Family Fun Planner: Trashy exploration teaches kids to go green

Trash Mountain, part of the Children's Museum exhibit Trash Bash

EXHIBIT / TRASH BASH

Oct. 3: The Minnesota Children's Museum new exhibit, Trash Bash, opens Saturday and features Trash Mountain, a representation of the trash one family of four generates in a year. Visitors can walk through the waste mountain and examine a live compost display. The exhibit also encourages youngsters to use such ordinary items as boxes, fabrics and stuffed animals for imaginative play. The exhibit will continue through Nov. 29. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Minnesota Children's Museum, 10 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; $8.95, younger than 1 free; 651-225-6000 or mcm.org.

ARTS / PRINCE RAMA'S JOURNEY

Oct 3: Tales from the ancient Indian epic Ramayana will come to life throughout the day at the Walker Art Center's First Free Saturday event. The story, which dates back between 750 and 500 B.C., will be portrayed through music and classical Indian dance, storytelling performances and art-making workshops. 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; free; 612-375-7600 or walkerart.org.

EVENT / APPLE FESTIVAL

Oct. 3-4: The Gibbs Museum celebrates the origins of Minnesota's apple harvest with games, crafts and apple treats served with homemade ice cream. Enjoy a hayride tour of the pioneer farm site, meet Johnny Appleseed in costume and walk through an orchard planted with apple varieties early settlers might have

OPEN HOUSE / FALL COLOR BLAST

Oct. 4: Looking to snap a few shots of the changing fall colors before they're gone? Come to Warner Nature Center's Fall Color Blast, the center's largest public open house of the year. Hike through the center's forest and bog, cruise across Lake Terrapin in the center's solar-powered boat or canoe the lake the old-fashioned way. Apples and ice cream will be served. 1-5 p.m.; 15375 Norell Ave. N., Marine on St. Croix; free; 651-433-2427 or warnernaturecenter.org.

EVENT / RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

Through Oct. 4: The annual Minnesota Renaissance Festival features entertainment, food and more than 200 crafters, including potters, jewelers and glass blowers. The opening weekend's theme is the Silk Road, which lets festival organizers stretch beyond 16th century England to bring in such acts as belly dancing, an Arabian horse show and hookah demonstrations. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends, plus Labor Day and Oct. 2; 12364 Chestnut Blvd., Shakopee; $10.95 to $19.95; 800-966-8215 or renaissancefest.com

EXHIBIT / WOLVES AT THE BELL MUSEUM

Through Oct. 4: The fate of wolves, recently taken off the federal list of endangered species in Minnesota, is considered in the exhibit 'Wolves and Wild Lands in the 21st Century' at the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History. The exhibit includes mounted animals, photographs and paintings from the museum collection. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays; 10 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis; $5 adults, $3 students, children ages 3-16 and seniors, free for children younger than 3. 612-624-7083 or www.bellmuseum.org.

THEATER / I LIKE ME

Through Oct. 25: Stages Theatre is serving up a season of page to stage plays based on well-known children's books. In this production, Louanne the pig trots on stage with her message of self-esteem in an adaptation of Nancy Carlson's picture book 'I Like Me.' Carlson, who lives in Bloomington, will be on hand after the 1 p.m. performance on Oct. 17 to greet fans and sign her book. Stages Theatre, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; $5 to $15; 952-979-1111 or stagestheatre.org.

AMUSEMENT RIDES / COMO TOWN, CAFESJIAN'S CAROUSEL

Through October: Two attractions, Como Town and Cafesjian's Carousel, are open at Como Park, Midway Parkway and Kaufman Drive, St. Paul.