THURSDAY
Shoots and Letters
Come for stories, crafts, and nature themed adventure every Thursday. Themes in May include pollinators, snakes, and turtles. Ages 3 and up.
Thursdays, Oregon Ridge Nature Center, 10-11 a.m.; $2/child, oregonridgenaturecenter.org
St. Paul’s Flower Fair
Ask any gardener and she’ll tell you that by Mother’s Day, the weather should be right for planting. For 40 years, St. Paul’s Flower Fair in Cambridge has readied yards for that deadline with its early May market. Shoppers can find flowers, bedding plants and more for their backyard paradise. And festivalgoers won’t go hungry — the fair also sells crab cakes and oyster sandwiches. Let’s head to the shore.
May 3-4, 205 Maryland Ave., Cambridge. Free.
Arts on Stage: A Year with Frog and Toad
Walk with Arnold Lobel’s beloved characters through a year of fun and friendship. Frog and Toad may be very different, but their relationship is true to the end. Recommended for grades PreK-3.
Kraushaar Auditorium, Goucher College, 10:15 a.m., $9, artsonstage.org
Families
OrchKids 10th Anniversary Celebration
Enjoy a special night of music featuring the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids and others celebrating 10 years of empowering students and providing musical opportunities to Baltimore City youth.
War Memorial, 7 p.m., $10, bsomusic.org
FRIDAY
Arts on Stage: SOLE Stepz LIVE!
Prepare for a high energy performance! SOLE Stepz combines tap dance and body percussion to promote teamwork, self-expression and collaboration. Recommended for grades PreK-12.
Kraushaar Auditorium, Goucher College, 10:15 a.m. and 12 p.m., $9, artsonstage.org
Read and Play at Integrace Fairhaven
Residents and little ones will enjoy songs, stories and rhymes as well as the opportunity to visit with one another after. Child registration required. Ages Birth-3.
Fairhaven Assisted Living (Sykesville), 10:30 a.m., free, library.carr.org
May the Fourth Be with You!
Star Wars fans unite! Celebrate Star Wars Day with themed crafts, activities, games and more. All ages.
Carroll County Public Library, Westminster branch, 2-4 p.m., free, library.carr.org
First Friday at the Maryland Science Center
The first Friday of every month means $10 admission to the Maryland Science Center! STEM activities and hands-on fun await you around every corner.
Maryland Science Center, 5-8 p.m., $10, mdsci.org
Half-Price Friday Nights
All the fun for half the price! Spend any or every Friday night with 20,000 plus amazing, aquatic animals at the National Aquarium. Sponsored by M&T Bank.
Fridays, National Aquarium, 5-8 p.m., aqua.org
FlowerMart Festival
Spring into the season at the FlowerMart Festival. While this is the perfect day to wear a bloom-filled chapeau, the festival, contrary to its name, offers so much more than flowers. Last year’s FlowerMart included a dog show, a dance competition, live music, local crafts and more. Of course, if you want to stick to theme, be sure to enter the festival’s hat contest.
May 4-5 at Mount Vernon. Free.
Adults
Be a Hero Gala and Party
Support the Baltimore Child Abuse Center at the Be a Hero Gala and Party. Tickets are still available for the party, which features an open bar, local food vendors like Iron Rooster and Insomia Cookies, and DJ Biz Markie.
9: 30 p.m. at Port Discovery. $50 in advance, $75 at the door
SATURDAY
Kinetic Sculpture Race
Are you ready for the zaniest, most creative race you’ve ever seen? Prepare for the unexpected at the 20th Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. This year’s theme, “Mysteries and Tall Tales,” will have artists and inventors going above and beyond what’s been done before to create human-powered works of art that can (hopefully) travel on land, over water and even through mud. Celebrate all things unique and imaginative and come cheer on the competitors in a battle like no other.
May 5, American Visionary Art Museum, 10 a.m., free, avam.org
Kids Cook: Cinco de Mayo Celebration
Prepare for a fiesta in the kitchen as you learn to make amazing dishes like chicken quesadilla with chipotle crema and strawberry cheesecake chimichangas. And of course, homemade tortillas and guacamole! Registration required. Ages 8-12.
For the Love of Food, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., $40, fortheloveoffood.com
Teddy Bear Farm Visit
Bring your sweetest stuffed bear and head to the farm for hay rides, contests, live entertainment and a meeting with the seven dwarfs!
Clark’s Elioak Farm, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., $6/person, clarklandfarm.com
6th Annual African American Children’s Book Fair
Celebrate the many amazing titles for children focused on African Americans with a day filled with author readings, live performances, illustration workshops, and, of course, lots and lots of books!
Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., free, lewismuseum.org
Grandparent/Grandchild Geocaching
Navigate nature and bond across generations as you use GPS technology to search for hidden caches along the Center’s trails. Registration required. Ages 7 and up with grandparent.
Robinson Nature Center, 2:30-4:30 p.m., $18/one adult & child, howardcountymd.gov/Robinson
Pawject Runway
The hottest fashion show on four paws! Support Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) with a family friendly evening of adoptable pets, food, celebrities, auctions and fashion.
Royal Farms Arena, 6 p.m., $35, pawjectrunway.org
Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival
Flock to the 2018 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival to celebrate sheep and wool in all ways imaginable, including spinning demonstrations, a sheep photo contest and shepherd workshops. While you’re there, you can catch some shepherd music, buy a sheep (or just their fleece) and taste some lamb-based dishes. This festival offers fun for the whole family.
May 5-6 at the Howard County Fairgrounds. $5.
Ladew Garden Festival
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Ladew Garden Festival, and it’s ready to celebrate with honorary co-chairs Bunny Williams and John Rosselli and a cocktail party preview. The one-day specialty plant and garden ornaments sale features 45 vendors peddling “hard-to-find perennials and annuals, unusual exotics and container specialties, decorative garden furniture, urns, statuary and other architectural treasures.”
May 5, Ladew Gardens. $15-$20.
Festival for the Animals
Come out to celebrate and support furry friends of all kinds at the SPCA’s Festival for the Animals. The event kicks off with a walk-a-thon, followed by a day of pet activities, contests, vendors, and music from The Original Wailers, Electric Love Machine, J Pope and the Hearnow and more.
10 a.m. – 9 p.m. at Port Covington. Prices vary for registration and concert.
SUNDAY
Sensory Morning at The Walters
Come an hour before the museum opens for smaller crowds, special activities and resources, and a less stimulating visit specifically designed for children with Sensory Processing Disorders and their families. Registration requested.
The Walters Art Museum, 9-11 a.m., free, thewalters.org
Arbutus Spring Fling
Over 100 crafters and local businesses will be on hand to help shoppers find the perfect gift for Mom. Kids can also enjoy crafts and face painting.
Arbutus Volunteer Fire Hall, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free, facebook.com/pfexpos.com
Made in Maryland Festival
Support the local economy and celebrate our great state with an afternoon filled with food trucks, handmade goods, regional wine and beer, art and entertainment all made here in the Old Line State.
Kurtz’s Beach, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., $15/adult, free/12 and under, madeinmarylandfest.com
Family Coding: Squishy Circuitry
Try out “physical computing” with Play-Doh and LEDs and create circuits in a variety of shapes and sizes. Registration required. Grades K-5.
Baltimore County Public Library, Towson branch, 2 p.m., free, bcpl.info
