Category: Family Fun

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.

Family fun for the weekend

Trucks and eats

• The Touch-a-Truck and Food Truck Festival in the parking lot of Hopkinton High School (297 Park Ave. in Hopkinton) will feature trucks to check out (fire truck, police cruiser, etc.) and trucks selling eats on Saturday, June 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for kids, with proceeds benefiting the Library of Things at the Hopkinton Public Library. See hopkintonpubliclibraryfoundation.org.

Grow gardeners

• New Hampshire Audubon McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord) will hold a “Buds & Blooms: Beginner Botany” program geared toward kids and families, all about native plants and pollinators, on Saturday, June 11, from 10 to 11 a.m. The event is free but register in advance at nhaudubon.org. Head back to the McLane Center the next day, Sunday, June 12, from noon to 4 p.m. for a native plant sale.

Game on!

• Concord Skate Park (15 Loudon Road, Concord) will host its second annual Rumble in the Rubble Skate Jam on Saturday, June 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to skating, there will be prizes, raffles, food, music and more. Skaters of all experience levels are welcome. See concordskatepark.com.

• The 78th annual New Hampshire Soap Box Derby race will be held on Sunday, June 12, at 120 Broadway in Dover, with races running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free for spectators. Kids ages 7 and older can create a gravity-powered car and race it down a track in hopes of making the All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship. See soapboxderby.org/new-hampshire.aspx.

• The next home games of the Nashua Silver Knights (a team in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League) at Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St. in Nashua) are Tuesday, June 14, at 6 p.m. against the New Britain Bees and Thursday, June 16, at 6 p.m. versus the Brockton Rox. See nashuasilverknights.com for tickets.

• The New Hampshire Fisher Cats will return to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester with a game on Tuesday, June 14, at 6:35 p.m., the first of six days of games against the Somerset Patriots. Wednesday, June 15, will feature two games, with the first starting at 5:05 p.m. See nhfishercats.com.

On with the show

• Catch the first of nine movies the Prescott Park Arts Festival has on the schedule for screening in Prescott Park in Portsmouth this summer with the screening of Pixar’s Soul(PG, 2020) on Friday, June 10, at 8:30 p.m., screened in collaboration with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. A $5 per person donation is suggested to make a reservation (with other options for a table or blanket). See prescottpark.org/events/category/movie or blackheritagetrailnh.org/events.

• Get your little dancers excited about taking some lessons. The Martin School of Dance in Bedford is presenting its recital Toy Story on Sunday, June 12, at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) at 2 p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $33; see martinschoolofdance.com for more about the school.

And speaking of kid fare on the Cap Center stage, Blippi the Musical, based on the Blippi educational character that got its start on YouTube (according to Wikipedia), will come to the Cap Center on Friday, June 17, at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. and tickets start at $39.50 plus fees (an extra $50 gets you the photo experience package), according to the Cap Center website.

• The Palace Teen Apprentice Company, which features student actors ages 12 through 18, will present Seussical Jr. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Wednesday, June 15, and Thursday, June 16, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 to $15.

Family fun for the weekend

More SEE

The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org) is open seven days a week through Labor Day. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Admission costs $10 for all guests 3 and up and advance reservations are recommended. And plan now for SEE’s Kickoff to Summer event June 20 through June 26, which will feature three daily shows with yo-yo performer Brett Ooch and hands-on activities, according to the website.

Fun for all

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2022) will hold “Exploring Our Way: Sensory Friendly Playtime” on Tuesday, June 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. “These monthly, low-sensory events are designed for children with autism spectrum or sensory processing disorders allowing them to explore the museum along with their families without the noise, crowds, and stimulation of a typical open day,” the website said. Reserve a spot online in advance. Admission costs $11 for everyone over 1 year old ($9 for 65+).

Kids on stage

The Palace Youth Theatre will presentOliver! Jr.on Tuesday, June 7, and Wednesday, June 8, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588). Tickets cost $15 for adults.

Summer of outdoor exploring!

If you’re planning some nature adventures this summer, check out NH Fish and Game’s website, wildlife.state.nh.us, specifically the “Connect Kids to Wildlife” section (under the “Education” tab). In addition to information on wildlife programs, the site has some fun printable PDFs to take with you on a hike. One is a pocket guide to animal tracks but it’s likely most kids will be all about the guide that’s all about poop. The “Wildlife Scat” printout offers a guide to figuring out what animal made the poop you might find out in the woods — or in your yard.