Search for gnomes in the Children's Garden using your best "I Spy" skills. Checklist provided.

Explore the ideas from nature that inspired some great scientific inventions. Participants watch a short presentation and visit stations to experiment with some of nature's inventions, then end with a hike outside to make discoveries.

Bud, Not Buddy  follows the journey of a young African-American orphan as he searches for his father. Clues kept in a suitcase lead him to adventures in Depression-era Michigan, where he finds community among a group of jazz musicians and, ultimately, an unexpected sense of home. Performances are Jan. 12-Feb. 24, 2013.

Based on the book by Gary D. Schmidt, performances are 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays from Jan. 19-March 2 (no performances Jan. 26-Feb. 2). Recommended for children 9 and older.

This 75-minute adaptation, told in Shakespeare's own words, speaks to today's youth about their own lives. After the performance, audiences are welcome to join the cast for a post-show discussion. Runs 11 a.m. Saturdays from Feb. 23-March 23.

Musical that chronicles the sociological effects upon youth from fatherless homes and how they manage to uplift themselves in spite of it. Kwanzaa week holiday performances are Dec. 26, 27, 28. Regular run is Jan. 12-June 1, 2013.

Famous fairy tales as you've never seen them before. Jack is trying to escape from the Giant, but other fairy tale characters keep getting in his way.

Equal parts pop rock concert and animated storybook, Gustafer Yellowgold concerts are a truly different multimedia experience that entrances children and adults alike.

Interactive learning centers include a barn slide, apple orchard and chicken coop. Maggie, a life-sized fiberglass milking cow sponsored by Golden Oaks Farm in Wauconda, will be the focus of the new exhibit. Maggie is over five feet tall and features a working udder that recirculates the water that children "milk."