NORFOLK, Neb. -- The Elkhorn Valley Museum will be holding its monthly Hands On History and EMV Sprouts programs this weekend. 

The Hands On History program takes place on the first Friday of every month allowing attendees to actively learn and participate in hands-on activities. 

The museum tries to incorporate current exhibits or artifacts in the month's topic. 

This month's theme is Home for Pollinators which will be led by the museum's Executive Director Libby McKay. 

McKay said that she worked with the Nebraska Game and Parks, and various volunteers, and conducted research to prepare for the lesson. 

"We're going to learn a little bit about the pollinators that we have here in Nebraska, and what they do, and why they're important," McKay said. "Then we're actually going to make little pollinator houses so that we can encourage our pollinators to be here and do what they do. Because plants and so many even of the foods that we consume rely on pollinators to be able to do their jobs and to thrive."  

Following Friday's event on Saturday will be the EVM Sprouts program which takes place on the second Saturday of every month. 

This program gears toward toddlers and their caregivers to help them through their developmental milestones through play, with its activities for this quarter being developed by Norfolk Public Schools's Educators Rising Group. 

McKay says the program provides a playful opportunity for toddlers and a connection for parents.  

"There isn't necessarily a lot of opportunity for some of those kinds of play opportunities for young toddlers and their families here," McKay said. "It's just a great way to also I think connect with other parents and families, who are probably going through some similar situations with their toddlers at home too. So I, think it's a nice sort of a combination of things, that exploration for our young toddlers and then also some connection for parents in town." 

The museum said that when picking topics it tries to keep them relevant to regional history or current events. 

McKay said that these events are a great option when looking for something to do.  

"I feel like we're all often looking for things to do whether it's things to do with our kids, things to do with our friends, just something different, or something maybe we've wanted to try or learn more about but haven't been able to on our own," McKay said. "It gets people to engage with the museum and with some of these tidbits of history, but I think it's also just a great way to do something maybe a little more low key but still fun with our friends and with other members of the community." 

Hands On History will start at 5:30 Friday night followed by EVM Sprouts at 10 Saturday morning.  

McKay hopes to have outdoor activities planned this coming summer at the Elkhorn Valley Museum for the programs.