Triangle Kids Fun Trumps Wet Weekend!

The rain this weekend won’t stop the kids’ fun in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. In Raleigh, check out the State Farmers Market Spring Craft Fair, a Reptiles & Amphibians Day, a pirates exhibit and play bingo with a retro music twist at museums. In Durham, look out for the Robot Rumble! In Chapel Hill, help Kidzu Children's Museum celebrate its third anniversary. Many of these programs are free and indoors, so you don’t have to get wet!

You’ll find more than 100 local crafters showcasing their handmade items at the State Farmers Market's Spring Craft Fair, from Friday through Sunday. The event is in the Farmer’s Building; admission and parking are free. Crafted items include garden accessories, hand-woven baskets, spring floral arrangements, quilted items, crocheted baby blankets, stained glass, woodworking, pottery, candles, soaps, jewelry, handbags and furniture.

If you have kids who are wild about reptiles and amphibians, show them a day dedicated to these creatures at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the natural sciences museums will feature hundreds of live reptiles and amphibians, including native North Carolina species and exotic species from around the globe. The free event features an “extremes” theme, and live animals include dwarf crocodiles and endangered sea turtles, hellbender salamanders and poison dart frogs, an albino cottonmouth and eastern king snake.

Also in downtown Raleigh, head to the Raleigh City Museum, on Saturday at 2 p.m. to play No. 1 Hits Bingo! A fun twist on a family favorite, each player makes his or her own Bingo card with song titles that were number one hits in the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Museum staff will give each player a blank Bingo card and a list of songs to cut and paste onto their card. As you create your own card, you’ll learn about the music that people listened to in the past. Everyone wins! Bingo winners will receive a special prize, but no one will go home empty-handed. Number One Hits Bingo admission fee is $3 per family, and the program lasts about an hour. Reserve your place by calling 919-832-3775 ext. 14.

Prefer artificial intelligence to natural species? See the Durham’s Life & Science Museum on Saturday for Robot Rumble from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There, you’ll find local and national expert and amateur robotics specialists exhibiting a fascinating branch of artificial intelligence—robotics—where computer science and engineering meet to create devices that move and react to sensory input.

Participating Robot Rumble organizations include the Triangle Amateur Robotics Club, Orange County Schools FIRST Robotics Team 587, Lego and Dancing Robotics, NCSU's Underwater Robotics and others. You can meet members of Carolina Combat Robots and the Robot Fighting League, see exciting demos and play with innovations in the robotics field. Check the museum’s Website for admission prices.

Over in Chapel Hill, Kidzu Children’s Museum is inviting the public to join in its third anniversary celebration on Sunday, March 15, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Festivities will include:
* 1-5 p.m.: Free admission
* 1 p.m.: Sing-along with singer-songwriter Dennis Schaecher's playful melodies
* 4 p.m.: Free birthday cake (while supplies last)
* All day: Special “March Madness” games and activities to get your kids up and moving!

For more information, visit www.kidzuchildrensmuseum.org or call 919-933-1455.


For more fun events, visit Carolinaparent.com’s Calendar Highlights.