The Monday Muse: It's Winter Break. Now what?!

By Kimberly Baldwin

Looking for some fun yet educational ways to occupy the kids this winter break? A trip to one of the state's great art spaces might just be the answer.

The Newark Museum is hosting "Holiday Fun Week" from Wednesday, December 26 through Sunday, December 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. Besides offering daily holiday-themed tours, the week will be filled with music, dance, theater, art activities, and scientific explorations. The planetarium even gets into the spirit with daily laser holiday shows, featuring kid-approved gems from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman to White Christmas and Winter Wonderland.

Gather the children and head to the Morris Museum December 27 through 29 for a variety of fun and educational activities, including interactive workshops, like making unity dolls, learning the art of dance, and creating colorful New Year's Eve party hats. Entertaining theater performances will also be offered daily, such as the top kid-pick Rick Adam's Holiday Parade.

Treat bigger kids to Reflecting Culture: The Evolution of Comic Book Superheroes at the Montclair Art Museum, up through January 13. The museum is closed Christmas day, but otherwise open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A Sense of Place: Children's Book Illustrations by Catherine Stock are on view at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick through January 28. The lyrical watercolors will fascinate children and adults alike, and hands-on activities are also available for visitors in the gallery.