Activities will include a world spelling bee, an interactive quiz show, geography bingo, and a food-identification contest. Attendees can watch free 3-D movies with glasses, a tai chi and kung fu exhibition by grand master Matt Zhang of East West Institute, and free balloon figures by balloon sculptor Josh Steinhouse.
International Spring Festival, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at North Penn High School, 1340 Valley Forge Rd., Lansdale. Admission: Free. Information: 215-362-2666 or www.internationalspringfestival.
com.
Attack of the Bloodsuckers
Mosquitoes, leeches, and other skin-crawling parasites invade the Delaware Museum of Natural History during "Attack of the Bloodsuckers," an exhibit exploring the world of creatures that eat blood.
Interactive components demonstrate how mosquitoes find their food by following carbon dioxide trails. Visitors can measure how much carbon dioxide is left by their own breath. They also can use an infrared thermometer to detect a warm arm, even through a shirtsleeve, demonstrating how mosquitoes use temperature to find meals.
Nearby, a model compound eye shows how insects easily detect motion with their multiple vision. The exhibit includes blood-eating creatures from around the world, including a lifelike model of a vampire bat, a preserved sea lamprey, vampire fish, and bloodsucking birds from the Galapagos Islands.
A large inflated tick will hug visitors. The exhibit, which runs through May 16, also features a life-size version of Twitcher, a buggy variation of the game Twister. Kids and adults also can play a matching game that reveals different types of insects, and can learn about tools that creatures use to feast.
"Attack of the Bloodsuckers," 9:30 a.m. daily through May 16 at the Delaware Museum of Natural History, 4840 Kennett Pike (Route 52), Wilmington. Museum hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Admission: $7, $5 ages 3 to 17, $6 ages 60 and older. Free 2 and younger. Information: 302-658-9111 or www.delmnh.org.
Healthy family dance
On Saturday, the YMCA Indian Valley branch hosts Healthy Kids Day with its first-ever Family Dance Night.
From 6 to 8 p.m., kids, families, couples, and friends can dance to support YMCA's Healthy Kids initiative in the community. Partygoers are asked to bring a kid-friendly canned good or nonperishable food item to the free event. All food will be donated to the Keystone Opportunity Center's food bank.
YMCA Healthy Kids Day, celebrated across the country at more than 1,700 YMCA locations, is the nation's largest health day for children and families. It offers families a chance to play together and learn about healthier living. Events are free and open to all.
Family Dance Night, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Indian Valley Family YMCA, 890 Maple Ave., Harleysville. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Facility hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Event is free. Must preregister and donate canned good or nonperishable food item for admission to the dance. Information: 215-723-3569 or www.northpennymca.org/NP/events.html
Contact Monica Peters at mpeters@phillynews.com.
