Oh, the Things You’ll Do and See Out on the Town With the Family

May is the Month of Moms. But instead of the same old candy and bouquet, you might want to give her the greatest gift of all: time with her clan.

There are scads of activities this month perfect for a family outing. And since several are free or low-cost, you won’t have to worry if your piggy bank’s feeling a bit light. Besides, she’ll probably be so thrilled you asked her out that she just may pop for the tickets herself.

Friday

* The comic ballet “Coppelia: The Girl With Enamel Eyes” is a family-friendly tale of a toy maker who tries to bring a beautiful doll to life. Performed by the Festival Ballet Theatre at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Robert B. Moore Theatre at Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. $13-$17. (714) 432-5880.

* Parents can rest easy at the Orange County Children’s Theatre’s staging of “Grease.” OCCT promises a version that’s “for the whole family,” meaning that the not-quite-G-rated material has been given the ax. Final performances at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Stanton Cultural Arts Center, 7800 Katella Ave., Stanton. $6-$8. (714) 502-2244.

Saturday

* The dancers of Momix bend minds and bodies with their edgy mix of dance and illusion. Only the 2 p.m. matinee is recommended for family audiences (ages 10 and up) by the Barclay; the evening performances today through Saturday contain nudity. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. $22-$25. (949) 854-4646.

* The Victorian Tea Society presents a special Mother’s Day weekend tea at the historic Discovery Museum of Orange County. Designed for adults but open to older children and teens attending with an adult.

Seatings at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; a noon lecture on Queen Victoria is also included.

Discovery Museum, 3101 W. Harvard St., Santa Ana. $17.50. (714) 540-0404.

* Little ones play along in the Brown Bag Players’ audience participation version of “The Pied Piper.”

The fun begins at 11:30 Saturday and Sunday, when kids can munch their lunch while watching the cast put on makeup; performance starts at noon. BYO lunch. Rancho Can~ada School, 21801 Winding Way, Lake Forest. $6. (949) 581-5402.

* Pacific Symphony wraps up this season’s family concert series with performances of “The Shrovetide Fair” from Stravinsky’s “Petrushka” and other works. Hands-on musical exploration stations are offered in the lobby at 9 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $10-$12. (714) 740-7878.

Sunday

* Treat Mom to toe-tapping tunes by the Vagabonds at a free concert at 2 p.m. at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace. The performance is part of the venue’s ongoing Free Family Concert Series. Nixon Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda. Free. (714) 528-0544.

May 11

* Tony Award winner “Bring In ‘da Noise, Bring In ‘da Funk,” a foot-stomping musical history featuring tap, hip-hop, blues and percussion, opens tonight and continues through May 16 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. OCPAC, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Performances today through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. $21-$52.50. (714) 740-7878.

May 15

* The California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard promises a berry good time for families. The two-day festival (also Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.) offers live entertainment, games, food, music and of course, endless variations on the juicy title fruit. Strawberry Meadows at College Park, 3250 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard. $4-$7. (888) 288-9242.

* Orange Coast College is giving away a free adult admission with each paying child attending a concert by Nels and His Peanut Butter Cookies Band.

Appropriate for preschoolers and up, the 2 p.m. show features upbeat, audience participation tunes. OCC’s Robert B. Moore Theatre, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. $9-$11. (714) 432-5880.

May 16

* It’s a classic case of Beauty and the Tweaked. Original compositions created and conducted by Robert Kapilow and performed by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra form the musical backdrop for the off-kilter verse of Dr. Seuss. The family operetta, “Two by Seuss: Green Eggs and Ham and Gertrude McFuzz” will be performed at 3:30 p.m. at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, capping off the venue’s inaugural Family Arts Festival. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. $7.50-$15. (800) 300-4345.

* Music, dance and stories from the Islands, the bayou and wide-ranging points beyond are offered at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts’ first Family Arts Festival. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., more than 30 different performances will be held on stages in and around the center, including Chuy Martinez and the Bayou Brass Band, the Reader’s Theatre Project of the L.A. Children’s Museum, Daion Taiko Drummers and readings by noted children’s authors. Art activities and information booths, too. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. Free. (800) 300-4345.

May 19

* Composer Hans Krasa created the children’s opera, “Brundibar” to give youngsters a safe place to express their emotions amid the terrors of World War II. Opera Pacific’s staging of the piece will be performed by local children and narrated by Ela Weissberger, a survivor of the Terezin concentration camp who performed in the piece as a child in 1943. The company advises parental discretion for children under 10. The run begins at 7:30 p.m. and continues through May 25. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. $10-$25; opening night tickets are $10-$50. (949) 854-4646.

May 22

* From 1 to 3 p.m., Kidseum hosts free gold panning for kids in conjunction with the Bowers’ current exhibit, “The Art of the Gold Rush.” Kidseum, 1802 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Free with admission: $4-$8 (also good for entry to the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art). (714) 480-1520.

* Aliso/Wood Canyons Wilderness Park presents its annual Adventure Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring exhibits on the area’s indigenous people and animals, plus live entertainment, guided hikes and special activities at the on-site Orange County Natural History Museum. Aliso/Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, 28373 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel. Free; parking is $2. (949) 831-2790.

May 28

* So what if being the world’s greatest mathematician didn’t work out? Josh Kornbluth found another outlet: comedy. At 8 p.m., the Princeton math major turned monologuist presents “Josh Kornbluth: Mathematics of Change,” in which he waxes comedic about life, liberty and the pursuit of a common denominator. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. $15-$18. (949) 854-4646.

* The Garden Grove Strawberry Festival, offering carnival games and rides, parades and other treats, continues through May 31. Village Green, 12862 Euclid St., Garden Grove. (714) 638-0981.

May 29

* Pass the haggish and toss the caber. It’s time for the Highland Festival! Presented by the United Scottish Society, the two-day fest features Scottish music, dance, food and games presented by members of dozens of Scottish clans. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 29-30. Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. $2-$18. (949) 509-7710.

* Ituri Forest, a two-acre African rain forest environment, opens at the San Diego Zoo, giving splashy new digs to hippos, spot-necked otters, okapis and other wildlife. Also, the zoo’s RainForest Aviary opens later this spring. San Diego Zoo, 2920 Zoo Drive., San Diego. $7-$16. (619) 234-3153.