FOR KIDS : Children at Work

WHERE CAN KIDS observe bees hard at work, study the workings of an oil derrick and climb on a caboose--all in one place? The Children’s Museum at La Habra, 12,000 square feet of hands-on fun. Located in an old Union Pacific train depot with a new 8,000-square-foot wing, the museum has seven permanent and one changing gallery, in which the exhibits change quarterly. Currently running through June 2 is “Children’s Arts Festival,” featuring community art work centered around a Mexican theme. (A transportation exhibit, “Cars, Trains, Boats and Planes,” will begin June 18 and continue through the summer.)

On the museum’s Nature Walk, children learn about animals from all parts of the world; next door, at the Bee Colony, they can watch the busy bees. The Carousel play area includes a place where kids can get busy themselves with Legos and a player piano. The Science Station, a physical-science area geared toward fourth- through seventh-graders, introduces the kids to a an oil derrick and gas pumps and gives them the opportunity to try on the uniforms of different members of the oil industry. There’s also a Kids on Stage theater gallery and the Pre-School Play Park for children up to age 5.

Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St., La Habra; (213) 905-9793.