FAMILY
Children can learn to make a scarecrow, play an instrument, collect stamps or run a marathon this weekend as various organizations offer programs that target youngsters:
? Get back to the land Saturday at the second annual Children's Harvest Festival at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific.
Young would-be farmers can learn how to make a scarecrow, dig a garden and plant garlic, paint a garden picture, create a seed ball or learn to play bluegrass music. The hands-on activities are meant to educate children about growing and harvesting their own food.
Those who work up an appetite will enjoy the scheduled barbecue.
Admission to the festival is by donation, and is free for children. The event runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (formerly Glendale Gardens), 505 Quayle Rd. Parking and main access are off Interurban Road. For more information, go to hcp.ca.
? Sing along at Aesop's Animals, an interactive musical experience. This performance is part of the Victoria Conservatory of Music's Children's Music Concert series for 2012-13.
This musical adaptation of the famous Aesop's Fables features children's entertainers Music Corner. After the concert, children can try their hands at various musical instruments and meet the musicians.
Admission is $12 for children, $15 for adults. Pre-concert activities start at 10: 30 a.m., while the concert is at 11 a.m. Saturday at Wood Recital Hall (Victoria Conservatory of Music), 907 Pandora Ave. Tickets can be purchased at the conservatory front desk, 900 Johnson St. For more information, go to vcm.bc.ca or call 250-386-5311.
? While the adults are busy running in the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon Sunday, up to 1,000 runners of tomorrow take to the streets at the Thrifty Foods Kids Run and Marathon.
The run is open to children 12 or younger who want to run or walk 1.2 kilometres. They will be joined by youngsters completing the last stage of the kids' marathon.
Participants in that program will have already completed 41 kilometres prior to race day and will run the last 1.2 kilometres to complete the 42.2-kilometre marathon distance.
Youngsters nine and under may be accompanied by their parents, who don't have to register.
The $15 entry fee includes a T-shirt, goodie bag and medal. Registration ends at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Victoria Marathon Race Expo at the Victoria Conference Centre. Proceeds from the run benefit KidSport Greater Victoria. For more information, contact the office at 250-658-4520 or by email at [email protected].
? The time-honoured hobby of stamp-collecting is alive and well in Victoria with a thriving and knowledgeable stamp-collecting community and a number of local and up-island clubs.
Meet some of them and view stamps from around the world at the two-day VICPEX 2012 Stamp Show this weekend.
Organizers are offering to give away free stamps to children attending the show.
The show runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9: 30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Topaz Room at the Comfort Hotel and Conference Centre, 3020 Blanshard St.
For more information, email [email protected] or call 250-7211940 evenings.
