Kids Almanac: Minnewaska’s Babes in the Woods, raptors, teen screenwriting & Red Hook reading fest

Learn about sheep and wool this Sunday and animal tracks this Wednesday at Olana in Hudson

Olana is beautiful and historic. It’s worth a visit on its own. But it has also put together some terrific programs, so that you can bring your families to experience this Hudson Valley treasure and have the opportunity to learn even more about life here, both past and present. On Sunday, April 15 from 1 to 3 p.m., Olana and Hawthorne Valley team up to present “The Art of Farming Series: Sheep and Wool in Columbia County – Part 1, Investigate the History and Character of Sheep in Columbia County.” (Part 2 takes place on April 29.) The hands-on activities include carding and spinning (just like in fairy tales), and there will be gentle live sheep on-site to meet and greet. Participants will take home a woven wool bracelet.

Preregistration is required by noon on Friday, April 13. The cost for the one-day program is $15 per person, $5 per class for each additional family member; children age 5 and under are free. There is an additional $5 fee per car for parking (waived for current Empire Passport holders and Olana Partnership members).

Are your kids mystery buffs as much as mine are? Are they determined to pull together clues to help figure out the answers to puzzling questions? On Wednesday, April 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, Olana is hosting “Science Class: Animal Tracks – Clues that Tell a Tale.” Participants will walk the carriage roads searching for animal tracks using track patterns and signs in nature to identify the animals that made them. They’ll also make plaster molds of animal tracks to take home.

This event is free and open to the public, ages 6 through 9 and ages 10 through 14. Preregistration is suggested by Monday, April 16. Olana is located at 5720 Route 9G in Hudson. For more information or to register for either program, call (518) 828-1872, extension 109, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.olana.org.

 Eric Carle stories come alive with Mermaid Theatre’s puppets at UPAC in Kingston on April 18

Our family is so looking forward to Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s “A Brown Bear, a Moon and a Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle.” Our daughter is always enchanted by the mesmerizing puppetry during the show, and our son is fascinated by the technical explanations shared at the end by the puppeteers. I think that the troupe’s sets are clever, and its stories are familiar and engaging.

Seats for this one-hour show are still available at the Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) on April 18 at 10 a.m. and at 12:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 each or $6 for members and may be purchased at the door the day of the performance. UPAC is located at 601 Broadway in Kingston. For more information, call the theatre at (845) 339-6088 or visit www.upac.org. To learn more about Mermaid Theatre, visit www.mermaidtheatre.ns.ca.

Erica Chase-Salerno lives, loves and laughs in New Paltz with her husband Mike and their two children: the inspirations behind hudsonvalleyparents.com. She can be reached at [email protected].