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.

A couple of Saturday mornings ago I treated myself to extra lounge time in bed. This was a rare treat because usually Saturdays are no different than any other day of the week. Sure we can bag school and work for a couple of days, but there are still errands to be run and various extracurricular activities on our calendar that seem to start earlier and earlier each weekend. To me, being able to stay in bed past 8 a.m. is more delicious than dark chocolate. While I was being the lady of leisure enjoying my coffee and perusing through Facebook I came across a post from a friend who was more than a little frustrated with the online registration process for a camp for her daughter. Apparently she’d spent all morning jumping through cyber hoops only to find that the camp was sold out when she was ready to pay. Friends quickly posted condolences and suggestions for other camps. Not wanting to be left out, I chimed in, “Don’t worry, there’s always summer!” To which she replied, “Thanks, Therese, but this was for summer.” Whaaaaat?!! Summer camps are already filling up? But it’s not even March yet, what about spring break camps? When should we register for those? A quick glance at the calendar gave me the answer.

So much for being the lady of leisure.

Spring break is the perfect time for getting outside and enjoying spring! (photo: TRAC)

Whether time has slipped away from you or you’ve just been bitten by the procrastination bug, 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 the Junior’s list of last minute camps.

If you’ve got a mini Matisse living with you, you’ll want to check out Oil and Cotton’s offerings spring break week. Budding artists can stretch their creative muscles at one or more of the morning camps that include Drawing, sewing or photography or music. If they want to push their creativity even farther check out the week long Calder’s Circus Camp. Kids will make characters out of bits of wire, fabric, and other found material to create a functioning circus (complete with sound effects) to be performed on Friday.

Make a butterfly friend at Texas Discovery Gardens (photo: Therese Powell)

Get your mini couch potatoes away from the video games and into the great outdoors at Audubon Adventure Camp 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, track wildlife, learn birding and other outdoor skills, and my personal favorite, do an owl prowl at the beautiful facility in the Great Trinity Forest.

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 paint a Mockingbird on Monday, meet a Texas Master Naturalist on Tuesday, and make a terrarium 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.

Finally, if you’re looking for something a  little different, check out the Critter Camp at SPCA of Texas in McKinney. Open to children ages 8 to 11, this 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.

If you’re interested in any of these camps you’d better get a move on and get the munchkins signed up quick. Because as we all know…time, tide and camp registration waits for no man.

Therese Powell is an Art&Seek calendar coordinator and KERA-TV producer. She spends most of her free time seeking out adventures for her 8-year-old daughter, Rose. Tell us about your quirky kid adventures by leaving a comment. Or e-mail Therese at [email protected].