Fun & Free Activities with LA Kids this Weekend: Club MomMe Family Fest, Make Music Pasadena & World Oceans Day, June 7 - 8

6/5/14 - By Toby B

My birthday’s coming up. Not this weekend but soon, and I want you to be prepared. We’ve already shared cool places to have a party, and that’s great and all, but let’s face it: birthdays are about getting stuff. I’ve cleared out the shelf space for the tie-dyed sockscorn husk dolls, and milk jug piggy banks you are no doubt already hard at work creating. But that’s only going to get you half-way there. I want free stuff. I want ice cream and shrimp and ye old joust, and our list of birthday freebies has ‘em all (but you may need to convince them that I’m 12 or under).

There’s another freebie coming up, and it doesn’t even have to be your birthday! Friday is National Doughnut Day; otherwise known as hand over my Krispy Kreme and no one gets hurt. I'll take mine with sprinkles, please.

And, of course, every weekend is a gift here in sunny So Cal, with events aplenty and many of them free. Highlights this weekend include Club MomMe’s Spring Family Fest, the Pacific Islander Festival at the Aquarium of the Pacific, and Make Music Pasadena (where a day’s worth of entertainment can be had for a song).

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend...

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

ALL WEEKEND

Pacific Islander Festival - Long Beach
Aquarium of the Pacific celebrates the rich and diverse cultures of the Pacific Islands with song, dance, and food.
 
Palos Verdes Street Fair and Music Festival - Palos Verdes
This annual festival is the largest carnival in the South Bay. The Ferris wheel is 65 feet tall, and the pony rides are free.

Play Nintendo Tour 2014 - Culver City
Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi: the stars of the Nintendo universe are playing at Westfield Culver City.

SATURDAY JUNE 7

Good To Go From Head To Toe Family Fun and Wellness Fair - Irvine
Kids can get a range of free health screenings while enjoying food and entertainment. Families who participate in three or more screenings get a free admission to Pretend City.
 
2014 Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Race & Ocean Festival - Santa Monica
The fun isn’t just on the water. In addition to the races, there are beach games and races for the kids, a lifeguard and surf history pop-up museum, live music, and hula dancers.

Home Depot Kids Workshops - Multiple locations
Kids can build a riding lawnmower at Home Depot’s free monthly workshop.
 
LA Sanitation South Central Yard Open House - Downtown
Trek on over to the latest Sanitation Yard to open up for families to tour.
 
Silk Road Story Time - Pasadena
Pacific Asia Museum is telling tales with a calligraphy spin.
 
Sherman Oaks Galleria Kids Club - Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks Galleria’s Kids Club gets the summer fun started with singer Ranger Jack.
 
Father's Day Storytime with Alan Sitomer - West LA
Author Alan Sitomer shares his new picture book Daddy's Zigzagging Bedtime Story at Children's Book World.
 
Make Music Pasadena - Pasadena
Pasadena hosts a day-long celebration of music on more than 40 stages.
 
Summer Reading Kickoff with Abbit the Average - Santa Monica
Santa Monica Library kicks off its summer reading program with juggling and magic performed by Abbit the Average.
 
Summer Learning Event - Multiple Locations
The theme is summer learning at this event at Lakeshore Learning. Kids can enjoy building buggy goggles and decorating butterflies and ladybugs, in addition to the weekly crafts project.

Club MomMe's Spring Family Fest - Huntington Beach
Parents can learn about everything from baby products to entrepreneurship, to how to have the “happiest toddler on the block,”  (yes, from Dr. Harvey Karp himself!) at Club MomMe’s family fest. (Did we mention the pamper area with mini-massages and manicures, hair styling, and a juice bar… and the goodie bags!)
 
Family Art Workshop - LA
Kids can make their puppet and play with it too, in a free workshop at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Park.
 
Public Star Party -  Griffith Observatory
The stars are having a party and you’re invited! Just head on over to the Griffith Observatory and cast your eyes skyward.
 
Snowy Dreams Family Sleepover - Bel Air
Families can spend the night at the Skirball, at a special one-time-only, unique Keats-themed sleepover.  
 
SUNDAY JUNE 8

World Oceans Day - San Pedro
The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium celebrates World Oceans Day with arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, animal stories, a guided beach walk, and a close-up look at baby animals.
 
World Oceans Day - Dana Point
Families can learn about animal adaptations, sea myths and legends, and the importance of the oceans as the Ocean Institute celebrates World Oceans Day. Pirates and mermaids (or those dressed like them) get in free.
 
Frozen Sing-Along and Play-Along - Encino
Time to let it go and build a snowman to favorite Frozen tunes, with Elsa and Kristoff, a bounce house, play structures, and a toddler area.
 
Children's Garden Workshops - Irvine
Plants, animals, insects, humans, and the environment are all interconnected in a Web of Life, each depending on the others for survival. Learn all about it at Orange County Great Park.

Free Day at OCMA - Newport Beach
The theme is Water Works for this free day at Orange County Museum of Art.
 
Ferdinand the Bull - Topanga
Maybe some bulls like to fight, but Ferdinand is more the story-telling, flower-sniffing type.

Family Autism Morning - La Habra
Children with autism spectrum disorder and their families are invited to enjoy early access to La Habra Children's Museum for a special morning of play.
 
Family Flicks: Popeye (PG) - Westwood
He’s strong to the finish cause he eats his spinach: the 1980 live-action version of Popeye screens at the Hammer Museum.

9th Annual Santa Monica Teen Film Festival - Santa Monica
Santa Monica Public Library screens films by teens.
 
Rock the Goats - Studio City
Rock the Goats is a family-friendly music festival that supports Heifer International, which provides livestock to struggling communities around the world.
 
Kids in the Courtyard: Down to Earth: Buggy Petting Zoo - Westwood
Kids love the creepy crawlies. Let them learn about bugs and even touch a few at the Fowler Museum.
 
Second Sunday Concert Series - Mid-Wilshire
Kids can Rock with Luis at the Zimmer’s monthly concert series.

Concerts on the Green - Woodland Hills
Keyboardist Freddie Ravel had a #1 hit with Sunny Side Up.

As always, there are more activities listed on our daily events calendar, and if you don't already receive this post as a weekly email, you should totally subscribe. Whatever you choose to do this weekend, we hope you have an amazing time!