Herbaceous Plants (Wed, Jul 9)
5:00 PM-8:00 PM, Tower Hill Botanic Garden: Stoddard Education and Visitors Center, 11 French Drive, Boylston, MA
Instructor: Michael Nelson Become familiar with the identification, culture, and landscape use of the groups of annuals and herbaceous perennials suitable for garden use in Zone 5. Learn to identify plants according to their scientific and common names and to place them in their proper families. Both common and unusual annuals and perennials are covered in this course. Cost: $300 Non-members, $250 Members Wednesdays, through Jul 9.

Summer Vacation Days at the Higgins (Wed, Jul 9)
Higgins Armory Museum, 100 Barber Avenue, Worcester, MA
Come enjoy at nice cool day out of the sun in our air-conditioned Museum. Throughout the summer vacation months of July and August we will be having all-day Heraldic Shield Workshops on the weekdays. For $5 you can make your won heraldic shield to display your arms for all to see. In addition, at 11:30am and 2:00pm we will be running interactive Arms and Armor shows in our auditorium. Should it rain on the weekdays we will do special programming instead of our usual daily programs! At 11:30am we will have our Hands-on History program, at 1:00pm there will be a story time, and at 2:00pm we will have a special show. This special show could be Arming a Knight, 14th Century Knight, Women and Warfare, Roman Arms and Armor or any other of our specialty shows. To find out if we are running Rainy Day programming, listen to WCRN, WTAG, or check higgins.org. Cost: Shows are free with Admission, Workshops are $5 each Through Friday, Jul 11.

Adult and Child: Clay, Creativity and Fun! (Wed, Jul 9)
10:00 AM-12:00 PM, Worcester Center for Crafts, Handbuilding Studio, 25 Sagamore Road, Worcester, MA
One of our most popular classes continues to bring families together to explore the exciting world of clay! Participants learn about pinch pots, coil pots, and using slips and glazes for color. This is an opportunity for family members to have a creative connection while making wonderful and wild things together. Bring your imagination, along with each other, and join the fun! This class is limited to three members per family so that more families may participate. The same family members are requested to attend each class. Limited to 12 students. Cost: Non-Member Fee: $159.00 / Member Fee: $145.00 / Materials Fee: $15.00; Additional Family Member Fees: $70.00 / Additional Family Member Materials $10.00 Wednesdays, through Aug 6.

Review: 'Frida Kahlo' at SFMOMA
"Frida Kahlo," the beautifully presented retrospective that opens today at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, leaves us to answer why her posthumous renown has eclipsed that of her husband, Diego Rivera. Certainly, art by women has gained a credence...

Cosmic Collisions - Spectacular New Planetarium Show (Wed, Jul 9)
EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA
A spectacular new space show, Cosmic Collisions, blasts into the EcoTarium on Saturday, February 16, 2008. Narrated by award-winning actor, director, and producer Robert Redford, the film will be showing in Massachusetts' only digital planetarium, the new Alden Digital Planetarium. Featuring stunning images from space and breathtaking visualizations based on cutting-edge scientific data--many seen for the first time--the dazzling new Cosmic Collisions reveals the explosive encounters that shaped our solar system. Audiences will feel the ground shake beneath them! Cost: $5 plus museum admission; $4 members Through Friday, Feb 13.

Cornucopia: Recent Acquisitions in Japanese Art
November 24, 2007 - October 2008: Showcasing a variety of objects that celebrate the Museum's steadily growing collection of Japanese art, this exhibition features paintings, a display of lacquer vessels, and a selection of contemporary works of art.

The Surprising Story of the Three Little Pigs (Wed, Jul 9)
10:00 AM-11:30 AM, Foothills Theatre Company, 100 Front Street, Worcester, MA
Three classic fairy tales, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, begin in their usual "once upon a time" fashion; however, this time things change on the way to "happily ever after" as the pigs wonder what life would be like if the wolf were not always at their door, the billy goats gruff decide they can't face another trip-trap over the troll's bridge, and Papa Bear has had enough of the meddlesome little Goldilocks! The three trios join forces to rewrite their stories, ridding themselves of their villains by exchanging them! Birthday Parties Available! Cost: $10; Groups of 15 or more $8 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, through Jul 19.