Just say no to whining kids and biting mosquitoes this holiday weekend. Instead, head to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for the kid-friendly Target Free First Sunday: America the Beautiful. Upstairs, there’s readings about American heroes and how our country began. Downstairs, kids can learn about our founding fathers with John, Paul, George & Ben, an animated film full of fun facts about those trailblazers who made it all happen. Narrated by James Earl Jones, the movie’s based on a sweet little book by Lane Smith. It’s double-billed with The Scrambled States of America, based on Laurie Keller’s kids’ book. For grownups, there’s a screening of 1776, a musical version of how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson went about the business of building a country. 1 to 4 p.m. 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7300 or visit www.mfah.org. Free.

Sun., July 4, 1-5 p.m., 2010

This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2010.