the GOG.com table to claim your code. There will be opportunities to win digital video game codes throughout both days of the conference. More info will be shared during conference announcements.
• Thursday, August 21st 11:00am - 3:30pm:
• Playful Demonstrations: Discover how games can be powerful tools for learning, creativity, and social-emotional growth. Explore live demos that blend play, art, and hands-on building!
• GEE! Learning Games Awards: Join Dr. Krista-Lee Malone, a Teaching Professor in the Game Design Certificate at UW–Madison, streaming from the Arcade (also at https://www.twitch.tv/gameranthro) as she interviews some of the finalists for the GEE! Learning Game Awards and demos a few of the games live! Timing: 11am -3:20pm, with a break for lunch.
• GEE! Learning Games Awards Ceremony: Join us at 5:30pm for a short awards ceremony with the unveiling of this year’s learning game award winners (geeawards.com).  The games will be available to be played during the poster session.
• Friday, August 22nd 10:00am - 2:00pm:
• Screenprint a Tote with Trillium: Print a fun Play Make Learn design onto your own canvas tote! Totes are free, with a suggested tip or venmo to our visiting screenprint artist from Trillium.
• Tote Watercoloring with Katrina Wardrip: Splash your style onto canvas! Join our tote water-coloring station and turn a plain bag into wearable art.
• Play the 2025 GEE! Finalist games:
• 10am - Formal Learning Game Finalists (Learning games for use in formal school contexts)
• 12pm - 12:45pm - Informal Learning Game Finalists (For home, family, museums, libraries, etc.)
• 12:45pm - 1:40pm - Small and Indie Studios Game Finalists (Studios with <$100k in funding for the game)
• Drop-in Gaming Space: Interested in taking a little brain break from conference sessions? Want to meet and network with fellow game nerds? Head to the Arcade in Tripp Commons on Friday to enjoy some casual competition with new friends!
• Poster and Playful Demo Reception
• Thursday, August 21st 4:45pm - 5:45pm
• Join us on the second floor of Memorial Union after Tripp Commons is transformed for a Poster and Playful Demo reception featuring work from researchers, practitioners, and students. Learn about work done in classrooms, libraries, museums, and digital spaces that embody the values of Play Make Learn. Celebrate the presenters’ work while enjoying appetizers and a cash bar.
• Bonus Round at I/O Arcade Bar
• Thursday, August 21st 6:30pm - 8:30pm
• 924 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703. Space is first come first served, and limited to the first 100 attendees.
• Join us for “Bonus Round” -- the after-hours Play Make Learn Hangout where attendees can gather, game, and get to know one another! I/O is Madison’s favorite arcade bar, stacked with great local beers, cocktails, and N/A options as well as a gallery of vintage arcade games that will take you back in time. Our warmest gratitude to I/O this year for their support and for sharing a vintage game console in the Arcade. Presenters and volunteers are eligible for a buy one, get one free drink coupon on a first come, first served basis! Please note: This venue is 21+ so no kids or folx under 21 are permitted. We invite families to join us for our reception at the Children’s Museum on August 20th!
• Tour of the UW-Madison Design Innovation Lab
• Friday, August 22nd 12:15pm - 1:30pm
• The tour is organized by Lennon Rodgers from UW's Design Innovation Lab, Pablo Bras from the CREATE Institute at MSOE and Andrew Woodard from the Huff Family Innovation Center at UW Platteville. The tour will be at the UW's Design Innovation Lab. Please note: The tour will meet in the Great Hall at 12:05pm to walk to the Design Innovation Lab as a group.
• Dungeons and Dragons One-Shot Introductory adventure in the Festival Room
• Friday, August 22nd 12:45pm - 2:45pm
• Have you ever wanted to be a tiny, impulsive dragon person in a room with other tiny, impulsive dragon people and several dangerous magical items? Have you ever dreamed of exploring a tower filled with danger, excitement, and treasure? Or have you ever wondered what it would be like to create a giant fireball to thwart a three headed monster by simply shouting, “I cast Fireball!”? Well, if this has ever happened to you, then join us Friday, August 22 at 12:45 in the Festival Room for a Dungeons and Dragons mini delve! Newbies, casuals, and experienced players are all welcome to join us on this adventure designed to introduce you to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Friendly local Dungeon Masters will guide you through the story, assist you in learning the ropes, and support you in your wild antics. Supplies will be provided, but, adventurer, please do bring your imagination. This year’s game is a weird, chaos filled crawl through a wizard’s tower in search of his all-powerful… Wizard’s Hat. The catch: You are a Kobold. The other catch: You will probably die.
• REGISTER HERE for the D&D one-shot adventure
• Film Screening with Luke Bassuener
• Friday, August 22nd 1:45pm - 3:00pm
• Join 2025 PML Keynote Luke Bassuener for a film screening of the stop motion animated short films created by the students of Crestwood Elementary.
• Closing Ceremony
• Friday, August 22nd 3:00pm - 3:30pm
• Return to the Great Hall for a final session together featuring closing reflections on Play Make Learn, and the eagerly anticipated announcement of card game winners! Join us informally after the closing ceremony for some sunshine, cheese curds, and beer on the beautiful Memorial Union Terrace overlooking the lake.