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NATURE / SPRING FLOWER SHOW
March 27-May 2: Spring gets an early start indoors at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. The annual spring flower show features thousands of daffodils, tulips and hyacinth, along with snapdragons, iris, pansies, violas and hydrangea, all nestled along the stone pathways and pools of the sunken garden. Activities include gardener talks, story times, games and crafts. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (open until 6 p.m. starting April 1); Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Dr., St Paul; free; 651-487-8272 or comozooconservatory.org.
MUSIC / JACK PEARSON
March 27: Jack Pearson brings his guitar (and maybe suspenders) to the Ginkgo Coffeehouse for a morning of music and storytelling for kids. The Minneapolis performer has played family shows for 30-plus years at coffee houses, parks, libraries and churches. Expect standards like "Waltzing with Bears" and "Old Joe Clark," along with original tunes that range from sweet and tender to unabashedly goofy. 10 a.m.; Ginkgo Coffeehouse, 721 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul; free; 651-645-2647 or ginkgocoffee.com.
MAGIC / MATT DUNN
March 27: Small children who believe in magic may not be amazed by magician Matt Dunn. They'll just think he's a wizard. Everyone else will wonder how he conjures fish into an empty glass of water or makes balls suddenly appear in a child's hands.
ANIMALS / FARM BABIES AT MINNESOTA ZOO
April 1-30: A new crop of chicks, piglets, lambs, calves, goat kids, bunnies and ducklings are arriving this week at the Wells Fargo Family Farm, a cluster of bright red, fully-working farm buildings in the zoo's northwest corner. Children can get close to the animals and learn how modern farms run. It's also a good way to learn where your food comes from — all the animals will be heading to market when they grow up. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley; $13-$7 (parking $5). 952-431-9500 or mnzoo.org.
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. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday; 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.
