New England International Auto Show - Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston
Thu 1/17-Mon 1/21
Adults $12; Children (6-12) $6        

While the cars are the stars of the New England International Auto Show, there's a full range of activities to make it a fun outing for the whole family.

Laura Doherty & Mariana Iranzi Family Show - Club Passim, Cambridge
Sat 1/19
Tickets $10

Pop-sweetheart Laura Doherty acoustically rocks your kid's world with breezy folk-pop tunes from her newest CD, Shining Like a Star. She's joined by Mariana, a native of Argentina who now has her own children's music band and combines reggae, folk, rock, blues, bossa nova, tango and jazz that is a multicultural music experience.

Steve Songs - Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Sat 1/19
Tickets: Adults $10; Children $8        

Steve and his band perform some new tunes from his highly anticipated new album, Orangutan Van, as well some old favorites.

Awesome Arctic Artifacts - Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Cambridge
Sat 1/19
Free with admission

Ever wonder what wearing caribou fur feels like? Or how people traditionally hunted seals? Or how snow knives and snow goggles work? Families find out the answers as they explore traditional arctic life in this artifact-based, hands-on, drop-in program.

Akeelah and the Bee (2006) - Emerson College, Boston
Sat 1/19
Tickets $10        

The 2006 film tells the tale of Akeelah Anderson, a bright young girl with a gift for words living in South Los Angeles, who, against the wishes of her mother (Angela Bassett), enters the spelling bee, coached by Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne), and earns a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

David Garrity Presents Magic & Beyond - Regent Theatre, Arlington
Sat 1/19
Tickets: Adults $10; Children $8        

Magic Month at the Regent Theatre continues with David Garrity's one-man illusion show.

Picture Book Showcase - Brookline Booksmith
Sun 1/20
FREE

Pinwheel Books, a Brookline-based childrens' publisher, visits the bookstore, along with some of their picture book authors and illustrators, for a fun storytime hour.

Family Concert: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice - The Center for the Arts at the Armory, Somerville
Sun 1/20
Tickets: Adults $15; Children (2-12) $5        

The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra presents a musical afternoon for the entire family, featuring The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas and From the Top violinist Kate Arndt making her Cambridge Symphony Orchestra debut with the first movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. An instrument petting zoo follows the concert.

Spenser's Theatre of Illusion - Leventhal-Sidman JCC, Newton
Mon 1/21, two shows, 11am & 1pm
Tickets $13

Cindy and Kevin Spenser present a big, high tech stage show that combines drama, comedy and suspense with elaborate stage illusions that include dazzling special effects and magnificent set design.

SteveSongs Pajama Party Show - Temple Emunah, Lexington
Mon 1/21, two shows, 10am & 1pm
Tickets: $12-$15

It's a SteveSongs Pajama Party! For the twelfth year in a row, SteveSongs brings his signature brand of seriously good (and seriously fun) music to two "Pajama Party" shows. Steve and the band wear their pajamas, and kids (and their caregivers) are encouraged to wear their favorite PJs, too!

Earth Wisdom- A Journey Back in Time with Naturalist Stephen DeFlorio - Barefoot Books, Concord
Mon 1/21
FREE

Learn about Native Americans through stories, songs and drum games. Find out about the many amazing skills used long ago: make a shell necklace using a primitive tool; explore many hands-on artifacts; learn about stone tools and how to make paint from natural materials.

Stephen DeFlorio is Teacher/Naturalist at Apple Valley Montessori School in Sudbury and has worked as a naturalist and education coordinator at Mass. Audubon Society. Registration requested to ensure availability of supplies/space.