Kicking Off the Holiday Doldrums

A friend of my husband used to say "slower than Christmas."  Considering the cacophony of activities leading up to Christmas and the relative slow down between Christmas afternoon and New Years Eve this seems to be apropros, although not altogether accurate.

For children the Holidays can be stressful, boring, exciting and fun all wrapped up into one little package.

From the pressure of a day spent with loved ones, usually resulting in showing off, avoiding naps, and finally melting down around the dinner hour, to December 26th when the present giving and getting is over, and you just need to get outside to let off some steam. Add in inclimate weather, and your best friend visiting family in Austin and this time can be down right brutal for the average preschooler.

We generally have limited travel around the the Holidays. First off we aren't skiers, and second off my my sister's family often visits from Scotland and my Aunt and Uncle are usually here from Michigan.

For us the challenge of the Holidays is to get the boys out of the house, but avoid the crowds. We still want to incorporate some of the popular family Holiday activities like riding the train at Oak Meadow Park, but we also want to do somethings off the beaten path.


For example, on December 23rd we went to the San Francisco Zoo with my Aunt and Uncle. The highlight of the zoo trip was that the lion and lioness were right up against the glass of the enclosure, so you could see them up close and personal. The low lights were that a lot of animals were inside to escape the weather.

We also went back to the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo on the 26th. It was good for two hours of play, and not very expensive (a suggested $3 donation). The boys were very comfortable there and had a good time.

We went to the Los Gatos Farmers Market for crepes. A favorite activity for the boys, however the market had only half the stalls (people took off for the Holidays).  We also tried new adventures like Tilden Regional Park on the 27th (I'll write about that on Thursday).

Later this week we are taking the boys sledding at Leland High Sierra Snowplay (I'll write about that trip next week) and maybe we'll go ice skating  at the rink a mile and half from our house. My friend offered to give the boys a skate lesson.

Hopefully we'll successfully keep our boys entertained without going overboard.

There is a zoo in Palo Alto?

Well actually we didn't get to see the zoo, it was closed, but we did have fun visiting the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. For the five and under set, the Junior Museum is a blast.

It is like the Exploratoreum, but on a less chaotic and more manageable scale. Don't get me wrong, if you are a school aged kid, or even an adult (we have gone as adults), the Exploratoreum rocks.  But preschoolers need a more low-key hands on experience, and this is what the Junior Museum had to offer.

We went for my company's family holiday party, so our first experience may be different. For one thing, the zoo is probably open. When you enter there is a donation robot. Xander could have spent the entire night standing there and lifting his arm. On the left there was an animal room, and to the right there were hands on science fun.

We went right first. The museum has an elaborate exhibit of levers, lifts, shoots and tennis balls. The boys could turn wheels, and drop balls in holes, and see where they went. The majority of our visit was focused there.

Then we managed to pull them away long enough to  go to the animal room. Caleb loved it. He got to pet a rat, a ferret, a turtle, a snake and a hedgehog.  He made several rounds of the room, and kept coming back throughout the evening.

The center of the room has a purple climbing structure, with a cave filled with stuffed animals. Caleb climbed to the top of the structure and slid down. Xander liked diving in the cave.

There was also a wall with circular disks, that you could drop down a flat panel.  It seemed dull, but Caleb and Xander both enjoyed it.

The boys had two solid hours of fun. We will definitely go back sometime during the day when the zoo is open.