Kidstuff from your trusty Weekly editor and the author of a daddy blog that you should definitely (probably?) check out, The Dadding Hack.
I’m a big fan of science and history museums. Though I often leave feeling like, “I could have googled all that,” I know the point is to provide air conditioning for sweaty people on hot summer days.
I kid. I kid. There’s lots to like about the two in North Texas. I love the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History’s playground and kid exhibits (well, I mean, my son loves the playground and kid exhibits –– I’m more of a Energy Blast-kinda guy), and I, um, really dig the shiny rocks and big skeletons at the Perot Museum.
And unlike an art museum, where collections and exhibits (and gift shops) rule, science/history museums are probably best defined by their programming. Fort Worth’s is solid. For a couple of years now, the museum has been engaging grownups via its PUBlic Knowledge lecture series, in which (with the exception of my appearance a year or two ago) smart people talk about cool stuff. The next one is 7pm Tuesday at Times Ten Cellars, where Zachary Moore from Cadence Research & Consulting will discuss the cancer and how “modern scientific research and novel therapies are changing the balance of power in our favor.” Admission is free.
But the tiny tots are the focus. For the last weekend of Maker’s Studio –– 10am-4pm Thu-Fri, Aug 13-14 –– kids 8 and up can make textiles, fuse plastic together to make waterproof bags or jackets, or custom print fabric from their home printers, and two Fridays from now, on Aug. 14, at 6pm, come dressed as your favorite galactic character for Reel Adventures in Science Fiction. Along with meeting with characters from the Star Wars 501st Legion and USS Artemis STARFLEET International Organization and watching Star Trek on the giant IMAX screen, the little Boba Fetts and Captain Kirks will be able to paint with light, play with stomp rockets, and mold figures that can be made into pendants, ornaments, or standalone models, among other things. Tickets are $13-15.
A lot closer in time, like in a couple of hours (7pm tonight), the Perot is having a sleepover for kids 6-12 and their folks. The fun includes after-hours access to the exhibits, exclusive demonstrations, hands-on discovery, a late-night snack, a 3D movie, and, when you wake at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, a light breakfast. Tickets are $30 adult, $45 kid. Call 214-428-5555.
Walking distance in the Cultural District from Fort Worth’s science/history museum, W.E. Scott Theatre inside the Fort Worth Community Arts Center will be rocking from 7:30pm tonight (Friday) through 2pm Sunday. That’s because Look Up will be making its world premiere. Kicking off the 2015-16 touring season with actors from all over the world, Kids Who Care’s original musical promises to “have audiences of all ages connecting, laughing, and ready to use the powers of technology for positive change.” Tickets are $15. Call 817-737-5437.
What is The Dadding Fam doing? We’re going to BRIT tomorrow morning for some plant walks and the farmers’ market and to hang out with Bella, the begonia hand puppet, during storytime in the Burk Children’s Library. BRIT’s First Saturdays are from 8am ’til noon. Admission is free. Call 817-332-4441.
