10 FUN Things to Do During School Vacation Week

1. Check out special programs and performances all week long:

• Monday, April 13: Come meet live llamas, lambs and goats and see wool-carding and spinning during Fleecy Friends from 1:00 - 3:00 PM.
• Thursday, April 16: Children won't want to miss folksinger Maria Sangiolo's interactive concerts at 1:00 and 2:00 PM. They can also join a workshop at 2:30 and create a fairy house from mosses, twigs and other natural materials.
• Friday, April 17: Learn the secrets of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® circus performers during shows at 1:00 and 2:00 PM.

Get to the Museum early to pick up free tickets to shows on Thursday and Friday.

2. Now that the weather’s nice, bring a picnic and spend some time in The Children’s Garden. Play with the garden toys and make some NOISE on the Junk Music Station!

3. There are so many things to do in the Story Center, at the end of the time tunnel. It's really fun to explore all the different games – learn to play mankala or a new version of dominoes. Or use the “Create a Game” kit to make one of your own and invite other families to try it out.

4. Check out the ramp box exhibit and see if you can find your favorite children’s book illustrator. Make up a story about the people or objects in the boxes.

5. Make up a song on the pipe organ in Play Power. Find a friend to play some of the notes.

6. Send balls and scarves flying though the air tubes and try to catch them! Change the direction of the air and see what happens.

7. Make something really big on the light wall! For older kids, it can be fun & challenging to figure out how to make a shape like a 5-pointed star. This works great as a family or group project: an older kid or adult can work on the outline, while a younger sibling or friend hunts for the right colors to finish the shape (or makes their own creative additions). And for the littlest kids, figuring out how to fit a peg into the board (or flinging the pegs to the floor) is a great game also!

8. Construct a fountain in Water Ways. Build another fountain and figure out how to connect the two.

9. Create a gigantic three-dimensional object with Jovo tiles and put your finished shape on the show-off shelf.

10. Take a break with one of the great books found throughout the Museum. Cuddle a couch in the Story Center and read one of the wonderful stories from all over the world. Or, in Water Ways, dry off in the wave cave while reading a story about water.

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Thanks to the Museum staff who contributed their playful ideas to this list! For more information about what’s happening during vacation week, visit the Museum's website.