Marbles news: Around Town closed, new summer hours, kindergarten kickoff for year-round students

The downtown Raleigh destination will have special family play hours on Mondays this summer. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to noon for family play only. No field trips will be allowed that day. Marbles is usually closed on Mondays. Its regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. It's open late on First Fridays and third Tuesdays.

Marbles can be packed with field trips and summer camps. I know this will be a welcome change for a lot of families. The Monday hours start on June 3.

If you've been to Marbles recently, you will notice that the very popular Around Town section is closed right now for work to build a new On the Farm exhibit. There also will be bigger train tables and a new performance stage. The museum will celebrate a big grand re-opening on June 1.

For all of those year-round rising kindergartners out there, Marbles will hold a Kick-off to Kindergarten for rising year-round kids, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., June 7. This event is usually held in August (it's still set for Aug. 17 this year for traditional calendar students). But, by the time August rolls around, year-round kids have been in school for a few weeks. This event is free for year-round rising kindergartners and their families. Kids can practice being in a lunch line, hop on a school bus and explore circle time.