Fun & Free Things to Do This Weekend with LA Kids: Dinosaurs, Dragons and Dora: Jan 28 - 29

1/26/12 - By Toby B

One of the advantages we Angelenos have over other members of the Mommy Poppins family is the disproportionately idyllic weather we have. Last weekend we suffered through a whole day of rain. This weekend looks to be summer-like. It's time to go outside. Break out the sunscreen, because we’ve got you covered! You’ve no doubt pored over our list of the best LA area hikes for families. But what about those of you with little ones still in strollers? Are you limited to malls and sidewalks? Nope: check out our why-didn’t-I-think-of-that list of stroller-friendly hikes.

Clearly, we at Mommy Poppins are all about giving back. And we like it even better when drinking our morning Starbucks counts. If you, too, want to feel both caffeinated and good about yourself, you’ll want to read the Starbucks DonorsChoose post. Another way we like to give back is to give away tickets to the most awesome shows in town. Like Cirque de Soleil. Hey, remember last week when we gave away tickets to Cirque de Soleil: OVO? That made us feel so good that we’re giving away four tickets to OVO again!

Read on for our favorite picks for this weekend.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

ALL WEEKEND

STAR Eco Station DINOFAIRE - Culver City
STAR Eco Station channels Jurassic Park for this two-day festival of all things dinosaur.

Museums Free-For-All - Multiple Venues
Selected museums all across the Southland let you in for FREE this weekend.

Festival of Human Abilities - Long Beach
Aquarium of the Pacific celebrates the talents of people with various physical challenges.

Chinese New Year Festival - Downtown
The fun doesn’t stop after the Golden Dragon Parade. There’s a classic car show, martial arts demonstrations, and 1000 Chinese New Year themed cupcakes. Yum!

Dora & Diego Breakfast - Santa Ana
Grab your backpack, let’s go - to the opening weekend of Discovery Science Center’s Dora & Diego: Let’s Explore exhibit.

Monterey Park Chinese New Year Festival  - Monterey Park
The downtown district of Monterey Park hosts a Chinese New Year celebration complete with a traditional Chinese Lion Dance, a Dragon Dance, Chinese folk songs, dances, and martial arts.

SATURDAY JANUARY 28

Tales from the USA with Jamie Lee Curtis - Santa Monica
Famed children’s author (oh and by the way she’s an actress) Jamie Lee Curtis brings her stories to The Broad Stage.

Golden Dragon Parade - Downtown
This start to the Chinese New Year Festival features floats, marching bands, entertainers, local business leaders, and cultural groups, and, yes, a giant dragon

Fireside at the Miles - Marionette Madness - Santa Monica
Franklin Haynes brings his magical marionettes to the Miles Memorial Playhouse. Come early for hot chocolate and cookies!

Silly Rabbit, Tricksters Are for Kids - Westwood
Boxtales Theater Company presents a humorous collection of trickster tales from around the world, told using signature masks and weaving in bilingual elements.

SUNDAY JANUARY 29

Tu B'Shvat Nature Fest - Malibu
Head on over to Malibu for Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish Birthday of the Trees. Activities include hikes, a tree planting, nature workshops, a climbing wall, bungee trampoline, and a petting zoo.

Whale Fiesta - San Pedro
You’re in for a whale of a time (sorry!) at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium as it celebrates whale-watching season with puppet shows, face painting, make your own scrimshaw, and a life-sized sand sculpture of a humpback whale.

Randy Kaplan - Santa Monica
Randy Kaplan comes to McCabe's Guitar Shop, performing songs that tickle the funny bones of children and adults alike.

As always, there are many more activities listed on our daily events calendar. Whatever you choose to do this weekend, we hope you have a spectacular time. Gung Hay Fat Choy!