Family fun for the weekend
Wild days at the YMCA
• The YMCA of Downtown Manchester (30 Mechanic St.; 623-3558) is bringing back Rock the Block, after a two-year hiatus, for its sixth year. The party will be from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, and will shut down Mechanic Street. It’s free for all families to attend. There will be a DJ, different games and activities, a coloring competition, cornhole, a bounce house, arts and crafts, temporary tattoos, giveaways and more. There will also be an assortment of food, ice cream and drinks. Thrive Outdoors, an organization dedicated to teaching people and children about wilderness preparedness and survival skills, will be holding wellness activities. Admission is free. Register for the event on the YMCA’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ymcafun.
• The Greater Londonderry YMCA (206 Rockingham Road, Londonderry) will be holding Kids Night at the Y, a pool-party themed activities night for 4- to 12-year-old kids on Saturday, June 25, from 5 to 8 p.m. The YMCA’s trained child care staff will be taking care of the children, so parents can take time to themselves. In addition to active play, there will be different arts and crafts projects and a STEM workshop for kids wanting to do some science. A pizza dinner will also be served. Tickets are $25 for one child and $10 for each additional sibling. Register at https://bit.ly/ygl-kids-nights.
Nature on display
• Snakes, lizards, spiders and exotic pets will be on display at the New England Reptile Expo, happening at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester) on Saturday, June 26, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors will include everything from exotic fish and axolotl to geckos and boas. This is the largest exotic animal expo in New England and will have 180 vendor tables, featuring more than 75 breeders. Attendees are asked to leave their own exotic pets at home. Tickets are for sale at the door and cost $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 7 to 12, and free for kids younger than 6. Visit reptileexpo.com.
• Petals in the Pines’ last Spread Your Wings for this month will be on Monday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event allows for infants to elementary school age kids to explore the outdoor classroom at Petals in the Pines (126 Baptist Road, Canterbury; 783-0220). Kids can choose to build a fort in the Leaf Litter Messy area, do crafts at the Indian Paintbrush Nature Art area, tend to vegetables in the Peter Rabbit Garden or build a fairy house in the Fairy Village. Reservations are required and can be placed at petalsinthepines.com. The price is $10 per adult with one child, $5 for each additional child and infants are free. The maximum price is $20 per family.
• Starting on Thursday, June 30, the New Hampshire Boat Museum (399 Center St., Wolfeboro Falls; 569-4554) is hosting Lake Discovery Family Days, in which kids can participate in activities related to boating and the water from 10:30 a.m. to noon. All the activities will take place outside of the museum. Kids can learn about lake ecology, do aquatic-themed arts and crafts, and play lakeshore games. The event is free of charge but does require registration. Visit nhbm.org.
Celebrating summer
• The SEE Science Center’s (200 Bedford St., Manchester; 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org) Kickoff to Summer continues through Sunday, June 26, with special activities, raffles and “Spinning Science into Fun” performances by Brett “Ooch” Outchcunis featuring yo-yos, spin tops, frisbees and more, according to a press release. The center is open daily at 10 a.m. (through 4 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends) and admission costs $10 per person ages 3 and up. Advance registration is recommended, the website said.
Free museum time
• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover; 742-2002) is hosting Free Play Days for children from military families through Labor Day. All summer long, the children of active military members, including the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines, the Coast Guard and members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps and veterans can sign up to play for free. Mask-optional days are Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. Mask-required days are Tuesdays and Sundays, from 9 a.m. to noon. The museum limits the registration to five immediate family members, and military identification is required upon registration. Register at childrens-museum.org/visit/info.