The Smoky Hill Museum is offering a free Holiday Open House, Saturday, December 4, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Enjoy a heartland holiday with carriage rides, a pioneer Santa, crafts, music, refreshments and more. Free carriage rides will be offered on a first come first serve basis. Tickets are needed and will be available in the Museum during the Open House. Carriage rides are sponsored in part by the Historic Downtown Lee District. A prairie pioneer Santa will be on hand to visit. Be sure to bring your camera for a picture.

We offer Art and Musical Theatre to supplement your Home School curriculum. Art participants learn observation drawing, sketching and cartooning in addition to working with visual elements, texture, paint and canvas. They are also exposed to Art History. The Musical Theatre program combines speech, drama, music and movement. Participants learn to memorize dialogue, speak with confidence, sing in a Musical Theatre style and work on stage performance. Both programs run beginning the week of January 24 through the week of May 7th.

Register for our Home School P.E. program for ages 6 – 18. This home school fitness program combines group fitness and play into an engaging and effective format. The class is divided into two age ranges and benefits beginners and active youth alike as supplemental curriculum. Activities are performed both indoors (including climbing wall) and outdoors, weather permitting. Facility members receive a significant discount on this and other programs. Register 12/1/10 through 1/11/11. Program dates are Tue/Thu the week of January 11th – May 12th from 1:30pm – 3:00pm.

Join the Fort Bend Family YMCA, 4433 Cartwright Rd., Missouri City, TX 77459, 281-499-9622 December 26th through January 31st and pay No Joining Fee. That is a $50 to $100 savings. We are located at the corner of Cartwright and Colonial Lakes, 1 block East of Dulles and 1 block north of Hwy 6 South. Visit us and take a tour of our 42,000 SF facility and extensive grounds. Try a week for FREE and you will see why we were voted “Best Workout Facility in Fort Bend” by the 2010 Reader’s Choice Awards.

Intrigued by engineering? Ready to get your feet wet studying aquatic ecology? Our explorations are weeklong programs offering high school students an in-depth look at different fields of study—from forensic science to mobile robotics. Put yourself in your future career by gaining real-life experience on projects, taking field trips to adventurous locations, and working in Michigan Tech’s state-of-the-art labs. It’s easy to apply online at www.youthprograms.mtu.edu. Explorations fill quickly, so we encourage you to apply early.

The Engineering Scholars Program provides hands-on learning in ten fields of engineering for students from populations traditionally underrepresented in engineering and science. Investigate future careers in engineering, learn from practicing engineers, complete an interactive team engineering project, interact with role models and talented peers, and more. Selected participants will receive a scholarship valued at over $1,000 that covers all tuition, classroom supplies, and room and board, with the exception of a $175 registration fee.

Women in Engineering is a highly competitive program for women academically talented in math and/or science. It provides students the opportunity to investigate careers in ten fields of engineering. Practicing female engineers, educators, and University faculty lead hands-on engineering sessions, special topic presentations, a team project, and time to interact with role models and talented peers. Selected participants will receive a scholarship valued at over $1,000 that covers all tuition, classroom supplies, and room and board, with the exception of a $175 registration fee.

Winter Wonderland isn't just for the holidays anymore! Find out what makes Spring Valley such an amazing place to visit in winter. Activities are designed for children ages 7-12.

Have you ever heard the fairy tale of the Golden Goose? Come to the Heritage Farm to listen to this enchanted Grimms' tale and have your child make a memorable golden goose craft! You'll also get a chance to meet our very own geese here at the farm. This program is designed for children ages 4-5, and a parent must attend with child.

Pioneer cooking can be a challenge! Try your hand at cooking over an open wood fire, then eat your results. This program begins at the Nature Center, and is designed for children ages 7-12.