2009 Winter Fun Activities:

 

Akron Art Museum

Visit downtown Akron the first Sunday of every month and sample a variety of the area’s cultural treats. The Akron Art Museum has teamed up with downtown Akron-Summit County Public Library and Summit Artspace to present a fun-filled schedule of FREE activities that add up to Sunday Sampler.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 3, enjoy free gallery admission and the final day of Familiar Faces: Chuck Close in Ohio Collections. Adults and children will also enjoy making short handmade films from 12-3 p.m. at the Cameraless Filmmaking demonstration with the Akron Film Festival.

From 1-5 p.m. at the library, enjoy Storytime Sampler (2 p.m.) in the Children’s Library and Craft-to-Go all day in the Teen Division. Artists of Rubber City at Summit Artspace (11 a.m.- 5 p.m.) will showcase members in the Work by Members exhibition, as well as artist demonstration from 1-3 pm.

For more information visit www.AkronArtMuseum.org .

 

Children’s Museum

It may be getting colder outside, but it’s warming up inside at The Children’s Museum of Cleveland as the museum’s annual sand exhibit, SANDasaurus, gets ready to return. Opening at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, the exhibit will continue on display through April 11.

Upon arriving in the exhibit, children will be invited to grab a backpack and tools and become a make-believe paleontologist as they search for fossil clues about ancient life in over 60 tons of sand. While the main focus of SANDasaurus is to provide young visitors with a unique, hands-on learning experience, the many “extras” help provide a dramatic, immersive environment in which important skills and concepts can be taught to children of all ages and abilities through creative play.

The Children’s Museum is at 10730 Euclid Ave. in University Circle and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 216-791-7114.

www.ClevelandChildrensMuseum.org.

Cleveland Metroparks Chalet Toboggan Chutes

Experience Northeast Ohio’s ultimate winter ride, the Chalet Toboggan Chutes of Cleveland Metroparks. The twin, refrigerated ice chutes operate with or without snow and are more than 700 feet long with an initial drop of 70 feet.

The only public ice chutes in Ohio are open Fridays through Sundays from December through February (plus Thursday nights in January and February), with extended holiday hours Dec. 19 through Jan. 3.

Daily admission is $8 adults, $6 ages 11 & under. One-time ride tickets are $3. Group discounts and private rentals are available.

The Chalet Recreation Area is at 16200 Valley Parkway in Mill Stream Run Reservation, between routes 42 and 82 in Strongsville, just off I-71 and the Ohio Turnpike. 440-572-9990, www.clevelandmetroparks.com.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Don’t miss Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History through January. This groundbreaking exhibition presents the most up-to-date look at how scientists are reinterpreting many of the most persistent and puzzling mysteries of the dinosaurs: what they looked like, how they behaved and how they moved, as well as the complex and hotly debated theories of why they became extinct. 216-231-4600. www.cmnh.org.

Cleveland Playhouse

Don’t miss the Festival of Trees at Cleveland Play House. More than 50 locally sponsored and professionally decorated holiday trees will be displayed through Jan. 3.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the great American novels come to life on the stage in January. Follow the adventures of Huck and his friend, Jim, a runaway slave on the Mississippi River.

Public performances are at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturdays on Jan. 9, 16, 23 and 30. Cleveland Play House is at 8500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. 216-795-7000. www.clevelandplayhouse.com.

Disney on Ice

Celebrate with Disney On Ice and turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one! Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate! is coming to Cleveland Jan. 8-18 as Feld Entertainment’s newest ice production featuring a magical montage of Disney characters celebrating holidays and festivals from around the world. Tickets for performances at Quicken Loans Arena are on sale now.

Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate! will be the first time audiences see Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, live on ice, from the upcoming film, Walt Disney Pictures’ The Princess and the Frog, opening nationwide on Dec. 11.

Classic and contemporary Disney songs, an original storyline, brilliant costumes and high energy action will have audiences celebrating some of the world’s most popular events right in their hometown —from Halloween with the Disney Villains, to a Valentine’s Day Royal Ball, featuring the Disney Princesses. Tickets are available at 888-894-9424  and online at www.theQarena.com.

Eastwood Mall

Eastwood Mall in Niles is a regional destination for fashion, food and fun. This is the largest shopping complex in America, with more than 3 million square feet of space. Every day, tens of thousands of people flock to the Eastwood Mall complex to shop the great mix of merchants. Fabulous anchors like Macy’s, Dillard’s, Target, Sears and JCPenney are just the beginning.

Be sure to check out our new stores. Wear District brings you designer fashions at discount prices. North Hill Interiors has everything you need to decorate your home in style this holiday season. Savor the flavor of more than 30 eateries and the comfort of the Fairfield Inn & Suites. Cinema lovers, immerse yourself in offerings at two movie theaters with a total of 23 screens.

Simplify your holiday shopping with Eastwood Mall Gift Cards, with one card equaling 200 stores. It’s a one-of-a-kind shopping, dining and entertainment. 330-652-6980. www.eastwoodmall.com.

Girl Scouts

When the little girl wearing a sash covered in patches knocks on
your door, you know it’s a Girl Scout selling cookies. What you may not
realize, however, is that the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio (GSNEO)
is training her to be financially independent.

The annual cookie sale is part of the Girl Scout Financial Literacy Program, the largest entrepreneurial program for girls in the country. Each year’s cookie program includes age-appropriate educational materials that teach girls goal-setting, leadership, budgeting, communication skills, self-confidence and philanthropy. 

All proceeds stay with the local council and its troops. Troops use the money they’ve earned to participate in Girl Scout programs, take field trips and fund a community service projects. Visit www.gsneo.org to learn more about how your daughter can become a Girl Scout.

Lake Erie Nature & Science Center

Allow the child in your life to experiencethe joyof exploring the woods with autumn leaves crunching underfoot, the wonder of peering at an intricate winter snowflake under a magnifying glass, the thrill of uncovering a wriggling spring earthworm or the excitement of combing the Lake Erie shoreline under the summer sun. 

Discover the changing seasons at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center's programs for all ages, from parent & tot, preschool and kindergarten to elementary and middle school. Feel the heartbeat of a live animal in your own hands, hike the gorgeous natural surroundings from creek to lake, marvel at the always-starry planetarium sky and be inspired by passionate, experienced educators.

Find out more about these programs including school-year classes, summer camps, family workshops and scouting adventures at www.lensc.org or by calling 440-871-2900. 28728 Wolf Road in Bay Village.

 

Lake Metroparks

  Lake Metroparks offers a wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities this winter. When the parks are blanketed in lake-effect snow, they offer the perfect settings for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding.  

The ski center is open and staffed when weather, snow accumulation and conditions warrant (four inches of snow are needed to ski).  Approximately one mile of lighted trail is lit nightly (Dec. 15 - March 15) to accommodate the skiing public, weather permitting. 

The Pine Lodge Ski Center hours of operation for the ’09-’10 season: noon-8 p.m., Monday – Friday: Noon; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Lake Metroparks Winter Sports Hotline, 440-954 4178, is updated daily to provide ski conditions and snow accumulation reports. It is recommended to call before coming out to confirm the center is open.

Snowshoe rentals are also available at the Penitentiary Glen Nature Center in Kirtland. Nearly eight miles of trails within the park are available for snowshoeing and await your discovery.         

Snowshoe rentals are available 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through March 4 on an hourly and daily basis.

Music Together

Building wildly creative spirits and a world that sings is happening in the music and movement classes at Music Together® of the Chagrin Valley. There, families bond and make music together.

Directed by Anne Murphy, a gifted singer and musician, children enjoy creating new words to songs, making up rhythm patterns, instrument jam sessions and the freedom of expressing music imaginatively through their own movements. Classes are held weekly for children birth to age 5 and their parents, grandparents or special caregivers.

Registration is open for the winter, with 10-week sessions beginning the week of Jan. 4. Classes are at the Family Life Center in Chagrin Falls, Solon Community Church and Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights.

Share this gift of music with your family or friends this holiday. For information about times, days and class locations call 440-543-5025 or visit www.MusicTogether4Kids.com.

Party Xtremes

Want to party in a galaxy far, far away? At Zero Gravity, we'll transport your child into deep space on an adventure they'll never forget. The 7,200 square feet of play area houses an inflatable play zone and a family picnic area. Book a party, rent an inflatable for your party or come to an open session. 34675 Melinz Parkway, Eastlake. 440-269-4948.

 

Rhythm Culture

A drum circle is a group of people who make music at work, school or in the community. Participants play percussion instruments from around the world, such as African and Indian hand drums, Brazilian and Asian bells, Mexican maracas and many other interesting instruments. Drum circles can be free form (no leader) or facilitated by a trained musician who helps shape the musicality of the grooves.

Rhythm Culture’s drum circles are fun rhythm events that enhance connection and creativity within any group. Our facilitators are trained to build connections among diverse ages, cultures and abilities. We bring hand drums and percussion instruments to your location. Our facilitators blend drumming techniques with rhythm activities, guiding the group in its creation of exciting polyrhythmic music. We also bring other surprises to bring out the dancer and singer inside everyone. No matter what our age, or ability, we sound better together. 216-375-3896. www.rhythmculture.com.