Family Fun Saturday in Santa’s Workshop at UM Museum

Having fun at Santa’s workshop is the dream of most children. Helping the jolly old guy in red’s elves put together toys and treats of all kinds would be a pleasant memory for any of us to have, even if we’ve been in double digits for a good long time.
On Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014 from 10 a.m. to noon, we can have that chance — the University of Mississippi Museum will hold its annual Santa’s Workshop for a fun morning of holiday activities.
Emily Dean is the curator of education at the museum and said this year’s event is entirely free and, as always, opened to the public.
“We are very fortunate this year to have The Children’s Dental Center here in Oxford sponsor it for us,” Dean said. “They’re sponsoring it so that it can be free. In past years, we’ve had to charge a $5 admission, so we’re very excited and thankful that this year it’s free and will, possibly, enable more people to attend.”
The event is drop-in anytime between 10:00 a.m. and noon, so if people can’t come for the entire two hours, they’re welcomed to just attend whenever they can within that time frame.
“We’ll have activities set up throughout the museum and classrooms,” Dean said. “We’ll have art activities, really for all ages; usually it’s for children about 2 and up. Also, weather permitting; we’ll have an elf mobile, we’re borrowing an extended golf cart from campus, and it’ll transport people between the museum and the Ford Center’s Gingerbread House Village. It should be a lot of fun.”
Dean said around this time of year, the museum always partners with the Ford Center for holiday activities.
“In past years, we’ve all walked over as a group,” she said. “But really, Santa’s Workshop and all of our family days at the museum have gotten so big that now we’re moving to a drop-in format.”
Santa’s Workshop will include snacks, arts and crafts with a winter theme and there will also be a designated sensory playroom where there will be an opportunity for children to build things with Play Doh, such as snowmen and other Christmas-related items.
“This will be my third Santa’s Workshop,” Dean said, “and each year we try to do something different and try to mix it up, but with the same sort of wintry themes. And of course, Santa’s elves will be in attendance to help everyone.”
Angela Rogalski is a HottyToddy.com staff reporter and can be reached at angela.rogalski@hottytoddy.com.