There is (sun)light at the end of the tunnel. It has been a winter of discontent for those of us who prefer mild weather, but we are almost out of it. To celebrate, get outside this week and weekend and enjoy some workshops, pet some animals, and honk back to some geese. Our Seven Things roundup covers it all.

Raptors and recreation

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday

Irvine Nature Center is a kids’ playground — literally. The Owings Mills nature center has a natural playground that kids love, in addition to eight raptors in their building as well as miles of trails and meadows teeming with diversity.

On Fridays, thanks to a generous new grant, the entire place is free. Irvine’s outdoors is usually accessible, but to enter the classroom and other buildings there is usually a fee or else you have to be a member. Learn more.

Maryland Home and Garden Show

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Timonium Fairgrounds

If you are serious about gardens, this show has it all. More than 400 exhibitors, landscaped gardens, water features and HGTV celebrity landscape expert Chris Lambton.

Tickets are $12 for adults at the door and $10 online. Seniors pay $10 at the door and $8 online, children 6-12 are $3, or free under the age of 5.

Houseplant Hurrah

All day Saturday

Valley View Farms in Cockeysville is getting ready for spring, and that means out go the houseplants and in come the berries and begonias for outside planting.

To celebrate, they are hosting a last-houseplant hurrah. Buy a plant from them, and they will pot it for you. Bring a plant in, and they will analyze its health. The event concludes with a houseplant fashion show. If you can’t be America’s Next Top Model, maybe your ficus can. Free.

Greenhouse and gab

11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday

The Center for Agriculture and Farm Park at 1114 Shawan Road in Cockeysville is hosting a tour of its greenhouse Saturday, with a naturalist who can explain the different types of indoor gardening. You also might ask when it’s safe to bring the plants back outside. The tour costs $6 a person.

You can come back Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and say hello to the geese with a farmer. That’s $3.

Meet the animals: law of the claw

1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Learn the teeth and paws of the various critters that call Cromwell Valley home at Cromwell Vally Park. If you are lucky, maybe you will get to see the beaver that has returned to Mine Bank Run and is currently exciting local residents, thanks to a camera affixed near his dam. You will be able to see the food chain in action and even feed a critter yourself. Afterwards, enjoy the trails and the many birds who love this park off Cromwell Bridge Road. Free.

Maple Sugaring

10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday

Learn to make maple syrup, from tree to table. This workshop at Lake Roland will tempt your taste buds as well as provide a good walk if you also take to the trails. It costs $6.

Beekeeping Basics

1:00-2:00 p.m. Monday

We owe our gardens to bees, who face many threats — from pesticides to overdevelopment to loss of some of their best habitats. To help out, some hobbyists have turned to backyard beekeeping. You can learn some of the basics at the Jacksonville Senior Center at Sweet Air Park off Sweet Air Road. Free.