Alex and Jameson Szumko examine an Egyptian coffin at the University of Michigan Kelsey Museum of Archaeology.

Stefan Szumko | Contributor

Mid-winter break? When did that all come about? Even as a boy here in Ann Arbor, I always thought that snow days away from school were enough. Apparently, though, our children need time to rest their minds so they can establish new neural connections as they process the intense learning they've had since their last day off from school, a week ago. Perhaps they need time to prepare for their next day off of school next week?

Despite the cold temperatures and precipitation that insists on reminding us that we live in a northern climate, it was time to get out of the house and do something different. So I decided to take the boys on a mystery trip in town - one that would only cost us only bus fare and lunch.

Our adventure began with a very exciting trip to the AATA bus stop closest to our house, where we arrived in time to see the bus pull up and away. Jameson, age 3, was upset. Even though the time-keeping responsibility ultimately falls on me, we did use this as a learning experience for him: when daddy says, "Please get ready to go," daddy means, "Please get ready to go - now, with minimal distractions." So, we headed back home to snack on the apple slices slathered in lemon juice that were prepared for the day and waited for the next bus a half-hour later.

After a successful bus ride, we headed east on Liberty Street. To keep their minds off the urban wind-tunnel effect, I was certain to point out architectural details to the boys, such as the false front on the really old building that is home to Kim's Sports Martial Arts or the tiles on the Michigan Theater. That worked for all of two minutes until we turned to head south on Maynard to Nickel's Arcade as a break from the moving air. On Maynard, we discovered that the wind seemed stronger in the north/south direction.

Emerging onto State Street, heading south, and crossing over William, we encountered our first destination, the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Housed in a building called "Newberry Hall," this museum reopened late last year after extensive renovation and expansion - a great improvement. Both boys really enjoyed the mummy of a child and the adult-sized coffin. I enjoyed the life-sized recreation of the frescoes in the Villa of the Mysteries from the ruins of Pompeii. The gift shop has quite a few affordable treasures to take home, such as miniature figurines of Roman soldiers, the idea I pocketed for future gifts.

Pausing for a quick spin of the cube named "Endover," we headed into the basement of the Michigan Union for a lunch of Subway sandwiches before heading off to the second destination, the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA). This museum, too, has been renovated and expanded, re-opening last summer. I wanted to see which exhibits, if any, would capture the attention of the boys.

They both enjoyed the oil-paintings and were quite impressed by the sculpture of the "Apsara Warrior." Apsara is an anti-war goddess, and the sculpture is made out of decommissioned AK-47s, representing a weapons-free Cambodia. The Samurai swords and armor caught Alex's attention. But the maze of staircases and elevators and the various balcony overlooks were a hit with both boys as was the electronic information touch table. Jameson was most impressed with all the windows overlooking campus sidewalks and had to look through each one. I was glad to note that the gift shop had a nice kids section. Another idea I saved for future gifts.

Leaving the museum, we headed across the diag to Burton Tower to see the bells of the Charles Baird Carillon. We took the slowest elevator on campus up to the highest point, the eighth floor, and climbed two flights of narrow stairs the rest of the way. Although the observation deck is open Monday through Friday from noon to 1 p.m., the door was locked on the day of our visit. So we made plans to revisit some time in the future. Taking the stairs all the way down, we discovered that these make for some neat photography. Perhaps on our next visit, we'll try some more artistic shots.

We hustled back to the bus station, stopping at the outside drop box of the Ann Arbor downtown library to return some items. We would certainly have stopped in had we not had places to go and people to meet.

While both museums do offer tours for school groups and facilities for self-guided tours, it would be wonderful if they offered scavenger hunts and more touchable displays for patrons of all ages.

Although the tours of the museums were short, it was a successful trip, as evidenced by Jameson's quick entry into slumberland for his afternoon nap.

Stefan Szumko is a middle school science teacher by trade, an outdoor environmental educator by calling, and a homedaddy by choice. Stefan can be reached at slugwhisperer@gmail.com.