It’s so hard to believe the we are closing out another year’s worth of weekly calendars. As things are picking up for you in your preparation for the upcoming holidays, parties, and family gatherings, things are winding down for us here at BirminghamMommy. This will be our last full calendar of 2012. Make sure to follow us on Facebook. We’ll be posting various events there between now and the end of the year.
Thank you so much for coming back here each week and making us a part of your routine! We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
It’s Not Our Fault if Your Kids are Bored!
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.
Elf Magic Party – Wrapsody Hoover
Santa, Jingle & Jangle will join us for the afternoon, 1pm ’til 4pm for Complimentary Photos, Face Painting, Snacks, Door prizes & Merry Fun!
—————————————————————————————
Monday December 10th:
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
—————————————————————————————
Tuesday December 11th:
Jingle Bell Rock Variety Show – Hoover Public Library
Our talented staff stars in an evening of holiday hilarity. Stick around after the show for Season’s Eatings and Greetings with Santa.
6:30pm
Elf – Alabama Theatre
Part of the 2012 Holiday Film series, see Elf. After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity.
Tickets are $8.00 at the door, $8.25 in advance
7pm
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
—————————————————————————————
Wednesday December 12th:
Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Once upon a time, there were three hungry dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur and a dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. This new take on a fairytale classic is so funny and so original it could only come from Mo Willems!
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
—————————————————————————————
Thursday December 13th:
Home Alone – Alabama Theatre
Part of the 2012 Holiday Film series, see Home Alone. An 8-year-old boy, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars.
Tickets are $8.00 at the door, $8.25 in advance
7pm
—————————————————————————————
Friday December 14th:
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
—-———————————————————————————
Saturday December 15th:
Bart’s Books – Birmingham Museum of Art
Willie was different. Bart’s Books is a storytelling program for families with children ages 4-7. Bart selects a new book and related work of art each month for kids to enjoy.
11am
Polar Express Pajama Party – McWane Science Center
The Polar Express Pajama Parties have become a holiday tradition for the entire family. Put on your pajamas and treat yourself to hot-chocolate, cookies and a visit with Santa. Make sure to bring your camera for pictures! Special treats will be given to all kids who wear their pajamas!
Advanced reservations are required. Call (205) 714-8414 or click HERE for tickets.
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm (Movie Time: 3:00 pm)
Cost: $11 Adults, $10 Kids (Members get $1 OFF)
Happy Holidays – Railroad Park
Come out and enjoy Railroad Park this holiday season! We will have karaoke, games, holiday photos and gingerbread house displays by the Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College in Birmingham, Alabama! Plus, we will have live improv comedy from the Extemporaneous Theatre Company, live music from The Haulers, and 103.7 The Q will be on-site all day long!
- Karaoke – 1:00pm.
- Extemporaneous Theatre Company – 2:30 pm.
- The Haulers – 4:00 pm.
- Happy Holidays will end with a Ceremonial Tree Lighting.
Food will be available for purchase at George’s Boxcar Café plus we will have free give-a-ways.
Special thanks to The Birmingham Business Resource Center, 1037 The Q, Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College in Birmingham, Alabama, Holt AV/Video, Bud’s Best Cookies, Fun Source, Lynsey Weatherspoon Photography, Gary Woods and Tan Crowder Photography.
Cereal and Cartoons – Homewood Public Library
Join us for a morning of watching our favorite cartoons and munching on some delicious cereal. Dry cereal only, no milk will be served.
9am – 12pm
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
One day, Lily saw something wonderful in her garden. It had four legs, a tail and a big, wet nose — and Lily had always wanted one!
11am
—————————————————————————————
Sunday December 16th:
Briarwood Annual Community Fall Festival
Briarwood presents the 24th Annual Community Christmas Festival. The 100+ voice Adult Choir will be joined by the Briarwood Ballet and the Alabama Philharmonic Orchestra in a musical celebration of the Christmas story. This year’s program, entitled How Great Our Joy!, will include favorites such as “Carol to the King,” “How Far Is It To Bethlehem?” “Love Came Down at Christmas,” the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah and much more.
There is no admission charge. The public is invited.
6:30pm
—————————————————————————————
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.
