Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Fun in the sun

• Help the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford) feed feathered friends on Friday, June 9, at 10 a.m. Kids will create ornaments using black oil sunflower seeds and then have the chance to walk around the farm, feeding the seeds to the birds. This program is geared toward kids between 18 months and 8 years old. Tickets cost $25 per child and can be purchased at theeducationalfarm.org.

• Holman Stadium (848 W. Hollis St., Nashua) is doing a Fun in the Sun Color Run on Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m. The one-mile or 5K course is open to children, adults, families and teams. The event is hosted by the Nashua Silver Knights and benefits the Lil’ Iguana’s Children’s Safety Foundation. Registration starts at $20. More information can be found at funinthesun.redpodium.com/fun-in-the-sun-color-run-2023.

• Join in the Zorvino Vineyard Kids Fishing Derby on Sunday, June 11, at 8 a.m. at the vineyard (226 Main St., Sandown). Kids ages 2 to 15 can win prizes for longest fish, most fish caught, and first to catch five fish. There is a list of rules for kids to follow available to look at when purchasing tickets. Tickets cost $5 per child and can be completed at zorvino.com.

• The Seacoast Science Center (570 Ocean Blvd., Rye) is hosting a World Ocean Day Celebration in honor of its 31st birthday on Sunday, June 11, at 10 a.m. There will be local scientists, divers, artists and conservationists at the event to help people learn about the oceans of the world. There will be educational activities and demonstrations, hands-on games, naturalist-led tide pooling sessions, and a beach cleanup. Tickets cost $20 for nonmember adults, $15 for nonmember children, $5 for Seacoast Science Center members, free for children younger than 2 years old. Visit seacoastsciencecenter.org for more information.

• Join the Amherst Public Library on Wednesday, June 14, for a concert and picnic to kick off its summer programs. Ben Rudnick & Friends, a band that plays different kinds of music from country to bluegrass and rock to second-line New Orleans, will perform. The picnic and concert will be on The Village Green (0 Main St.) at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit amherstlibrary.org.

Movie night

• Smitty’s Cinema (630 West Main St., Tilton) will have a sensory-friendly showing of The Little Mermaid (2023) on Sunday, June 11, at 11:30 a.m. The showing will have the lights of the theater turned on and the volume of the movie turned down to make it a calmer experience for smaller kids. The movie follows mermaid princess Ariel as she chases after true love in the human world. Tickets cost $11 and can be purchased at smittyscinema.com.

• See Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at Chunky’s Cinema in Manchester (707 Huse Road, Manchester) as part of the theater’s sensory showing on Sunday, June 11, at 4 p.m. The movie theater will have the lights turned up and the movie’s sound turned down. The movie follows Miles Morales, one of the multiverse’s Spider-Men, on a new reality-twisting adventure to save the world. Tickets cost $6.49 and can be purchased at chunkys.com.

Indoor activities

• On Saturday, June 10, at 11 a.m., Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord) is hosting New Hampshire author and hiker Sarah Lamagna, who will be sharing her new guidebook, Hiking with Kids New England: 50 Great Hikes for Families. Lamagna welcomes kids to the book event, and she’ll give parents some tips and tricks for taking kids on hikes and outdoor adventures. For more information about this event, visit gibsonsbookstore.com.

• The Colonel Shepard House (29 Mount Vernon St., Milford) is hosting a Summer Afternoon Tea on Sunday, June 11, at 1 p.m. The gathering will feature a summertime selection of snacks, sweets, and, of course, teas. Tickets cost $40 per person and can be purchased at thecozyteacart.com.

Family fun for the weekend

Maker Fest

• More than 30 local makers will bring their tie-dyed fashions, worm bins, Star Wars costumes, trebuchets and more to the New Hampshire Makers Festival presented by the New Hampshire Children’s Museum (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The festival will take place inside and outside the museum; admission is a suggested donation of $5 (you can donate onsite or via the website in advance). The line up of makers, displays and activities at this family-friendly event include a Rube Goldberg machine expert, a children’s business fair, a kid-friendly exhibit to explore by the Woodman Museum, a STEM van by the Girl Scouts of the White Mountains, kid conservationist Jack Dalton, a former American Idol contestant and more, according to a press release.

Fun in the sun

• Give field research a shot with the Harris Center for Conservation Education (83 Kings Highway, Hancock) and its program Kids Count for Wildlife: Red-backed salamander survey on Friday, June 2, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Kids ages 9 to 18 will get a chance to do some searching in the woods for the woodland species. Kids younger than 12 must be accompanied by a guardian. Registration is required and can be completed at harriscenter.org.

• Head to West Running Brook Middle School (1 W. Running Brook Lane, Derry) for touch a truck on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Derry police department will have emergency response vehicles, heavy machinery and other equipment for kids to climb and explore. There will also be a BMX stunt show, free helmet giveaway, food, music and dancing. Visit derrynh.org/police-department for more information.

• Cuddle up to some farm animals at farm baby snuggles at Under-N-Acre Farm (24 Canaan Road, Strafford) on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4. Each day has two time slots, June 3 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. and June 4 from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Sessions start at $7 and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/farmbabysnuggles.

Indoor activities

• Visit Pumpkin Blossom Farm (393 Pumpkin Hill Road, Warner) for a special after-school sensory class on Wednesday, June 7, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Kids between the ages of 5 and 11 will make lavender-scented bubbles after learning a little bit about lavender and the five senses and after they explore the farm. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. The class costs $15 and spaces can be reserved at pumpkinblossomfarm.com.

• Let’s Make Music & Make Art (136 Lowell Road, Hudson) is having an open house on Wednesday, June 7, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Kids and families can learn more about music and get started with how to play an instrument. Registration is required and can be done at letsplaymusic.com.

Museum madness

• The American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane, Exeter) is offering active military and their families free admission until Sept. 4. Admission to the museum includes access to more than 3,000 artifacts and guided or self-guided tours throughout the building. For more information, visit independencemuseum.org.

• The Little Learners series is starting at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord) on Friday, June 2, from 12:30 to 1 p.m. The month of June will be devoted to teaching kids ages 4 and younger about comets. The program runs the first and third Friday of the month, as well as the second and fourth Wednesday of the month. June will have an additional day on Friday, June 3. Participation is included with general admission. General admission costs $12 for adults, $9 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children younger than 3 years old. Visit starhop.com.

Family fun for the weekend

Showtime!

•​ Manchester’s Dimensions in Dance will present Wonderland, its 28th annual production, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) on Saturday, May 27, with two showtimes, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The production is inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass and is told through dance, featuring original choreography in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip-hop, acro, pointe and lyrical. Tickets are $25 per person for either orchestra or balcony seats and can be purchased online at palacetheatre.org.

•​ Join the Kids Coop Theatre as they present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry) from Friday, May 26, through Sunday, May 28 — showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The classic story follows Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, a young prince who is trapped under the spell of an enchantress but will be transformed into his former self if he can learn to love and be loved. Regular tickets to each show are $15 per person and can be purchased online at kids-coop-theatre.org.

• Chunky’s Cinema Pub will hold a special sensory-friendly showing of the new live-action version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid on Friday, May 26, at 4 p.m., at each of its three theater locations (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Drive, Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham). Audience members are allowed to walk around, dance, shout or sing during these special monthly screenings, which feature the lights on and the sound of the film turned down. Matinee ticket rates apply to the showing, ranging from $5.99 to $6.49 per person depending on the theater location. See chunkys.com.

Fun with animals

•​ Kids of all ages are welcome to an outdoor animal storytime at Griffin Park (101 Range Road, Windham) on Friday, May 26, at 10:30 a.m. presented by the Nesmith Library. Enjoy songs, dancing and stories centered around animals with the library’s youth services program. Admission is free and no pre-registration is necessary, but attendees must provide their own transportation to meet at the park. In the case of inclement weather, updated information on the status of the event will be posted to the website and social media. Visit nesmithlibrary.org.

•​ The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (23 Science Center Road, Holderness) recently reopened its live animal exhibit trail and hiking trails — daily hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last trail admission at 3:30 p.m. According to the Center’s website, the live animal exhibit trail meanders through open meadows, mature forests and marsh boardwalks along a packed gravel path. Tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for seniors ages 65 and up, $18 for kids and teens ages 3 to 15 and free for kids ages 2 and under. Tickets grant attendees check-in access anytime between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Plan about two and a half hours to walk through the trail. See nhnature.org for more details.