FREE Family Friday Night at the Metroparks

Help kick-off our awesome amphibian weekend with a showing of The Princess and the Frog, a Walt Disney movie on Friday, March 25th from 6-8 p.m. at the North Chagrin Nature Center. This modern day retelling of the classic story The Frog Prince is great for the entire family. Join us to see if waitress Tiana and Prince Naveen break the spell and fulfill their dreams.

Get Out Your Calendars: March 2011 FREEbees in Cleveland

Here’s this month’s list of ongoing, family-friendly events in the Cleveland area:

Art House--All Ages Family Open Art Studio on March 19th (the third Saturday of every month) from 1-3pm. Make individual pieces of family art works. Art house provides the materials.
Beck Center for the Arts--Come for Super Saturdays at the Beck Center, a FREE hands-on arts experience for children ages 10 and under on March 19th with Westfield Great Northern Mall, 9-11:30am in the Beck Center lobby.
Borders--Read Across America Kids Event, March 5th at 2pm: Stories, games, arts and crafts and more! Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie Event, March 19th at 2pm: Enjoy a trivia contest, games, Wimpy activities, and more!
Chick-fil-A (North Olmsted location)--Bring your children in for FREE fun and activities every Tuesday for Family Night! When an adult meal is purchased...you will receive a FREE 4 count Kid's Nugget meal.
Cleveland Museum of Art--FREE admission every day; closed on Monday.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History--Visitors to The Cleveland Museum of Natural History will enjoy FREE admission on the first Thursday of each month, March 3rd, from 10 am until 5 pm.
Cuyahoga County Public Library--Storytimes, educational programs, games, crafts, and more! Visit their website to find out what’s going on this month at your local branch, and it’s all FREE!
Great Lakes Science Center--Free Tuesdays for Youth! All youth 18 and under can enjoy FREE general admission to Great Lakes Science Center on Tuesdays when accompanied by an adult.
Home Depot--Come build a #20 Joey Logano Race Car on Saturday, March 5th from 9am-12pm. Kids workshops are FREE “How-to” Workshops designed for children ages 5-12 on the first Saturday of each month.
Jo-Ann Fabrics—St. Patrick’s Day Make It-Take It on March 19th from 11am-1pm.
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center--Have a close encounter with the wildlife at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center during “Meet an Animal,” a FREE, family friendly, hands-on program select Saturdays at 3pm. Meet an Opossum on March 5th and a Turkey Vulture on March 19th.
Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics--Bring the kids into any Lowe's store and build a FREE wooden project select Saturdays at 10am. Build a Shoot Around Basketball (3/12) and a Fortune Teller (3/26) at the Clinics this month.
Michael’s— The Knack Free Family Event, Make It-Take It on March 2nd from 10am-noon. Join the Dr. Seuss® Birthday Celebration. Come make your own festive bookmark creations. While supplies last. Ages 3 and up welcome.
Pottery Barn Kids—Come every Tuesday from 11-11:30am for Storytime. All ages welcome. The Book Club Themes this month are Read Across America Day (Wednesday, March 2nd), Peter Rabbit (March 8th), and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Sunday, March 20th at noon & March 22nd).
Westfield Great Northern Mall—Come for the FREE sing-a-long and craft time sponsored by the Beck Center on March 3rd from 10-11am. Activities are geared toward ages 5 & under. This event is located at the Playtown on the first Thursday of every month.
Westfield SouthPark Mall--Will be hosting the WFamily Charity Movie Series at Cinemark Strongsville. A different family friendly movie will be featured the third Saturday of each month at 10am, which is March 19th. The cost will be to attend will be $2 per person (almost FREE). Tickets will be available the morning of each show starting at 9 a.m. in front of Cinemark Strongsville.

If you know of any that aren't mentioned, please let us know! Thanks, and enjoy!

Get Out Your Calendars: February 2011 FREEbees in Cleveland

Since the plethora of blog posts can sometimes be overwhelming to wade through, I've decided to create a list of events that happen each month. This can be your go-to guide for FREE ongoing programs, events, and activities! Since we're already a week into February, some events have already passed and won't be mentioned. Keep an eye out for a complete list for March at the end of the month. Happy planning!

Art House--All Ages Family Open Art Studio on February 19th (the third Saturday of every month) from 1-3pm. Make individual pieces of family art works. Art house provides the materials. Visit website for more details.
Beck Center for the Arts--Come for Super Saturdays at the Beck Center! Each month Beck Center offers free hands-on arts experiences for children ages 10 and under. February 19th is Orchid Mania! with Cleveland Botanical Garden.
Borders--Silverlicious Celebration: February 12, 2011 @ 2pm. Kids ages 4 to 8 are invited to join us for a special Pinkalicious celebration! NOTE: this is NOT a costume character event. Happy Birthday Elmo: February 26, 2011 @ 2pm. Elmo is celebrating on Sesame Street but we'll have fun without him! Best for kids ages 3 to 6. Visit the website for more details or to find a location!
Rink at Wade Oval--Open through February 21st on the weekends only. Fri & Sat 12-7pm, Sun 12-5pm. Admission is FREE, skate rental $3. Open President's Day, Feb 21st, 12-5pm.
Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics--Saturdays at 10am. Bring the kids into any Lowe's store and build a FREE wooden project. Each participant also receives a free apron, goggles, a project themed patch, and a certification of merit upon completion of their project. Build a Music Box (2/12) and a Pull-back #48 Race Car (2/26) at the Clinics this month.
Chick-fil-A (North Olmsted location)--Family Night on Tuesday the 22nd is Princess & Pirate Night! Bring you children in for FREE fun and activities. When an adult meal is purchased...you will receive a FREE 4 count Kid's Nugget meal. Kids will also make an IceDream sundae.
Great Lakes Science Center--Free Tuesdays for Youth! All youth 18 and under can enjoy FREE general admission to Great Lakes Science Center on Tuesdays when accompanied by an adult. Offer does not include OMNIMAX Theater or Steamship William G. Mather.
Westfield SouthPark Mall--Will be hosting the WFamily Charity Movie Series at Cinemark Strongsville. A different family friendly movie will be featured the third Saturday of each month at 10am, which is Feb 19th. The cost will be to attend will be $2 per person (almost FREE). Tickets will be available the morning of each show starting at 9 a.m. in front of Cinemark Strongsville.
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center--Meet the Great Horned Owl on February 19th! People are intrigued by owls, especially the awesome Great Horned Owl. Come and see why. In this program, we will discuss interesting facts about the “Tiger of the Woods” while viewing one up-close and personal.

If you know of anything that isn't mentioned, please send your ideas my way!

The WFamily Charity Movie Series at Southpark Mall

In 2011, Westfield SouthPark will be hosting the WFamily Charity Movie Series at Cinemark Strongsville. A different family friendly movie will be featured the third Saturday of each month at 10am. The cost will be to attend will be $2 per person. As far as movies go, that's pretty close to FREE! Tickets will be available the morning of each show starting at 9 a.m. in front of Cinemark Strongsville.

WFamily Movie Dates:
February 19*
March 19
April 16
May 21
June 18
July 16
August 20
September 17
October 15
November 19

Please check the website regularly for updated the movie listings and charities.
*The February 19th movie will benefit the FOP’s Cops & Kids Program.

Watch Ratatouille This Friday Night at JB Booksellers

Join us this Friday, November 19th at 7:00pm for our free monthly family movie night as we snack on popcorn and watch Ratatouille! In this Disney animated movie a rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. Rated G. Movie will be shown in the second floor meeting room at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Legacy Village.

Kids Can Build a Spice Rack This Weekend at Home Depot

This Saturday from 9am-12pm kids ages 5-12 can build a Spice Rack at their local Home Depot store. This would make a great Christmas gift! The FREE monthly workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. This fun time also allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons, and an achievement pin.

Monsters vs. Aliens Movie at JB Booksellers

Join us for our free monthly family movie night on Friday, October 29 at 7:00PM as we snack on popcorn and watch Monsters vs. Aliens! In this animated movie a motley crew of reluctant mutant heroes is recruited to save the earth from the evil alien Gallaxhar. Rated PG. Movie is shown in the meeting room on the second floor.

FREE Build and Grow Clinics on Saturdays at Lowes

From project basics to giving your child the opportunity to say, "I built it!", our Build and Grow kid's clinics are a great way to help build confidence! Bring the kids into any Lowe's store and build a FREE wooden project. Each participant also receives a free apron, goggles, a project themed patch, and a certification of merit upon completion of their project. Click here to sign up! Clinics are on select Saturdays at 10 am. Upcoming FREE Clinics are as follows:

10/9  Funhouse Mirror
10/23  Flapping Bat

FREE Monthly All Ages Open Studio at the Art House in Cleveland

Open Studios are held on the third Saturday of every month from  1-3 pm. Enjoy spending time with your family as you make individual pieces or family art works. Each month has a theme and Art House provides the materials. Make an adventure of it by exploring your imagination and using those creative images to form your art work. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The upcoming schedule is as follows:

October 16 - Maskmaking
December 18 - Holiday projects

The Art House is located at 3119 Denison Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44109. Visit their website for more information! http://www.arthouseinc.org/index.shtml

Meet an Animal at the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center

Every month at the LERSC in Bay Village, you can have a close encounter with a wild animal for FREE! This program takes place on select Saturdays at 3 pm and is open to all ages. The remaining schedule for this fall is as follows:

Venomous Snakes
October 16
Come and be introduced to the world of venomous snakes. See live examples of Ohio’s 3 venomous snakes (Yes! Ohio has venomous snakes!) and learn the facts and fallacies surrounding them.

Tarantula!
October 30
Big, Creepy, and Hairy! Sounds like the makings of a monster movie. This program will focus on the often-misunderstood Tarantula and conclude with an opportunity to have it crawl across your hands and to look into its eyes…all eight of them!

Visit http://www.lensc.org/education/child-family/FamilyPrograms-Education.aspx for other family friendly programs and events!

Target First FREE Thursdays at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Through Thursday, March 3, 2011, visitors to The Cleveland Museum of Natural History will enjoy FREE admission on the first Thursday of each month. Free admission does not apply to school or other groups. Bring the family for a fun-filled day exploring our permanent exhibits and watching the action in our outdoor galleries, where owls, bobcats, otters and more are busy all year long! 2010 Target Free First Thursdays:

October 7, 2010
November 4, 2010
December 2, 2010
January 6, 2011
February 3, 2011
March 3, 2011

http://www.cmnh.org/site/ClassesandPrograms/SpecialEvents/TargetFreeFirstThursdays.aspx

Music at Main: A Monthly Live and FREE Concert Series at the Public Library

Live and FREE: These are the hallmarks of the Music at Main concert series, a presentation of the Cleveland Public Library Fine Arts Department. Music at Main leverages the beauty of our library’s public performance spaces and the talent of musicians from every point on the musical spectrum. Performance venues include the Louis Stokes Wing auditorium and the Eastman Reading Garden. Stop by to absorb the sounds of ensembles, pianists, cellists, quartets and trios, marimba, concert bands, vocalists, and guitarists.

For the next event, The Fine Arts Department is pleased to present:

Joshua Rzepka, trumpet
David Thomas, piano
Saturday, October 2, 2 p.m.
3rd floor lobby Main Library

Performing original compositions as well as jazz standards from Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Antonio Carlos Jobim and more. This program is FREE and open to all ages. Children are welcome and encouraged to attend! For more information call 216-623-2848 or visit http://www.cpl.org/EventsClasses/MusicatMain.aspx.