February school vacation is nearly upon us. If you put off planning until it was too late — who knew if COVID would shut everything down again! — don’t despair. Here are some quick-and-easy diversions close to home.
Art with Heart: If you’re wandering the Seaport, check out the Heart Warming heart-art installation celebrating the 120th anniversary of Sweethearts Candies, originally made at the NECCO Factory down the block. Pose with 10-foot pastel hearts — and then fill out a postcard with a friendly message for a homebound senior citizen, sponsored by Letters Against Isolation. Founded by two Cambridge-based sisters during the pandemic, the organization sends encouraging letters to people in assisted-living and senior centers worldwide. www.bostonseaport.xyz; www.lettersagainstisolation.com
Feats of Engineering: Visit the Acton Discovery Museum for a week of hands-on engineering activities using repurposed and recycled materials (sorry, you can’t bring your own Amazon boxes): design cars and sailboats; build bridges; construct towers; and more. Then definitely head up the street for ice cream at the West Side Creamery. 177 Main St., 978-264-4200, www.discoveryacton.org
Off-Season “Jaws” Intrigue: Learn all about sharks at the AWSC Shark Center in Chatham, which has two special events over vacation week: an exhibit exploring what the Red List conservation inventory means and how to protect sharks in the future, and a talk by Grace Casselberry, a marine ecologist and hammerhead expert. The AWSC sells lots of shark gear, too! 235 Orleans Road, Chatham, 508-348-5901, www.atlanticwhiteshark.org
Surviving the Great Outdoors: Hardier souls can experiment with snow-shoeing, winter cooking, wilderness survival, and other rugged pursuits at Base Camp New England adventure center, which offers daylong classes or a weeklong camp for kids in first through fifth grade. Maybe they’ll learn to shovel, too? 411 Unquity Road, Milton, 617-615-0004, www.newenglandbasecamp.org
Artistic Inspiration: The Institute of Contemporary Art reopens its Art Lab space for DIY activities designed for kids, with free admission on Saturday, Feb. 26, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Pose for a family photo shoot, experiment with clay, and explore the galleries. 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org/events/play-date-together
Feeling Blue: Blue Man Group, the trio known for mute comedy routines, returns to Boston with a deal: Get two tickets for $99! They’ll also perform 1:30 p.m. matinees throughout the vacation week in addition to standard evening programming. Doesn’t two hours in a darkened theater without talking sound refreshing? The Charles Playhouse, 74 Warrenton St., Boston, 617-426-6912, www.blueman.com/boston/offers
Shop with a Photo Op: Elsa and the characters from “Paw Patrol” visit Hingham’s Derby Street Shops for meet-and-greets, with appearances on Thursday, Feb. 24 (Elsa), and Friday, Feb. 25 (Chase and Sky). They’ll arrive at 10 a.m. — and Elsa even brings $15 complimentary shopping cards for Athleta valid for a day-of purchase, which might make hearing the theme song from “Frozen” for the 957th time almost bearable. 92-98 Derby St., Hingham, 781-749-7800, www.derbystshops.com
Take a Hike: The Trustees of Reservations offer tons of February break activities, from weeklong camps to daylong treks that will lure your kids away from their iPads: Explore an enchanted forest at Fruitlands, go on a snowy owl prowl at Crane Beach, take a lantern-guided night hike at Ward Reservation, and tons more. www.thetrustees.org
See Predators in the Wild: How do predators survive? Find out at the New England Aquarium with its new “Incredible Predators” film. Explore how animals such as cheetahs hunt and survive — then visit the Shark and Ray Touch Tank, duck in on a penguin feeding, and visit the 9,000-gallon coral reef. The aquarium offers expanded vacation week hours from Feb. 21 through Feb. 25, opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m. 1 Central Wharf, Boston, 617-973-5200, www.neaq.org
Zoom with the Zoo: Since your kids aren’t rushing off to school, let them enjoy a leisurely breakfast with camels, gorillas, sloths (appropriate), and other friendly creatures from Zoo New England while you log onto your first meeting of the day. They’ll host virtual animal feedings throughout the week, beginning at 9 a.m. www.zoonewengland.org
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.