Family Day at the Opera (February 12)

I just received an email from KidsInCenterCity.com about the upcoming PNC Arts Alive Family Day at the Opera. It will be on Saturday, February 12 - all day - and it's free! Registration is required. Events are created for specific age groups,; below is the most toddler-friendly one:
Magic of Opera
Rehearsal Hall/Pre-K - 5yrs/10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Co-produced by the Opera Company of Philadelphia and Temple Music Prep, toddlers receive their first exposure to opera and will be inspired to sing, dance, and act through Mozart’s fairytale The Magic Flute. The program culminates with a live performance of the opera’s iconic coloratura soprano aria, Der Hölle Rache, sung by the Queen of the Night. Taught by Temple Music Prep's Barbara DiToro, the session features soprano Patricia Vigil and pianist Jeremy Gill.

The Dinosaur Museum

Last weekend we went to the Academy of Natural Sciences. We had last been there in August 2009 (here is that post). Jeremy was barely walking then and wow, what a difference the year and a half makes! He LOVED it! We wound up joining as we'll be returning frequently! Admission for adults is $12 (but it is buy-one-get-one free with WHYY membership). Kids over 3 are $10. We didn't pay the extra $2.00 to see the butterflies this time. The museum is a perfect size to see the whole thing in a morning. We started at the top with the "Outside In" children's room. He loved the hands-on things (fossils, shells), and looked at many live animals. The staff was very friendly and answered our questions. We worked our way down and Jeremy loved identifying the animals in the dioramas, but he couldn't wait to see the dinosaurs! We were surprised at his willingness to wear the safety goggles and participate in the "Big Dig"! He really was interested in the Dinosaur Hall and kept asking us to read all of the information on the wall about each dinosaur! On the way out we visited the live animals near the exit. So fun! We will be back soon! Even Caleb enjoyed seeing the museum from the Ergo - he barely napped he was so excited!

Happy New Year!

Again, I apologize about the gap between posts. I now have my act together and plan to post more frequently in 2011! Let's start with the wonderful annual (and FREE) New Year's event at the Kimmel Center! The Kimmel Center had free children's activities all day long - balloon artistry (see Jeremy's Elmo!), face painting, and wonderful performances! This was our second time going and I think we will go every year! Seeing the Mummer's Parade on our way and our way home was an added treat.