The Springfield Museums have announced the schedule for weeks 1 and 2 of their annual “Summer Spectacular” Family Series, which runs through August 12, 2016. Every Monday through Friday, families visiting the Quadrangle will find a schedule packed with hands-on art and science activities, live animal demonstrations, and family entertainment for all ages. All programs and performances are free with admission unless otherwise noted. This year’s Summer Spectacular is sponsored by the Horace Moses Charitable Trust, Bank of America, Trustee. MassMutual is the 2016 Season Supporter of the Springfield Museums.

The programs have been carefully structured by skilled educators to reflect and build on the Museums’ art, history, and science collections, and all activities and performances are free with admission unless otherwise noted. A full schedule of performers and activities can be found at www.springfieldmuseums.org.

Featured performers during the first two weeks of the Spectacular include:

• Tue. July 5 – 1 p.m. – Presentation & Book Signing by David Hyde Costello, author of I Can Help!
• Thu. July 7 – 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – Community Music School Bucket Drumming – hands-on music and rhythm program led by Rick Marshall.
• Thu. July 14 – 11 a.m. – The Yo-Yo People – an interactive husband and wife show featuring classic and new tricks that are sure to amaze

Every week of the Summer Spectacular adds a new theme to the variety of educational and fun hands-on activities. The theme for July 5-8 is “Birds of a Feather,” allowing guests to learn about the living descendants of dinosaurs; the theme for July 11-15 is “The Bees Knees,” with activities tied to learning about these important insects.

Each week’s theme will come to life on Monday mornings with chalk drawings by artist in residence, David Krawcyzk (10 AM – noon, weather permitting), plus “Music in the Museums” with guitarist Mr. Zach (11-11:45 a.m.). “Professor Knows A. Lot” visits every Tuesday (10:30-noon), and visitors can also explore chain reactions by creating Rube Goldberg machines on “Rube Tuesdays” (10:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.). Wednesdays feature animal friends from Forest Park’s “Zoo on the Go” (11 a.m. – noon), plus award-winning Disneynature Films (7/6 – The Crimson Wing: The Mystery of Flamingos and 7/13 – Wings of Life 2 p.m. each day). On Thursdays, a History Cart that allows guests to get hands-on with artifacts from Springfield’s past is offered (noon to 2 p.m.). Capping each week’s offerings are performances by the Tanglewood Marionettes every Friday 11 a.m. to noon, including favorites like Sleeping Beauty (7/8), and The Dragon King (7/15). Activity and dress-up stations tied to each week’s theme are available daily from noon to 4 p.m.in the Art and Discovery Center at the G.W.V. Smith Art Museum, and themed science demonstrations are offered by the Science Museum’s Roving Scientist every weekday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Other ongoing activities for kids and families will include Seymour Planetarium shows, which are presented at 11:15 a.m., noon, 1 and 2 p.m.  (additional fee applies). Visitors can also check out the Exploration Table in Mammal Hall at the Science Museum, play with wooden cars and motorcycles in the Wood Museum of Springfield History, and explore the toy sculpture station in the Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery of the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. This year’s spotlight exhibit for families is The Scoop on Poop: The Science of What Animals Leave Behind at the Science Museum (additional fee applies).

For those who wish to delve deeper into the collections in the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts and George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, Adult Tours are guided by a museum docent every Monday at 1 p.m., and Family Tours take place on Friday at 12:30 p.m.