Best Things to Do This Weekend with LA Kids: Dinosaurs, Color Queen, and Happy Birthday Marion, Jan 10 - 11

1/8/15 - By Toby B

Whoo hoo, we live for nothing if not celebrating; and lucky us, yet another holiday weekend is upon us! We've had mistletoe and candy corn and champagne glasses and things made with pumpkin, but the best is yet to come because this weekend is...  it is... I know it's January and, um, for sure there's a Saturday and a Sunday, and...oh, man. I don't know how to break this to you, but I think it's just a normal weekend. No holiday. No fancy shindigs. No gifts to buy or traditional treats to bake - just you and the kids doing your everyday thing.

And that's good. We live in Southern California, so unlike the rest of the country, we can actually go outside without freezing our chimichangas off. You can explore the coastline, do a little bird watching, take a trek Into the Woods...  You can even freeze your chimmichangas off, if you’re into that sort of thing. There are also dinosaurs, Hot Wheels, and monster trucks and queens, a royal tea and a master juggler, really, something for just about everyone.

So settle back, get back in the swing of “winter” in the Southland, and enjoy life as we know it, until the next time another one of those pesky holiday things comes along to shake things up. But that won’t be until next weekend.

Keep reading for some of our most normal picks for this weekend...

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

ALL WEEKEND

Discover the Dinosaurs - Downtown
The Convention Center comes alive with prehistoric activity, featuring every kind of dino known to kids - from ride-on animatronic T Rexes to stegosaurus tattoos.

Queen of Colors - Beverly Hills
The puppet queen learns the personalities of all the colors of the rainbow in this inventive adaptation of Jutta Bauer’s children's book at the Wallis.

Pageant of the Masters Volunteer/ Casting Call - Laguna Beach
If you can stand still, you too can become a work of art.

Into the Woods (PG) at El Capitan - Hollywood
The big-screen adaptation of Sondheim’s fairytale mash-up ends its run at the El Capitan this weekend.

SATURDAY JANUARY 10

Underwater Parks Day at the Aquarium of the Pacific - Long Beach
Some of Southern California's greatest parks are underwater! Learn about our local network of Marine Protected Areas at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
 
Saturday Morning Stories and More - West LA
Winter is Coming. It’s a children’s book, not a GoT thing, and author Tony Johnston presents it at Children's Book World, with Andrew & Polly to sing a few songs.
 
Hot Wheels Garage - El Segundo
Kids can race Hot Wheels and view life-size cars at the Automobile Driving Museum.
 
Royal Tea Party - Pasadena
The 2015 Tournament of Roses Royal Court share their favorite princess stories and recent Tournament experiences at the Hastings Branch library.

Saturday Morning Concerts - Santa Monica
Mista Cookie Jar entertains at Books and Cookies.
 
Junior Chef Classes - Multiple Locations
Kids can learn basic baking techniques at Williams-Sonoma.
 
FIGat7th Kids Club - Downtown
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King serve as inspiration for posters at this free craft workshop at FIGat7th Plaza.
 
Life: Creatures of the Deep - Pasadena
Caltech goes deep into the ocean with the BBC series.

Monster Jam - Anaheim
Big cars go boom; the crowd goes wild at Angel Stadium.

SUNDAY JANUARY 11
 
Family Art Workshop - Hollywood
This week’s free workshop at Barnsdall Park finds its inspiration in Colima Clay vessels from Mexico.
 
Silk Road Story Time Pasadena
Time to start fresh! Silk Road storytime, now on free Second Sundays, starts 2015 with tales of New Beginnings.
 
Hammer Kids: Close Encounters: Dino Laboratory - Westwood
There are still dinosaurs to be discovered, including the ones of your own creation.
 
Happy Birthday Marion - Santa Monica
Annenberg Community Beach House celebrates Marion Davies’ birthday (reservations required).
 
Family Flicks: Captain January - Westwood
In Captain January, a shipwrecked young orphan is taken in and raised by a kindly lighthouse keeper. This silent film is screened with live musical accompaniment at the Hammer Museum.
 
Family Jam: Up in the Air - Westwood
Talk about a balancing act! Master juggler John "Jahnathon" Whitfield  performs at the Fowler Museum.
 
Second Sunday Concert Series - Mid-Wilshire
Sing with Luis, with songs that range from reggae to bossa nova at the Zimmer Children's Museum.
 
CraftLab Workshops - Mid-Wilshire
Ah, these are the days. Preserve them in a time capsule you construct at the Craft and Folk Art Museum.
 
Artventure Sundays at MOLAA - Long Beach
The free day at the Museum of Latin American Art includes gallery tours, an art workshop and roundtable discussion.

A Faery Hunt - Tarzana
Did those sneaky faeries go missing again? My sources suggest looking at the Tarzana Community and Cultural Center.

As always, there are many more activities listed on our daily events calendar, and if you didn't receive this info as a newsletter, you should sign up for our weekly events updates. Whatever you choose to do this weekend, we hope you have a terrific time!