We’ve been going green all month but this week things get busy around town with Earth Day celebrations happening all over! It’s time again for Auntie Liters Earth Day parade, a fun filled day for the entire family!
You’ll also be able to get in on some “Green” fun at the McWane Science Center and the Zoo too! Challenge yourself this week to make just one small change that will help you and our environment for a lifetime!
Sunday is Easter, DeSoto Caverns is celebrating all week with a special Easter Themed light show in the caverns, as well has having the Easter Bunny on site Sunday handing out candy and posing for pictures!
Don’t forget to check our list of area Easter Egg hunts going on, there are still a few! Happy Easter and Happy Earth Day!
It’s Not Our Fault if Your Kids are Bored!
Sunday April 17th:
Building Fairy Houses – Aldridge Gardens
All ages welcome. Children younger than 3rd grade must be accompanied by an adult. Members $5 per family/Non-members $6.50 per family. Hear a story, learn what kind of houses the tree and flower fairies prefer, then, try your hand at building a fairy house with natural materials. You may bring cones, nuts, shells, leaves, feathers, anything found outdoors. Natural materials purchased in a store will not be used. This class is outdoors so wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather.
Picnic Area 2pm
Tannehill Trade Days
Shoppers and swappers come from far and near to Tannehill Trade Days in search of tools, clothing, jewelry, knives, furniture and other treasures. Simple fun for all ages. Please Note: No Pets are allowed in the Trade Days Area.
7am – 5pm
Earthbounds Earthfest – Bessie Estelle Park
Local musicians Earthbound will play their highly-anticipated annual free outdoor concert, Earthbound’s Earthfest, to increase awareness for Earth Day and raise funds for Black Warrior Riverkeeper, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization. Free for all ages, Earthbound’s Earthfest will feature a bounce castle, dunk tank, hula hoops, frisbees, and plenty of other fun for children. Local artists and environmental organizations will bring displays. Optional donations from the crowd will support Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s efforts to protect local waterways and Birmingham-area drinking water, which is threatened by the Shepherd Bend Mine proposal.
2pm – sundown
Scholastic Chess Club at Books-A-Million Brookwood Village
In our upstairs Kids Nook. Beginners are welcome, lessons
available, K-12, other mind sport activities are available such as
checkers and GO. Free to attend!
2PM – 5PM
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Monday April 18th:
Holy Inappropriateness! We couldn’t find any special events happening in the Ham’ Today! Check our list of local attractions that are open daily!
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Tuesday April 19th:
Game Night – Barnes and Noble Summit
In support of Turnoff Week, we are hosting a fun-filled evening of game playing and laughter. Join us in the Cafe where you can enjoy some delicious pastries or hearty sandwiches. We look forward to seeing you!
7pm
Walkabout Puppets on the Plaza – Hoover Public Library
Australian puppeteer, Bob Parsons, performs Goldilocks and the Three Bears using marionettes.
6:30pm
Storytime – Homewood Library
Join us for the fun of it! All ages welcome.
10:30am
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Wednesday April 20th:
Auntie Liters Earth Day Parade – Kelly Ingram Park
Auntie Litter’s Earth Day Parade and Festival is the country’s largest Earth Day Parade for children. School children from around Birmingham fill the park for a day of fun and education. Environmental entertainment, picnic lunch and time with 30+ exhibitors fills the morning. The six block parade through the streets of Birmingham is the culmination of the day’s events.
9am – 2pm
Storytime Science – McWane
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity for your early learner to experience science through literature. Enjoy an enriching story coupled with an intriguing science concept that is sure to spark the curiosity of your child.
COST: Included in cost of admission to the museum, FREE for members
10:30am
Wonderful Wednesday Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Can you guess how much you are loved? Find out in Guess How much I Love You by Sam McBratney. As we read, sip on something sweet from our Cafe while doing arts and crafts. After, we’ll take a walk through our new Educational Toys & Games Department.
11:oo am
Family Story Time with Mr Mac – North Shelby Library
Storyteller Extraordinaire – Come join Mr Mac and his musical storytime complete with puppets! All Ages, no registration required.
10:45am
Storytime – Homewood Library
Join us for the fun of it! All ages welcome.
10:30am
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Thursday April 21st:
Party for the Planet – Birmingham Zoo
Come to the Zoo April 21-23 for a fun filled event featuring activites and wildlife presentations promoting the care and conservation of our planet. Guests will see special shows and animal demonstrations.
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Friday April 22nd:
Earth Day Celebrations – McWane Science Center
Join the party for the planet with cool programs like “Newspaper Masterpieces” where you can use recycled materials to create works of art!
COST: Included in cost of admission to the museum, FREE for members
Party for the Planet – Birmingham Zoo
Come to the Zoo April 21-23 for a fun filled event featuring activities and wildlife presentations promoting the care and conservation of our planet. Guests will see special shows and animal demonstrations.
Storyday with Ms NeNe – Whole Foods
Come meet Mrs. Renee Schmidt “NeNe” as we bring you our beloved storytime. Enjoy storyboards, songs and snacks!
10am
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Saturday April 23rd:
Earth Day Celebrations – McWane Science Center
Join the party for the planet with cool programs like “Newspaper Masterpieces” where you can use recycled materials to create works of art!
COST: Included in cost of admission to the museum, FREE for members
Park It and Picnic – Sloss Furnaces
Go green with an old-fashioned family picnic. Bring your family, your picnic lunch, and come celebrate at Sloss Furnaces with a day of family fun.
Fun prizes to be given away!
Free self-guided and cell phone tours of Sloss, free guided tours at 1PM, 2PM, and 3PM, badminton, croquette, horse shoes, and more!
Raptor Treck – McWane Science Center
Learn all about feathered friends who live here in Alabama. See real owls, falcons, hawks and even an American Bald Eagle.
COST: Included in cost of admission to the museum, FREE for members
Party for the Planet – Birmingham Zoo
Come to the Zoo April 21-23 for a fun filled event featuring activites and wildlife presentations promoting the care and conservation of our planet. Guests will see special shows and animal demonstrations.
Cottontail Express – Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
Hop aboard for a spring train ride to Peter Cottontail’s meadow! Join in the fun as we hunt for Easter eggs – you might win a prize! Bring your camera to take photos with Peter Cottontail!
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny – Birmingham Zoo
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny takes place in Kudzoo Cafe and features a delicious breakfast followed by a visit from the Easter Bunny.
8:30am – Registration Required
Bart’s Books Water Dance – Birmingham Museum of Art
April showers bring May flowers! Wonder what else water can do? Bart the Art Bat selects one book each month about art that he thinks 4-7 year olds will enjoy. The storytellers are often our favorite teacher volunteers from local schools
11am
Super Saturday Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Celebrate Easter with us as we read The Easter Egg by Jan Brett. Will Hoppi make the winning egg? Come find out while creating some art. Our Cafe will be serving a tasty treat, and later we’ll hunt through our new Educational Toys & Games Department.
11:00am
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Sunday April 24th:
Easter Day Celebration – DeSoto Caverns Park
The Easter Bunny will be at the park meeting all visitors with candy and will be available for pictures!
Scholastic Chess Club at Books-A-Million Brookwood Village
In our upstairs Kids Nook. Beginners are welcome, lessons
available, K-12, other mind sport activities are available such as
checkers and GO. Free to attend!
2PM – 5PM
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Local Attractions Open Daily!
McWane Science Center:
Itty Bitty Magic City –
The mini-sized Magic City – complete with buildings and factories – encourages young learners to explore new skills as they join the cities’ workforce. By dressing up in a favorite career costume and becoming a steel worker, doctor, pilot scientist or train conductor, preschoolers take one small step into the world around them. While operating cranes, turning gears, pulling pulleys, and building structures – to name just a few of the hands-on activities – children expand their understanding of themselves as they experience how objects behave and how their own actions affect the objects around them. Little explorers are free to navigate this active learning area at their own pace, allowing creativity, fun and discovery to flourish in the Itty Bitty Magic City!
NatureScope – Explore the great outdoors from inside the museum. McWane Science Center and the Birmingham Audubon Society are partnering to create a new exhibit called NatureScope. Explore the science of the birds and the bugs in this new area! Get up close and personal with some resident creepy crawlies! Learn what role insects play in our ecosystem with the decomposition chamber. Meet large bugs including emperor scorpions, a tarantula, and even a giant African millipede!
Birmingham Zoo:
Lorikeet Aviary – Our Lorikeet Aviary has more birds than ever! Zoo guests can feed these exotic birds every day. You and your family will see these birds’ behavior as they eat nectar out of your hand.
Weekends 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
PELICAN FEEDING – A great way to see our pelicans in action is to witness them eating their favorite treats near the pelican boardwalk.
RHINO ENCOUNTER – Embark on an African adventure and experience one of the world’s most extraordinary animals, the Southern White Rhino. Watch from only feet away as our zookeepers engage in hands-on interaction with the animals inside their African-themed exhibit. Don’t miss this exciting encounter with one of the largest mammals on the planet!
Weekdays: 3pm – 3:30pm
Weekends: 11:30am – Noon & 3pm – 3:30 pm
GIRAFFE FEEDING – This up close and personal animal encounter is a memory you and your family will have for a lifetime.
Weekday: 11am – Noon
Weekends: 10am – 11am & 2pm – 3pm
Vulcan Park and Museum:
Vulcan is the world’s largest cast iron statue; made of 100,000 pounds of iron and 56 feet tall, he stands at the top of Red Mountain overlooking the city of Birmingham. But, Vulcan is more than a statue. Vulcan Park and Museum features spectacular views of Birmingham, an interactive history museum that examines Vulcan and Birmingham’s story, and a beautiful public park for visitors and locals to enjoy. With an official information center that is operated by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, Vulcan Park and Museum serves as the first stop for visitors to the Birmingham area!
Railroad Park:
Railroad Park is a 19 acre green space in downtown Birmingham that celebrates the industrial and artistic heritage of our great city. Situated along 1st Avenue South, between 14th and 18th Streets, the park is a joint effort between the City of Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation. Hailed as “Birmingham’s Living Room,” Railroad Park provides a historically rich venue for local recreation, family activities, concerts, and cultural events, while connecting Birmingham’s downtown area with Southside and UAB’s campus.
Southern Museum of Flight:
Earn Your Wings – Bring your little pilot and soar above the clouds in our little pilots room. Kids enjoy building aircrafts, flying kites, and more.
Museum Open Tuesday – Thursday
9:30am – 4:30pm
Do you have or know of an event you would like to have added to our weekly calendar? Please email us at contact@birminghammommy.com, subject line “Events Calendar” – We would love to hear from you!
