Kristin's Kickbacks List Week of 2-4

Activities

February 4. 6 to 9 p.m. Free admission to the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Friday Shark Lagoon Nights. The aquarium is free from 6pm to 9pm select Friday nights. Please note that while it is almost every Friday, some Fridays are excluded. Check the dates for availability before you go. Shark Lagoon Nights can be canceled due to poor weather. 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802.

February 4. 4 p.m.-6 p.m. FREE Michaels' Kids Workshop. Come and make a Free Valentine's Candy Photo Holder! This workshop is intended for children 3 and older.

February 5. 9 a.m. (Light breakfast at 8 a.m.) Women N’ Sync at The Church on the Way, East Campus, Living Room. Monthly gathering for the women at TCOTW. Guests welcome! Childcare available. Call 818-779-8085 to reserve childcare.

February 5. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. (Every first Saturday of the month). Home Depot's Free Kids Workshop. 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. This month, make a heart shelf!

February 5-6. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Snow Days at the Zoo. Areas affected will be the habitats for the Zoo's American black bear, Sumatran tigers, North American river otters, giant otters, Asian elephants, and snow leopards. This is a “cool” and rare opportunity to view these creatures playing and exploring in a snowy winter wonderland. Adults are $14, kids 2-12 are $9. The Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Dr., Los Angeles.

February 6. 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: Cellist Guido Schiefen and pianist Eric Levan. In celebration of the Bicentennial of Liszt’s birth in 1811, Cellist Guido Schiefen and pianist Eric Levan perform the complete cello / piano works of Franz Liszt.

February 8. 10:30-11:30 a.m. FREE. Toddler story time at Borders at the Northridge Mall.

February 10 (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.

Ongoing Deals

50% Off at Barnes and Noble

$10 for $20 Worth of Toys and Games, Books and More at Barnes & Noble

http://www.groupon.com/deals/barnes-noble-national-division?utm_medium=afl&utm_campaign=2784074&utm_source=rvs

• Offer is available through 10 PM (Pacific Time) Monday 2-7-11. Quantities are limited, so the deal may end before that time.
• Expires Apr 10, 2011

• Limit 1/person. Limit 1/trans. Valid in-store or online. Valid on sale items. Groupon value reduces by $10 on 4/11, except where prohibited. Groupon issued by Barnes & Noble Marketing Services LLC. See full terms.
• See the rules that apply to all deals.

Check out this blog my friend Josie told me about. http://womanfreebies.com/ It has info about all kinds of free samples you can send away for. You can also sign up to get emails sent to you highlighting the best of the blog ideas.

During the month of February, all regular footlong sandwiches at Subway are $5!

Upcoming Events

February 12. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free weekly crafts at Lakeshore on Saturdays! On the 12th, your child can make a Valentine's Day Bouquet.

February 13. 6 p.m. $25 per couple. Marrieds Valentine Dinner at the Church on the Way in the Living Room, East Campus. Come to a wonderful dinner with special musical guests and touching stories and child care for birth through 6^th grade. Call 818-779-8095 for more information.

February 24-27. Valley Kids Consignment Premiere Event. Friday and Saturday, 9am-7pm, Sunday February 27th 2011 (50% off) 9am-5pm. 9660 Cozycroft Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311.

March 1. 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Free pancakes at IHOP! Receive one free short stack per person, no purchase necessary. Donations go to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities.

Kristin's Kickbacks List Week of 1-21

Activities

January 21. 6 to 9 p.m. Free admission to the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Friday Shark Lagoon Nights. The aquarium is free from 6pm to 9pm select Friday nights. Please note that while it is almost every Friday, some Fridays are excluded. Check the dates for availability before you go. Shark Lagoon Nights can be canceled due to poor weather. 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802.

January 22. 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.

January 22. 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Free puppet show at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Directed by Taiwan’s leading female puppeteer, Shi-Mei Chiang, Chen Kuai Le Puppet Theater has perfected this traditional art. In addition to the puppets, the performance is accompanied by live traditional Taiwanese music. Tickets are required but are FREE. Here’s how to get them on a first come first serve basis: They are distributed on Grand Avenue at 2nd Street. Tickets for 11am performance given out starting at 10am. Tickets for 12:30pm performance distributed at 11am.Walt Disney Concert Hall – W.M. Keck Foundation Children’s Amphitheatre, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, 90012.

January 23. 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: Chamber ensembles from the Crossroads School perform selection from Debussy String Quartet, Dvorak: "American" Quartet, Beethoven: "Spring" Sonata, Mozart: Violin Sonata in E minor, K. 304.

January 25. 10-11:30 a.m. Second and fourth Tuesday of each month). Home School Nature Adventure at Stough Canyon Nature Center. $5 per child per class ($4 per additional sibling). Ages 6 -12 years (There were younger siblings and this seemed to be fine). I attended this with my seven year old son and we both loved it! There was time in the classroom where the instructor demonstrated with yarn the difference between food chains and food webs. Then we went on a short hike and the instructor knew all about the various plants and rocks. I would definitely recommend this program! 2300 Walnut Avenue, Burbank, CA 91501. For Mapquest directions, use 1500 Walnut Avenue. 818.238.5440.

January 25. 10:30-11:30 a.m. FREE. Toddler story time at Borders at the Northridge Mall.

January 27 (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.

Ongoing Deals

Did you know LEGOLAND offers discounted days for home school families? Select Mondays are available for $21 a person! Advanced registration is required. Here’s the link: http://california.legoland.com/tickets/groups/education_programs/home_school_days/

Upcoming Events

February 1. 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.

February 4. 4 p.m.-6 p.m. FREE Michaels' Kids Workshop. Come and make a Free Valentine's Candy Photo Holder! This workshop is intended for children 3 and older.

February 5. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. (Every first Saturday of the month). Home Depot's Free Kids Workshop. 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. This month, make a heart shelf!

February 12. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free weekly crafts at Lakeshore on Saturdays! On the 12th, your child can make a Valentine's Day Bouquet.

February 24-27. Valley Kids Consignment Premiere Event. Friday and Saturday, 9am-7pm, Sunday February 27th 2011 (50% off) 9am-5pm. 9660 Cozycroft Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311.

March 1. 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Free pancakes at IHOP! Receive one free short stack per person, no purchase necessary. Donations go to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities.

Kristin’s Kickbacks List Week of 1-7

Activities

January 7. 6 to 9 p.m. Free admission to the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Friday Shark Lagoon Nights. The aquarium is free from 6pm to 9pm select Friday nights. Please note that while it is almost every Friday, some Fridays are excluded. Check the dates for availability before you go. Shark Lagoon Nights can be canceled due to poor weather. 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802.

January 8. 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.

January 8-9. 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Let's Make a Comet at the Griffith Park Observatory. This show is a 25-minute demonstration program that mixes common household ingredients with dry ice to make a small comet that's just like the real thing. The program explores the nature of water in all its forms - solid, liquid, and gas - and discusses why water is so important to life on Earth. Best for ages 4 and older. Free admission to the Observatory and demonstration. 2800 E. Observatory Road, Los Angeles.

January 9. 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: The Lyris Quartet with Pianist Mikhail Korzhev. Alyssa Park (violin) Shalini Vijayan (violin), Luke Maurer (viola), and Timothy Loo (cello) perform Shostakovich: Quartet No. 3 in F major, Opus 73, and Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, opus 34.

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

Ongoing Deals

There’s a website that lists all the Groupon deals each day (Thanks Wendi, for the website information!) Groupon has a bunch of national, doesn’t-matter-where-you-live deals. To get the offers, visit Groupon, sign-in or sign-up, then select the city that’s listing the deal you want from the drop-down list of cities at the top of the Groupon site. Visit http://www.groupongirl.com/ to see a comprehensive list of the Groupon deals.

December 13-May 1. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Science in Toyland at the California Science Center. (It looks like they extended the exhibit until May. We went this week and my boys loved it!) 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.

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.

Upcoming Events

January 17. 12–8 pm. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, LACMA is offering free admission, plus family activities, a performance by the legendary Los Angeles group Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra, engaging talks highlighting African American art in the collection, and a family drawing activity outdoors.