I had no idea how many events and activities there were for kids in the area until I started writing the Family Outing column for The News & Observer's What's Up section almost a year ago.

What's great about many of them is that they're free or almost free, generally fun and a better way to pass the time than one more trip to Target or Costco - personally speaking.

This week in the column, I feature Frog Fest at Crowder District Park in Wake County. If you tried to go last year, but got frustrated because of the lack of parking, parks staff believe they've found a solution. A shuttle bus will take visitors to the park for the event Saturday from a nearby church.

If frogs aren't your thing, there's plenty more to do.

The Raleigh Little Theatre's run of Peter Pan starts tonight.

The Fifth Annual Butterfly Bash is at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham on Saturday. Carrboro's annual Kite Fly is on Sunday.

And the very fun Sandbox band, made up mostly of local dads, will be rocking the Broad Street Cafe in Durham. The show starts at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday and costs $3 per person for ages 3 and up. They play old standard kids song, but also have some of their own tunes.

Check the Mom2Mom calendar for more activities.