Like universities, children’s museums provide young people a place to study nature, an outlet to explore their creativity, and an excuse not to have a real job. Procrastinate constructively with today’s Groupon to the Dreams of Trains, Toys, and Donkeys holiday-themed weekend at the Santa Fe Children’s Museum December 9-10. Choose from the following options:

• For $6, you get tickets for two (up to a $12 value).
• For $11, you get tickets for four (up to a $24 value).
• For $16, you get tickets for six (up to a $36 value).<p>

Sunday admission is $2 for New Mexico residents with ID and $5 for nonresidents. Admission is free for children aged 12 months and younger.

Amid a bevy of interactive displays including a giant outdoor sandbox, the Santa Fe Children’s Museum rolls out three distinct events during its holiday-themed weekend for children and their parental units. In the nature center-turned-switchyard, hands-on exhibits recount how trains make their epic, coast-to-coast journeys. Visitors get a chance to construct scenic backdrops, such as the countryside or a grocery-store produce aisle, to serve as a setting for a small electric train’s travels.

A toy fundraiser the weekend of December 9 and 10 invites participants to drop off their gently used play items before Saturday’s sale; that afternoon a concert entitled The Donkey’s Dream transfixes kids, parents, and pack animals seeking material for their cover bands.