Throughout the Delaware Valley, families have settled back into the routine of school, work, and extracurricular activities. And, while many thrive on schedules and predictability, a little spontaneity can often add some much needed excitement to a dull and dreary January weekend.

Escape the humdrum of a typical weekend by exploring local museums. Penn Museum hosts its Second Saturdays programming featuring the theme, The Things We Wear. The Center for Architecture + Design invites families to its free workshops in which they can learn about graphic design. Little ones can literally become part of an Eric Carle book at the Please Touch Museum while older kids feeling a little bit daring can stay overnight for The Franklin Institute's Camp-In that offers a Worst Case Scenario experience.

After checking out the museums, find a seat at a local theater. Families can find James and the Giant Peach on stage at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, The Snow Queeen at Arden Theatre, Disney's Newsies at the Delaware Children's Theatre, and A Midsummer Night's Dream: Shakespearean Sock Hop at Wolf Performing Arts Center.

There is nothing boring with this line-up! Continue reading for more ways to fill your weekend with fun.

As January arrives, Philly families can find many ways to spend time together. Whether you are looking to savor holiday fun for the last time of the season or try something new, the activities in our events calendar do not disappoint.

It's the last chance for many seasonal experiences. The lights go out at the Philadelphia Zoo's LuminNature and Elmwood Park Zoo's Wild Lights. The trains head into the station for the final time at the Brandywine River Museum and Longwood Gardens. The curtains close on performances such as People's Light's Little Red Robin Hood: A Musical Panto and Walnut Street Theatre's Shrek the Musical this weekend. Holiday displays at Winterthur and Peddler's Village come down and are put away for another year.

Those who are looking for something new can experience The Three Kings at The Kimmel Center, build a mini hockey game at the local Home Depot, view the exhibits at The Barnes, or help to count winter birds at the Conversancy Cottage. Consider splurging on winter ski trip with some tips from our latest post or head to a cool spot to give snow tubing a try.

For now, read about our top picks for the weekend ahead! Need more ideas? Be sure and read our top picks for the month with our January GoList or 20 Free Things to Do in January list. 

T'was the weekend before Christmas and all through the Delaware Valley, Philly kids are filled with great anticipation. Will their holiday wish will come true this year? If their dream is to celebrate the season with amazing fun found in our events calendar, then the answer is resounding yes!

Families looking for an extra-special experience can splurge with a trip to the sweetest place on Earth and ride the amusements. Those who love to build can create something spectacular at Legoland Philadelphia's Holiday Bricktacular. Theater goers can take in a holiday performance and see Shooting Stars Holiday Spectacular at Upper Darby Performing Art Center, The Nutcracker at the Academy of Music, or Mikey the Elf and the Case of the Missing Mistletoe at Act II Playhouse. Kids who need to burn off a bit of nervous energy can twirl on the ice at Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest, Dilworth Park, or Horizon Service RiverRink,

To add to the excitement, Hanukkah begins this weekend and there are plenty of ways to celebrate. Attend a menorah lighting, visit a museum for a special sensory-friendly Hanukkah celebration, eat homemade latkes at PAWS Discovery Farm, or catch Hanukkah gelt falling from the sky.

No matter how you celebrate the season, here's wishing all of our Mommy Poppins Philadelphia friends a most wonderful holiday!