Kids bored? Here are 8 fun things to do while school's out for the holidays

School has been out for nearly two weeks and all the toys and goodies Santa dropped off last week might already be losing their luster.

The carols of "I'm bored" are surely echoing from many households by now.

With the dreary December weather ho-hum and the pandemic canceling many travel plans, it can be difficult to find fun activities to keep children of all ages busy.

New Year's celebrations: From Champagne toasts to music and food, we have New Year's suggestions

The Dispatch gathered a list of some kid-friendly events and outings to do this weekend. They take place at a variety of venues, some indoors and others out in nature, as we know many families are grappling to determine just what might be safe with the Omicron variant spreading rapidly in central Ohio.

Here are some ideas of things to do with the last bit of Christmas break:

Catch all the holiday light shows you may have missed

If all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season made it difficult to attend one of central Ohio's fantastical light displays, don't fret. Most of them continue at least a few days into the New Year.

The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium's Wildlights (www.columbuszoo.org) runs nightly after 5 p.m. through Jan. 2, as does the drive-through version at Butch Bando's Fantasy of Lights (butchbandosfantasyoflights.com) at Alum Creek State Park.

Those who want to stay in the festive spirit have a bit longer to make it out to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden's popular light show Conservatory Aglow (fpconservatory.org) as it doesn't end until Jan. 9.

Take a spin around the ice-skating rink

Ice skating is fun any time of year, but it seems all the more magical during the holiday season.

There are a number of places around town offering public skating times, including the Ohio State University Ice Rink (ohiostatebuckeyes.com), five area Chiller locations (www.thechiller.com) and a synthetic ice rink at Easton Town Center.

Several municipalities, such as Dublin and Obetz, boast their own outdoor rinks, too, so check a nearby area to see their skating opportunities.

Explore the many wonders of the area's Metro Parks system

Even with the weather a bit chilly and cloudy, the 20 parks that make up Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks still can provide a good dose of wonderment for those willing to bundle up just a bit (www.metroparks.net).

Take in one of the scheduled winter hikes or make your own trail.

Popular attractions this time of year include the covered bridge at Homestead Metro Park in Hilliard or the Tall Pines area at Walnut Woods Metro Park in Groveport. Plus, the system just opened a brand-new park in November at Quarry Ridge Metro Park.

It's always fun to check out the animals at the parks, too, whether it be the herd of bison at Battelle Darby Creek or the critters at the Living Historical Farm at Slate Run Metro Park.

Go on a Downtown scavenger hunt

Make the city of Columbus your game board while doing an Urban Adventure Quest.

This scavenger hunt gives smartphone clues that lead teams on a fun and engaging walking tour of Downtown Columbus and nearby area. Challenges are given but so are hints, if needed.

The quest, which costs $49 per team, covers roughly 2 miles and lasts three hours as it starts at Trinity Episcopal Church on East Broad Street and ends at Battelle Riverfront Park. Tickets and more information can be found at www.urbanadventurequest.com.

Don a superhero disguise for COSI's new Marvel exhibit

Kids may have spent much of Christmas break playing with new superhero figurines or watching all the Marvel movies — now show them just how the entire Marvel universe was created from the first comic book issue from 1939 to set-worn costumes from the most recent blockbusters.

Fans can take photos with sculptures of their favorite characters that are exclusive to the "Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes" exhibit while seeing original artwork from decades of the comics.

While visitors could spend a few hours in the exhibit alone, they'll also be ale to play in the rest of museum — and a day at COSI is sure to cure any case of winter boredom.

Tickets are an additional $15 on top of admission to the museum ($25 for adults, $20 for children 2 to 12) and can be purchased at www.cosi.org.

Get crafty an an area art studio

Let your children's imaginations run wild as they work with their hands for a few hours at an art class or drop-in hours hosted by an area art studio.

Many options abound for ceramics classes or painting opportunities. For example, UPaint Pottery on the North Side (upaintpotterystudio.com) has daily walk-in studio time as does Busy Bees Pottery & Arts Studio (https://mentor.busybeesart.com/) in Dublin. Busy Bees even has a New Year's Eve afternoon paint party.

Or creative types can stop by the Columbus Museum of Art for its final Winter Arts Break session Thursday. Free with museum admission, families can participate in a number of creative activities (https://www.columbusmuseum.org/).

Spend the day at Easton Town Center

Don't worry, a day at Easton doesn't have to include shopping or returning unwanted gifts. There are a ton of activities for children to do at the outdoor mall that don't involve either.

Besides ice skating, the center offers entertainment options, such as the virtual-reality Dreamscape at AMC (https://www.amctheatres.com/dreamscape) and endless building opportunities at Legoland Discovery Center (https://www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/columbus/).

There's a movie theater, candy shops and pizza places, plus a courtyard with large swings if the weather is nice. Plus, holiday decorations will still be up, making the area the perfect place to chill a few hours with the kids.

Take in a play

For those budding thespians — or really, any child interested in the stage — there are a few options for a night at the theater before heading back to school.

The Short North Stage's upbeat and lovable production of "Sister Act" continues nightly through Jan. 2 (https://www.shortnorthstage.org/), and any millennial parent will delight in it, too, after growing up with the movies.

For those not ready to let go of the holiday spirit just yet, MadLab's final performance of its "A Very Special Holiday," which features three original plays, takes place on Thursday (https://madlab.net/index.html.

award@dispatch.com

@AllisonAWard

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 8 things to do with kids in Columbus over winter break