Every kid looks forward to getting a break from school. But for some kids, spring break can turn into spring boredom.

The Whidbey Children’s Theatre has just the remedy for kids ages 7 to 12.

The theatre is offering a spring break day camp to give kids something to do that is both entertaining and productive.

“We found that children really enjoy having something constructive to do, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Martha Murphy, WCT founder.

Every day this week at the day camp, a group of 15 kids are learning acting skills — and techniques that may just come in handy in everyday life. These include teaching the kids how to present themselves and build confidence in their expression.

At the end of the week, the kids will top off their experience by performing two public productions of Peter Rabbit.

“I chose the Peter Rabbit story by Beatrix Potter knowing that spring break ends with Easter,” Murphy said. “And I think anything having to do with bunnies that time of the year is a draw.”

Murphy said she grew up reading the Beatrix Potter stories to her own children. She believes the stories are classic because of their content and their illustrations.

“They are timeless, they’re simple, yet they are always fresh and fun,” Murphy said.

She wrote the Peter Rabbit play by creating dialogue around the book’s content.

“I narrate using the exact words of her story,” Murphy said. “And I have filled in the young actors as the characters

in her story.”

The performances this Friday and Saturday will be a culmination of what the kids have learned throughout the week.

“It’s important to have an audience because we are training them to be comfortable in front of people,” Murphy said.

The production of Peter Rabbit is not a musical, but it will have musical elements, including a chase scene.

“There’s a scene where Peter is running from Mr. McGregor,” Murphy said. “Audience members always love a good chase.”

The director said it’s important to teach kids the right way to produce these scenes without getting too carried away.

“With children you’ve got to train them to create a chase scene without it being dangerous,” Murphy said.

During the day camp, Murphy will engage the kids in a creative way by giving them a chance to make decisions about certain aspects of the show.

“As much as I’ve had all these years of experience — and I think and think and think — invariably, kids will come up with something I’ve never thought of,” Murphy said. “So it’s always stimulating for me as a director to give those kids the opportunity to come up with ideas on their own.”

“That’s what I always love about working with youth, they just see things in a different way,” she said.