STEAM-Themed Fun Will Festoon ‘Imaginology,' a Free Family Festival

Recent rainy days have meant, for many kids, a lengthy and lively string of creative days spent indoors.

Tinkering with all sorts of wooden blocks, putting together rad science kits, and reading up on how to build the perfect cardboard creature are some activities a youngster might engagingly engage in on a damper day, though sunny afternoons can also inspire the same sort of drive to make an inventive assortment of cool new things.

If you've got a tinkerer at home, the kind of kid who loves to put her imagination to work, one of Southern California's biggest STEAM-oriented extravaganzas will burble and bubble in Costa Mesa over the middle weekend of April.

It's "Imaginology," a two-day kid-cool festival devoted to the tenets of STEAM learning: science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics.

Entry to the OC Fair & Event Center happening is free, but do keep in mind there is a fee to park.

Once you're inside?

Talk about a bounty of brain-building pursuits. There's a marble run, the chance to check out a virtual flight simulator, robotic demos, and a caboodle of art-focused activities.

The contests are engaging, too; fashioning fanciful cardboard creations is the theme of one competition, while mural-making is also on the roster.

Chess will also be in the spotlight if your young player would love to sit down and try some smart strategies on a few worthy opponents.

Several free performances are on the schedule, too, with mariachi, indie rock, and choir music set to give the educational spectacular a vibrant soundtrack.