Category: Outdoors

Family fun for whenever

New stuff

• Check out two new exhibits at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) that will be unveiled to the public on Saturday, Feb. 15, during the morning (9 a.m. to noon) and afternoon (1 to 4 p.m.) sessions. “Little Farmers,” an exhibit designed for children ages 0 to 5, features farm-themed activities “curated specifically for this age,” according to the museum website. “Play Loft” is an open space for active play, such as games like Floor Is Lava, according to the website. Also on Saturday, Lindsey and her Puppet Pals will perform at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Admission costs $14.50 for everyone over 12 months old, $12.50 for 65+.

Winterfest

• Squam Lakes Association, 534 Route 3 in Holderness, will hold its Winterfest on Saturday, Feb. 15, from noon to 3 p.m. The free event will include ice skating, sledding, mini golf, scavenger hunts and more, according to a press release (BYO skates and sleds). See squamlakes.org.

Kids on stage

• Londonderry High School will presentFootloose! The Musical at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry) on Thursday, Feb. 13, and Friday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 15, at 1 and 7 p.m. TIckets cost $15 for adults; $10 for seniors and students. See derryoperahouse.org.

• Franklin Middle School will present Shrek Jr. at the Franklin Opera House (316 Central St. in Franklin; franklinoperahouse.org) on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 15, at 2 & 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults and seniors, $8 for students and children.

• Palace Youth Theatre will present Big Fish, the small cast edition performed by student actors in grades 2 through 12, at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) on Wednesday, Feb. 19, and Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $19 for adults, $16 for ages 6 to 12.

For kids on stage

• Look Both Ways: A Tale Presented in 10 Blocks, part of the Cap Center’s educational series, will be on stage in the Chubb Theatre of the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 10:30 a.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. The show is 63 minutes with no intermission and is suggested for kids in grades 5 and up and families, according to the website. “10 blocks. 10 unique tales. There’s something for everyone across these 10 vignettes about identity, compassion, fear, and friendship — as told through puppetry, dance, music, projections, audience participation, kamishibai (paper theater), and more,” according to the website’s description. Tickets cost $8.

For kids on screen

Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) has two special kid-friendly screenings on the horizon. On Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 11:30 a.m., catch How to Train Your Dragon (PG, 2010) as part of the Little Lunch Date Series.

On Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 11:30 a.m. Dog Man (PG, 2025) will screen on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 11:30 a.m. at a sensory-friendly screening with lights up and sound down.

Save the date

• Dartmouth Health Children’s Battle of the Badges, a hockey game featuring firefighters, police officers and first responders, will take place Sunday, March 16, at 1 p.m. at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St. in Manchester; snhuarena.com). Presented by the Elliot Perry Foundation, the Battle of the Badges “proceeds are used to help kids with critical services such as support when they are in pediatric intensive care and management of chronic illnesses, as well as patient and family support services,” according to Dartmouth Health Children’s website, childrens.dartmouth-health.org, where you can find Battle of the Badges information under events. Tickets cost $16. Find more about the Elliot Perry Foundation at elliotperry.org.

Family fun for whenever

Winter fun

• The Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship is slated for Friday, Feb. 7, through Sunday, Feb. 9, at White Park in Concord. According to the website, 95 teams participate in the event, which also features games, a rock wall, bonfires, live entertainment, food trucks, ice and snow sculptures and more. The event also includes the Shinny Classic for youth hockey teams, the website said. See blackicepondhockey.com and check the event’s social media pages for weather-related updates.

Family music

• The Nashua Chamber Orchestra will hold a Family Concert on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 1 p.m. at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St. in Nashua; nashualibrary.org). The orchestra will play “Concerto for Two Violins” by Vivaldi; selections from Carmen; “The Waltzing Cat”; “Trumpeter’s Lullaby” and Leopold Mozart’s “Toy Symphony.”The event is free and open to the public. See nco-music.org for more on the orchestra.

At the museums

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org) will hold a Community Discovery Night on Friday, Feb. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. The event, whose theme will be “Celebrating Black Influence in Science,” will feature food, music and science activities, according to the website, where you can register for this free event so the Center can plan the food.

• The Last Ice, a short documentary by New Hampshire science teacher Greg Stott and Vermont filmmaker Nick Natale, will screen Friday, Feb. 7, at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord (starhop.com) as part of this month’s Super Stellar Friday programming, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Stott, the 2023 NH Charitable Foundation recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical award, used his sabbatical to make a film about the last ice age and its effect on the Connecticut River Valley, according to the website. Admission costs $13 for adults, $12 for 62+ and ages 13 through college, and $10 for ages 3 to 12.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) will hold a Valentine’s Day Dance Party with musical guest Mr. Aaron on Sunday, Feb. 9, from 1 to 3 p.m. Tickets cost $18 per person. The dance party will run from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The afternoon will also feature Valentine’s crafts as well as play at the museum. Go online for tickets.

Also at the Children’s Museum, save the date for Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The museum will also celebrate the opening of two new exhibits: Little Farmers and the Play Loft. Saturday playtimes are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $14.50 for everyone over 12 months old and $12.50 for 65+.

On screen

• O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square 12 (24 Calef Highway in Epping; oneilcinemas.com) will hold a sensory-friendly screening of Dog Man (PG, 2025) on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 10 a.m. The house lights will be higher and the volume a little lower, according to the website.

• The “Family Movie Night” movie at the Flying Monkey (39 S. Main St. in Plymouth; flyingmonkeynh.com) on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. is 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. Doors open at 5 p.m. and tickets cost $3 for everyone 3 and older, according to the website, which said the family movie nights also feature a special kid-friendly menu (yes, there are chicken tenders).

Indoor ice

• Everett Arena in Concord (15 Loudon Road) has public ice skating Sundays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., $6 admission (free for age 3 and younger), $6 skate rentals and $5 helmet rentals. See concordnh.gov for details and info on other activities at the arena.

• For public skating at the JFK Memorial Coliseum (303 Beech St. in Manchester), see the calendar at manchesternh.gov. This weekend, public skate is Sunday, Feb. 9, from 2 to 4 p.m. Skate rentals cost $5.

Family fun for whenever

Dinner and a movie

• Burnt Timber Brewing & Tavern (96 Lehner St., Wolfeboro, burnttimbertavern.com) will hold a “Date Night, Kid-Approved” event on Friday, Jan. 31, at 6:30 p.m. with a movie for kids to give parents a chance to have dinner. The tavern will screen Wild Robot (PG, 2024) in one of its rooms where kids can bring bean bags and watch the movie, according to a press release. Meanwhile, parents can enjoy a meal in the main dining room, the release said.

• Happy Feet (PG, 2006) will screen at Chunky’s Cinema Pub, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 11:30 a.m. as part of the Little Lunch Date Series. Admission costs $5 per person and includes a $5 food voucher.

Gametime

• The NHTI Lynx men’s basketball team has games Thursday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m. (versus Central Maine Community College); Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. (versus Word of Life) and Sunday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m. (versus Paul Smith’s College) at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center on campus in Concord. The women will play Central Maine on Thursday at 6 p.m., Word of Life on Saturday at noon and Paul Smith’s College on Sunday at noon. Admission is free. See nhtiathletics.com.

• The Rivier University Raiders women’s ice hockey team will play Mass. Liberal Arts on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 6:40 p.m. at the Conway Arena (5 Stadium Drive, Nashua). See rivierathletics.com.

• The Saint Anselm College Hawks men’s ice hockey team has games Friday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1, at 3 p.m., both versus Post University at Sullivan Arena (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester). See saintanselmhawks.com.

• The SNHU Penmen men’s ice hockey team also has two games this weekend: Friday, Jan. 31, at 7:40 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m., both against Saint Michael College. Home games take place at Ice Den Arena (600 Quality Drive, Hooksett). See snhupenmen.com.

On stage

• Catch the final show of the Palace Youth Theatre’s Grease, school edition on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $16 to $19.

Family fun for whenever

More winterfest

• Bedford Winterfest, hosted by The Bedford Mom, will take place over two days this weekend. Day 1, Saturday, Jan. 25, will take place on the sledding hill behind Ann DeNicola Memorial Playground and feature sledding, activities for kids, face painting and more from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; see thebedfordmom.com. Admission is free but reservations are required.

Day 2 will take place at Joppa Hill Educational Farm (174 Joppa Hill in Bedford; theeducationalfarm.org) on Sunday, Jan. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free but reservations are required. Activities will include sledding, crafters, farm animals, s’mores, hot cocoa, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts and more, according to the website.

Movie morning

• Before you head to Concord’s Winter Fest (see page 12 for details) head to Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org) for a screening of 2006’s Happy Feet, the animated movie (which won its year’s animated feature Oscar) on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $5.

Books!

• Annette LeBlanc Cate, author and illustrator of picture books including Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard and The Magic Rabbit, will discuss her new release Seven Little Ducklings at Balin Books (Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St., Nashua; balinbooks.com) on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m. “When a plump mother duck awakens one morning, she’s stunned to discover that her seven eggs have hatched in the night and all of her ducklings have wandered off. Now she has to search for them out in the wild!” according to a book description in a Balin email.

Save the date

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org) will hold a Community Discovery Night on Friday, Feb. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. The event, whose theme will be “Celebrating Black Influence in Science,” will feature food, music and science activities, according to the website, where you can register for this free event so the center can plan the food.

In other SEE news, registration is open now for the Center’s summer camps. The weeklong camps begin in mid-July and have a variety of science-related focuses. See the website for details.

• The Derryfield Country Club (625 Mammoth Road in Manchester; thederryfield.com) will host a Royal Princess Breakfast on Saturday, March 1, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Kids can enjoy a brunch, storytime and games with costumed princesses. Tickets cost $40 for children ages 2 to 12 and $55 for adults. A $65 VIP ticket for kids includes an early admission time, photo-ops and a tiara, according to the details available via the restaurant’s website.

• Middle schoolers at High Mowing School (Pine Hill Campus, 77 Pine Hill Drive in Wilton; highmowing.org/hilltop) will present The Hilltop Circus: An Unexpected Journey on Friday, Feb. 28, at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 1, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The students’ circus skills include “acrobatics, trapeze, juggling, clowning, unicycling, aerial fabric, wire-walking, trampoline, human pyramids and more,” according to the press release. Admission is a suggested donation of $12 for adults, $6 for children; bring a donation for Wilton’s Open Cupboard Food Pantry for a free bag of popcorn, the release said.

• The Nashua Historical Society will hold a Little Red Tea Party on Sunday, March 2, at the Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum library, located at 5 Abbott St. in Nashua. The all-ages event will feature tea, scones, petite sandwiches and other treats; a historical presentation about the story of Little Red Riding Hood; a STEM-inspired tea experiment; a craft; a raffle and more, according to a press release. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. and tea service starts at 1 p.m., the release said. Reservations cost $20 per person, $15 for children 12 and under, the release said. See nashuahistoricalsociety.org/events.

Family fun for whenever

Museum fun

• If you’re looking for something to do this Friday, the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) offers Science Friday programming, with special drop-in programs and activities at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (to accommodate both the morning session from 9 a.m. to noon and the afternoon session from 1 to 4 p.m.). Reserve a spot online in advance; admission for everyone over 12 months is $14.50 per person, $12.50 for 65+.

• The Seacoast Science Center (570 Ocean Blvd. in Rye, seacoastsciencecenter.org) will hold a free nature program about the “Giants of the Sea” on Friday, Jan. 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. Learn about what makes whales special and sign up (at the event; signup starts at 4 p.m.) for a 5 p.m. guide program with Katahdin, the inflatable North Atlantic Right Whale, according to an email from the center.

• Normally closed on Mondays during the winter, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com) will be open to the public on Monday, Jan. 20, from 10:30 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $13 for adults, $12 for 62+ and students age 13-college, and $10 for kids ages 3 to 12. Planetarium shows are an additional $7; see the website for the current offerings and times.

More day-off offerings

• Cowabunga’s (725 Huse Road in Manchester; cowabungas.com) is offering vacation day bouncing on Monday, Jan. 20, with hour blocks for $15 starting at 10 a.m. On Friday, Jan. 17, Cowbunga’s offers its Friday Night Fun, with two-hour jump blocks offered for $20 between 5 and 8 p.m. (adults and infants get in free with paying child) and visits by costumed characters.

• Krazy Kids (60 Sheep Davis Road in Pembroke; krazykids.com) is also open special hours for Monday, Jan. 20 — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Two-hour admission costs $15 for kids, $5 for adults (required jump socks cost $4 per pair).

Save the date

• The New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St. in Concord; nhhistory.org) will offer a family program called “Kids Do Family History” on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. “This workshop … will introduce kids to genealogy basics, such as creating a family tree, researching family records, and preserving family memories. This program is geared for kids ages 10-13, but all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult,” the release said. The event is free but register in advance via the website.

• Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St. in Concord; kimballjenkins.com) has half-day February break week classes for ages 7 to 14. For $198, ages 7 to 10 (9 a.m. to noon) and ages 11 to 14 (1 to 4 p.m.) will “rotate through a diverse array of artistic mediums with each class featuring an art activity that aligns with our arctic theme,” according to the website, where you can find more information and enroll.