April School Vacation: Our Shared Planet Week - New Bedford Whaling Museum
logo for April School Vacation Week

Daily Schedule:

  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 9:30-10:30 am
  • Inflatable Whale: 10:00 am-4:00 pm on Monday & Tuesday; 10:00 am-1:00 pm on Wednesday
  • Make & Take Craft: 10:30 am-3:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Kid's Corner: 11:00-11:30 am
  • Squid dissection: 11:00-12:00 pm (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: 1:00-2:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Sailor's Nook: 2:30-3:00 pm
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 pm
  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 3:15-4:15 pm

3D Movies: Wonders of the Arctic
10:30 am; 11:30 am; 12:30 pm; 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm Daily
(no 1:30 pm or 2:30 pm showing on Friday)

April School Vacation Week: Our Shared Planet

Monday, April 20-Friday, April 24 | 9:00 am-5:00 pm

Celebrate our shared planet during April school vacation week. Each day includes themed-activities, crafts, and stories.

Enjoy the entire Museum, including the interactive sand table, whale skeletons, the Kid's Corner play space, the Lagoda whaling ship, the Sailor's Nook pretend play area, and more!

Monday, April 20: Ocean Explorers: Discovering the Deep

Explore ocean zones, deep-sea creatures, and submersibles that help scientists study the ocean floor.

Join us for Highland Street Foundation Spring Week free admission day!

  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 9:30-10:30 am
  • Inflatable Whale: 10:00 am-4:00 pm
  • Make & Take Craft: Glow in the Dark Deep-Sea Animals: 10:30 am-3:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Kid's Corner: 11:00-11:30 am
  • Squid dissection: 11:00-12:00 pm (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: ROVs & Fish in the Sea: 1:00-2:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Sailor's Nook: 2:30-3:00 pm
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 pm
  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 3:15-4:15 pm

Tuesday, April 21: Whales, Fisheries, and Ocean Food Webs

Explore whales and marine mammals, marine food webs, and sustainable fisheries.

  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 9:30-10:30 am
  • Inflatable Whale: 10:00 am-4:00 pm
  • Make & Take Craft: Feed a Whale: 10:30 am-3:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Kid's Corner: 11:00-11:30 am
  • Squid dissection: 11:00-12:00 pm (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: Animal Adaptations & Puffer Fish 1:00-2:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Sailor's Nook: 2:30-3:00 pm
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 pm
  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 3:15-4:15 pm

Wednesday, April 22: Ocean Weather and Climate

Celebrate Earth Day and learn about ocean currents, hurricanes, and the impacts of climate change and sea level rise.

  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 9:30-10:30 am
  • Inflatable Whale: 10:00 am-1:00 pm
  • Make & Take Craft: Ocean & Weather Windsock: 10:30 am-3:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Kid's Corner: 11:00-11:30 am
  • Squid dissection: 11:00-12:00 pm (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: Earth Suncatcher: 1:00-2:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Sailor's Nook: 2:30-3:00 pm
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 pm
  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 3:15-4:15 pm

Thursday, April 23: Coastal Creatures and Habitats

Explore salt marsh ecosystems, tidal and intertidal zones, and the adaptations of coastal animals.

  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 9:30-10:30 am
  • Make & Take Craft: Hidden in a Salt Marsh: 10:30 am-3:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Kid's Corner: 11:00-11:30 am
  • Squid dissection: 11:00-12:00 pm (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: Paper Plate Tide Pool: 1:00-2:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Sailor's Nook: 2:30-3:00 pm
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 pm
  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 3:15-4:15 pm

Friday, April 24: Ocean Protectors: Pollution and Solutions

Celebrate Massachusetts Right Whale Day and learn about the dangers of marine debris, threats to whales, and conservation solutions.­­

  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 9:30-10:30 am
  • Make & Take Craft: Save the Whale Bumper Stickers: 10:30 am-3:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Kid's Corner: 11:00-11:30 am
  • Squid dissection: 11:00-12:00 pm (pre-registration required)
  • Hands-on Activity: Recycled Ocean Animal Collages: 1:00-2:30 pm
  • Storytime in the Sailor's Nook: 2:30-3:00 pm
  • Costume Parade: 3:00 pm
  • Aquarium feeding and animal introductions: 3:15-4:15 pm