Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Kids’ night out

It’s Kids Night at the Y! On Friday, April 9, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., parents can drop their kids off at the YMCA of Downtown Manchester (30 Mechanic St., Manchester, graniteymca.org), where trained child care professionals will lead the kids in games, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts and more. Dinner will be provided. The cost is $25 per child and $10 for each additional sibling. Space is limited; register online or at the Welcome Center. Children must wear masks at the Y.

Goats, kids and yoga

Kids ages 6 and up can spend an hour with the goats at Legacy Lane Farm (217 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham) — while doing yoga. Drop your kids off at the farm on Saturday, April 10, at 9:30 a.m. for this indoor Goat Yoga for Kids class, where they’ll stretch and move while goats wander around and give them plenty of attention. Classes are limited to eight kids, and signups are only available online. The cost is $30. Search for the event on eventbrite.com or find Legacy Lane Farm on Facebook.

Play inside

Spend a few hours at Krazy Kids (60 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 228-PLAY, krazykids.com), on Friday night, when the indoor playground is open from 6 to 9 p.m. and the cost of admission covers all three hours ($15 per child, $5 per adult). Check out their Facebook page each week to find out if Friday night will be Glow Night, when the whole space is lit with black lights and disco party lights! Let the kids bounce, climb, jump and crawl on the inflatables or test their agility on the aerial ropes course. Other hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the cost of admission is for two hours. Online reservations are required, though walk-ins are accepted if capacity allows. Face masks are required except for toddlers 36” or less, and temperature screenings are required for entry.

Featured photo: A Glow Night at Krazy Kids. Courtesy photo.

Family fun for the weekend

Easter fun!

Follow the Bunny in downtown Concord on Saturday, April 3! The free event will begin at the Statehouse lawn at 11 a.m., where kids will have the chance to participate in games, activities and crafts. They’ll also get to meet with the Easter Bunny and decorate their own treat bags before heading downtown to search for special treats. “Follow the Bunny” posters displayed on participating business windows will let them know that there’s a treat inside. The event runs until 2 p.m.

Also on Saturday, the Easter Bunny will hop on over to the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org) to meet with kids and give out special goody bags. Ask the Easter Bunny questions and pose for photos, then check out the museum’s kid-friendly activities and exhibits, like a scavenger hunt and a real airplane cockpit kids can climb into. The event will run during normal operating hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 12, seniors 65 and older, and retired/active military, and free for kids 5 and under.

Nature activities

Kids can hike, run or learn about science at Beaver Brook Nature Center (117 Ridge Road, Hollis), with new sessions of after-school and homeschool programs starting Tuesday, April 6. The Hiking Club and Trail Running programs, which are for kids in grades 4 through 8, are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, respectively, from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m., from April 6 through May 18. The center is also hosting Homeschool Science those same weeks, from 9 a.m. to noon, for ages 6 to 10 on Tuesdays and ages 9 to 13 on Wednesdays. Classes will include hikes and other outdoor activities along with nature-related lessons. Register at beaverbrook.org.

Featured photo: The Easter Bunny visiting the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire. Courtesy photo.

Family fun for the weekend

Interactive fun

Kids are invited to sing, dance and play games during a special livestream event with Laurie Berkner on Sunday, March 28, with shows at noon and 5 p.m. The virtual show, presented by the Capitol Center for the Arts, is an 80+-minute live interactive performance for the whole family. The cost is $20, and tickets give you access to both shows. Get tickets at ccanh.com.

Bunny photos

Get a free family picture with the Easter Bunny at Bass Pro Shops (2 Commerce Drive, Hooksett, 541-5200) on Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, April 2, from 2 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, April 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Register in advance for your free 4×6 color photo at basspro.com/easter.

More maple!

If you didn’t get a chance to explore a local sugar shack last weekend, there’s still one weekend left of New Hampshire’s Maple Month. At Ben’s Sugar Shack (83 Webster Hwy., Temple, and 693 Route 103, Newbury, 924-3111, bensmaplesyrup.com), there are free 30-minute tours every 15 minutes on Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Although there won’t be any breakfast or hayrides this year, Ben’s will have maple doughnuts, ice cream, roasted nuts and cotton candy, as well as a gift shop inside and outside (the Newbury location is open for the tours and gift shop only). The free tours continue every weekend through April 11.

Make your own maple syrup at Prescott Farm (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia), which is offering Tap Into Maple on Saturday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The start times that were available as of March 22 were noon and 2 p.m. The program lasts an hour and a half and includes a hands-on look at the maple syrup-making process, from tree tapping to tasting. If you can’t make that event, Prescott Farm is also hosting Sugar & Snow on Saturday, April 3, from 1 to 3 p.m., where you can watch syrup makers finish boiling sap for the season and enjoy a sweet treat. The cost for each program is $12. Visit prescottfarm.org to sign up.

Several other local sugar shacks are also hosting tours this weekend. To find one near you, visit nhmapleproducers.com.

Family fun for the weekend

Maple madness

Celebrate Maple Month in New Hampshire at the Maple Express event at Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com). On Saturday, March 20, and Sunday, March 21, the farm is hosting the final weekend of its Maple Express experience, which includes a horse-drawn sleigh ride or a tractor train ride to an authentic sugar shack, where you’ll meet a sugar maker and learn about tree tapping and watch how sap is boiled to make maple sugar and maple syrup. You’ll get a chance for some taste testing too, with syrup served on silver dollar pancakes. After the ride back to the farm, head to the Discover Barn to visit with some animals. Various times are available between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets must be purchased online. General admission is $22; kids 23 months and under are free. Book an entire sleigh for up to four passengers for $199. There’s also a Sugar Shack Live event on Saturday, March 20, at various times in the evening, for $25 per person. The event includes a visit to the sugar shack, where you can sit next to campfires and listen to live music from Dan Morgan. Visit the website to register for either event.

In Warner, the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road) is hosting Maple Day on Saturday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be outdoor demonstrations of sap boiling and tomahawk throwing from 10 a..m. to 3 p.m., an informal walking tour of Medicine Woods at 11 a.m., a cooking demo at noon, and an outside walking tour of the 12-acre campus at 1 p.m. with the museum director. The museum will be open for self-guided tours (regular admission applies, $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $7 for kids 6 to 12, no charge for kids under 6 or for Native Americans), and there will be maple syrup for sale from a local sugar house. The event is weather-dependent. Call 456-2600 or visit indianmuseum.org.

Candy crush

Chunky’s Cinema Pub is hosting a family-friendly Theater Candy Bingo event on Saturday, March 20, at noon and 6 p.m. at its Manchester location (707 Huse Road), and at 6 p.m. that day at its Nashua location (151 Coliseum Ave.) and its Pelham location (150 Bridge St.). Purchase a ticket online to reserve a spot; for $4.99 you get a ticket and a box of Chunky’s theater candy. Players will turn in their candy to the host to get a bingo card, then play a few rounds to try to win some of that candy as well as other Chunky’s prizes. Visit chunkys.com.

Family fun for the weekend

Enjoy the (likely fleeting) warm weather

New Hampshire’s Audubon centers are still closed, but their sanctuary trails are open for families who want to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. There are miles of trails at the centers in Concord (84 Silk Farm Road, 224-9909) and in Auburn (26 Audubon Way, 668-2045). The trails are open from dawn until dusk. Don’t forget to wear appropriate shoes, as trails may be snowy or muddy. Visit nhaudubon.org.

Love your library

Many local libraries are closed or have limited hours and services, but they’re still offering plenty of fun for kids and families. The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) has virtual story times posted on its website, along with monthly interactive virtual activities — March’s is “The Great Flood.” The library also offers age-appropriate craft projects on the second Saturday of each month; materials can be picked up curbside.

At the Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., 624-6550, manchester.lib.nh.us) kids can find a new Messy Art project online each Wednesday afternoon. The projects can be done at home with items around the house. There’s also a weekly virtual storytime for kids ages 1 to 5, with a new video posted every Monday morning at 10 a.m. on the library’s Facebook page, with a craft kit based on the weekly theme available for curbside pickup. And each Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m., the library posts a new Lego challenge on Facebook for kids and families.

And at the Concord Public Library (45 Green St., 225-8670, concordpubliclibrary.net) parents can pick up craft kits for their kids; this week’s kit is a St. Paddy’s Bear, available at the library through Friday, March 12, or until supplies are gone (call ahead to see if there are any left before coming to the library). The library is also hosting a St. Patrick’s Day themed virtual storytime on Wednesday, March 17, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Register online to attend.

To discover the virtual events and activities that are happening at your local library, visit its website — most town and city libraries have revamped their programming to offer safe, at-home fun for families.

Art club

Middle school and high school youth are invited to Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) each Tuesday after school from 3:30 to 6 p.m. for a free art club. KJ Art Lab meets each week and teaches art skills, project planning and community development. There is no cost for attendance or materials. New participants are always welcome, though a commitment to regular attendance is requested due to the collaboration on many of the art projects.

Family fun for the weekend

Scientific discoveries

After being closed for renovations for a couple months, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord) is reopening on March 5, with hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Occupancy limits have been set for popular exhibits and planetarium shows, and stringent Covid-19 cleaning and safety procedures will be in effect as the museum reopens. This Friday the discovery center will also hold its virtual Super Stellar Friday program at 7 p.m.; this month’s topic is “Mystery & Majesty of Saturn’s Rings.” The event is free, but registration is required at starhop.com.

Walk on the wild side

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (23 Science Center Road, Holderness) hosts several Wild Winter Walks this month, starting Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, with sessions from 10 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m. The program is for adults and families with children ages 6 and up. A staff naturalist will lead a guided walk on the live animal exhibit trail and will talk about how these native animals adapt for winter in New Hampshire. Snowshoes are available at no extra cost, if needed, or participants can bring their own. The cost is $10 per person. Pre-registration is required for all programs at nhnature.org or by calling 968-7194. Other upcoming Wild Winter Walks are scheduled for Saturday, March 13, and Saturday, March 20 (sess