Winter activities for families

Bailey Brown, 3. wears a mask to point out her dad with her mother Meghan at the Schulz Museum’s “Museum Monday for Little Ones” series. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

The house gets crowded during the holidays, with the children out of school and grandparents, uncles and aunts coming in from out of town. If the whole clan stays in your living room for a week or two, somebody’s going to get restless. Probably the little kids will start to squirm first.

Give everybody a break, with a morning of games for toddlers and their grown-ups at Santa Rosa’s Charles Schulz Museum, or a visit by tour bus with the critters at the Safari West wild animal preserve.

Not only will everyone have fun, but a little painless learning might take place as well.

“You can come in with your toddler, and keep the mess at the museum” instead of your house, said Jessica Ruskin, director of education for the Schulz Museum. “It’s important to us that all the activities have a purpose, and the kids exercise their skills.”

Older kids might enjoy creating and costuming their own imaginary characters at the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, or going to a holiday festival of short films at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

A quick guide to some fun activities for children and families this month:

Schulz Museum: Santa Rosa’s museum devoted to the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip always has kid-friendly activities to offer. This weekend’s classes show how to assemble and decorate Snoopy’s doghouse out of gingerbread, complete with a marshmallow Snoopy on top. Of four sessions, the one at 10 a.m. Sunday is the only one that hasn’t sold out yet. Children from grades 1 through 6 welcome. $25.
The “Museum Monday for Little Ones” series offers stories, movement games, art and craft activities and a movie for children ages 1-5 and their caretakers from 10 a.m. to noon Monday. $5 per child; two adults per child free before 11 a.m.
Winter classes in gift-making, cooking, science, cartooning, art, animation and more begin at 10 a.m. Dec. 22 and run through Jan. 5. Grades 1 through 6. $25.
And at 10 a.m. Dec. 31, celebrate “Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!” with hands-on crafts for kids, two balloon drops at noon (including one for babies and toddlers), and root beer toasts with Snoopy at noon and 3 p.m.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Closed Tuesdays, and Dec. 24-25 and Jan. 1. Address: 2301 Hardies Lane in Santa Rosa. Museum admission: $5-$10; children 3 and under free. 579-4452, schulzmuseum.org.

Safari West: The Santa Rosa wild animal preserve offers special short tours on the African Queen bus to see cheetahs, giraffes, lemurs and more at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 23.
Admission costs $25 for adults, and two children between ages 2 and 12 get in free with each paying adult, with a charge of $10 for each additional child.
During the week after Christmas, Dec. 26-30, Safari West plans full Winter Safari tours priced at $58 for adults and $25 for children ages 3-12.
Call 566-3667 for reservations. Address: 3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa. Information. 579-2551, safariwest.com.

Bay Area Discovery Museum: If you’re able and willing to go upscale, Sausalito’s interactive museum for kids offers the “Holiday Break Imaginary Worlds Camp” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Dec. 21 for $375, and again Dec. 26-28. Children age 4-7 will create a tale around characters they create, and make their own costumes.
Or you can just pay the regular $11 museum admission (free for infants under 6 months) and enjoy the Imagination Playground and ongoing exhibits, including “Once Upon a Time: Exploring the World of Fairy Tales,” opening Saturday.
Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day. Address: East Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito. (415) 339-3900, baykidsmuseum.org.

The Exploratorium: The San Francisco family museum offers two special film programs— “Holiday Memories,” at 2 p.m. Dec. 22, includes Sheldon Cohen’s “The Sweater” and Dylan Thomas’s “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” narrated by Thomas himself. The annual Holiday Animation Festival, including six short films, runs at noon, 2 and 4 p.m. from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1.  The museum also offers hands-on exhibits and activities exploring the arts and sciences, and will stay open on Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed on Christmas Day.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Address: 3601 Lyon St., San Francisco. Admission: $19-$25. Information: exploratorium.edu, (415) 563-7337.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.