Kristin's Kickbacks List Week of 3-11

Activities

March 11-12. 2-5 p.m. Free Starbucks Petites dessert when you buy any handcrafted drink.

March 12. 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Large garage sale at 7953 Aldea Ave., Van Nuys, 91406.

March 12. 10 a.m. FREE Build and Grow Clinic at Lowes. Bring your child to Lowe's and they can build a project. The kids get goggles and an apron and a kit to build an item. They use hammers their size and get a patch afterward for completing the project.

March 12. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free admission to Japanese American National Museum. 369 E. First Street, Los Angeles. 213-625-0414. This month’s theme is building and architecture.

March 13. 6 p.m. FREE weekly concerts at LACMA. These one-hour concerts are presented free to the public on Sundays in the Leo S. Bing Theater. This week: UCLA Philharmonia performs Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and Miraculous Mandarin Suite. Neal Stulberg, conductor.

March 15. 10:30-11:30 a.m. FREE. Toddler story time at Borders at the Northridge Mall. This week learn about St. Patrick’s Day.

March 17 (and subsequent Thursdays). 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free Mommy and Me Class at The Church on The Way for children under 5 years of age. Please bring a snack for your child. King’s Kid’s Building, West Campus, 14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, 91405. Call 818-779-8000 for more information.

Upcoming Events

March 19. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Huge used book sale at Mid Valley Regional Library. Children’s books are generally 25 cents each! 16244 Nordoff Street, North Hills. 818-895-3650.

April 22 - April 24. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Big Bunny’s Spring Fling at the Los Angeles Zoo. This event features bunny related crafts and activities including the Be-A-Bunny Ear Craft and Funny Bunny Face Painting. Children can also pet bunnies and plant their own carrot seeds to take home. In addition (for a nominal fee), Big Bunny will be available for souvenir photos. 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 644-4200.

Kristin’s Kickbacks List Week of 12-31

Activities

December 13-January 9. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Science in Toyland at the California Science Center. In this exhibit, kids can play games while learning science concepts, like how to make bridges stronger or why tops spin. FREE! 700 Exposition Park Dr., L.A.

January 1. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Autry Museum is open and free for everyone! 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323)667-2000.

January 1. 9 a.m. Get tickets for January free day for Huntington Gardens. Call 800-838-3006 or get tickets online at http://www.huntington.org/default.aspx.

January 1. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (different time because of the holiday). Home Depot's FREE Kids Workshop to make a battery organizer. The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons, and an achievement pin.

January 2. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. FREE ADMISSION to Japanese American National Museum. Ring in the New Year with fun arts and crafts, cooking workshops, and exciting performances. 369 East First Street, Los Angeles, 90012. 213-625-0414.

January 4. 10:30-11:30 a.m. FREE. Toddler story time at Borders at the Northridge Mall.

January 4. Free day for La Brea Tar Pits and the Natural History Museum.

January 4. 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Free evening at Kidspace Museum. This museum in Pasadena is a lot of fun for children and normally $10 a person, so this is a great deal! (It offers free admission the first Tuesday of the month from 4-8 p.m.) 480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena, 91103. (626) 449-9144. www.kidspacemuseum.org.

January 4. 5 p.m. FREE LEGO^® mini model build at the Glendale Galleria LEGO store, the first Tuesday of each month. One free per child. Event is open to children ages 6 to 14 only. 2148 Glendale Galleria, Glendale, 91210.
(818) 549-0733.

Ongoing Deals

L.A. County Junior Golf is a wonderful and free program! They are offering an afterschool weeklong program for children 18 and under starting in January at various golf courses. It is very well organized, with the children grouped by age and plenty of instructors. My boys (ages 4 & 7) participated this summer and loved it! (I got to sit and read a book, so I loved it too!) Here’s a link to the website: http://www.lacountyjuniorgolf.com/applications.htm Click on 2011 After School Free Programs Northern Section.