Museums host Summer Safari Days for families

SPRINGFIELD - "Summer Safari Days" at the Springfield Museums will continue August 2-5 with the following programs. Activities are free with the price of museum admission unless noted.

Daily, Tuesday through Friday:

Noon-3:45 p.m. - Go on a safari scavenger hunt to look for animals in all four museums.

Noon-3:30 p.m. - Make a fish kite and other crafts in the Hasbr Games Art Discovery Center

Planetarium shows (additional fee):

1 p.m. - "Magic Sky" for ages 3-7

2 p.m. - "Oceans in Space" for ages 7 and up

3 p.m. - "Stars Around the Campfire" for ages 8 and up

Aug. 2 - Mighty Math Day

11 a.m. - Listen to your favorite Dr. Seuss stories.

Noon-3:45 p.m. - Make a moebius band, play dice racing games, experiment with pattern blocks and puzzles, and more.

2 p.m. - Join the Science Museum's own "Safari Dan" for a demonstration of live New England tide pool animals.

Aug. 3 - World Music Wednesday - Discover Russia

11 a.m. - Listen to readings of Dr. Seuss stories.

Noon-3:30 p.m. - Make a colorful paper Russian matryoshka (nesting dolls).

Noon-3:45 p.m. - Family Science Adventures: hands-on experiments with sound & chemistry .

1 p.m. - Watch a demonstration by a dancer from the Moscow Ballet.

2 p.m. - Join "Safari Dan" for a live snake demonstration.

2:30 p.m. - Storyteller Rona Leventhal will perform tales from Russia.

Aug. 4 - Preschool Paradise

11 a.m. - Author Jane Dyer reads from her delightful story, Little Brown Bear Won't Take a Nap.

11 a.m.-3 p.m. - Make a Green Eggs and Ham place mat.

Noon-3:45 p.m. - Family Science Adventures: hands-on experiments with sound & chemistry.

2 p.m. - Join "Safari Dan" for a live reptile and insect demonstration.

Aug. 5 - Super Science Friday - Wonders of the Human Body

11 a.m. - Listen t readings of Dr. Seuss stories.

Noon-3:30 p.m. - Test your senses and make ear chimes t help you hear silent vibrations.

Noon-3:45 p.m.-Family Science Adventures: hands-on experiments with sound and chemistry..

1 p.m. - Marvelous Marvin presents "How the Body Works" with a six-foot tall folding house that opens t reveal a giant brain, a chorus of skeletons, a huge circulatory system, and a giant blinking nerve cell.

2 p.m. - Meet some live reptiles from New England with "Safari Dan."

Visitors can also take a safari through the four Springfield Museums to see the summer exhibits: "The Rising Phoenix and Soaring Dragon: Contemporary Chinese Kites" at the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum; "The Art of Gold" at the Museum of Fine Arts; "The Art of John James Audubo"n at the Science Museum; and "When Dr. Seuss's Dad Ran the Zoo" at the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum.

Summer Safari programs are sponsored by Bank of America and by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts through the Eugene A. Dexter Charitable Fund, administered by Bank of America, trustee.

The Springfield Museums are located at the Quadrangle off Edwards Street in downtown Springfield. Free parking is available in the Edwards Street parking lots.

Summer hours at the Springfield Science Museum are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.; and Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, and Connecticut Valley Historical Museum are open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for college students with ID, $3 for children 6-17, and free for children under six and museum members.

The fee provides admission t all four museums and the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden. Springfield students are free with their Springfield Library card. Springfield residents are free on Fridays with their Springfield Library card.

For information, call 413-263-6800 or visit www.springfieldmuseums.org.