PASSPORT HISTORY
Free "Vacation Destination Days" for kids sponsored by Nantucket Historical Association
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
Families choosing to stay on Nantucket during school vacation weeks are fortunate to have the Nantucket Historical Association willing to offer weeks of free entertainment during those periods to keep kids interested and occupied.

During April's vacation from Monday the 21st through Friday the 25th, the Whaling Museum will host Vacation Destination Days for children in grades K-5. From 1 to 4 p.m. they will learn about Nantucket's history and its people from the Wampanoag Indians to contemporary residents and enjoy a variety of activities each afternoon.

Monday's program is Peopling the Island and explores the diverse populations who have lived here.

"It's called the Maushop Gam and is based on stories from the Wampanoag Indians on how Nantucket was created," explained Chris Mason, the NHA's Public Programs Coordinator.

Visitors will be able to have their photos taken in an ornate frame to appear as portraited people whose paintings hang in the NHA collection, including that of Abram Quary, the last Wampanoag Indian on Nantucket. Participants will also go on a diversity tour at the museum examining a selection of items such as Indian artifacts.

Children and families visiting the Whaling Museum next week during school vacation will have a chance to spend each afternoon learning about island history. Among artifacts in the collection are a whale boat used on whale hunts by Nantucket sailors (top left) and a wall filled with harpoons. PHOTOS BY JAKE LANCASTER

On Tuesday, the theme is Living in the Light: Island Ideologies. The subject may sound sophisticated but materials and discussions will be on an ageappropriate level. Children will see examples of Quaker-inspired architecture, read a story from the Rachael and Obadiah series about two Ouaker children living on Nantucket, examine Quaker clothing and be able to try on the styles and also learn about other island religions.

Wednesday is whaling day. Kids will learn how big the hunted whales were and compare them to their own size, sing sea chanteys, have a knot-tying activity and a scrimshaw activity period, and hear a version of the Essex Gam, the story of how the whaleship Essex was struck and sunk by an 87-footlong sperm whale in 1820.

PHOTO BY JAKE LANCASTER Suspended above a whale boat in the Whaling Museum is the skeleton of a sperm whale, a creature once the treasured catch for island seamen. Children will have an opportunity to see how big these whales were during the free Vacation Destination Days afternoon programs.

On Thursday, participants will learn about different ways people have made their living on Nantucket over the years. This afternoon will also feature current residents talking about what they do, such as craftspeople, merchants and artists. Activities that day will relate to various livelihoods.

Friday is a high activity day when the focus will be on Nantucket during its art colony period and as a tourist resort. Mason said that, weather permitting, children will use sidewalk chalk outside. If it is raining a special paper sidewalk will be created indoors to decorate. A group project entails each child's working on a small section of a large portrait to be pieced together during the afternoon. Also weather permitting, participants will sketch in the museum's observation deck at roof level that provides views of the harbor and town. If the weather is inclement sketches will be done in other areas of the museum. Further, on Friday children will create resort advertisements for the island based on historic promotions of old local hotels and businesses.

Throughout the entire week there will be an ongoing outdoors letterboxing exercise. On Monday, April 21, children can get their clues at the Whaling Museum which will lead them to various sites where they will find boxes. From the boxes they get a stamp and in exchange leave a dated note from themselves saying they were there.

The vacation week program is open to elementary school-age children and their families. Groups of children are welcome but must be accompanied

by adults. I