7 ideas for things to do with the kids on February Vacation Week

Cape Cod Times
·4 min read

It's winter school vacation and besides the potential of playing in the snow, there are a lot of indoor options for fun, too. Seeing live animals and storybook ones are a popular choice for activities in both Sandwich and Cotuit.

To confound young minds, there are magic shows in West Harwich and Cotuit. The magic of snow and science can be discovered, as one might expect, at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, with more science about sharks to learn in Chatham. In Falmouth, kids can learn about the area's Indigenous people with a program of Native stories and music.

Visit a storybook forest and live animal menagerie

Visitors to the Thornton Burgess Green Briar Nature Center can sign up for a one-hour program in the Green Meadow Forest and Live Animal Menagerie. Visit the storybook world of Peter Rabbit, Grandfather Frog, Reddy Fox, Mrs. Quack, Billy Mink and the many other characters created by children’s author Burgess. Visitors will become familiar with the animals native to the area, their habitat and how they were portrayed in Burgess' stories. The live animal display highlights bunnies as well as environmentally accurate habitats for some of the smaller woodland creatures. Appropriate for ages 3 and up. Reservations required.

When: 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. Saturday and Monday through Thursday

Where: Thornton Burgess Green Briar Nature Center, 6 Discovery Hill Road, East Sandwich

Admission: $15

Information: http://thorntonburgess.org

Kitty Hendricks-Miller.
Kitty Hendricks-Miller.

Play 'Shell Rattles' with Wampanoag educator Kitty Hendricks-Miller

Kitty Hendricks-Miller — Otter Clan, educator, musician and a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe — will present "Shell Rattles and More!" for children ages 5-10. Hendricks-Miller will lead a rhythm-filled session with traditional and modern instruments, lively dance and Native stories.

When: 10-11:30 a.m. Monday

Where: Highfield Hall & Gardens, 56 Highfield Drive, Falmouth

Admission: $20

Information: https://highfieldhallandgardens.org

A full weekend: First Yarmouth Winter Carnival includes skating, magic and food trucks

Watch magic with the Amazing Richard

Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre will present the Amazing Richard & Company. Audiences can witness the Magical Snow Storm onstage, the Comedy Sword Box, the Houdini Escape Trunk and more.

When: 2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday

Where: Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre, 105 Division St., West Harwich

Admission: $15

Information: https://capecodtheatrecompany.org; 508-432-2002

Captive wildlife care expert Bethany Jakubson, creator of Amazing Animal Ambassadors with Jasper, a red-tailed hawk.
Captive wildlife care expert Bethany Jakubson, creator of Amazing Animal Ambassadors with Jasper, a red-tailed hawk.

Experience 'Amazing Animal Ambassadors' and Winter Magic

Cotuit Center for the Arts has a variety of school vacation activities, including the Amazing Animal Ambassadors stopping by with animals that include parrots, exotic mammals, large reptiles and insects from around the globe. In this hands-on program, participants can learn about creatures from Africa, South America, Australia, Europe, Asia and the U.S. Another entertainment option will be "Winter Magic" with the Amazing Richard & Company.

When: 10 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday (Animal Ambassadors); 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday (Winter Magic)

Where: Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Road (Route 28)

Admission: $15

Information: https://artsonthecape.org; 508-428-0669

"The Science of Snow" offers STEAM activities for ages 3 and up.
"The Science of Snow" offers STEAM activities for ages 3 and up.

Learn about the science of snow

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History will present "The Science of Snow" — science, technology, engineering, art and math activities for ages 3 and up. Visitors will be able to make a snowman mobile or snowstorm of snowflakes, play in the “snow," create a salt snow scene, try puzzles and brain teasers, build a snow structure, hear snow stories and more.

When: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday

Where: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main St., Brewster

Admission: $12 adults and $6 children 3-12 (museum admission)

Information: https://ccmnh.org

All about sharks: A fear of great whites? Shark center aims to show fact vs. fiction

The Shark Center will be open this week with its special exhibit “From Red to Green: Understanding the IUCN Red List.”
The Shark Center will be open this week with its special exhibit “From Red to Green: Understanding the IUCN Red List.”

Find out about the endangered great hammerhead

Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s lecture series will continue with marine ecologist Grace Casselberry discussing her work with critically endangered great hammerhead sharks in a program available in person or online. The talk is the latest installment of “Shark Tales: A Lecture Series.” The Shark Center will be open this week 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Feb. 26. Also, for the first time, the Shark Center will have an ASL interpreter onsite on Feb. 26, to engage and help answer questions as needed.

When: lecture 6-8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Shark Center, 235 Orleans Road, Chatham

Admission: $20 for talk; admission to museum $10 per person, with free admission for children 5 and under

Information: https://atlanticwhiteshark.org/shark-tales

For your event to be considered for Best Bets, contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: February school vacation: 7 ideas for things to do