Spring Break 2013 Classes, Camps, Workshops, Events, and Activities on Long Island

3/19/13 - By Denise

Ahh...spring break! No studying for spelling tests! No memorizing math facts! No recording required reading minutes! Spring break may even relieve you of carting the kids to and from sports practices and games, music lessons, and all the extracurriculars that fill our family calendars.

So what will we do with all of this free time?

We’ve rounded up fun spring break programs for kids around the Island sure to cure the inevitable “Mom, I’m bored!” that strikes soon after spring break begins. Nearly all of these programs allow you to sign up “a la carte” so if one day’s theme is of particular interest to your child, you can simply register for that day. The kids will be entertained for a few hours leaving you with some time for your own “required reading” or dare I say, spring cleaning. Spring break programs typically fill up fast so call and register when you get home from practice tonight...after homework!

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Nassau

Not Just Art
183 South Street
Oyster Bay, NY 11771
516-922-8300
Music Together classes are offered Monday–Friday 10:15–11:30am, $12 first child, $8 additional siblings. Open art studio hours run in 1.5 hour sessions throughout the day Monday through Friday, $15/hour, $22.50/hour and a half. The price includes all the materials and assistance with projects. The studio is open for children 3 and up, but those under 4 must be supervised. 

Holiday Workshops at Science Museum of Long Island
Science Museum of Long Island
1526 North Plandome Rd., Manhasset
March  25th–Friday March 29th
10AM–3PM

Children will participate in experiments, create crafts, and watch demonstrations. Kids should pack a lunch to eat during a half-hour break. Preschool-aged children will enjoy extra play time breaks throughout the day. Dress for the weather as there will be plenty of outdoor time. Preregistration is required by calling Rosemarie at 516-627-9400x10.

Monday: Egg-Stravaganza
Kids will meet egg-laying animals, enter an egg-drop challenge, color eggs using natural dyes, and much more!

Tuesday:  Pioneering Spirit
Kids will see what life was like in early America and try their hand at some simple everyday tasks without modern conveniences. Kids will cook food over the open fire, hand-dip candles, turn cream into butter and make soap.

Wednesday:Amazing Earth
Come dressed to get dirty as you will be exploring rocks and soil. Junior geologists will simulate tsunamis and explode volcanoes. 

Thursday: Fly Me to the Moon
From earth's atmosphere to outer space you will venture on a cloud hopping trek across the universe. Using flying objects you create, learn the dynamics of flight. Visit the planetarium and observe the stars and planets. 
 

Friday: Preserve the Preserve
come and learn why it is so important to protect our natural areas. Learn about recycling and explore the woodlands in search of plants, birds and other wildlife. 

Families Making Art Together
Nassau County Museum of Art
1 Museum Dr., Roslyn
April 11–13 11am–2pm
Museum admission plus $5 per family materials fee
Spring break week offers a drop-in program of hands-on art making for children of all ages and their adult companions. Museum docents will be in the galleries to assist young visitors to develop their own creative responses to what they are seeing in the galleries. Museum admission plus $5 per family materials fee. No reservations are needed.

Center for Science Teaching & Learning School's Out Camp
Center for Science Teaching & Learning
1 Tanglewood Rd., Rockville Centre
March 25th–29th
9AM–4PM (after-care available till 5pm)
Ages 4-12
$50 per day
 CSTL offers full-day programs during school vacations that gets kids involved in hands-on science experiments and explorations. Kids explore 17 acres of nature, visit live animals, conduct experiments, and take part in science shows and demonstrations conducted by staff of professional science teachers. Activities include arts and crafts, magic show, and a live animals show. Call 516-764-0045 to register.

Sanctuary Spring Adventures
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
March 25-28th
8:30AM–2:30pm
Ages 4–12
Nonmembers $80 per day, members $70 per day 
Naturalist teachers will instruct your child through nature hikes, games, crafts, stories, and live animal presentations all based on an exciting daily theme. Call 516-922-3200 to find out more information or register for classes. Click here for brochure.

Monday: Life Underground: learn about worms and other animals that make their home under the soil.

Tuesday: Don't Bee Afraid: learn all about bees and other pollinators

Wednesday: Eat or Be Eaten: Discover food chains in nature

Thursday: Paw and Order: Use a magnifying glass to look for clues about nature among the sanctuary grounds

LIU Post Vacation Camp
 Winnick Student Center
C.W. Post Campus, Brookville
March 25th–29th
8AM–3PM (after-care available for additional cost)
Ages 5–14
$70 a day
At LIU Post, campers will participate in arts and crafts, cooking, computers, team building, sports, and other fun favorites. Join them for a single day, several days or the whole week in the Long Island Room, the home of their summer day camp. Call 516-299-2363 to register.

Great Neck Arts Center VacationArts
Great Neck Arts Center
March 25th–29th
9AM–3:15PM and April 1st–2nd

Kindergarten–5th grade
Members $80/day Nonmembers $90/day, discounts offered when you register for multiple days 
Great Neck Arts Center offers activity-filled days during the spring break. Register for just one day, a couple of days, or the whole break. Call 516-829-2570 to register.

Suffolk

Spring Break Workshops at Vanderbilt Museum
Vanderbilt Museum
180 Little Neck Road, Centerport
April 9–13 10am–1pm
Ages 7–9
$25 per class, members $20
Kids will find plenty of fun and creativity in four different programs offered spring break week at the Vanderbilt. Each program begins with an educator-led tour of the museum collections and animal-habitat galleries for inspiration. Children are asked to bring a bagged lunch. Registration is required for all workshops. To register or to get more information call 631-854-5539.

Monday: Kids will create their own masks after visiting the museum's Egyptian mummy.

Tuesday: After an outdoor tour of the estate's mosaics, children will craft their own mosaic.

Thursday: After seeing the museum's wildlife habitats, children will make their own big cast masks.

Friday: Children will explore the Marine Museum and make a wearable fish-print shirt.

*On Wednesday, April 11th, from 11am to 12:30pm, preschool-and kindergarten-aged children can visit the butterfly and moth exhibit, then make a colorful windsock. Children taking this workshop must be accompanied by one adult. Fee: $20 per child, $16 for members.

*Special spring break hours: Closed Easter Sunday. Monday, April 9, through Saturday, April 14, the mansion, marine museum, natural-history exhibits, and grounds are open 11am to 5pm. Sunday hours are noon to 5pm.

Dinosaur Daze and Dinosaur Detectives!:
Ward Melville Heritage Organization
Stony Brook Village Center, Stony Brook
March 26, 27 and 28th
Ages 3-10
Dinosaur Daze is being offered for children ages 3-5 from 10-11:30 for $50. all three days. Children will learn about dinosaurs through storytelling, crafts, music and games. Dinosaur Detectives is offered for children ages 6-10 from 1-3PM for $60. all three days. Children will go on a fossil dig, learn about fossils and where they are found. 

Spring Break Fun on the Farm
Benner's Farm
6 Gnarled Hollow Rd., East Setauket
March 24–29th  9AM–1PM
Ages 5–13
$50 per day or $200 for the week
Another great way to spend your spring vacation is with some outdoor fun on the farm! Activities include planting seeds, watching chicks hatch from eggs, helping with farm chores, and caring for the newest babies, games, crafts, tractor rides, and trips to the big swing! Snacks are provided. Kids should pack a lunch. Register here.

Spring Camp at the Suffolk County Farm
350 Yaphank Ave., Yaphank
Grades K-8
$50 a day or $225. for the week
8:30AM-3:30PM
Kids can come and discover all the amazing things that go on at the Farm in the spring. The fields are being plowed and planted, trees and flower are blooming. Kids will be the first to meet the Farm’s new baby animals! To register, please call 631-852-4600. Medical forms will be required to attend.

Spring WIldlife Camp
Quogue Wildlife Refuge
3 Old Country Rd., Quogue
Monday March 25th-Thursday March 28th 9AM–12PM
Ages 5–11
$30 a day, $100 for all four days
Kids can come to the Refuge for exploring, discovering, and lots of wildlife fun, while learning about nature and animals. Dress them for the weather, as each day will include a hike on the trails. There will also be time for a snack break, so bring a snack and drink. Registration and payment required in advance. Call 631-653-4771 to register.

Junior Marine Biologists Camp
Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum
301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor
Monday March 25-Friday March 29th
Ages 5–8 9:00AM–1PM
Ages 9-10 may work as crew leaders
Members $28 a day, nonmembers $35, crew leaders $22. a day, discounts for siblings and weeklong participation
Get ready for an underwater adventure and discover new worlds under the sea. Every day kids will explore one marine theme through games, arts and crafts, hands-on activities, and experiments. Snacks are included, but bring a water bottle. Call 631-367-3418, ext. 11 or 16, to register.

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium
1660 Rte. 25A
516-692-6978
11AM-3PM
March 25th and 29th 
Animal Encounters  
11:30AM and 3:30PM
See the hatchery's resident wildlife duirng a live-animal presentation 
March 26-28th
Topics vary by day, sign up for one or all three, view the descriptions here
March 26th: Hatchery Olympics: Compete in activities, see how you meaaure up to some of nature's greatest athletes
March 27th: How Does Your Garden Grow?: Learn how plants grow and take home your very own hairy harry plant
March 28th: Amazing Adaptations: Discover how animals are adapted to survive in the wild

Long Island Science Center
11 West Main Street
Riverhead, NY
Visit during spring break and see what's growing this spring. Participate in plant-related activities and make a planter to take home. Free with museum admission.