Valentine’s Week is finally here! You know what’s better than chocolate hearts? A day off! Yep. Thanks to our buds George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who both have birthdays in February, we get to celebrate with a day off. That’s right, people. Along with that slice of cake for the father of our country comes a glorious mid-winter mini-vacation. Just think, a three-day weekend to relax, explore, or get reacquainted with the family.

Here are some fantastic, family-friendly events to help you put that extra 24 hours to good use.

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Break out the noisemakers and confetti! Chinese New Year is happening this week! Welcome in the Year of the Dog with the Crow Collection of Asian Art this Saturday afternoon at Klyde Warren Park. Highlights of this doggie extravaganza include art activities for the kiddos, live music, and best of all…fireworks! Bring along your 4-legged friends for puppy portraits, and if you’re in need of a furry companion, dog rescues organizations will be at the park all day to hook you up with a best friend.  Lastly, come hungry because there will also be food trucks galore on site ready to fill hungry tummies with food truck goodness.

Photo: Frontiers of Flight Museum

Besides Chinese New Year and President’s Day, there’s another reason to celebrate, that’s because next week marks the beginning of National Engineers Week. Kick off the week dedicated to science at Frontiers of Flight Museum’s Engineers Week Family Day. Your budding scientist can see how engineers turn their ideas into reality and then do some engineering and problem solving on their own. Kids can build and test a catapult, follow Curiosity’s footprints on Mars, or explore the inside of the museum’s educationally adapted airplane, the Frontier Flyer. The fun happens on Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If you’re a fan of relaxing, there’s no better way to spend a long weekend than fishing. Your little anglers can reel in the big one at Fishing for Fun this Saturday at Keller Town Hall Pond. This free fishing event for kids 16 and under is being put on by Keller Parks and Recreation and Texas Parks and Wildlife and features prizes for the biggest and smallest catch, as well as fishing skill challenges. Bring your own gear and try to catch the biggest rainbow trout.

If having a day off makes you want to sing out loud, you’re in luck. The Jewish Community Center in Dallas is having a sing-a-long featuring the iconic movie musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” The whole family will love singing songs like “Tradition,” and “Matchmaker Matchmaker.” Don’t worry if you don’t know the words. The lyrics will be on the screen, so even if you’ve never seen the film, you won’t miss a thing. Sing-a-long with Tevye and his family Monday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

Photo: Ron Campbell

Use the long weekend to introduce the kids to some super-cool art and the awesomeness of The Beatles. Animator Ron Campbell will be at Milan Gallery in Fort Worth for a pop-up show featuring his work from his 50-year career in Children’s Television. You can see his artwork from “Scooby Doo,” “The Jetsons,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” as well as, The Beatles’ Saturday morning cartoon and “Yellow Submarine.”