Rumpus Room
At Minicon 58 we will have a room stocked with some toys, games, and art/craft materials suitable for younger and all “young-at-heart” fans, plus scheduled activities likely to include:
- Tool Time (Take stuff apart, learn how it works)
- Faux Stained Glass
- Balloon Sculpting (Animals, etc.)
- Fancy/Renaissance Hair Braiding
- Lock picking
Rumpus Room activities depend on volunteers! Contact programming@minicon58.mnstf.org if you would like to lead a scheduled Rumpus Room activity. Contact info@minicon58.mnstf.org if you are interested in volunteering to organize Rumpus Room programming and/or the Rumpus Room room.
The Rumpus Room/kids room is not child care, and parents will need to supervise their younger or more energetic children and have contact plans in place for more responsible children.
Rumpus Room Activities for MiniCON 58 [2025]
Activities generally last 1 hour (unless noted) with 15 minutes cleanup and 15 minutes setup for the next activity
| Day | Start Time | Activity | Who | Notes / Description |
| All | All | Open Crafting / Open Play | Anyone | We offer a HUGE assortment of toys, games, and crafting supplies. Come make something or just have fun hanging out. |
| Fri | 2:30 PM | Balloon Sculpting | John W. | John W. will demonstrate making dragons, mermaids, aliens, motorcycles, hats, and other creations using balloons. Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to make their own balloon dog. |
| Fri | 4:00 PM | Shrinky-Dinks | Nora S. and Julius S. | Use shrinky dink pastic and markers to create your "artwork" in the Rumpus Room. Then, take it home and watch it shrink in your own oven. |
| Fri | 5:30 PM | Young Fan Concert | Eric and Jen Distad aka "the Faithful Sidekicks" | An acoustic concert using songs that work for all ages, heavy on sing-along elements. Customization (requests?) likely. |
| Fri | 7:00 PM | Opening Ceremonies |
| Rumpus Room is closed during Opening Ceremonies. |
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| Sat | 10:00 AM | Word Games with Thorin | Thorin N. Tatge | Words can be made in so many ways! Unscrambled from a grid, a hand of cards or a giant pile... assembled from dice while the timer ticks incessantly... stacked in a precarious branching tree, traced through a hedge maze, or guessed in tiny pieces! No Scrabble, but I'll bring Alfred M. Butts' other game. Join me for a slew of quick word game options. |
| Sat | 11:30 AM | Talking to Aliens | Michael Busch Astronomer GoH | How might you talk to an alien? And would you be understood? In this interactive activity we'll review some of the problems that messages for hypothetical aliens encounter; discuss some SETI message designs (like the Arecibo Message and the Voyager Record), then consider what parts of them might be understood or creatively misunderstood. |
| Sat | 1:00 PM | Learn + WRITE SF/F Flash Fiction | Guy Steward | Roald Dahl (Willy Wonka); Matt Weir (THE MARTIAN); and Nnedi Okorafor (BINTI) all wrote small before going BIG. In this workshop, I'll teach you how to imagine, build, then write FLASH FICTION - an entire story in 500-1000 words! |
| Sat | 2:30 PM | Hair Braiding | John W. | Braid or be braided! John W. demonstrates a variety of techniques: classic French & Dutch braids, round (Crown) braids, ... 3, 4, 5 & 7 strands, and other styles like hearts, spirals and a pull-up-weave. |
| Sat | 4:00 PM | Tissue Box Theater Workshop | Laura Krentz | Tell a story in a Tissue Box Theater. (Also called a Cranky Movie.) Turn the crank at the top to see the next scene, and make little puppets to act in front of the scenes. For all ages, but younger children should bring an adult helper. |
| Sat | 5:30 PM | Faux Stained Glass | Nora S. | Use Laser Cut frames (MANY SF related items!), markers, tissue paper, and glue to make window decorations that look very similar to stained glass. |
| Sat | 7:00 PM | Lock Picking | John W. | Learn how locks work, and how vulnerable they are. |
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| Sun | 10:00 AM | Team Puzzle Challenge | Randy Holland | Multi-room "Leadership" concept as an activity based on Puzzle Solving |
| Sun | 11:30 AM | Mini Medallion Hunt | J Spitzer | Like the 3-day version, but condensed into the RR, finished in 1.5 hours, and intended for younger fans. |
| Sun | 1:00 PM | Tool Time | John W. and others | Disassemble old electronics and other devices. Learn safe and correct use of hand tools. Bring in junk electronics for disassembly...NOT necessarily re-assembly. Supervision and assistants for Tool Time are ALWAYS encouraged and appreciated! [double slot] |
| Sun | 2:30 PM | Tool Time Continues | John W. and others | Disassemble old electronics and other devices. Learn safe and correct use of hand tools. Bring in junk electronics for disassembly...NOT necessarily re-assembly. Supervision and assistants for Tool Time are ALWAYS encouraged and appreciated! [double slot] |
| Sun | 4:00 PM | Closing Ceremonies |
| Rumpus Room will close 15 to 30 minutes BEFORE Closing Ceremonies! |