The Springfield Museums will kick off school vacation week on Saturday, February 18 with the opening of the special exhibition Earth Attacks! Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis. A variety of family activities and performances will explain the science behind nature's fury. Activities are free with the price of admission to the Museums.

February School Vacation Week activities are sponsored by Woronoco Savings Charitable Foundation. Saturday, Feb. 18, Earth Attacks! exhibit opening, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. • The Power of Nature: Stories of Natural Disasters by storyteller Rona Leventhal, Museum of Fine Arts, 2:30 p.m. • "The Heat Is On," an interactive skit about volcanoes, Science Museum, 1 & 3 p.m. • Make an erupting volcano to take home, Science Museum, noon-3 p.m. • Hands-on Family Science activities, Science Museum, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. • Crafts and gallery games, G.W.V. Smith Art Museum, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 20-24, School Vacation Week, Museums open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Science Museum open until 5 p.m. Daily at the Science Museum: • "The Heat Is On," an interactive skit about volcanoes, 12:15 & 2 p.m. • Hands-on Family Science activities, noon-3:45 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20 – Wacky Weather • "Wild, Wild Weather" by Keith Michael Johnson, Museum of Fine Arts, 1 p.m. • Make Oobleck, the mysterious substance that falls from the sky, G.W.V. Smith Art Museum, noon-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 – Do the Twist • Meet meteorologist Dan Brown from abc40 and learn about tornadoes and other extreme weather, Museum of Fine Arts, 1 p.m. • Make a tornado in a bottle, G.W.V. Smith Art Museum, noon-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Shake, Rattle & Roll • "The Fire Behind Earthquakes and Volcanoes" by Mad Science, Museum of Fine Arts, 1 p.m. • Make your own seismograph, G.W.V. Smith Art Museum, noon-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23 – Splash! • "A Pirate's Life for Me" by Julie and Brownie, Museum of Fine Arts, 1 p.m. • Chart your own ship's course at sea, G.W.V. Smith Art Museum, noon-3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb 24 – Dinomite Dinosaurs • "Have Fun with Dinosaurs and Fossils" by Paulette Morin, Museum of Fine Arts, 1 p.m. • Color a map of Pangaea, the ancient super-continent from the age of dinosaurs, G.W.V. Smith Art Museum, noon-3:30 p.m. There is a $3 special exhibition fee for the Earth Attacks exhibit for all visitors ages 2 and up in addition to museum admission.