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player ready...Families can learn the basics of making mobiles during a workshop at the MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART this Sunday. Premade mobiles will be on display to give students a general idea of how to balance objects so they float and sway in the air. Children can construct their own with a winter motif that might include snowflakes and snowmen, igloos and icicles or anything else that they can imagine. “It’s a little bit of trial and error to balance a mobile,” explains Oscar Groves, manager of public programs. “Children may go away with the mobile we intended them to make or with what they intended to make. Sometimes they don’t care if it doesn’t balance. It’s a work of art to them and that’s fine with us.” Winter Mobiles, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., free, registration recommended; 312-397-4010.
— Nancy Maes
At the Kids Fare program called The Artist’s Craft, children can discover three ways to let their creative spirits soar. They can learn some fancy footwork from dancers, tune in to the sounds of rhythm and make some music of their own and get into the act by finding out what it’s like to be in the theatrical spotlight. The Artist’s Craft, Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, $4.50 adults, $2 children; 847-467-4000.
— Nancy Maes
“Winter Rambling” Sunday at Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary will allow visitors to ramble off the beaten path and explore nature. A naturalist will accompany visitors on a walk into the winter wonders of a dormant prairie, woodlands and wetlands where they will discover a world that’s not as sleepy as people think. Participants will use snow shoes on this exploration. “Winter Rambling,” 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary, 1111 E. Schaumburg Rd., Schaumburg, registration needed, $2 resident fee, $3 non-resident; $7 resident family, $9 non-resident family; 847-985-2100.
— Stephanie Price
Farm visitors can ponder the miracle of birth during the “Lambing Season” program at Kline Creek Farm. Families can see which ewe from the farm’s purebred Southdown flock had one lamb and which had twins. You may even see a newly born lamb. “Lambing Season,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Kline Creek Farm, on County Farm Road about one-half mile south of North Avenue, Winfield, free; 630-876-5900.
— Stephanie Price
Creativity becomes a family affair Sunday afternoon at The Center in Palos Park. Parents and kids can create a family of sock-art “snowmen” as a winter decoration for the front door. The workshop, to be conducted by Lois Lauer, Marilyn Vanden Bout and Karen Stasky, is designed to provide an experience of individual effort combined with family teamwork for all ages. Family Art Workshop, 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday at The Center, 12700 Southwest Hwy., Palos Park, $15 for one parent and one child, $5 for each additional person; 708-361-3650.
— Pat Harper