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.