Kids, etc.

Big Fun for Little Ones

by Donny Sheldon

Mon.-Fri., June 25-29, 9 a.m.-noon, $40, Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville, 610-917-1228

Instead of enduring dodgeball-inflicted injuries and mosquito bites at other camps, artsy kids can try their hands at this weeklong workshop. Attendees will learn all about Chinese literature, culture and language, all while designing their own shadow masks and scenery for a show called Monkey King's First Adventure, which will be performed on the final day of camp. Ages 9 to 12.

Daily (except Mon., June 25), through Sat., June 30, $20-$35, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, 1124 E. Seventh St., Wilmington, Del., 302-429-7447

Ahoy, little mateys! Now's your chance to cruise the high seas (or, um, the Christiana River) with a buncha other salty pirates aboard the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel. Guests can walk the plank on this re-creation of a 17th-century Dutch pinnace and enjoy a festive sail on the water. Ages 3 and up.

Sat., June 23, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., $6, Camden Children's Garden, 3 Riverside Drive, Camden, N.J., 856-365-8733

In conjunction with Camden's Parada San Juan Bautista, an annual celebration of Puerto Rican culture, this festival invites youngsters to surround themselves with tropical plants inside the Camden Children's Garden. Those without green thumbs can also participate in Hispanic arts, crafts and games, and take in live Puerto Rican music and dancing. Ages 2 to 10.

Exhibit runs through Dec. 31, $8-$10, The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 215-299-1000

Transport yourself to a tropical oasis inhabited by piranhas, anacondas and stingrays! This exhibit celebrates the majesty of the Amazon, the world's most biologically diverse river. After a day of live fish displays, hands-on activities and enchanting jungle stories, your kids may never wanna go to the Jersey Shore again. Ages 5 and up.