Sea Center Texas activities lure in spring breakers

Sea Center Texas has filled the week of school vacation with fun activities for kids and their families, all with an educational twist.

“Spring break is typically the most busy time of the year for us at Sea Center. We average about 1,000 people a day right now,” Program Specialist Jordan Kieffer said. “So we wanted to make some educational and craft activities for people to do during their spring break and take a break from, you know, probably going to the beach.”

The first half of the week included storytime, craft activities, and tank feedings. Wednesday offered a chance to learn how to cast a fishing rod and play an identification game with the “fish” they caught; later in the day, people could inspect items on a skins and skulls table.

Of course, with all of this happening, the usual sights at the Sea Center remained open, including self-guided tours, the touch tank and the large fish tanks.

“We thought it would be fun for the kids to get out of the house; we’ve never been here,” mother Jennifer Johnson said. “We’ll be back tomorrow for the fish painting.”

For those who missed the first half of the activities, the Sea Center has more planned. People can watch the regularly scheduled Gulf Tank Feeding at 10:30 a.m. today, then from 2 to 4 p.m. a fish painting craft activity is planned. Participants should bring their own white T-shirts and canvas bags.

“It’s a traditional Japanese art style,” Keiffer said. “We have some rubber fish and so you cover them in paint and you can make prints out of it on pretty much whatever item you want to. Usually it’s a T-shirt or canvas bag.”

Saturday will have a bit of an all-day competition with a scavenger hunt throughout the Sea Center for all to participate in, and the first 100 to complete it will receive a prize.

“The scavenger hunt is gonna have some trivia questions, which will mostly be questions about things that they can find at Sea Center Texas,” Kieffer said.

A BioFact table with all kinds of trivia and knowledgeable facts for kids to learn as well as tours through the hatchery and aquarium will close out spring break activities Sunday.

Admission and all activities at the Sea Center are free. Everyone is welcome to enjoy the fun things happening throughout the week, no matter the age.

“We had a craft activity and we had everyone from kindergarten all the way up to seniors that were doing the activity,” Kieffer said. “So anyone can participate in them.”

Sea Center invites everyone back March 25 for its annual Nature Day packed full with all kinds of outdoor things for kids, including a public youth fishing day from 9 to 11 a.m.

“Anyone under the age of 17 can come fish in our ponds as long as they have a parent or guardian. We also have educational stations, state parks and different nature organizations that come out and teach people,” Kieffer said.

Sea Center Texas is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.