KIDS/SNEAK PEEK : THANK-YOU NOTES ARE AN ART.

Byline: - Nancy Hewitt

Get your kids off to a good start by encouraging them to learn to prepare thank-you notes Saturday and Sunday at the KidsSpace Museum.

Between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., bring your address book and a list of the gift givers your child needs to thank. Creative thank-you notes in all shapes and sizes will be designed by children, suitable for mailing.

And to encourage families to celebrate the new year together, the museum will provide party hats, noisemakers and sparking apple juice beginning at 10:30 a.m. New Year's Eve as part of its countdown activities.

Both activities are free with admission, which is $5 for adults and children over age 3, to the museum, 390 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Information: [phone].

Winter break

Learn what the precocious schoolgirl Madeline is doing during her winter vacation in her new video at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at ZanyBrany.

Celebrate Kwanzaa with a craft and learn about this holiday at 10:30 a.m. Monday at ZanyBrainy.

Stores are in Thousand Oaks at Northgate Center, 111 S. Westlake Blvd., Suite 101, [phone]; Pasadena, Hastings Village, 3393 E. Foothill Blvd., [phone]; Valencia, Town Center Drive, 24201 Valencia Blvd., [phone].

Historical times

To celebrate the various musical influences introduced during the Gold Rush, the Autry Museum of Western Heritage is offering daily concerts at 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Ken O'Malley performs traditional Irish music Saturday. Sourdough Slim performs popular songs of the Gold Rush Sunday.

Alvino Siva and the Traditional Cahuilla Bird Singers perform Cahuilla bird songs on Monday, and Howard Marshall Jr. performs African-American spirituals on Tuesday.

Los Californios perform Alta California music Wednesday, and the Nestle Holiday Choir performs traditional 19th-century carols Thursday.

All concerts are held in Heritage Square at the museum, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles. Admission $7.50; seniors and students with ID $5; children 12 and under $3. Information and registration: [phone], Ext. 234 or 317.

Nature adventures

Kids ages 4 to 11 can learn about nature by working with specimens and artifacts, visiting curatorial laboratories and making craft items to take home during workshops designed for their age groups and being offered Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Natural History Museum.

Children ages 3 and 4 will learn about the pint-sized Paleo, mudhens, mudskippers and mud pies from 10 a.m. to noon. Kids ages 5 and 6 learn about rambunctious reptiles and dinosaurs also from 10 a.m. to noon. Kids ages 7 and 8 learn about ocean oddities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., while children ages 9 to 11 play discovery detectives, also from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Each child must be accompanied by an adult. Classes are held at the museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles. Admission is $25 per child/adult team members for members, $30 nonmembers, for ages 3-6; $40 for child/adult team members, $45 for nonmembers, for ages 7-11. Students participating in the 10 a.m.-to-3 p.m. sessions must bring a sack lunch.

Information and reservations: [phone].