Spring Break Activities: Down-to-Earth Projects, Flights of Fancy

Along with the exuberance that arrives with spring comes the nagging problem of spring break. Specifically, how can schoolkids turn their precious time away from the books into something memorable?

They could make gliders from foam hamburger trays and Alka Seltzer rockets to learn the fundamentals of flight. They might explore ancient civilizations in a faux archeological dig. Or perhaps they might just enjoy squishing their fingers into a slab of clay in an art studio.

Those are just a few of the options awaiting kids at spring-break workshops, day camps and special events offered at some of Orange County’s museums and parks.

Here’s a list of some specifics:

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Kids can go nose to nose with Dana Point’s watery wildlife in “Introduction to Snorkeling,” one of several workshops and day camps offered next week at the Dana Point Youth & Group Facility (34451 Ensenada Place). The snorkeling class is Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and costs $25. Loaner gear available, or you may bring your own. Many of the facility’s other sessions are sold out, but there is still limited space in some sailing and surfing day camps and theater and visual arts camps. Information: (714) 661-7122.

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Just a holler away at Dana Point Harbor is the Orange County Marine Institute, which, in addition to its ongoing interactive marine exhibits, also provides a variety of family-friendly wildlife cruises. Act fast, and you can catch the institute’s last whale-watch excursion of the season, departing on Saturday at 10 a.m. Fee for the 2 1/2-hour cruise is $12 to $18. Reservations are required. (714) 496-2274.

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The Irvine Fine Arts Center (14321 Yale Ave.) spring arts camp is full, but arts-minded kids will still find plenty to occupy them.

Five- to 10-year-olds can check out the Children’s Open Studio, held almost every Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. (There won’t be one this month on April 21.) Young artists can explore a variety of art forms, including painting and clay work under the supervision of an center instructor. Fee is $8 per session. There’s a parent-child watercolor workshop for ages 5 and up (fee: $15 per person) on April 13 from 1 to 3 p.m., and “Family Clay Time” for ages 3 and up on April 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. Cost is $9 for each adult-child team, and $4 for each additional family member.

For older kids, the gallery is exhibiting “Here, There, Everywhere,” a collection on display through May 19 of two- and three-dimensional works by Irvine area high-school students. The pieces explore what IFAC spokeswoman Lisa Cone calls “the maps we make of our community, our day, our mind [and] our future.”

The gallery is open daily; admission is free.

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Mad about bugs? On Monday, at the Launch Pad science center (3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa), youngsters can flit between several learning stations in “Bugs, Bugs, Bugs,” a 90-minute exploration of bugs from around the globe. It’s designed for ages 5 to 7 and includes a craft and a hive full of hands-on activities.

Remember those meat-tray gliders? On Tuesday, 8- to 12-year-olds can create these and other crafts during the 90-minute “Flights of Fancy!” workshop that includes various projects relating to flight. And on Wednesday, children ages 5 and up can get up close and personal with a serval, a macaw and other exotic animals in the 45-minute “Wild Wonders!” show.

Sessions are part of the center’s Spring Break Discovery Days. Programs are offered at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. and range from $5.75 to $8 (Launch Pad members get a discount). (714) 546-2061.

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Launch Pad’s sister facility, the turn-of-the-century themed Discovery Museum of Orange County (3101 W. Harvard St., Santa Ana) on Tuesday hosts “Past Time Toys,” at which 7- to 12-year-olds can create marble raceways, Jacob’s ladders and other playthings from days gone by; and “Wet and Wild,” an exploration of wetlands and water creatures for 4- to 6-year-olds. All workshops run from 1 to 3:30 p.m. $7. (714) 540-0404.

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The folks at the Huntington Beach Art Center (538 Main St.) aren’t presenting a day camp per se yet, but they are offering a workshop entitled “Queen Palm, the Artist Canvas.” It’s a 10-hour, all-ages event in which participants can create exotic masks and animals on palm fronds under the direction of artist Preston Hibbard. Sessions are April 13 and April 14. $55. (714) 374-1650.

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Vegetation also becomes art at the Bowers Kidseum (1802 N. Main St., Santa Ana). “De Colores: The Colors of Spring” includes spring-themed activities from around the world. This weekend’s activities include workshops Saturday and Sunday where kids can make hats inspired by those worn in Mali and New Guinea (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), games (noon to 1 p.m.) and ethnic storytelling (1 to 3 p.m.). On Saturday only (3 to 4 p.m.), a faux archeological dig will explore pre-Columbian art and culture. Activities are with museum admission of $1.50 to $4.50 (under 5 is free); admission is also good for the neighboring Bowers Museum of Cultural Art. (714) 480-1520.