Come decorate a bag with Meskwaki designs, meet Captain Planet, and learn potato stamping during Family Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, at the University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums. The Museum of Natural History and Old Capitol Museum are offering a variety of free public programs for visitors of all ages.

On Saturday, April 21, you can visit the UI Museum of Natural History to decorate reusable canvas bags, learn about trees, make a picture frame from recycled materials, and more. Kids can also meet Captain Planet in the Biosphere Discovery Hub from noon until 2 p.m.

Don “The Fossil Guy” Johnson will present “Ancient Fliers” at 2 p.m. in Macbride Auditorium. Travel back in time as you examine fossil replicas and models of pterosaurs, early bats, and feathered dinosaurs including Microraptor and Archaeopteryx.

Saturday at the Old Capitol Museum, participants can join in special art activities coinciding with the current exhibit, “Art Iowa, Inspired by Landscape,” led by graduating UI Art and Art History senior Emily Schaum. Schaum will present potato stamping for kids from 1:30-2:30 p.m. and will show how participants can recreate a selection of Meskwaki designs from pieces in the exhibit to decorate bags.

On Sunday, April 22, the Museum of Natural History will screen the film Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Reenergize America in Macbride Auditorium from 1:30-2:30 p.m. This documentary explores the source of our electricity and the problems caused by energy production, such as mountain top removal, childhood asthma and global warming.

UI Engineers for a Sustainable World will be in the Biosphere Discovery Hub at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday to present “Rain Gardens: On Campus and In Your Backyard.”

At the Old Capitol Museum, there will be a basket making workshop as well as weekend long “Spot the Iowa art” hunt and object hunt. Visitors who complete one or both hunts will earn a reward.

Visitors can also view the current temporary exhibits at both museums. The Old Capitol Museum is featuring “Art Iowa, Inspired by Landscape,” in the Hanson Family Humanities Gallery and “Gene Stories” located in the Pentacrest Museums Gallery for the Arts, Humanities, and Sciences. The Museum of Natural History is currently featuring a special display about the Ice Age giant short-faced bear in Iowa Hall.

For museum hours, more information, or special accommodationsto attend contact the Old Capitol Museum at 319-335-0548 or www.uiowa.edu/oldcap, and the UI Museum of Natural History at 319-335-0606 or www.uiowa.edu/mnh/.