The Springfield Museums have announced their slate of activities for the upcoming school vacation week, February 17-21, 2014. The week-long program, titled Sights & Sounds of the Rainforest, will feature family-friendly performances and live animal demonstrations along with hands-on activities and planetarium shows. All activities are free with the price of museum admission unless noted otherwise. Visitors can also explore the Springfield Science Museum’s newest exhibit, Rainforest Adventure, an interactive experience designed to teach children 10 and under about one of the earth’s most precious resources (special exhibition fee applies). The exhibit and the school vacation week programs are both sponsored by United Bank.

Special demonstrations and performances taking place during the week will include:

• 2.17 Animals of the Tropical Rainforest – Live animal demo by Teaching Creatures (11 am–1 pm).
• 2.17 The Wild About Rainforest Balloon Magic Show – Jungle Jim (1 pm)
• 2.18 The Ecology of Sound: Exploring the Sounds of the Rainforest – Ricardo Frota (1 pm)
• 2.19 Crocodile River Music – African and African-influenced music including Brazilian, Carib¬bean and Flamenco (1 pm)
• 2.20 Earth Rhythms – Roger Tincknell. Captivating songs, stories, and legends (1 pm)
• 2.21 The Rainforest Reptile Show – Live animal demonstration (two shows- Noon & 2 pm)

More demonstrations from the Museum’s Solutia Live Animal Center will take place Tuesday through Thursday at 11:30 am Rounding out the week’s activities will be the following daily events:

• Seymour Planetarium Shows at 11:15 am, noon, 1 & 2 pm, Science Museum (additional fee applies)
• Art Activities, 11 am-3 pm, GWVS Studios or Science Workshop
• Gallery Science Demonstrations 11 am-2 pm, Science Museum
• Art Discovery Center, Noon–4 pm, GWVS Art Museum

Sights & Sounds of the Rainforest vacation week activities are part of the Museums’ School Vacation Fun programs, which are sponsored by the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation.

There is a special exhibition fee of $5 for all visitors ages 3 and up to view Rainforest Adventure in addition to museum admission. The special fee also includes Intent to Deceive at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts.