While I will make no bones about the fact that the word science ranks right down there with broccoli and timeout for most young pups, this weekend’s Science Family Day in Balboa Park promises to put a smile on the face of everyone in your pack.

On Saturday, March 20, from 11am to 3pm, over 20 different Balboa Park cultural institutions will present a variety of fun hands-on activities, encompassing cars, nature, airplanes, art, astronomy, and archeology, and forensics. In addition, youngsters age 17 and under will get in free with a paid adult admission at most museums, while some, like the San Diego Museum of Art, Hall of Champions, and Timken, will be free to everyone all day.

So what do I mean by fun? For starters, how about:

• Making your own jellyfish at the Mingei
• Participating in a mock archeological dig at the San Diego History Center
• Examining human bones in the Museum of Man’s forensics workshop
• Making alien and space-themed paper airplanes at the Air & Space Museum
• Walking into an oversized 7 x 9 foot camera at the Museum of Photographic Arts

And for dessert, I can’t wait to get my paws into some potting soil mousse with gummy worms and lemon rain water at SDMA’s Sculpture Court Café by Giuseppe (free with paid adult meal, which I’ll gladly devour too!).

If you still can’t get enough, the Balboa Park Science Family is the kickoff event to this year’s weeklong San Diego Science Festival, which culminates in the free Science Expo at PETCO Park on March 27.

Logan and Roxy write: Dear Cosmos, we know you’re privy to insider knowledge about Balboa Park’s gardens. So tell us what this spring’s hot spots are?

Dear Logan and Roxy: Since every garden in the Park would pretty much qualify as a “hot spot” during the spring, I’ll try to limit my response to floral features that may not get as much attention for their springtime beauty.

First I’ll point out that Balboa Park is fortunate to have several varieties of coral (Erythrina) trees, which are native to the tropics, thanks to our mild climate. There’s of course the Naked Coral Tree near the Desert Garden kiosk mentioned in a recent blog post; another variety in the same area by Village Place; one by the House of Italy; and a spectacular Coastal Coral Tree near the Lawn Bowling Green. These colorful trees will bloom through May and their nectar attracts a diverse range of birds, my sources tell me.

Speaking of the Lawn Bowling Green, my sources also inform me that the ornamental peach trees south of the green will be blooming through April. In addition, ten Hong Kong Orchid Trees are being planted west of the Bowling Green and several Crape Myrtles to the east, promising even more blooms for seasons to come.

Lastly, thanks to all the recent rains, Florida Canyon will be lush and green this year with native coastal sage scrub and California Poppies blooming throughout. As you hike the canyon’s trails, be sure to enhance your coat’s natural scent by brushing up against the sweet-smelling sage.

Debuting last spring, the Balboa Park Stay-for-the-Day Pass was such an enormous success, it’s giving visitors one more reason to “stay” by adding one more museum visit to the package. Bipeds are now entitled to 5 different museum visits in a single day for one low price of $35.

Ideal for families, out-of-towners, students, and stay-cationers, the pass allows its bearer to mix and match 5 of their favorite museums, from a diverse selection of 14, for one full day of cultural enrichment. Whether you enjoy nature, science, the arts, history, anthropology, cars, or trains, or all of the above, the pass has you covered.

And while certain separately priced exhibitions may not be included, the pass will generally grant reduced admission to blockbuster shows like the new Science of … Aliens exhibition at the Air & Space Museum. The Stay-for-the-Day Pass is even good for one free admission to an IMAX film at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and films in the Natural History Museum’s 3-D theater.

And once you’re in you’re in. That is, the Stay-for-the-Day Pass generally entitles you to everything that is included with that museum’s general admission price, including the free activities many museums are offering during the upcoming Science Family Day on March 20.

So what are you waiting for? Buy your passes ahead of time online, or purchase them on site at any participating museum or the Balboa Park Visitors Center. It sure is nice to know the word “stay” is good for at least one species.

Balboa Park is of course known for its award-winning gardens, which I cover quite extensively in this blog. But there is one garden I have yet to mention that is noteworthy for reasons other than its lush flower beds and ornamental trees. And that is the San Diego Museum of Art’s Sculpture Garden.

Open free to the public, the Sculpture Garden is accessed either via the café, west of SDMA’s main entrance, or through a side “doggie” gate at the end of the arcade on El Prado. Though modest in size, the garden presents several fine large-scale works by some of the greatest British and American sculptors of the 20th century, including Henry Moore, George Rickey, Barbara Hepworth, Louise Nevelson, and David Smith.

Benches scattered across the garden’s green lawn invite visitors to sit a moment to admire these abstract metallic masterpieces, whose organic and geometric forms are set off nicely by a backdrop off trees and shrubs. The garden’s latest addition, Mark di Suvero’s 20-foot-tall Tumbleweed, with its bright orange entanglement of I-beams and bolted metal, is particularly striking in this setting!

For any bipeds wishing to enjoy a longer respite, the nearby Sculpture Court Café by Giuseppe offers a leisurely European-style dining experience with its lunchtime menu of gourmet pizzas, salads, sandwiches, espresso drinks, beer, wine, and spirits. Or better yet, pick up something at the café’s Grab and Go counter and treat me to lunch in the garden area.

The most pet-friendly event in Balboa Park, Bark in the Park, returns for a fourth year to support a worthy cause near and dear to my heart. This Sunday, February 21, San Diego’s Civic Organist Dr. Carol Williams will once again greet a pack of lovable adoptable pets from the San Diego Humane Society with a free concert performed on one of the world’s largest outdoor pipe organs.

Featuring a program of lively animal-themed tunes, the concert sets the stage for a show-stopping parade of pooches, many dressed for the occasion. Everyone is welcome to bring their leashed pets to participate, and the fun gets underway at 2:00 p.m. in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

While all the festivities are presented free of charge, staff members of the San Diego Humane Society will be on hand to collect donations, answer your questions, and facilitate the adoption of pets they have available. Their mobile adoption unit will be in the Park from 12:00 noon until 4:00pm, providing an excellent opportunity to meet some great candidates for adoption.

Even if you aren’t looking to adopt, Bark in the Park is sure to put a smile on the face of everyone in your pack.