It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… Minus the freakishly warm weather we’re having right now!!
Lots of Holiday themed fun happening around town. Don’t forget to check our list of Santa Happenings. Lots of options available for taking the little ones out to see Jolly Ole’ St. Nick!
If you fancy yourself a singer check our Karaoke night at the Homewood Public Library. Head over to the Birmingham Museum of Art to make a gingerbread house or Ruffner Mountain nature Center for a scavenger hunt!
Have a great week!
It’s Not Our Fault if Your Kids are Bored!
Sunday December 2nd:
Holiday Open House – Springville Road Library
Join us for an afternoon of holiday crafts and fun for all! Vote for your favorite tablescape and see who wins!
3pm
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Monday December 3rd:
Character Kids – Gardendale Public Library
A fun interactive program for kids K5, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. Ms. Molly uses character development through games, stories, science, and more.
3:30pm
Toddler Tales – North Shelby Library
A story program for children and a caregiver. Stories, songs, finger plays and crafts make up a lively program designed especially for short attention spans. Best suited for ages 19 months to 3 years. Must Register
9:30am and 10:30am
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Tuesday December 4th:
A Taste of Christmas – Avondale Library
It’s gingerbread cookies and holiday hearts, that’s the way the season starts. Santa’s elves are busy making a gingerbread man when—OH NO—disaster strikes. Who put “Fairy Dust” in the sugar jar and what will happen to Santa’s cookie? Can anyone save the day? Join the Avondale Youth Department for a family night of cookie caper fun. 24-hour advance registration required.
6pm
Storytime – Homewood Public Library
Join us for the best part of your week with stories that make you laugh and songs that make you dance! Join us for the fun of it! All ages welcome. For large groups, a call to 332-6619 is nice.
10:30am
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Wednesday December 5th:
Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Why do wolves think they can come to town and blow all the houses down? These three pigs just aren’t going to take it! They decide to learn self-defense karate style! KIYA!
11am
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
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Thursday December 6th:
Storytime Live – Hoover Public Library
Stories, songs, games, puppetry and more for ages 3 and up. Groups must register.
10:30am
PJ Storytime – Hoover Public Library
Wear your pajamas to the library for stories, songs, and a bedtime snack.
6:30pm
Family Christmas Karaoke – Homewood Public Library
Nothing says holiday cheer like singing loudly for all to hear. In the children’s department we want to provide you and yours an opportunity to gather together for some Christmas carols in a karaoke fashion. We will have delicious treats to share all you need to bring are your singing voices and smiling faces.
6pm
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Friday December 7th:
Storytime with NeNe – Whole Foods
NeNe is back and better than ever! Join Whole Foods most Fridays’ for storyday! There will be storyboards, songs and snacks!
10am
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Saturday December 8th:
M Studio for Kids – Birmingham Museum of Art
Step back in time to winters long ago. Decorate a gingerbread house that even Rockwell would envy! Be sure and visit Norman Rockwell’s America to get into the spirit!
Please register for this event.
10am
Alabama Wildlife Center’s Holiday Craft and Bake Sale – Veteran’s Park Hoover
Just in time for the holidays… AWC’s 1st fundraising cookbook: “Look Whooo’s Cooking!”, meet Santa, enjoy free coffee & hot cider, shop for locally made holiday-themed crafts, ornaments, handmade jewelry, gifts with a natural theme, homemade jams, jellies, preserves, baked goods, frozen casseroles (Mac N Cheese, Broccoli Rice, Sweet Potato, & Sausage Grits) and on-site freshly smoked turkey breast and smoked ham. All proceeds benefit the Alabama Wildlife Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
9am – 1pm
Trussville Christmas Parade – Trussville Mall
Trussville’s Annual Christmas Parade with tree lighting following.
3pm
Saturday Market – Pepper Place
Pepper Place Saturday Market brings the best local growers, food producers and artisans to you each Saturday morning. Rain or shine! Thru December 15th
7am – Noon
Family Storytime – Emmet O’Neal Library
Bring the entire family and join Mr. Mac for stories and music each Saturday morning.
10:30 a.m.
Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Down in the big construction site, tough trucks work with all their might. But now it’s time to say goodnight! A sweet soothing story that would be perfect to read every night!
11am
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Sunday December 9th:
Winter Scavenger Hunt – Ruffner Mountain Nature Center
Enjoy a short walk outside and search for answers to the clues from Ruffner’s Winter Scavenger Hunt. Once you have found all the answers, return your paper to the front desk and claim your prize! Perfect for children of all ages. Scavenger sheets will be at the front desk. The scavenger hunt will be on-going, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm.
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Local Attractions Open Daily!
McWane Science Center:
IMAX
McWane Science Center’s IMAX® Dome Theater puts you in the center of the action by projecting breathtaking quality images onto the 5-story-tall dome screen and delivering intense surround sound through almost 3 tons of speakers and subwoofers.
Now Showing: The Last Reef, Santa and the Snowman, Rocky Mountain Express
The Tornadoes of April 27th – Looking Back — Moving Forward, a new exhibit at McWane Science Center, reflects on the experiences of the April 27th, 2011 storms. The exhibit shares personal stories from those who experienced the devastation of the storms firsthand, while emphasizing the importance of tornado preparedness and explaining the science behind tornadoes.
Photos and stories from The Birmingham News help tell the story of the storms and the affect they had on survivors, volunteers, and the community as a whole. Students from Daniel Payne Middle School also help tell the story of their school and community through photos and artifacts from the storm for the exhibit. UAB students worked with the children from Daniel Payne Middle School to create short documentaries that can be seen in the exhibit as well.
In addition to sharing the personal stories from that day, the goal of this exhibit is to inform the community about how to prepare for extreme weather conditions, explaining the science of tornadoes and stressing awareness.
With vivid displays, the exhibit allows visitors the opportunity to learn about the scientific side of tornadoes. Graphics within the exhibit illustrate tornado formation and anatomy, educating visitors on how such extreme weather conditions develop. Additionally, the exhibit displays statistics and disputes common myths concerning the destructive storms.
Guests can watch live video from the storms that rolled across our state on April 27th, 2011, including the
weather forecasts from that day and actual images of the tornado as it made its way through our area provided by FOX6 WBRC. The exhibit is located in the City Gallery on Level 2 of the museum this summer.
Be Ready Alabama Exhibit Presented by:
The Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
www.readyalabama.org
Adventures with Clifford the Big Red Dog
Join Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, and all their friends in the Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog™ exhibit! Featuring the people and places of the beloved children’s book and PBS Kids television series, this new interactive exhibit brings Clifford’s home on Birdwell Island to life with playful activities and enchanting environments for early learners to explore.
Winter Wonderland
Snow is in the forecast at McWane Science Center this year with the return of the Winter Wonderland exhbit. This magical holiday experience gives families a chance to learn about the science of the season together as they play in the snow, go ice fishing, and watch toy trains zip around the tracks.
Winter Wonderland offers something for everyone in the family to enjoy together. Inside the snow room, children can make snow angels, build snow castles and more. Children can catch fish through the ice in the ice fishing area.
Guests can even sled down the giant slide between the third and second floors in the museum or try the zip line.
Families also have a chance to see toy trains of every shape and size zipping around the tracks in the Magic of Model Trains area. This year children will be able to become conductors at one of the new stations and also see several new additions to the train sets.
Winter Wonderland Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday 10 AM – 5 PM
Saturday 10 AM – 6 PM
Sunday 12 PM – 6 PM
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!
** All information listed on our calendar is subject to change without notice to us or you… We do our best to keep the information accurate and will always update as soon as we learn that something has changed. It’s always best to double check with the event via their website or a quick call, especially when weather can impact the event.
