Wednesday, Sept. 11 - Free museum admission, plus special evening hours until 9 p.m. In cooperation with the city of Boston and other cultural institutions, enjoy the museum for free all day. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Equinox Music Festival, Sunday, Sept. 15, at 1 p.m. - Special pre-festival event. The Children's Museum of Boston, an institutional sponsor of the Equinox Music Festival, will host a special pre-festival event in presenting the 2002 Born Free Tour of Luluk Purwanto and Helsdingen Trio Stage Bus. The event is free with museum admission.

This Dutch-Indonesian-American group, which features jazz and world music, has been touring the United States this summer, visiting 42 colleges and universities in 24 states, in a custom "stage bus," of which the side of the bus folds down to a music stage, complete with a grand piano. In addition to the United States, the Born Free Tour and Stage Bus has also traveled through Europe, Indonesia and Australia.

For more information on the second Equinox Music Festival, featuring the 25th annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert, visit www.jcmcsite.com. For information on the 2002 Born Free Tour and Stage Bus, visit www.luluk.com.

Sunday, Sept. 22, 4 to 6 p.m. - Book-signing and release party. Try the special activities from "Moonbeams, Dumplings and Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities and Recipes" by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz and the Children's Museum, illustrated by Meilo So, published by Gulliver Books, Harcourt Inc. A collection of stories, foods and fun activities for celebrating Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Qing Ming, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. The book is available for sale in the Children's Museum Shop and other bookstores. Attendees can bring in their own books to have signed.

In the Art Studio Saturdays and Sundays in September from 2 to 4 p.m. is Collage: Combine textures, colors, shapes and patterns to create a unique picture.

From the Harcourt Teacher Center: Seminars! Parties! New resource! Book party just for teachers: Moving Forward with Literature Circles - Friday, Sept. 27, 4 p.m. For reservations, call 617-426-6500, ext.206.

New Teacher's Guide: Teaching Thanksgivings - with an S: Including a Wampanoag Perspective. $24.95. Call 617-426-6500, ext. 231.

Open House: J.L. Hammett Open House for Educators, Monday, Oct. 28, 4 to 7 p.m. Have tea in the new exhibit, Alice's Wonderland! For reservations, call 617-426-6500, ext. 771.

Seminar: Teaching Thanksgivings - with an S. Offered twice: Wednesday, Oct. 9, or Saturday, Oct. 26. $50/10 PDPs. Call 617-426-6500, ext. 264.

New Seminar. Monkey King: A Multicultural and Interdisciplinary Approach to Literature, Saturday, Nov. 2, $50/10 PDPs. Call 617-426-6500, ext. 468.

Ongoing at the museum: KidStage - A performance space designed to introduce children to performing arts. Featuring a proscenium-style stage painted like an ornate European opera house, KidStage gives kids ages 2 to 6 a taste of what it's like in and around the spotlights. Professional actors and museum staff put on short plays and invite visitors to join in.

Schedule: Saturdays and Sundays, 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.; Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.; Fridays, 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 7:15 p.m. ASL performances are Sept. 14, 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Smith Family Playspace: for ages 3 and younger - Music and Movement: Come shake, wiggle and giggle every Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to noon for Music and Movement. Begins Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Tinker Time for Tots: Join the museum Thursdays from 11 to 11:30 a.m. for Tinker Time with Tots. Introduce toddlers to puzzles, Legos, tree blocks and more. Begins Thursday, Sept. 5.

Messy/Sensory Area: Infants and toddlers learn primarily through sensory play. Join the museum for daily activities offered in the Messy Area and introduce a child to a variety of sights, sounds, scents, textures and patterns by exploring fall materials like leaves, apples, pumpkins and more. Construction sites are often messy so bring an extra set of clothes.

Upcoming: Alice's Wonderland! Traveling exhibit coming in October 2002.

With Alice as a role model and Wonderland as the setting, this traveling exhibition will inspire curiosity, encourage exploration and help make the unknown more familiar, maybe even logical and certainly fun. By linking curiosity and explanation, Alice's Wonderland develops science-learning skills in parents and children: observing, describing and categorizing according to characteristics; estimating, measuring and adjusting to scale; and experimenting with the properties of objects and materials.

Fall Family Overnight: Friday, Oct. 25 to Saturday, Oct. 26. Call 617-426-6500 ext. 327. Get out the sleeping bags and reserve a spot in the semi-annual super slumber party for families. Explore spirited hands-on craft workshops, enjoy a live performance and more. Families can check in Friday afternoon and stake out their sleeping space in their favorite exhibit. Stay as long as wanted Saturday, too. Cost is $24 per person for museum members, $26 for non-members. Fee includes admission, activities and evening snack. Meals are on one's own at nearby eateries. Children must be 6 years and older and accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required.

General museum information

The Children's Museum is at 300 Congress St., Boston. Hours are Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays until 9 p.m.

Admission is: children 2 to 15 and senior citizens, $7; other adults $8; 1- year-olds, $2; Fridays 5 to 9 p.m., all visitors $1. Infants younger than 1 and museum members are always free. Special rates are available for school and community groups; reservations are required by calling 617-426-8433.

Mission: The Children's Museum of Boston exists to help children understand and enjoy the world in which they live. It is a private, nonprofit educational institution that is recognized internationally as a research and development center and pacesetter for children's exhibitions, educational programs and curriculum. The Children's Museum focuses on three key areas of expertise: visitor programs, teacher resources and early childhood education. For more information about the Children's Museum, visit www.BostonKids.org.

This calendar is subject to change or cancellation. For updates, call 617-426-8855.