Child's Play

April Vacation Planner

Keep your kids busy during school break – and have fun while you’re at it

Posted

April 16-20
Bring the kids out for a party that requires no planning or cake. Party for the Planet at the Roger Williams Park Zoo features events all week long that will give everyone a chance to discover new fun to have outdoors and also learn about living green. 11-3pm. $12 adults, $6 children, $8 seniors. Roger Williams Park Zoo, Elmwood Avenue, Providence.

The ocean is still a bit too cold to swim in and backyard pools are still covered up. Grab your swimsuit and your children and head to the Bayside YMCA for Swim Lessons. The branch is offering a special April Vacation Express in which kids come for five consecutive days at a reduced rate. Morning and afternoon sessions available, based upon age. $35, $70 non-members. 70 West Street, Barrington. 401-245-2444. 

April 16–22
Join a weeklong block party to celebrate the new Imagination Playground at the Providence Children’s Museum. Enjoy time in the play space that encourages child-directed and unstructured play and will allow the children to shape their environment and make their own rules using big foam blocks, wheels, spools and tubes. 9-6pm. $8.50. Providence Children Museum, 100 South Street. 

Get the kids off the couch and away from the video games and bring them to the Audubon Society where there is a new nature adventure everyday. Participate in eco-arts and crafts or participate in programs that will challenge the little ones to find the best ways to protect our planet. Audubon Society of Rhode Island, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 

April 15
With the warmer weather upon us, why not take a stroll with the family along the shore at the Audubon Environmental Education Center’Seaside Adventure. Search for crabs, snails, sea stars, fish and even worms while taking in the beautiful scenery and spending time with your little ones. 2-3:30. Free. Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol.

April 17
With the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic happening this month, bring the older crew in your household to the Titanic, How it Really Sank movie viewing at the Fall River Main Library. The film, produced by National Geographic, will showcase this historic disaster before, during and after it happened. 1-1:50pm. Free. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Fall River Main Library, 104 Main Street, Fall River. 508-324-2700.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can bring children ages 3-5 to the RISD Museum’s Tours for Tots program. These interactive museum tours, with read-aloud story time and gallery activities for kids and their caregivers, explore a different theme each week. Free with museum admission. 2-2:45pm. 224 Benefit Street, Providence. 401-454-6500.

Witness birth – of chicks that is – at the Newport Public Library’s Spring Chicks event (pictured above). Watson’s Farm will bring live chicks for a presentation on the life cycle of birds and will even install an incubator with live eggs inside. When you leave, you and the kids can wait and watch the hatching of the these chicks over the library’s web cam. 2:30pm. Free. Children ages 4 and up. Newport Public Library, 300 Spring Street, Newport. 401-847-8720.

April 18
Give yourself a break and let the kids begin their path as being the next person on the moon at the Cosmic Cadets camp at the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. The kids will enjoy a fun-filled day learning about space exploration and the solar system. 10am-2pm. $25/$20 for museum members. Please bring a bag lunch. Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence.

Even though the kids may not do the chores at home, you can count on them to do so and even have fun at the Breakfast in the Barnyard at the Coggeshall Farm Museum . Participants will join the costumed interpreters to feed swine, brush the cows and search for eggs while learning about farm animals in 18th century Rhode Island. 9:00-10:30am. $8.00 for Adults, $5.00 for Children 6-12 and Seniors. Coggshell Farm, 1 Colt Drive, Bristol. 401-253-9062.

Gather up the family and allow everyone to be one with nature at the Touisset Family Walk at the Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge. Join others as you stroll through a coastal property filled with lush salt marsh and grassy meadows all while learning about the critters that call the land home. 10-11:30am. Free. Ages 6 and up. Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge, Touisset Road, Warren. 401-949-5454.

April 19
Thursday mornings (not just during April vacation), bring the kids to Barrington Books for Childrens Story Hour. Hosted by local children’s book author Anika Denise, each story hour features a different, often local, kids book choice. Though the events are geared towards ages 2-5, all ages are welcome. The newly expanded kids section at the store is worth a trip on its own. 184 County Road, Barrington. 401-245-7925.

Being an astronaut is certainly one cool job and why not give the kids a chance to learn all about it at the MNH Space Camp (pictured below). With fun tasks focusing on hands-on astronaut training and astronomy activities, this is sure to be a favorite part of April vacation. 10am-3pm. $30/$25 for museum members. Grades 2-4. Please bring a bag lunch. Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence.

Do you believe in magic? Witness the always amazing Magic of Scott Jameso at the Fall River Main Library. Watch his new show that includes astounding magic and mesmerizing illusions. 11-11:45am. Free. Fall River Main Library, 104 Main Street, Fall River. 508-324-2700.

Come out and let the kids build a beautiful home for their favorite flying friends at the Make a Birdhouse event at the Audubon Environmental Education Center. Their imaginations will certainly run wild as they build their houses and even enjoy a visit from a real live owl. 10-11am. $20/member, $25/non-member. Registration is required. Ages 6+. Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol.

April 20
The possibilities are endless when Legos are around. Bring the kids to join in on the fun of making whatever their imaginative minds can think of at Legos at the Library at the Rogers Free Public Library. 3:15-4:45pm. Children under the age of 7 must bring a grown-up. Rogers Free Public Library, 525 Hope Street, Bristol.

Bring the whole family to learn about the natural world around us as the Caratunk Wildlife Refuge holds the Caratunk Critter Crawl. Come explore the stream, forest, field and pond in search of the life that they all hold. 10-11:30am. Free. Ages 5 and up. Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk.

April 21
Just in time for Earth Day, you and your family can come and sing with Mother Nature at the Children’s Concert with Mother Nature at the Audubon Environmental Education Center. Musician Lindsay Adler will present songs and stories from the perspective of Mother Nature herself and everyone is encouraged to sing along. 10-10:45am, $8/member child; $10/non-member child. All Ages. Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol.

april vacation, kids, children, school vacation, east bay, bristol, warren, the bay magazine

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