Free or Cheap Albany Kid’s Events March 8-14: Women’s Rights Day, Girl Scout Day, & Pi Day

We’re into the full swing of our regular school schedule this week.  My son’s homeschool writing class starts this week, and the wilderness survival class returns later this month.  My daughter’s Winter Fridays program at Jiminy Peak is done for the year, and both kids will resume their weekly fencing lessons.  Until Spring Break next month, we’ll stick to the new “normal” schedule.

One exhibit that we don’t want to miss this week is the Tang Museum’s Lives of the Hudson exhibit before it ends on March 14.  We had planned to visit last week, but ended up going to see the 1609 exhibit at the NY State Museum instead since it was closing on March 7.  I’m glad we didn’t miss 1609 as it was a good addition to my son’s Social Studies focus on New York.  I also found it interesting as it dispelled myths about the Dutch settlers, and left us both with a better appreciation of early settlement in the Capital Region.

This week, we’re looking forward to city day trips. The boys are heading out to NYC for a Dude’s Day Trip To The Art Museum To Hear Lightning Thief Author, while I’m taking Teen Daughter to the Spark Program at MIT in Boston that’s a mini version of the very popular Fall Splash Program. It’s going to be a fun and educational travel week!

Monday – March 8, 2010 – Women’s Rights Day

• Girl Power – Local exhibits, day trips, and virtual field trips.

Tuesday – March 9, 2010

• Frog and Toad Watch – 6PM, FREE, Grafton State Park, 194 Shaver Pond Rd, Grafton, NY. (845) 256-3829 (Call to Register, Required) DEC’s Frog and Toad Monitoring Program is offering this free one-hour training. Learn frog and toad calls, choose a local route, and your data will help amphibian conservation efforts. Refreshments provided at training.

Wednesday – March 10, 2010

• Mud Pond Snowshoe Hike – 10AM-12PM, $2, $5 Snowshoe Rentals, Moreau Lake State Park Nature Center, 605 Old Saratoga Road,Gansevoort, NY, (518) 793-0511.

Thursday – March 11, 2010

• Hudson River Eagle Watch – 10AM-12PM, $2, $5 Snowshoe Rentals, Moreau Lake State Park Nature Center, 605 Old Saratoga Road,Gansevoort, NY, (518) 793-0511. Grab a pair of binoculars and join park staff on their weekly Bald Eagle survey.
• Medieval Music Night – 6-7PM, $5, Musicians of all ages are invited to a coached chamber music session at Cady School of Music, 819 Livingston Ave. Ext., Albany, NY

Friday – March 12, 2010 – Girl Scout Day

• Red Oak Ridge Hike – 1-3PM, $2, $5 Snowshoe Rentals, Moreau Lake State Park Nature Center, 605 Old Saratoga Road,Gansevoort, NY, (518) 793-0511. This is moderate hike with some short steep sections. Participants will learn about the unique Appalachian forest community found along this ridge.
• Bark Up A Tree – 2PM, $3, Saratoga State Park, 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, NY. Bring your well-behaved canine companion on a dog-friendly hike to learn how to identify trees by their bark. Space is limited. Dogs must be leashed at all times. (518) 584-2000 ext 119 Registration Required.

Saturday – March 13, 2010

• 2010 Healthy Living for Life Symposium Family Day- 9-4PM, FREE, The Sage Colleges, Troy – Bush Memorial Hall & Buchman Pavilion, 45 Ferry St., Troy, NY.
• Backyard Maple Sugaring – 10AM-12PM, $2/person, $5/family, Grafton State Park, 194 Shaver Pond Rd, Grafton, NY. (518) 279-1155 (Call to Register, Required) Celebrate the first day of Spring with some sweetness of the season! Brief Video, demonstration of syruping, and sampling of syrup for all!
• Art for All Drop In Program – 1–4PM Free (w/Admission $6/Kids, $10/Adults)  Albany Institute of History & Art 125 Washington Avenue  Albany, NY. Explore history and art through creativity. Art for All begins in the galleries and is followed by an art-making activity in the studio.
• “The Mermaid of Edam” – 1PM & 3PM, Free, Rotterdam Square Mall, 93 W Campbell Rd, Schenectady, NY. Play about a mermaid washed ashore in The Netherlands presented by The Schenectady Theater for Children Inc.
• Spark @ MIT – All Day, $20, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA.  One day of classes on a wide variety of subjects for students in Grades 7-12.
• It’s Elemental-Iron @ CMOST – 1PM, $2 (Members/Free) Hands-on workshop on Iron, and how it relates to health. The Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST), 250 Jordan Road, Troy, NY.

Sunday – March 14, 2010 – Pi Day & Spring Forward Daylights Savings Time

• Plan a Pi Day Party
• Pi Day at the Exploratorium – International webcast, activities & links.
• Empire Youth Orchestra String Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble 2 – 3PM, $5/Students, $8/Adults, Picotte Recital Hall, Massry Center for the Arts, The College of Saint Rose, 432 Western Avenue, Albany, NY.
• Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – 1-2 PM, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.  Rick Riordan, author of the award-winning book series, talks about gods and heroes, his love of Greek mythology, and why he chose to feature the Met in The Lightning Thief.

Sign Up Before It’s Too Late:

• World Building: Exploration In Fantasy Writing – Wednesdays, March 10- May 5, 12:30-2PM, $125, Instructor Tammy Robinson, Recommended for upper elementary or middle school students. EAST LINE BOOKS 1714 Rt. 9, Clifton Park, NY 12065 (518)-371-4151. In a workshop setting, participants will create original fantasy stories with special attention to the development of well-developed characters and a clear plot structure. Special attention and focus will be given to the world building necessary to create a fantasy world in literature through the exploration of fantasy literature, resource information and mythology. In addition to in-class free writing and supportive discussion, students will explore different genres of poetry through exercises to create the folklore and mythology of their new fantasy world and its characters in addition to creating their original story.
• Spring Classes @ Tamakoce Wilderness Programs – Roots of Learning Wilderness Survival Classes start 3rd week in March, weekly classes are held at Dyken Pond in Rensselaer County, Bio Reserve in Albany, and at Caretaker Farms in Williamstown, MA.
• Fundamentals of Field Ecology – Application due March 22, 2010 for Summer Immersion Program July 18 – Aug. 7, 2010 for current 10th, 11th, & 12th grade students at Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station – Rensselaerville, NY.

From Capital District Fun:

• This Week – More activities for young children.
• Theater Roundup!–updated – Capital Region theater & high school musicals.
• What About Today? – Regularly scheduled events for kids in the Capital Region such as Artful Afternoons at the Hyde Collection on Wednesdays, or Family Sundays at the Arts Center of the Capital Region.