5 Things for Families: hearts, magic, monkeys, and more

Looking for ways to help your kids burn off all that sugar they’ll ingest at their school Valentine’s Day parties? Richmond has you covered.

February 10, 2016; 8:19 AM • by Valerie Catrow

Photo by: deanbkrafft

1. Valentine’s Day Heart Dissection

Just thinking about this makes me want to fall down, but I try to include events that appeal to a variety of audiences. So, if watching the dissection of a sheep’s heart sounds like something you and your family would be into–to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I guess?–then here you go!

  • Saturday, February 13th and Sunday, February 14th • 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM
  • Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad Street
  • Free with admission ($11 for adults; $10 for seniors and kids 4 to 121; free for members)

2. Abracadabra Lab

Kids ages 6 to 11 are invited to come get a behind-the-scenes look at what makes basic sleights of hand and magic tricks work. For what it’s worth, the “obsession with magic tricks” phase has been one of my favorite parts of parenting so far, ranking right up there with the “walking like Frankenstein” phase and the “not understanding how to tell knock-knock jokes” phase.

  • Saturday, February 13th • 10:30 – 11:30 AM
  • Bon Air Library
  • Free, call 804.751.2275 to register

3. ChinaFest! Year of the Fire Monkey

Celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Chinese Year of the Fire Monkey by creating your own Peking Opera mask, dragon puppet, and New Year lantern. You’ll also get to enjoy artist demonstrations and take part in traditional red ribbon dancing. Facepainters will be on hand to transform you into your favorite zodiac animal–and don’t forget to to stop by the “selfie setup” to document the day!

  • Saturday, February 13th • 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
  • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Boulevard
  • Free admission

4. CMoR Valentine’s Day Celebrations

All area Children’s Museum of Richmond locations will host special Valentine’s Day celebrations with crafts (including card-making stations) and themed story times throughout the day, featuring readings of Pinkalicious: Pink of Hearts, The Day it Rained Hearts, and Valentine Mice.

  • Sunday, February 14th • 11:00 AM2 – 3:00 PM
  • All Children’s Museum of Richmond locations • see [wbesite] for addressed
  • Free with admission ($9 for adults and children over 1; $8 for seniors; free for members and children under 1)

5. Presidents Day at Mount Vernon

OK, it’s not in Richmond, but the kids will be out of school, so you might as well make most of the day. All events at Mount Vernon are free on Monday in celebration of Washington’s (observed) birthday! Events include wreath laying ceremonies at Washington’s final resting place; dancing demonstrations; storytimes for the kids; and a chance to enjoy some birthday cake with the first First Family.3

  • Monday, February 15th • 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
  • George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway (Mount Vernon, Virginia)4
  • Free!
  1. Kids 3 and under are admitted for free with a paid adult. ↩
  2. CMoR Central will start celebrating a little earlier at 10:30 AM. ↩
  3. They’re re-enactors, obviously. Not like a zombie First Family. Maybe they do that on Halloween though? ↩
  4. MountVernonMountVernonMountVernon. ↩
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Valerie Catrow

Valerie Catrow is editor of RVAFamily, mother to a mop-topped first grader, and always really excited to go to bed.

February 10, 2016 8:19 AM · in , , and more 0

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