Tag: April Vacation

Activities, Crafts, and Stories for April Vacation

Each day of the week will focus on a different aspect of the seven seas.  The program will follow the same schedule Monday-Friday with different projects during the “Make and Take” and “Hands-on Activity” portions of the day.
Museum tickets can be purchased on NBWM’s website.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum will host a week of children’s activities during April Vacation week beginning April 20.

“Our Shared Planet” gives children and their families the chance to learn more about our Planet Earth and the different creatures that inhabit its waters. Each day of the week will focus on a different aspect of the seven seas.  The program will follow the same schedule Monday-Friday with different projects during the “Make and Take” and “Hands-on Activity” portions of the day.

Museum tickets can be purchased on NBWM’s website. Guests can reserve a spot for “Free Admission Day” on Monday, April 20 by clicking here. The museum’s “Free Admission Day” is made possible by the Highland Street Foundation. Additional admission and registration are required for the Squid Dissection Workshop and the 3D movie “Wonders of the Arctic”.

Schedule of New Bedford Whaling Museum’s “Our Shared Planet” Events

Monday, April 20: Ocean Explorers: Discovering the Deep
Explore ocean zones, deep-sea creatures, and submersibles that help scientists study the ocean floor. Click here to reserve your spot for free.

  • Aquarium Feeding and Animal Introductions: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • Inflatable Whale: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Make & Take Craft: Glow in the Dark Deep-Sea Animals: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Kid’s Corner: 11:00-11:30 a.m.
  • Squid Dissection: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: ROVs & Fish in the Sea: 1:00-2:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Sailor’s Nook: 2:30-3:00 p.m.
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 p.m.
  • Aquarium Feeding and Animal Introductions: 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Tuesday, April 21: Whales, Fisheries, and Ocean Food Webs
Explore whales and marine mammals, marine food webs, and sustainable fisheries. Click here to purchase tickets.

  • Aquarium Feeding and Animal Introductions: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • Inflatable Whale: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Make & Take Craft: Feed a Whale: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Kid’s Corner: 11:00-11:30 a.m.
  • Squid Dissection: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: Animal Adaptations and Puffer Fish 1:00-2:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Sailor’s Nook: 2:30-3:00 p.m.
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 p.m.
  • Aquarium Feeding and Animal Introductions: 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Wednesday, April 22: Ocean Weather and Climate
Celebrate Earth Day and learn about ocean currents, hurricanes, and the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. Click here to purchase tickets.

  • Aquarium Feeding and Animal Introductions: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • Inflatable Whale: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
  • Make & Take Craft: Ocean and Weather Windsock: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Kid’s Corner: 11:00-11:30 a.m.
  • Squid Dissection: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: Suncatcher 1:00-2:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Sailor’s Nook: 2:30-3:00 p.m.
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 p.m.
  • Aquarium Feeding and Animal Introductions: 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Thursday, April 23: Coastal Creatures and Habitats
Explore salt marsh ecosystems, tidal and intertidal zones, and the adaptations of coastal animals. Click here to purchase tickets.

  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • Make & Take Craft: Hidden in a Salt Marsh: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Kid’s Corner: 11:00-11:30 a.m.
  • Squid Dissection: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: Paper Plate Tide Pool: 1:00-2:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Sailor’s Nook: 2:30-3:00 p.m.
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 p.m.
  • Aquarium Feeding and Animal Introductions: 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Friday, April 24: Ocean Protectors: Pollution and Solutions
Celebrate Massachusetts Right Whale Day and learn about the dangers of marine debris, threats to whales, and conservation solutions. Click here to purchase tickets.

  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • Make & Take Craft: Save the Whale Bumper Stickers: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Kid’s Corner: 11:00-11:30 a.m.
  • Squid Dissection: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: Recycled Ocean Animal Collages 1:00-2:30 p.m.
  • Storytime in the Sailor’s Nook: 2:30-3:00 p.m.
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 p.m.
  • Aquarium Feeding and Animal Introductions: 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Click here to follow me on Threads.

School Vacation (and Easter) in Washington D.C.

School vacation and Easter converged upon us this year. The Oppressed has long-expressed a desire to visit Washington D.C. I, of course, could never argue against this interesting proposition.

My youngest daughter and I went to work putting together a loose itinerary for the family. Wife, with a million things to take care of at work, was happy to have someone else deal with the details of the trip. I, with mountains of dishes and laundry to climb, was happy to have the diversion.

We decided to break the journey up into two days. We stopped at a hotel on Friday to eat and rest. On Saturday, we resumed the drive and arrived at what would become our base of operations for the next five days. We arrived at night and took an elevator that kept making weird noises. The elevator door opened and we were able to keep our eyes open long enough to make it to our rooms before collapsing on the bed.

Wait for it…

Easter Sunday Mass

Easter Sunday was spent at the National Basilica. For some reason, I tend to spend Easter away from home. Washington D.C. joins a list of places I’ve celebrated Easter Sunday that includes Tampa and the Netherlands.

Slick, The Oppressed, and I took in the Easter Sunday mass at the National Basillica. I thought there would be a problem getting into such a place on such a day. Luckily, we had no such problems.

Exterior and interior of the National Basilica.

We did run into a tiny snafu at the mass. Then again, it wouldn’t be a holiday or a vacation if we didn’t. The Oppressed suffered a minor injury when she accidentally scratched her thumb. It was one of those small cuts that irritate you and don’t stop irritating. We needed to find a restroom and do something about this cut. While we left the service and go downstairs to find a restroom to clean it, I was trying to convince The Oppressed to be brave and strong. I was also hoping for a little Easter miracle where my daughter would be healed.

We find a restroom and my youngest daughter is able to clean her wound. She emerges from the ladies’ room with a wet paper towel pressed against her thumb. We return to the service stealthily as if we had never left. The rest of the mass goes off without a hitch for us.

We went from the Basilica to a local donut shop, where we procured freshly baked donuts for the rest of the family. We enjoy a simple Easter brunch at our hotel room and proceed to our nation’s capital, where we take in the sites that are not closed for the holiday. This includes the Lincoln Memorial. It was imperative to The Oppressed that we visit the particular monument. She learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech. She wanted to see where it happened.

Easter breakfast courtesy of Duck Donuts.

The Oppressed is ecstatic about visiting the Lincoln Memorial and insists we call my father. Not call, FaceTime. My father is an avid Civil War fan and has probably read every book written about Abraham Lincoln. We call him and wish him (and my mother) Happy Easter. The Oppressed is excited to be able to share this moment with her grandfather.

The Lincoln Memorial

What’s for Dinner? Food Trucks!

We see the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument. It’s time for dinner. Obviously, we can’t just walk into a restaurant on Easter Sunday. We have enough problems with that with a party of eight on a regular day, let alone a holiday. Lucky for us, there happen to be food trucks on this day. Everyone finds a food truck they like and orders something. We enjoy our non-traditional Easter dinner on the grass. It’s not too cold. The food is good and some of us even get ice cream from one of the trucks after dinner.

Easter Dinner
The Easter Bunny was here.

Follow me on Twitter @bravedaddy

Verified by MonsterInsights