"F" Is For Family Fun: Things To Do The Week of Jan. 22-28

STORY TIME

Mark your calendars! Family Storytime will start again on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 10:30 a.m. Storytime and events will resume in February throughout the Hennepin County Library System.

Barnes and Noble Storytime - all FREE events

Wednesday, Jan. 25 – Galleria in Edina, Dinosaurs at 11 a.m.;
Thursday, Jan. 26 - Highland Park, St. Paul, Toddler Storytime at 10 a.m.;
Friday, Jan. 27 – Galleria in Edina, Bears at 11 a.m.
Friday, Jan. 27 – Highland Park, St. Paul, PJRama Storytime at 7 p.m.;
Friday, Jan. 27 – Ridgehaven Mall in Minnetonka, No Name-Calling Storytime at 10 a.m.

NATURE EVENTS
Woodlake Nature Center –  Winter Catalog

Nature Adventurers for Adult/Child Pre-School Classes (ages 3 – 5 years)

• Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 10-11:30 a.m., Snowshoes and S’mores.

Call 612-861-9365 to register. Prepayment required. Cost is $8 per child

Three Rivers Park District's calendar of events offers a wide variety of fun activities and events for all ages including preschoolers. They also have Free Family Fun Days.

WINTER CELEBRATION

Fete: One coooool week in January! January 21-29

• Join Bloomington Parks and Recreation and area sponsors in welcoming winter during the 10th Annual Winter Fete celebration. Events are either low cost or free for families and include hockey exhibitions, the International Nordic Ski Jumping Competition at Bush Lake Ski Jump, broomball tournament, ice harvest festival, ski jumping for beginners, Pond Dakota Winter History Festival. More information on each of these events can be found on the Bloomington Parks website.

St. Paul Winter Carnival (Jan. 26 through Fen 5) starts this week! More information can be found on the Winter Carnival website including the events calendar.

THEATRE & MOVIES

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at the Bloomington Theater and Art Center now through Sunday, Feb. 12. Cost is $28 adults, $25 senior, $25 student, and $12 student.

Llama Llama Red Pajama at Stages Theatre Company now through Sunday, Feb. 12

Harold and the Purple Crayon at the Children’s Theatre, Jan. 24 through March 4.

Glee 3D Family Flicks at the Mall of America on Saturday, January 28 at 10 a.m. Free, first-come, first-served as seating is limited to the theatre capacity.

Omnifest at the Science Museum now through Feb. 17. Five films and one amazing theater. Omnifest 2012 brings you five new films showing daily in our Omnitheater. Movies are: Journey Into Amazing Caves, Amazon, Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure, Search for the Great Sharks, and Wolves.

EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS
Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids by David Walsh at the Eisenhowner Community Center in Hopkins. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6-9 p.m. Free, no reservations required.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Heartfelt – 4306 Upton Ave. S., Linden Hills. Call 612.877.8090 to register.

Heart Sachet – Saturday, Jan. 28, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

• Stitch fuzzy sweater pieces into a pretty and sweet smelling sachet then stuff with wool and pinches of fragrant lavender. Finished with ribbon or yarn to hang and complete the project. Ages 6 to adult; ages 4 & 5 with a grown up. Cost is $16.

Beginning Needle Felting Workshop: Saturday, Jan. 28, 3-5 p.m.

• Turn fluffy sheep’s wool into dimensional figures, woodland plants and animals and more. Earth balls, gnomes, mushrooms, and simple animals. Sharp needles will be used. Ages 9 to adult. $28 per person.

Sewtropolis 5 West Diamond Lake Road, Minneapolis. Call 612-827-9550 for more information or to register. You can also register for sewing classes online.
Jan. 25 – Barcelona Skirt, 6-9 p.m. Cost is $50 per person. Level 3/Advanced Beginner.

Sewtropolis also offers a class bundle for discount if you purchase 4 classes, you’ll receive the fifth class free.

RICHFIELD RESOURCES

• Richfield Bloomington Community Education catalog;
• Richfield District website;
• Richfield Recreation catalog;
• Richfield Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks locations and hours;
• website

Richfield Historical Society website

Tours of the Bartholomew House (usually Wednesdays 12-8 p.m. and Saturdays 12-4 p.m.) 

• This 150 year old house has witnessed Richfield’s change from an agricultural community, to a truck-farm town, to one of the earliest and fastest growing suburbs.

Richfield: House & Home, now showing until August, 2012

• This main gallery exhibit takes a closer look at the “lookalike” houses of Richfield. We see our local Cape Cods, Ramblers, and other suburban houses every day. This fun and interactive exhibit will let us explore what makes a rambler a rambler, why Cape Cods came back into fashion, and why those “lookalike” house don’t look alike any more.

Minnesota on the Map – Opening Saturday, Jan. 28, 12-4 p.m. with a book signing by author David Lanegran at 2:30 p.m.! Showing until March 10.

• Calling all map lovers! This traveling exhibit from the Minnesota Historical Society makes a stop in our library gallery for a short time only. See how our state has been represented in maps from past to present and take a look at some of the gems in Richfield Historical Society’s great map collection. Hurry, this exhibit is here for a short time only!

ADDITIONAL ARTS & HISTORY RESOURCES

• Bloomington Art Center – class catalog;
• Eden Prairie Art Center;
• Edina Art Center - class catalog;
• Hennepin History Museum - $5 adults, $1 seniors and all under 18 years, free for members, closed on Mondays;
• Hopkins Art Center - class catalog;
• Minneapolis Institute of Arts - FREE daily admission, closed on Mondays.

If you know of any fun and educational family events coming up around Richfield, please let us know by writing about them in the comment section below.