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New! Journey to Mars Planetarium Show
NASA wants you to be part of the ‘Journey to Mars’ to extend the frontiers of human exploration, gaze across alien landscapes and see our Sun rise over new horizons. Take a ride to the outer-limits, then return to Earth to gaze into the night sky to see what is visible thoughout the year. This new show uses the full dome system and Zeiss star projector. Admission: $3 per person (includes museum admission); children under age 4 are not permitted in the planetarium. Public planetarium shows are offered at 2pm every Saturday and Sunday
April Vacation Week!
Making plans for the upcoming April school vacation week? Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum is offering a fun-filled week of camp during April Vacation. Enroll your child for the full week or one day, or even a few half days! A new theme each day will combine indoor and outdoor activities (weather permitting), as well as feature a new and exciting creature! Admission: Full Week: $160 Blithewold members; $217 non-members (automatically enrolled to a 12-month Blithewold Household Membership); April Camp offers a daily drop-in: $55; half-day $30. Register more than one child or for more than one week of camp and save with a Sibling Discount code: SIBL
Mission Moon Family Fun
Solar System Week, at the Roger Williams Museum of Natural History & Planetarium, explores Earth and beyond during April school vacation with a new planetarium show and a slew of activities, including: build a Mars rover, be a rocket scientist and design a space craft, discover what it takes to go into space, fun crafts, special Mission Space museum quest and prizes. Admission: Free with museum admission ($2).
Mad Mike’s “Meteorite or Meteor-Wrong”
3-2-1 Blast off into space! Family fun activities, demonstrations and more when you visit the Roger Williams Museum of Natural History & Planetarium during April school vacation. Each day during the afternoon, bring your kids for some hands-on adventure at “Mad Mike’s.” Kids can hold a space rock in their hands, learn all about meteorites, and compare the characteristics of space rocks and Earth rocks. Admission: Free with museum admission ($2). From April 17 through April 21; 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. everyday.
Get messy in the museum
The John Brown House Museum is offering a free “Family Fun Morning” once a month on Saturdays, May-August, from 9 to 10am. Perfect for your younger kids (ages 5-10), the kid-friendly program encourages kids to use their “green thumb” to cultivate “live results”. The program includes a story time and seed-planting activities, and kids can even take home the plantings to watch them grow! In addition, children will also be exposed to history, learning about 18-century families (like the Browns) and what they might have planted in their kitchen garden 200 years ago. Let your kids guess if you have the same plants in your home! Admission: Free with registration.
Plant sale at Green Animals Topiary Garden
This annual plant sale is the perfect place to see a garden explode with color and the imaginative gardeners of Green Animals Topiary at work crafting huge creatures from trees! Admission to the garden will be free on the day of the plant sale and there’s no better place to get flowers and vegetables for your home garden (or a Mother’s Day seedling bouquet!)
Where exercise meets history (for kids!)
Looking for a way to explore the city with kids? Slater Mill is taking innovation to the next level with fantastic walking tours of Pawtucket to make the past come alive for young learners. Pack your imaginations and take your kids on a one-mile walk through the artisan settlement of historic downtown Pawtucket on a narrated journey with an excellent guide! Look at the old with fresh eyes and see where the first forge and Jenks’ homesteads were established in Rhode Island, and where waterpower was harnessed long before the big mills were founded. Meets in Slater Mill gift shop at 11 a.m. Program is approximately 1 hour. Admission: $5.00 per person. Light rain or shine.
Enchanted Fairy Fun
Find whimsical fairies and imaginative fun in the intricate fairy house creations on display at Blithewold Mansion. Explore the garden and find fairy houses made from natural materials like leaves, moss, stone. On Saturday, see performances by Fairy Queen, Mary King, and Ladies of the Rolling Pin, and make fairy crafts. On Sunday, make a special fairy flower crown with Mom and enjoy a special appearance by The Bubble Guy! On both days, visitors can enjoy yummy treats from Castaway Gourmet Food Truck. Admission: Included with regular admission
Sheep Shearing at Watson Farm
Watson Farm is a priceless location on the Rhode Island coastline and a gem of a spot with it’s breathtaking view of the Newport Bridge. Celebrate spring at their annual family-friendly program where kids can watch the farm flock be shorn by local shearers and visit with the baby lambs. View the farm’s herd of Heritage Red Devon Cattle and enjoy a scenic hike around the farm located on Narragansett Bay. No dogs, please. Rain or shine. Admission: $10/car (cash preferred), free to Historic New England members. Cost per vehicle, not per person. Please call 401-423-0005 ext. 3 for more information. (Casey Farm is located just 8 minutes away and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. is hosting a farmer’s market and seedling sale, check it out too!)
Kids Reading Across RI
Books are the passport to the world and on Mother’s Day weekend, check out the annual Kids Reading Across RI event taking place inside the RI Statehouse, featuring activities, readings, story time, and more for children in 4th-6th grades. Each year, a summer reading theme is chosen to inspire kids to explore the world through books. This year’s theme, Build a Better World, kicks off with the book Save Me a Seat, written by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan. Each family will receive their own free copy of the book. In addition to activities and readings, kids will receive a “passport” upon entry and can get it stamped by visiting different booths and activities. Visit Facebook for more event details (and feel free to share!)
Location: Rhode Island State House, Providence. Admission: Free!
At the event, you’ll find booths and tables hosted by Audubon Society of RI, East Providence Public Library, Kidoinfo, India Association of RI, Providence Children’s Film Festival, RI Children’s Book Award, RI Festival of Children’s Books & Authors, RI Middle School Book Award, Washington County Coalition for Children, Warwick Public Library, Woonsocket Harris Public Library, and more!