Kids are out of school for winter break, some longer than others. My granddaughter goes to year-round school and does not have to be back until Jan. 11. Seems like a long time, but I am a huge fan of year-round programs. But, what do you do with all of that time that they are out of school. This time of year, many families travel, but many stay at home and between work and the holidays, it is hard to keep them occupied, other than television and video games.
Kids are out of school for winter break, some longer than others. My granddaughter goes to year-round school and does not have to be back until Jan. 11. Seems like a long time, but I am a huge fan of year-round programs. But, what do you do with all of that time that they are out of school. This time of year, many families travel, but many stay at home and between work and the holidays, it is hard to keep them occupied, other than television and video games. Our children are growing up in the HTML era, which is good, but many of them are not seeing what is out there. There is something to be said by learning by using your senses. Sight, sound, and feel can bring learning to life. It is no wonder, in the day of electronics for everything, that many children are losing interest in school and unable to keep up.
At my home, we celebrate Christmas, and while the kids are on break, I am looking for things outside of the home for them to participate in. And participation is the key word. This can be done through the electronic world, but there is nothing like the real thing.
I’ve been in contact with Director Kathleen Oatsvall of the Heritage of the Americas Museum, located on the Cuyamaca College campus. This is not unusual, as I have repeatedly said that this is one of East County’s most precious and hidden treasures. And children are allowed in freely. It’s purpose is to serve children, and it does so every day with tours, low cost or no cost for admission and the docents there are experts on every piece of history that this museum holds.
This is a perfect place for a family to experience together. In my last communication with Oatsvall, she said that the museum has gone through some major restorations. It held a Let There Be Light Campaign with a $30,000 upgrade that cost the museum nothing and SDG&E chipped in with a large rebate program. Oatsvall said that this new lighting brings the museums artifacts to life like never before. But there is more.
The museum added a sound system so that when you are walking through the Natural History Wing, you will hear dinosaurs. The Archaeology Wing is filled with flute music from Peru, bears growl at the end of the Anthropology Wind and the Art Wing is now filled with the music of America’s greatest “singing cowboys.”
Something else that is near and dear to me is the San Diego County Library’s Legends series of paintings. Each of these exhibits are a wonderful collection of San Diego’s living history, as it celebrates the contributions of those in our communities, and many of the chosen are East County residents.
For the first time ever, all three exhibits, 15 paintings will be part of the museum’s collection. These collections are worthy on their own, but within the museum, I believe that this is a prime destination for the holidays. As I hoped, but much to my surprised, my grandchildren love the Heritage of the Americas and I have every intention of getting them out of the house for a day and taking them back. They were so thrilled with their first visit, I believe with all the new additions, it will have even a stronger impact on them now.
We all celebrate the holidays in different ways, as we are a multi-cultural society. And though Christmas gets top billing for commercial reasons, I believe that whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid’ul-Adha, Omisoka, or Yule, many of these have the same things in traditions. Being with family and friends. And this is a gift that costs little and gives much more in return.
There are many places to go in East County that are family oriented and can get the family out of the house. I think that is important, even as much as I love to be a homebody when I have the chance to be at home. So this holiday, while the kids are out of school, find something to do with the family. Take an adventure into the wonders of what lies in our own backyard, enjoy them, perhaps learn something new, and strengthen the bond between your family. Happy Holidays!
