Art&Seek Jr. is one mom‘s quest to find activities to end the seemingly endless chorus of the “I’m Bored Blues” while having fun herself.  Impossible you say? Check back on Tuesdays for kid-friendly events that are fun for adults, too.

Lately I confess to being a bit OCD. The source of my obsession is the weather–or weather.com to be more precise. This past week, because of our totally whacked weather, I’ve probably visited the site an average of 30 times a day. My findings are followed up with a yell over my cubicle wall to my fellow mommy co-workers about the likelihood of a winter weather event, a.k.a school closings.  We pour over animated radar in an effort to calm ourselves, as we we mutter, “oh please, oh please, oh please, not another snow day.” Ah, spring time in Texas!  Isn’t it grand?

And speaking of spring, it’s hard to believe a lot of the little kiddles will be out of school next week for spring break. I know! ACK! But listen up. Whether time has slipped away from you, or you’ve just been preoccupied by recent meteorological….AHEM…conditions don’t worry, there’s still time to get the wee ones out of the house and having a good time this spring break. Check out these nifty ideas for your little campers.

You can look for weasel riding woodpeckers at TRAC’s spring break camp. (photo: Trinity River Audubon Center)

The nice folks at Oil and Cotton’s have always got something unique going on and spring break week is no exception. Budding artists can stretch their creative muscles at one or more of the morning camps that include sewing, embroidery, or pillow making. But if they want to push their creativity even farther check out the Drawing Spring Chicken Camp on Thursday. Instructor Jesse Bartlett will bring in her chickens to serve as live models for the class. Kids will learn how to break down the birds’ forms into shapes, and then detail with texture and color.

Get your mini couch potatoes away from the video games and into the great outdoors at Spring Break Audubon Adventure Camps at the Trinity River Audubon Center. There’s a whole week’s worth of outdoor fun planned for kids in grades K -5 . Little campers can hike, kayak, track wildlife, learn survival skills, catch bugs, and my personal favorite, do an owl prowl at the beautiful facility in the Great Trinity Forest. You can do one day, or sign up for the whole week.

Say hello to some butterflies this spring break. (photo: Katy Burnside/Texas Discovery Gardens)

Speaking of outdoors, the Texas Discovery Gardens will also be heralding spring next week with their Spring Break Safari. Each day of the week has a special nature theme accompanied by 20 different activities and 15 different crafts throughout the week. You and your itty bitties can dress up like a Monarch on Monday, make a Terrarium on Tuesday, and meet a snake on Thursday. Each day is something different so you can keep coming back for new fun all week long. This isn’t a drop off camp, but if you’re planning a staycation, this is just the ticket. Be sure to check out the butterfly house exhibit while you’re there. It’s a little extra, but well worth it.

Another great staycation option is Spring Break Week at Frontiers of Flight Museum.  Kids and adults can enjoy daily activities like stomp rockets, the paper airplane challenge, and meeting the museum’s living history performers. On Monday kids 6-12 can win prizes in a scavenger hunt, and on Tuesday and Thursday they can test their flying skills on a flight simulator.

Got a future veterinarian in the making? Then check out the Critter Camp at SPCA of Texas in Dallas. Open to children ages 8 to 11, this 3-day camp is perfect for kids who love nothing better than hanging with the four-legged set. Activities include interacting with animals, guest speakers, games as well as opportunities to learn more about the SPCA of Texas and issues in animal welfare.

As always, if you’re interested you’d better hop to it. These camps are going like hotcakes.

Therese Powell is an Art&Seek calendar coordinator and KERA-TV producer. She spends most of her free time seeking out adventures for her 9-year-old daughter, Rose. Tell us about your quirky kid adventures by leaving a comment. Or e-mail Therese at tpowell@kera.org.