It’s so easy to passively watch digital entertainment once cold weather arrives in metro Atlanta.
But you can boost your mood and help your grandkids shake off cabin fever with an outing that encourages participation, creativity, and crafting skills.
Here are four hands-on activities to consider for the kiddos. And be sure to contact each place to check that winter weather won’t mean cancelations.
Toddler Lego Club
10:30-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 17. Ages 18 months to 5. Free admission. Roswell Public Library, 115 Norcross St., Roswell.
Plenty of Duplo blocks and Miss Jessica to help guide small hands await at this daytime library event. Caregivers must stick with their young charges for the duration of the event.
If you miss this week, the Lego group assembles regularly on the first and third Wednesdays of the month.
‘Human’ Puppet Show and Create-a-Puppet Workshop
10 or 11:30 a.m., Wednesday-Friday, Jan. 17-20; 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20; 1 or 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 21. $22-$27. Ages 2 and up, Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW at 18th, Atlanta.
Thought-provoking and appealing, the hand, rod, and projection puppet show from Brooklyn-based playwright Nehprii Amenii will mesmerize kids with sea creature puppetry, toe-tapping tunes, and a tale of history, octopi, and hearts.
The show is interactive, and all-inclusive tickets include a trip through the Puppetry Museum and a chance to make an Octopus String Puppet to take home.
Buy tickets here.
DIY Slime Time
11 a.m.-noon., Saturday, Jan. 20. Admission is free. Must be age 6 or older. Alpharetta Public Library, 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta.
Here’s how to inspire enthusiasm with kids, tweens, and even teens: Squishy, gooey stuff that won’t stick to your hands, aka slime.
All materials are included — and there’s a recipe so you can make this at home, too. Guardians must accompany kids.
West African Textile Paper Crafts with Nomadic Noni
3-4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 20. $15-$25. ages 8-10. Pittsburgh Yards coworking space, 352 University Ave. SW Atlanta.
This “Hands on Heritage” craft event from travel curator and educator Nomadic Noni draws 8-10-year-old kids into the rich history of West Africa Kente cloth. The craft projects yield functional items.
Buy tickets here.
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