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OUTDOORS / WINTER BLIZZARD BLAST
Feb. 20: Warner Nature Center's outdoor winter festival includes hiking, animal tracking, horse-logging demonstrations, under-ice viewing and a chance to build your own quinzhee — a cave you dig into a mound of snow. And, of course, there's hot chocolate. 1-5 p.m.; Lee and Rose Warner Nature Center, 15375 Norell Av. N., Marine-on-St. Croix; $5-3; 651-433-2427 or warnernaturecenter.org.
FILM / PLAYMATION
Feb. 20: The free children's film series Childish Films continues with a line-up of experimental animation. This month's short vintage flicks include: "Boogie Doodle" (1941), created with doodles of a dot, a heart, a water drop and a squiggle drawn directly on the film. Two boys have a late-night backyard adventure in "Moonbird" (1959). Hand-drawn shapes dance to jazz in "Hoppity Pop" (1946). Two sisters play dress-up and act out fights in "Cockaboody" (1974). And, underwater sea creatures dance ballet in "Aquarium"(2005). Walker Art Center leads activities preceding the films. 10:30 a.m.; Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.; free; 612-630-6174 or friendsofmpl.org.
EVENT / AMERICAN GIRL TEA
Feb. 20: Avalon Tea Room is setting the table for its popular
MUSIC / JUSTIN ROBERTS
Feb. 21: The popular children's' musician returns to the Twin Cities with the Not Ready for Naptime Players as one of the all-stars in the indie family music scene. His songs range from the downright silly, like "Brontosaurus Got a Sweet Tooth," to poignant ballads about sad mommies, bullies, the sorrow of moving to a new house and scary doctors with needles. 11 a.m.; Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.; $15; 612-338-2674 or thecedar.org.
MUSIC / JAZZ TRIBUTE TO DUKE ELLINGTON
Feb. 21: Local jazz favorites the Dean Brewington Quartet and vocalist Debbie Duncan offer a two-hour tribute to Duke Ellington as part of the St. Paul Library's Black History Month series. Groove to classics like "Satin Doll" and "Mood Indigo" interspersed with a short educational program by Twin Cities jazz archivist and historian Tony Garrett. (The program will be repeated at Rondo Community Outreach Library on Feb. 28). 2 to 4 p.m.; Central Library (third floor Magazine Room), 90 W. Fourth St., St. Paul; free; 651- 266-7034 or www.stpaul.lib.mn.us.
THEATER / MR. MCGEE & THE BITING FLEA
Through Feb. 21: This new production at the Children's Theatre Company is based on six whimsical stories written by popular New Zealand children's writer Pamela Allen. Watch what happens when a wayward duckling doesn't listen to its mother, meet the monster who lives in Mary Elizabeth's house and see Mr. McGee shed most of his clothes and dive into the ocean to escape a biting flea. 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls.; $40-$16; 612-874-0400 or childrenstheatre.org.
NATURE/ WINTER FLOWER SHOW
Through March 21: Breathe in the humidity and soak up the vibrant color at the new winter flower show in the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory's formal sunken garden. The new display features hundreds of freesia, camellia, foxglove, cyclamen, lily and azalea. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Como Zoo and Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Drive, St. Paul; Free; comozooconservatory.org or 651-487-8201.
EXHIBIT / DINOSAURS: LAND OF FIRE AND ICE
Through May: Staff at the Minnesota Children's Museum used up-to-date research to design an interactive exhibit where kids can explore two distinct climates — the land of fire and the land of ice. Kids can walk through a bog, meet the animatronic T-Rex, climb icy steps and pretend to be a paleontologist by uncovering fossils with brushes. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Minnesota Children's Museum, 10 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; $7.95; 651-225-6000 or mcm.org.
HISTORY EXHIBIT / MINNESOTA'S GREATEST GENERATION
Ongoing: The Minnesota History Center exhibit uses recorded interviews, photographs, film footage and hundreds of artifacts to document the experiences of an entire generation, from childhood in the 1920s through World War II and into the present. Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17, free for children ages 5 and younger. 651-259-3000 or mnhs.org.
FILM / FREE FAMILY FLICKS
Ongoing: The Theatres at Mall of America shows free family flicks every Saturday at 10 a.m. Arrive early to get a seat. See theatresmoa.com to find out what's showing.
NATURE / BIRDING
Ongoing: See songbirds up close and watch experts band birds as part of an ongoing effort to help scientists learn more about bird migrations and habits. All ages welcome. Carpenter Nature Center has been capturing, banding and releasing birds for 26 years. 9 a.m.-noon every fourth Friday of the month, Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center, 12805 St. Croix Trail, Hastings; free; please call ahead to let them know you're coming; 651-437-4359 or CarpenterNatureCenter.org.
