Jerusalem hotels, restaurants, attractions, tours & events. Helping since 2008

Kids all over Israel are counting down to the holiday of Purim - but it's still weeks away. Once the costumes are ready and the festivities planned, how will families fill their time waiting?

The Jerusalem municipality has turned the city into a children's wonderland. The first two weekends of March 2011 have been dubbed "A Children's Winter," with child-centric and family-friendly events taking place all over the city. Festival events include music, dance, tours, art and workshops, plus venues are offering discounts on museum admission (60 NIS for family entrance or 15 NIS for inpidual tickets), food and performances, while a slew of other offerings are free of charge.

While the city government's dedicated Children's Winter website lists the full array of events and special offers under the framework of the festival, below are some of GoJerusalem.com's selections of the most compelling.

• Hands-on fun at the Bloomfield Science Museum at discounted admission rates includes Children's Winter workshops. Build a kaleidoscope in conjunction with the museum's Mirror Room display, search for riddles as part of a city-wide treasure hunt, or build a centrifugal water fountain as part of special guided tours of various water-themed exhibits.

• Enjoy a family dinner out: More than a dozen restaurants - pizza places, burger joints, cafes, sushi bars and more - are offering kids' meals for 20 NIS alongside two adult meals for 130 NIS. You can even catch a sushi-making workshop.

• Learn about northern Israel's storied way-station for birds, Lake Hula, at Beit Avi Chai, in a presentation that combines photography and theater. No binoculars necessary.

• The Museum for Islamic Art is offering an ethnic musical encounter with Turkish, Tunisian, Klezmer, and Gypsy melodies - and hand percussion by the audience - led by the Nataf Brothers. Budding craftspeople can also dabble in workshops to create art based on the museum's exhibits.

• A scavenger hunt unlike any other! Families (or teams) search for clues in Jerusalem's streets and sites. The tour is meant to take about three hours and includes glimpses of some of Jerusalem's treasures. (Advance registration and payment.)

• The Tower of David Museum presents an interactive activity (and tour through the museum) for kids aged 6 to 10 about writing and language throughout history, from hieroglyphics to Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.

• Entertain the kids for free with a concert of bronze bells at the YMCA, an interactive program using puppets in conjunction with the KumKum Theater troupe, magic shows, or tours of Jerusalem neighborhoods with Beit Shmuel.

• Art workshops, food encounters, music and dance performances, themed tours and theatrical presentations about the collections fill the docket at the Israel Museum - something for every member of the family.

• Workshops for various ages include flamenco dance on Fridays, photography tips and animation lessons with the Musrara Gallery.

• Will you recognize Safra Square's main plaza? It's been transformed into an ice skating rink. Kids aged 6 and up can skate with their families in the square; opening day is March 10, with skating activities available Sunday through Thursday, 10:00 to 23:00, through April 14.

We've got plenty more listed as well on the GoJerusalem.com Children's Winter event page, which is just one component in our ever-growing and dynamic event listings section.