FOR THE KIDS : Girl Scouts Expect to Profit From Staging a Chaotic Mess : Nickelodeon’s ‘Wild & Crazy Kids’ trades on slime and zaniness. The show, which uses its audience, will be in Oxnard this weekend.

To a kid, it’s one of the greatest words: slime. So how about a contest to see which kid can glop the most green slime into a leaky cup atop his head? Is that cool or what?

That’s the appeal of Nickelodeon’s “Wild & Crazy Kids,” a traveling show packed with don’t-try-this-at-home zaniness. It’s coming to the Oxnard Civic Auditorium for three shows this weekend.

For the second year, Tres Condados Girl Scout Council is sponsoring the messy madness as a fund-raiser. Last year’s extravaganza drew almost 7,000 kids and adults and netted the Scouts $40,000.

This year’s shows are on Saturday at 1 and 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10, $15 and $20.

The shows will be two hours, twice as long as last year’s. And more kids and parents--as many as 75 per show--will be selected or cajoled into taking the stage for feats of, well, sheer stupidity.

For those who haven’t seen this spectacle on Nickelodeon, it works this way. At the beginning of the show, the audience is divided into three teams that compete in a series of goofy stunts. They might be asked to face off in a crossword puzzle challenge where the letters are immersed deep in vats of slime. Or, they might don Velcro-type jackets and crawl around the stage trying to connect with some strange objects.

Messiness is the show’s trademark. Contestants roll in goop of all sorts, and they might even eat it. Shows have been known to go through dozens of cans of whipped cream.

Emcees for the shows are Donnie Jeffcoat and Phil Moore. Jeffcoat, 19, was only 15 when he began hosting the show four years ago. He recently graduated from Irvine High School.

Kids who want to schmooze with Jeffcoat and Moore before the show can join them for a celebrities luncheon on Saturday or Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at the Oxnard Civic Auditorium. The cost is $10 and tickets are limited.

About 200 volunteers from service clubs and businesses are expected to help Tres Condados Girl Scout Council with the shows. The council, covering Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, serves about 13,000 girls and adult volunteers. The money raised from “Wild & Crazy Kids” will be used to support drop-in centers, in-school classes, the council’s program center, program expansion and troop activities.

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“Peter & the Wolf” is the latest offering from Illusions Theatre in Ojai, but don’t expect Prokofiev’s version of this classic. For starters, the music style is rock ‘n’ roll and the ill-fated wolf in this version is simply relocated.

Shows begin at 7 p.m. at the outdoor Libbey Bowl on Friday and Saturday this week and next. A special show at 3 p.m. on Sunday is free for teen-agers. Otherwise, tickets are $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for seniors and children under 12. The final show will be signed for the deaf.

The production features 8-year-old Tyson Babayco of Ojai in the role of Peter. The wolf will be played by Jeannie Carlson of Ojai, a professional dancer and choreographer.

Kids are in for a special treat on opening night. Jerry Thompson, director of the Simi Valley Raptor Rehabilitation and Release Program, will have a real wolf named Indy on hand just before the show.

For ticket information, call 649-2324 or 649-1107.

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The Inlakech Teatro/Theatre Group and the city of Ventura are offering free classes for families who want to learn more about Dia de los Muertos, a Latin American tradition that honors deceased ancestors on Nov. 1.

During Saturday workshops, family members can learn about the history of the tradition and how to make masks of molded plaster to be worn during a procession.

The classes will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday and succeeding Saturdays through Oct. 15, at the Westpark Community Center, 450 W. Harrison Ave. in Ventura. For information, call 658-4726.

Details

* WHAT: Nickelodeon Studios’ “Wild & Crazy Kids” shows.

* WHERE: Oxnard Civic Auditorium, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard.

* WHEN: Saturday, 1 and 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m.

* COST: Show tickets are $10, $15, $20.

* FYI: Tickets available at the auditorium, 486-2424, or Ticketmaster, 583-8700.

* ETC.: Celebrities luncheon prior to the shows on both days, $10. For ticket information, call 649-2383.