Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Smallfoot, take two

• Last weekend’s storm led to the cancellation of parts of Concord’s Winterfest — including a scheduled screening of the animated movie Smallfoot (PG, 2018), about a village of Yetis and featuring the voices of Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common and others. That screening is back on for this coming Saturday, Feb. 5, at 10 a.m. at the Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org, 224-4600). Tickets for last Saturday’s show can be transferred to this coming Saturday’s show (email info@redrivertheatres.org).

Science Fridays

• Head to the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; 742-2002, childrens-museum.org) on Fridays (through the end of April) for their special “Science Friday” programming featuring “messy experiments and activities that focus on sensory fun,” according to the website. “Activities can be used as a jumping off point for learning about scientific concepts like states of matter or immiscible liquids,” the website said. The events take place at 10 a.m. during the morning session (which runs from 9 a.m. to noon) or at 2 p.m. during the afternoon (from 1 to 4 p.m.). The activities are geared to ages 3 and up with the help of a grownup. To visit the museum, pay for admission ($11 for everyone over 1 year old, $9 for 65+) and reserve a time slot in advance.

As of Jan. 31, the museum also still had tickets available for its Dinosaur Valentine’s Party on Sunday, Feb. 13, with sessions including one from 1 to 3 p.m. Admission costs $16.

Some Plays

• A the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org), the Palace Youth Theatre group (featuring student actors in second through twelfth grade) will present the tale of Wilbur, “Some Pig,” in Charlotte’s Web, a play based on the book by E.B. White. The show will run Tuesday, Feb. 8, and Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. Call for tickets.

• Head to Narnia for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, presented by Epping Community Theater’s Youth Theater on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Epping Playhouse (38 Ladd’s Lane in Epping, eppingtheater.org). Admission costs $10 at the door (cash only).

Magic and stories

• “Storytime and magic” is the theme for the Saturday, Feb. 5, storytime at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) at 11:30 a.m. The event will feature a reading of Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons and then a magic show from DaSean “Magicman” Greene, according to the website, where you can register for this free event.

Family fun for the weekend

Plane fun

• It’s the final weekend to see “Festival of Planes,” an exhibit of more than 1,500 model planes and toy aircraft at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire. (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org, 669-4820). Museum admission costs $10 per person; $5 for children under 13, seniors and veterans and active military, and is free for children age 5 and under. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. According to a press release, the exhibit “features aviation-themed toys, models, puzzles, and promotional items from the past 100 years. Themes range from the Wright Brothers to sci-fi favorites as Star Trek, Star Wars, and more.” There is also a “find Santa” challenge with prizes for kids who spot him.

Snowshoe season

• If this week’s Winter Festival in Concord (see the story above) has you looking for more snow-themed fun, check out last week’s story in the Hippo about snowshoeing. On page 16 of the Jan. 20 issue, Meghan Siegler looks at where you can rent snowshoes, including locations such as the New Hampshire Audubon centers in Manchester and Concord, American Stonehenge in Salem, Beaver Brook in Hollis and Pats Peak in Henniker. She also discusses a few of the more snowshoe-friendly trails in the area.

On stage

• Head to the magical land of Oz at the Majestic Theatre’s young performers presentation of The Wizard of Oz at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry). The show, a young performers edition of the tale, according to majestictheatre.net, will run Friday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for students 17 and under. Call 669-7469 or go to majestictheatre.net.

• At the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org), the Palace Youth Theatre group (featuring student actors in second through twelfth grade) will present Matilda Jr., the younger-performer version of the musical based on the Roald Dahl book. The show will run Tuesday, Feb. 1, and Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m.

Crowns and a pony

• This week’s storytime at the Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) will feature the books The Princess and the Pony and Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of the Girl Who Floated, read by Miss Manchester and Miss Manchester Outstanding Teen, according to the website. The storytime will start at 11:30 a.m. and after the stories the Misses will be available for photos. Also slated to make an appearance is Eddy, the Manchester Police Department’s new comfort pony, the website said. The event is free; go online to register.

Family fun for the weekend

At the movies

Catch some family-friendly screenings at area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com) this weekend. On Friday, Jan. 21, the “Little Lunch Date” screening is of Happy Feet (G, 2006). The show starts at 11:30 a.m. and admission is free but reserve seating with purchase of a $5 food voucher.

On Friday, Jan. 21, it’s a “Lights Up, Sound Down” sensory-friendly screening of recent release Sing 2 at 3:45 p.m. Tickets cost $6.49.

And if you’re always on the lookout for kid-friendly screenings, you may want to save the date for a screening of Smallfoot (PG, 2018) on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m. at Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; 224-4600, redrivertheatres.org). The event is part of the city’s Winterfest and tickets cost $5.

On the stage

Catch the final performance of the Palace Youth Theatre’s January presentation of Matilda Jr. on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588). All of the roles are performed by student actors in grades 2 through 12, according to the website. Call the theater for tickets.

In a book

Jack Dalton, the kid conservationist and 11-year-old author, will read the book Kawan the Orangutan: Lost in the Forest at the Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in downtown Manchester; bookerymht.com) on Saturday, Jan. 22, at 11:30 a.m. for storytime and crafts.

In nature

Looking for something to get little ones outside during the week? The New Hampshire Audubon is holding nature outings at the Brockway Nature Preserve in Hopkinton for 3- to 5-year-olds and their parents on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month from 10 to 10:45 a.m. This next session, on Tuesday, Jan. 25, is titled “Who Made that Track?” Admission costs $10 per family and space is limited; go to nhaudubon.org to register.

At the museum

Or get some science indoors on Tuesday at the SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org) for Storytime Science Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers. Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 10 family units. The program will cover STEM topics through storytelling, movement, experiments and more, according to the website. The program costs $3 in addition to admission, which is $10 for ages 3 to adult and free for kids under 3 years old.

On the court

Catch some UNH basketball live and in person (masked up, according to school rules). The men’s team plays UMass Lowell on Saturday, Jan. 22, at 4 p.m. On Wednesday, Jan. 26, the men’s team will play Maine at 7 p.m. (a game rescheduled from Jan. 12). Also Wednesday, catch the women’s team in their game against Maine at 4 p.m. All games will be played at Ludholm Gym on the UNH campus in Durham. See unhwildcats.com for directions, policies and to buy tickets, which cost $10 general admission, $8 for kids and seniors.

In the kitchen — save the date

Looking to get kids some hands-on kitchen experience but not, you know, in your kitchen? The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St. in downtown Derry; 339-1664, culinary-playground.com) has several upcoming classes for kid-parent teams. While many of the January and February classes have sold out, there are still openings for March and April classes on cinnamon rolls ($58 for a parent-child team, ages 6+), I Love Paris baking class, which includes French macarons ($60 for a parent-child team, ages 8+), and a homemade pasta for cheese ravioli class ($50 for a parent-child team, ages 6+). Call or go online to register.