Kids can get covered in clay with their parents' blessing, when they help build the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's Clayhouse, part of the continuing "Dirt-O-Rama" exhibit. Arizona artists Athena and Bill Steen will use truckloads of mud, straw, grapevine and branches to create a 7- by 5-foot-tall child-friendly natural clay structure on the Arboretum Learning Center's front lawn. The public is invited to watch the building's progress from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 18-20 and 25-27 and invited to help on July 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29. Arboretum admission is $12 for adults; free for members and ages 12 and younger. 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska. Go to www.arboretum.umn.edu or call 952-443-1400.

Buzzworthy party

Bees will be the stars of the Pollinator Party on July 19 at Lyndale Park Gardens, just beyond the Peace Garden, on the east side of Lake Harriet. The free event is from 5 to 8 p.m. and features live honeybees, games, information about the life cycles of honeybees, pollination, urban beekeeping and live music by the Bee's Knees. Mother Earth Gardens will sell native plants and offer ways to make your back yard bee-friendly. Call the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board at 612-313-7784.

Eloise Butler fundraiser Friends of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden want to give more Minneapolis students the chance to experience the site's glorious wildflowers. The group is holding a Wildflower Garden Party and fundraiser from 3 to 6 p.m. July 22 to help pay for buses to transport kids to the gardens for nature and science programs. The event is at the Wirth Park Pavilion above Glenwood Avenue and Wirth Lake beach area and includes naturalist tours of the gardens, entertainment, refreshments and a silent auction. Tickets are $20 at the door or at www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org. $15 for each additional ticket.