Weekend Plans: Sesame Street Live, renaissance faire, bamboo building

Here’s your weekend family fun. Be sure to check our public pools and strawberry farm database for pools and farms that are open near you. And, as always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more activities, including lots of free, outdoor concerts.

Sesame Street Live is here for five shows at the PNC Arena from Friday to Sunday. I’ll be on stage introducing the 10:30 a.m., Friday, show! This year’s show called “Can’t Stop Singing” is a non-stop all-singing, all-dancing musical montage. Tickets start at $12 plus fees for opening night. I’m looking forward to seeing this show with my preschooler!

As part of an effort to encourage young writers of North Carolina, Burning Coal Theater in downtown Raleigh will hold its seventh annual festival of new plays written by kids in sixth to twelfth grade. KidsWrite 2014 Festival of New Plays offers shows Friday through Sunday. Tickets are $10. What a great way to inspire kids, who participate and also those who watch.

Build It! Bamboo at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham has been extended through Sunday. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 3 p.m., Sunday, visitors can build and experiment with bamboo. It’s free with admission, which is $10 for kids ages 3 to 12 and $14 for adults.

The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences' Rainforest Adventure exhibit is a fun way for kids ages 3 to 12 or so to spend an afternoon. The exhibit takes visitors on a maze, which asks them to answer questions about the rainforest. Tickets for Rainforest Adventure are $7 for adults; $5 for children ages 3 to 12; $6 for students, seniors and the military; and free for members.

Healthy Start Raleigh will host a free event focused on healthy living and staying fit from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, at Lake Boone Shopping Center on Lake Boone Trail in Raleigh. The event features local businesses and free open play for kids at The Tumble Gym.

Durham's Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St., will screen the documentary "Bully" at 2 p.m., Saturday. Nick Popio, a local advocate for bullying prevention, will lead a discussion after the film. It's free and open to the public. The 2011 documentary shines a light on true stories from across the country. Popio is the community architect at The Red Woods Group, a company that aims to protect children through the platforms of insurance and risk consulting.

The N.C. Museum of Art will host a free Family Renaissance Faire from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, at the west Raleigh museum. The event includes art-making activities, live entertainment, games, demonstrations and concessions for sale. People will be dressed in Renaissance Faire garb. Admission is free. The afternoon also features interactive family tours and art activities such as creating miniature books.

Rock the Baby, an annual festival in Carrboro, with music, food trucks, activities and more is 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sunday, at Carrboro Town Commons.

The Apex Latino Arts Festival is 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in downtown Apex. The day and evening include music, art, dance, and activities for kids. Admission is free.

The Durham Bulls are back in town with games Friday and Sunday - fireworks after the game on Friday and kids run the bases on Sunday.