419 past events with the children's events tag

March 10; 1–3 p.m. 
Cost: $38; member discounts apply
Registration deadline: March 7 
Center Building, Cantina

Brighten up your winter windows with your very own fused glass masterpiece! In this youth workshop tweens and teens will have a ball learning to use kiln-fired crushed glass to create a beautiful tie-dye effect suncatcher.

March 23; 10 a.m.–1 p.m. 
Free community event
Cost: $20/glass egg
Oakhurst Gardens

Grab your family and friends to help you search for eggs hidden in Oakhurst Gardens. While you explore the gardens, be on the lookout for a special visit from the Easter Bunny! Don’t want to hunt for your egg? Come to the Ed Center in Oakhurst Gardens for the Annual Spring Glass Sale in partnership with the Ball State University Glass Guild.

March 27; 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Free community event
Various Locations Across Campus

Bring your family and friends for a day full of exhibition-themed adventures at Minnetrista! With so much being offered, the day is a choose-your-own-adventure opportunity. The various activities create space for learning, active family participation, and fun! Spend a beautiful spring day at Minnetrista.

The event will have three two-hour sessions. Pre-registration is highly encouraged.

Start: April 6, 2024 1:30 p.m.
End: April 6, 2024 4 p.m.
Location: David Owsley Museum of Art

Join student teachers from the Ball State Art Education program for an afternoon of games, activities, and tours in the DOMA galleries - plus (weather permitting) creating sunprints on the Quad as a pre-solar eclipse activity! This fun opportunity for families and kids of all ages is open to the public and free with registration by April 3rd:

https://commerce.cashnet.com/BALL_EMS023?itemcode=EMS023-WKS4

Children must be accompanied by an adult guardian.

April 13; 10 a.m.–3 p.m. 
Free community event

As April unfolds, ushering in Earth Day and Arbor Day, the cabin is embracing the green theme of the month with a take-home planting activity to learn about pollination. Select a wildflower bingo card and explore Oakhurst Gardens and the Nature Area. Don’t worry, we will have wildflower identification cards to help too! The fun does not end there: forest connectagons, leaf rubbing supplies, and plant ID books will also be available for an immersive and educational experience.

Get ready to experience an amazing journey in the crazy world of Wonderland! Based on the classic by Lewis Carroll, “Alice” is an action-packed theatrical circus full of surprises, amazing acts, video projection with 3-D mapping and live music. Alice’s adventures are a manifesto to fantasy and free spirit, as well as a profound philosophy towards respecting all opinions, including those that may be different from your own.

Imagine the March Hare balancing on a tower of chairs during a tea party or The Mad Hatter playing crazy instruments or Alice performing acrobatics inside a giant keyhole!

“Dreaming of Wonderland” features an international cast of veteran performers from across Europe and North America, including acrobats, a 4-member hand-to-hand balancing act, a one-man band, and a new art form creating original creations with smoke and bubbles.

So follow the White Rabbit, pass through the keyhole and join us at the Tea Party, remember that you don’t need to look for meaning, after all…”we’re all mad here!” Get your tickets today!

May 16; 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Free community event 

Join us in celebrating the splendor of green spaces by crafting vibrant works of art using natural materials. With simple ingredients like leaves, flower petals, sticks, and watercolors, we will create one-of-a-kind spray paintings that will give your walls the same vibrancy that gardens bring to our world. 

June 3–7; 9 a.m.–2 p.m. 
Cost: $275 | Member discounts apply 
Registration deadline: May 30 

Campers will learn to follow recipes, experiment with kitchen appliances, and broaden their culinary skills! The fun will include a cook-off where teams showcase their new skills and receive feedback from a professional chef on Minnetrista’s hospitality team.  

For young chefs 9–11 years old. Lunch provided. 

June 8; 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Free community event 

Celebrate the beauty of birds at Betty’s Cabin by crafting your own pinecone bird feeder. Look through our field guides to learn more about the birds you can see in your backyard and then use our binoculars to spot feathered friends. Following your avian exploration, join us on a family-friendly bird walk through Oakhurst Gardens at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m., where you can discover even more feathered delights! 

June 10–14; 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Cost: $275 | Member Discounts Apply
Registration Deadline: June 6

Attention, aspiring young chefs! Grab your aprons and get ready to dive into the kitchen in our upper-level summer camp. Campers will whip up exciting new recipes, hone their skills with kitchen appliances, and explore techniques to expand their culinary palates.  

For young chefs 12–14 years old. Lunch provided. 

July 25-27; 5–9 p.m. 
July 27; 12:30–3:30 p.m. | Sensory-friendly event 
Cost: $10 for members, $12 for non-members, kids 2 & under free 

During this multi-day event, children are encouraged to come dressed in their best magical faerie attire as they imagine and play in an enchanted faerie wonderland. Families can enjoy games, crafts, a theater show, live music and dancing, a bubble garden, and more throughout our enchanted Oakhurst Gardens. Plus, concessions will be available to keep all of our hungry faeries happy, offering an array of delectable delights ranging from faerie-sized treats to savory snacks fit for even the most discerning woodland appetite.

July 25-27; 5–9 p.m. 
July 27; 12:30–3:30 p.m. | Sensory-friendly event 
Cost: $10 for members, $12 for non-members, kids 2 & under free 

During this multi-day event, children are encouraged to come dressed in their best magical faerie attire as they imagine and play in an enchanted faerie wonderland. Families can enjoy games, crafts, a theater show, live music and dancing, a bubble garden, and more throughout our enchanted Oakhurst Gardens. Plus, concessions will be available to keep all of our hungry faeries happy, offering an array of delectable delights ranging from faerie-sized treats to savory snacks fit for even the most discerning woodland appetite.

July 25-27; 5–9 p.m. 
July 27; 12:30–3:30 p.m. | Sensory-friendly event 
Cost: $10 for members, $12 for non-members, kids 2 & under free 

During this multi-day event, children are encouraged to come dressed in their best magical faerie attire as they imagine and play in an enchanted faerie wonderland. Families can enjoy games, crafts, a theater show, live music and dancing, a bubble garden, and more throughout our enchanted Oakhurst Gardens. Plus, concessions will be available to keep all of our hungry faeries happy, offering an array of delectable delights ranging from faerie-sized treats to savory snacks fit for even the most discerning woodland appetite.

August 9; 4–8 p.m. 

Center Building | Free community event 

Let's weave our community story—one portrait at a time! Bring along something dear to you, whether it's a cherished object, a loved one, or simply yourself, and have your portrait captured by renowned photographer Tom Styrkowicz. Each visitor will receive a copy of their portrait to take home, while a curated selection will be featured in our 2025 exhibition, Community Portraits. Join us as we celebrate and share the diverse stories of our community through the lens of Tom Styrkowicz's photography! 

August 10; 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
August 11; noon–4 p.m.  

Center Building | Free community event 

Let's weave our community story—one portrait at a time! Bring along something dear to you, whether it's a cherished object, a loved one, or simply yourself, and have your portrait captured by renowned photographer Tom Styrkowicz. Each visitor will receive a copy of their portrait to take home, while a curated selection will be featured in our 2025 exhibition, Community Portraits. Join us as we celebrate and share the diverse stories of our community through the lens of Tom Styrkowicz's photography! 

August 11; noon–4 p.m.  

Center Building | Free community event 

Let's weave our community story—one portrait at a time! Bring along something dear to you, whether it's a cherished object, a loved one, or simply yourself, and have your portrait captured by renowned photographer Tom Styrkowicz. Each visitor will receive a copy of their portrait to take home, while a curated selection will be featured in our 2025 exhibition, Community Portraits. Join us as we celebrate and share the diverse stories of our community through the lens of Tom Styrkowicz's photography!