Here is this week’s list of family-friendly free or frugal events for around the Northwest, as well as some events going on around the country. Thanks to Sia from Centsible in Seattle for providing this extensive list of activities for us.
Sounds Fun Mom always has a great list of events local to the South Sound area of WA as well, so make sure to check out her extensive list.
If you see a fun, frugal event that’s not listed, feel free to leave a comment so we can add that event to our list.
PUGET SOUND AREA::
Friday January 6th:
*Free Entrance To Hands On Childrens Museum – Olympia; 1/6; 5:00pm to 9:00pm; Free entrance for the evening on the first Friday of each month.
* Free Admission To KidsQuest Children’s Musuem – Factoria; 1/6; 5:00pm to 8:00pm; First Friday evening of the month offers free admission.
*Free Entrance To Bellevue Art Museum – Bellevue; 1/6; 11:00am to 8:00pm. First Friday of the month Bellevue Art Museum offers free admission.
*Free Movies and Books – Kent; 1/6 – 1/8; Free movies to watch, free popcorn to munch and coffee and tea to keep you warm. Jan. 6 The Man in the Iron Mask (PG-13), 10 a.m. Jan. 7 The Wizard of Oz (Unrated), 7 p.m. Jan. 7 Sherlock Holmes (PG-13), 1 p.m. Jan. 8 Voyage of the Dawn Treader (PG) . Ask about Kids Free Book program while you are there.
*Friday Night Family Skate – West Seattle; 1/6; 6:45pm to 8:45pm; $3 fee. Family skating in a roller-rink atmosphere that includes the limbo, racing and snack bar. All ages and abilities are welcome! Borrow skates if you don’t have any–outdoor skates are not allowed. In the Alki Gym. This is an ongoing event, so check for unexpected schedule changes before dropping by.
*FreeTête-à-têter At Frye Museum – Seattle; 1/6; 11:00am to 5:00pm; Frye Museum entrance and parking are free all the time. You can check their events page here, for a list of weekly events.
On the first Friday of the month Children’s stories are brought to life with movement and play in the Frye Art Museum galleries by Frye educators or librarians from The Seattle Public Library. Visit the galleries after story time. Ages 3 to 5 with adult. Both museum entrance and story time are free.
*Free Entrance to Seattle Symphony’s “Soundbridge”- Seattle, Beneroya Hall; 1/6; 12:00pm to 4:00pm; Soundbridge is a music discovery center and is free each Friday after 12 pm; Ages 2-5, 30 minute interactive storytelling with song & rhythm, dance & musical instruments.
Saturday January 7th:
*Ginormous Glaciers Super Saturday - Seattle; 1/7; 10:00am to 3:00pm; The glacier that created Seward Park was over 3,000 feet thick. That’s five times the height of the Space Needle. Since it is winter, stop by and explore how glaciers and ice shaped our region and continue to inspire us. As always, we’ll have lots of great glacier games and activities as well as glacially-appropriate arts and crafts.
* Movies at Lewis & Clark – Bellevue; 1/7; 2:00pm t0 3:00pm; Free showing of the family-friendly film “Baby Tales.” Ages 5 and older.
*Free Family Days At Seattle Asian Art Museum - Seattle; 1/7; 11:00am to 2:00pm; Admission to the Seattle Asian Art Museum is free on the first Saturday of each month for families.
*Family Day at the Karshner Museum – Puyallup; 1/7; 10:00am to 2:00pm; Small museum with lots of things kids can touch as well as special activities. It’s 3.00 a person/max of 10.00 a family (website not current, but event has been verified as current for this Saturday). Thanks Sounds Fun Mom!
*Bellevue Art Museums Get Crafty Saturday – Bellevue; 1/7; 1:00pm to 3:00pm; Free craft time for kids each Saturday. $2 material fee or free with admission.
* Science & Technology Center (MaST) – Saturdays 10am – 2pm; kids can explore sea life with touch tanks & more. Thanks Sounds Fun Mom!
Sunday January 8th:
* Free Ski for Health Day – Leavenworth; 1/8; 12;30pm – 2:00pm; January is “Learn to Ski” Month. They are offering FREE Nordic rentals, lessons & trail passes! Take mini ski lessons in classic or skating techniques and enjoy yummy refreshments. Mini-ski lessons are available in classic and skate techniques lasting 20 minutes.
Wednesday January 11th:
*Bellevue Art Museum Free To Teens – Bellevue; 1/6; 5:00pm to 9:00pm; The Bellevue Art Museum is free to students of all ages with school ID . You will need to print this coupon out to take with you.
Thursday January 12th:
*Half Priced Admission Imagine Childrens Museum – Everett; 1/12; Thursday 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. is half priced ( $3.88)
*Free Admission To NAAM - Seattle; 1/12; 11:00am to 7:00pm; The Northwest African American Museum is free on the second Thursday of each month.
*Free Admission To Seattle Asian Art Museum- Seattle; 1/12; 5:00pm to 9:00pm; Second Thursday of the month SAAM offers free admission to the museum.
*Celebration of Martin Luther King at Benoroya Hall - Seattle; 1/12; 12:00pm – 1:00pm; A celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. features speakers and music. Space limited. Event is free.
PORTLAND AREA:
Here’s our list of weekly events for the Portland area. For more Portland happenings, check out the PDX Kids Calendar, a comprehensive events-based website for families in the Portland area.
Friday January 6th:
*Great Eight Free Days at Lan Su Chinese Garden - Portland; through 1/9; 10:00am to 5:00pm daily; To kick off 2012 and a year full of events, Lan Su Chinese Garden will open Monday, January 2, through Monday, January 9, with no cost for admission (general admission is regularly $9.50). The garden shop expands into a garden pavilion to offer a dazzling display of Chinese New Year items in preparation for the beginning of the Year of the Dragon on January 23
*Free Admission To The Children’s Museum - Portland; 1/6; 4:00pm to 8:00pm; The first Friday of the month you Target sponsors free admission to the Childrens Museum. This month you can make a book.
*First Friday Art Walk - SE Portland; 1/6; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm; Hosted by Portland’s Eastside art galleries and alternative art venues, First Friday provides arts enthusiasts the opportunity to wander from gallery to gallery for artist receptions and openings during extended hours on the First Friday of every month.
* Camas First Friday - Portland; 1/6; 5:00pm to 8:00pm; Come and join us for January’s First Friday- Game, Craft & Cocoa Night! Enjoy family friendly games and crafts throughout participating downtown merchants. Have fun and the chance to win prizes!
* Art & More , Be A Messy Monkey - Portland; 1/6; 10:00am to 12:00pm; Drop-in Art, play and relax while enjoying a warm beverage, socializing with other families & making art! Each week we offer a special project and additional 2-3 sensory art stations. 8 hr/per parent and child, new to Monkey Studios register here.
*Mississippi Pizza Pub - Portland; They offer free music/event each day, check website for event schedule and details.
*Music From Mr. Hoo from The Alphabeticians – Portland; 1/6; 11:00am to 12:00pm; Mr. Hoo will be singing songs with and for kids. He’ll play his guitar and sing some original songs, some Alphabeticians songs, some classic kid songs and Hoo knows what else? $3 suggested donation pp.
*Creative Play At Isobels Clubhouse – Portland; 1/6; 9:30am to 11:30am; As part of creative play, kids can dress up in costumes, play with toys, read stories, play games or create in the art space.
*Sing a Long With Tyleena – Portland; 1/6 & 1/7; 10am; Join us for a musical sing a-long and story time with the fantastic Tyleena! Sing along to your favorite songs and books. Pick up a tambourine, drum or shaker and jam with us while learning some basic rhythm skills. Fun for the whole family! $3 donation.
Saturday January 7th:
*Family Happy Hour at Eat. Art. Theater - Portland; 1/7; Every Saturday from 4-6, join us for family friendly music and happy hour food and drink specials with some of Portland’s finest kids acts! Every week, two different acts take the stage to enlighten and entertain. Guests include: The Alphabeticians, Professor Banjo, The Snail People, Mo Phillips, Mr. Ben, and more!
* Free Family Swim At Marshall Community Center - Vancouver; 1/7; 4:45pm to 6:30pm; Bauman Chiropractic is sponsoring free family swims at Marshall Pool Saturday evenings.
* Kids Saturday Morning Skate Session At Oaks Park – Portland ;1/7; 10:30am to 12:00pm; For $5.50 children 10 and under can skate (skates included). Parents free with paid child admission. You can also download a coupon while schools out (12/18 – 1/2 for 2 Skate for $8 ($4 ea)).
*Free Guided Nature Walk – Portland – 1/7; 10:00am to 11:30am; Enjoy free guided walks with park ranger.
Monday January 9th:
*Washington County Museum Free Admission – Portland; 1/9; 10:00am to 4:30pm; Admission is free to this museum every Monday.
*Mondays On The Mall – Portland – Downtown Central Transit Mall; 1/9; Various Times; Free events all day including Wii play, caricatures, the original photo booth and entertainment.
Tuesday January 10th:
*$4 Admission To Oregon Zoo – Portland; 1/10; 9am to 6pm; Oregon Zoo offers $4 admission on the second Tuesday of each month (children 2 and under are always free, $4 tickets available at the gate only).
Thursday January 12th:
*Lunch Time With Mr. Ben at Eat. Art. Theater - Portland; 1/12; Every Thursday from 11-12pm, join us for family friendly music! Every week Mr. Ben performs and kids are free to interact.
NATIONAL EVENTS:
*Free Craft Activities at Lakeshore Learning Stores– Sat. 1/7; 11am to 3pm; Kids can come to this free craft time and make a kids crafted calendar.
*Bank Of America Museums On Us Free Entrance – 1/8 & 1/9; Bank Of America card holders can get free entrance to Museums Nationwide. Check website for participating museums in your area.
*Home Depot Kids Workshop – 1/7; 9:00am to 12:00pm; Kids can participate in a workshop making a savings shed.
* Michaels The Knack Events - 1/7; 1:00pm to 3:00pm; Make a fuzzy backpack friend. Free Make-It Take-It While Supplies Last / Ages 3 and up
* Michaels The Knack Events - 1/7; 3:00pm to 4:00pm; Make a fuzzy scarf. Free Make-It Take-It While Supplies Last / Ages 3 and up
*Barnes and Noble Free Storytime - 1/7; Times and events vary by location. Check your location for specific story’s available this weekend.
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