Winter break! It’s a child’s dream but a busy parent’s nightmare. Lessen the stress of juggling kids and work this break, pick out a workshop that focuses on joyous learning. You will be adding interesting experiences to their education. The kids will love it. Everyone will be happy!
Various museums throughout the city of Pittsburgh offer special winter break workshops to give kids a hands-on experience the kids may not get in school. If your daughter is into computers, take her to a class where she’ll get to learn the basics of coding. Or if your son is into painting, drop him off at the Carnegie Museum of Art for an exploration into various art mediums.
Pittsburgh Workshops for Kids During Winter Break
Gingerbread Village BNY Fab Lab
Kamin Science Center, December 17-22
Let your little ones take part in building gingerbread houses without the crumbly, sticky mess. They’ll create a gingerbread house silhouette from cardboard, decorate it with snowy details, and add their creation to a growing community display. Your child can also design a cheerful holiday card to share or take home.
Youth Night: Cozy Season
MuseumLab, December 18
This special winter Youth Night is just for middle schoolers, grades 6–8! Bask in the fun for a parent-free evening filled with hands-on activities like candle dipping, sewing cozy from recycled sweater felt, wood-burning ornaments, and creating festive garland. Play games, win prizes, and warm up with a hot cocoa bar as well as seasonal snacks during this night of creativity.
Weekend Workshop: Suminagashi Marbling
MuseumLab, December 20-21
Discover the beauty of suminagashi, the Japanese art of floating ink, in a hands-on weekend workshop. In this workshop especially for ages 9 and up, experiment with ink marbling techniques to create a one-of-a-kind card or accessory to take home. If you’re a parent, you can even participate as long as your child has a workshop ticket.
Day Off at the Museum
Carnegie Museum of Art, December 22 and 29
Spend the day exploring the Carnegie Museum of Art while participating in exciting activities designed to help your child grow as an artist. Children can spend their day off from school painting, printing, sculpting, and mixing media, in response to the art they’ll see at the museum. Through playful art and sensory challenges, kids will dive deeper into artful subjects.
Do You Want to Build a Snowman? BNY Fab Lab
Kamin Science Center, December 23-31 (not including Christmas)
Is your kiddo interested in computers and coding? After bringing a snowman to life with colorful vinyl-cut stickers, explore how computers communicate using the binary alphabet. Then, use those skills to craft a festive ornament that spells out a message in binary code.
Holiday Ornaments BNY Fab Lab
Kamin Science Center, Select Dates Through December 30
In this hands-on workshop, participants ages 8 and up can design and create their own custom laser-cut wooden holiday ornament using CAD software and maker technology. It’s a creative way to make a unique keepsake to take home for the holidays with no prior experience needed.
Story by Kylie Thomas
Photo courtesy of MuseumLab
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