4/26-4/27
Steet urchins: The guys from everyone's favorite block come to the Valley
Pequito partiers: Children celebrated during traditional holiday
Jason Hill
Odor eaters: Find out what the stink is about at the Phoenix Science Center
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The Arizona Science Center is making a big stink, and kids with a nose for fun will want to get more than a whiff. A two-day salute to the fifth sense, the center's Sense of Smell Weekend engages little learners with hands-on activities. Visitors can make soap from unconventional ingredients, such as chile peppers and garlic, and then do something truly disgusting: sniff tee shirts worn by the opposite sex (cootie alert!) while learning about scent and gender. Creepy creatures will be on hand — a tarantula, a bearded dragon lizard, a Sonoran gopher snake — as kids learn why smell is so important to animals.The weekend reaches glamorous heights when the Odor Eaters Smelly Sneaker Contest crowns reeky royalty: The contestant with the "smelliest, dirtiest and most worn-out sneakers in Arizona" wins $200 and a trip to the national competition in Vermont.
Free with regular admission, Sense of Smell activities run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, at the center, 600 East Washington. Call 602-716-2000 or see www.azscience.org.- Jill Koch
Street Theater
The gangs all here
4/24-4/27
Now that the "Bert Is Evil" backlash has simmered down, the yellow fellow and his colorful cronies are back on the road. From Thursday, April 24, through Sunday, April 27, Sesame Street Live: 1, 2, 3 . . . Imagine! lights up the Dodge Theatre, 400 West Washington. For tickets, call 480-784-4444. - Jill Koch
Small Wonders
4/26-4/27
Childhood holds pleasures all its own — i.e., Kool-Aid mustaches and cartoon-character pajamas — and kids should rejoice in that reality. On Sunday, April 27, the Phoenix Zoo celebrates Día de los Niños (Day of the Children), observing the traditional Latin American holiday with music, games, piñatas and costumed characters. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the "celebration of children" is included in zoo admission: $12 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $5 for ages 3 to 12. The zoo is located at 455 North Galvin Parkway; call 602-273-1341 for details. -- Jill Koch
All the World's a Page...
All the World's: Costumed storytellers, music and clowns, oh my
4/26-4/27
Once upon a time, a Storytelling Festival delighted all the children of the Valley, bringing to life tales folk and fairy. The merriment filled two entire days, until the demon called "Monday" — the most fearsome of creatures — put an end to the fun.
Once upon a time happens this weekend at Scottsdale Community College, where the annual Storytelling Festival & Book Faire treats kids 2 through 10 to the talents of costumed storytellers, authors, poets and artists. Also featuring clowns, music, food and toys, the festivities run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, at SCC, just east of Loop 101 on Chaparral. Admission is $12 per carload; call 602-387-4958. - Jill Koch
