Puppets, Pets and Little Green Thumbs

Inspired by the Oscars? Have the cutest pet in town? Capture your best buddy on video and enter the sponsored by Outreach to Pets in Need. Have your little filmmaker create a 30-second to 3-minute video and enter the contest for a chance to win a Flip camera -- and possible celluloid fame. Submissions are due March 13. 

Your little Sesame Street fan will flip over this Puppet Making Workshop at Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk. Author and puppeter, Noel MacNeal (Sesame Street, Bear in the Big Blue House), will help kids make their very own puppets, all from his new book, 10-Minute Puppets at 2 p.m. on March 12.

Teens love to cook -- and eat. Get them cooking at the Trackside Teen Center in Wilton where is offering classes on the second Friday of each month. Teens will cook in a commercial kitchen, complete with a grill and top-shelf ingredients. They'll even learn the secrets of how TV chefs make meals happen: 3:30 to 5 p.m. on March 11.    

If your child loves to help out in the garden, the New Canaan Nature Center has just the program. , ages 5 to 7,  will try out those little green thumbs as they tend to plants from start to finish, from planting seeds in the greenhouse to planting in the garden. Five Fridays beginning on March 11 and ending May 13.

Get a jump on St. Paddy's Day at the Outback Teen Center with a traditional plus all the fixin's, prepared by Chef Margot Murray. Kids will love the live music by The Shamrogues and Irish step dancing by the Anam Cara Irish Dance School. All proceeds from this event will go toward Teen Leadership programming at the Outback. 5 to 7 p.m. on March 10.  

Drop in to the  program to celebrate the wonderful stories of everyone's favorite author. At the New Canaan Library for ages 4-8, from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. on March 12.