EDITORS'PICKS BY susan scully petroni & carrie wattu Fundraiser for Auburn's Alex LeBlanc set for March 22. FLOWERS, PI, DINOSAURS,  SALAMANDERS & STAMPS Month of March Offers a Range of Activities for Families 1. All Month Long: What do Goldilocks, The Cat in the Hat, Pippi Longstockings, and Harry Potter all have in common? Answer: they all are featured on postage stamps from around the world. Many other favorite characters from children's literature are also commemorated stamps and many of these can been viewed at a special exhibit -- The World of Story Books at the Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History. The museum is located at Regis College 235 Wellesley Street in Weston. The exhibit is designed to appeal both to children and adults and the stories on stamps range from Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White to The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. The museum is hosting Special Family Days including storytelling, puppet shows, stamp games and puzzles and arts and crafts activities on various weekends through the shows run until April 30. This month, there is a Special Family Day planned for Saturday, March 15 from noon to 4 p.m. The museum is open Thursdays through Sundays, noon - 5 p.m. Admission is free for children age 16 and under. For additional information visit www.spellman.org. Moms and daughters, dress your American Girl dolls in historical and contemporary fashions at Plimoth Plantation's American Girl Fashion Show. Purchase tickets at www.plimoth.org. 2. Saturday, March 8: Consider attending the 8th Annual New Trade Winds/ECHO Performing Arts Festival at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. The main performance, 2 p.m. Individual performances, noon - 4:30 p.m. Entertains and educates through music, dance, oral traditions, humor and stories as presented by representatives of the native cultures of Alaska, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. Related drop-in art activities, from 1-3 p.m, Admission is $13 for adults and free for children age 16 and under. For more details call 866-745-1876 or visit www.pem.org. 3. Thursday, March 13: Moms consider hiring a babysitter for this event or have dad clear his schedule to watch the kids. Tonight is Girls Night Out at the New England Spring Flower Show at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. This lively after-work event features perfume sampling, makeovers, hairstyling tips, snacks, special guest appearances by authors and performers, women's health information and demos on topics like aromatherapy and flower arranging. New this year: belly dancing lessons! An annual rite of spring, the New England Spring Flower Show has become the true symbol of spring's arrival for almost 100,000 winter-weary New Englanders and Boston visitors. The show is now in its 137th year and has grown to be the third largest flower show in the world. Admission is $20. Parking is $12 per car. For additional information on tonight's special visit www.masshort.org. The Flower Show is at the Expo Center from March 8-16. 4. Friday, March 14: Check out Plantapalooza: The Children's Festival & Educator's Night at the New England Spring Flower Show at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. The event features animal visitors, hands-on crafts, gardening activities, music, and storytelling. Today the show is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $20 adults, $10 children ages 4-12. Children under age 4 are free. Parking is $12 per car. For additional information visit www.masshort.org. 5. Friday, March 14: Celebrate Pi Day at the Boston Children's Museum all day with activities featuring circles and spheres and the number that makes sense of them. Admission is $10 adults, $8 children ages 2-15, $2 for children age 1. For more details call 617-426-8855 or visit www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org. 6. Saturday, March 15: The "Skating to the Hits" Musical Figure Skating Show will be held at the Wallace Figure Skating Club at the Wallace Civic Center, Fitchburg. The show features a mix of club skaters and nationally-ranked guests. Tickets to the 2 and 7 p.m. shows are $16 for adults, $10 for children and seniors, and free for children under 5. As a special highlight, families can skate with the stars before the show from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. for $5 per person. Call 978-345-7054 for tickets, or visit www.wallacefsc.org. 7. Saturday, March 22: Help 5-year-old Alex LeBlanc of Auburn to get his "4Paws" dog in time for kindergarten. Since Alex suffers 10 to 30 seizures per day due to a rare form of Epilepsy, the dog will provide moral support and safety. A benefit for Alex will be held at the Auburn Lodge of Elks from 7 - midnight complete with raffles, silent auctions, face painting, and balloon sculpting. Read more about Alex's touching story and how you can help at www.4paws4alex.org. For $20 tickets, call 774-721-6795 or 508-740-7044. 8. March 28-29-30 & April 4-5: Check out Bay State Parent magazine columnist Dr. Robyn Silverman in the lead role of Rose Alvarez in Randolph Theatre Community's production of Bye Bye Birdie. Performances are Friday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday March 30 at 2 p.m., Friday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday April 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Randolph High auditorium at 70 Memorial Drive. For tickets and more details e-mail the Randolph Theatre Company at randolphtheatrecompany@yahoo.com or call the Recreation Office at 781- 961-0936. 9. March 27-30: Walking with Dinosaurs-The Live Experience is roaring into the Mullins Center in Amherst for seven shows. Based on the awardwinning BBC television show, this dazzling arena spectacle is of unprecedented size and quality. Tickets range from $30.50 - $70.50. For tickets and more information, contact: 413-733-2500, www.ticketmaster.com, or www.dinosaurlive.com. 10. March 30: Celebrate the shy, woodland creatures of spring at Garden in the Woods' annual Salamander Celebration. The New England Wild Flower Society, Garden in the Woods, is located at 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham. The event will be held from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. for $8 per person. Pre-register at registrar@newenglandWILD.org or 508-877-7630. BONUS PICK: April 5 & 6: Plimoth Plantation invites girls and their friends and families to experience the American Girl Fashion Show on Sat., April 5th at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and Sun., April 6th at 1 and 4 p.m. This fun, engaging program showcases historical and contemporary fashions for girls and their dolls. There will be lively commentary, music, and a delicious tea. Proceeds from the event will benefit Plimoth Plantation's education department. Tickets are $55 per person and include admission to the award-winning museum, which can be used, either on the day of the fashion show, or anytime during the month of April. For tickets, call 508-746-1622 x 8103 or visit www.plimoth.org.   Please e-mail your August listings and photos to calendar@baystateparent.com by Monday, July 7th at 6 p.m. The deadline for September calendar listings is Thursday, Aug. 7th at 6 p.m. For bonus calendar listings that missed our print edition, please visit the magazine's BLOG at http://baystateparent.blogspot.com/ and click on "bonus calendar listings link," found on the right side of the page.