7 Great Things To Do With The Kids

Thursday, June 10, 2010

KIDS by GoLocalProv Lifestyle Team

They're cute and all, but they do need entertaining. Here's 7 great ways to make the kids happy, and allow you to exhale.

Play With Butterflies

Who doesn't love a butterfly? Head to the Newport Butterfly Museum for close encounters with up to 30 species of everyone's favorite insect, including many from Africa, Malaysia, South America, Thailand, New Guinea, Costa Rica, and the Philippines. For most butterfly activity, pick a warm and sunny day with little wind, and wear brightly colored clothing to attract attention. Don't forget the camera. 409 Bulgarmarsh Rd, Tiverton, 849-9519.

Play With Real Animals

It's already idyllic on Block Island, but Abrams Animal Farm, an outdoor facility, operated by the owners of 1661 Inn and Hotel Manisses, is a heavenly menagerie of exotic animals - llamas, emus, sheep, goats, and ducks - that live next to the inn. Visit frequently. Free. Open daily, dawn-dark. 1 Spring St, Block Island, 466-2421.

Make Believe With Green Animals

They're big, they're green, and they're either quaint or weird, depending on your point of view (or whether you've read Stephen King's The Shining). But kids love them. They're topiary animals, and Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth is the oldest in the nation. There are 80 pieces to explore, including 21 animals and birds. Tours, run by the Preservation Society of Newport County, are offered from 10am-5pm. 380 Cory's Lane, Portsmouth, 683-1267. For more information go here.

Photo dayzee5778

Hammer

Kids love to build, and Home Depot knows this better than most. The first Saturday of every month they offer free Kids Workshops from 10am-12:30pm for kids 5-12. Projects have included birdhouses, letter boxes, and stepstools. They also walk out with a kid-sized orange apron and an achievement pin. Don't want to wait? Check online for project kits: all under $10. 800 Universal Blvd, Warwick, 826-0600, for more information, go here.

Spin Them Around

Every carousel is a kid magnet, but this historic one is so fast, you'll get kids of all ages spun around so much, they will be pacified the rest of the day. Worth the trip to Riverside just for that. Built in 1895 by Charles I.D. Looff, one of the earliest and foremost carousel designers, this carousel contains more than 60 hand-carved figures and four chariots. Crescent Park Carousel, 700 Bullocks Point Ave, Riverside, 433-2828. Open Mid-June through Labor Day, Thursday-Sunday, noon-8 pm. 

Get Some Funky Art On

No one does creative arts like the folks at Providence CityArts for Youth, and in the summertime, they've got daily art classes for kids in areas like Murals and Music, Printmaking and Photo, Clay and Monsters, and Film and Comics. Classes run all day, 9am-3pm. 891 Broad St, Providence, 941-0795 or go to Providence CityArts.

Go Night Sky Watching

The Frosty Drew Observatory at Ninigret Park in Charlestown is open, all year long, on clear Friday evenings for all ages of beginning "astronomers" to observe and learn more about the amazing skies above. Frosty Drew Observatory, Ninigret Park, Charlestown, 596-7688, www.frostydrew.org.

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