Celebrating the Winter Olympics 2014 with Kids - Boston Style

1/22/14 - By Audrey Trieschman

Boston may be over 5,000 miles from Sochi, but it’s not too far away to catch some of the Winter Olympic Games fever.

From the Opening Ceremonies on February 7 through two weeks of grueling competition, many of us will be eagerly cheering on Team USA as they go for the Gold. And we’ll be keeping an eye on the local athletes, too; New England is sending its fair share of athletes to the Olympics.

To help families get in the spirit of the games, we've rounded up some special events that local museums are hosting in honor of the Olympics as well as places you can go to (sort of) simulate your own athletic games. Do your kids dream of Olympic gold? We'd love to hear about it, so feel free to add a comment below, or post to our Facebook page.

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WINTER OLYMPIC EVENTS

Winter Olympics Family Day - Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History, Weston
Sat 1/25
Adults $8; Seniors and students $5; Children (5 to 16) $3        

Kids can celebrate the start of the Winter Olympics by viewing the museum's special stamp exhibit and taking part in activities related to winter sports and stamp-related arts and crafts.

Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony - Discovery Museums, Acton
Fri 2/7
Free with admission        

To celebrate the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia the museum today is staging its very own opening ceremonies. Children can choose a real or imaginary country, make a flag and line up for a parade around the museum.

Animalympics - South Shore Natural Science, Norwell
Wed 2/19
$33-$38        

Kids take an in-depth look at animal athletes and how each species has its own technique and style. Track, clock, and measure to see which animal deserves the gold - it's a Winter Olympics for the animal kingdom.

Winter Olympics Adventure - Wenham Museum
Through 3/30
Included with admission

While the athletes assemble in Sochi, Russia, Boston-area children can visit the museum to learn about Olympic traditions, maps and flags. Play some winter sports scaled down for inside the gallery and design your own Olympic mascot.


WINTER OLYMPIC SPORTS

There are four main venues for the winter games: ice rinks, mountains, hills, and flat terrain. If your children are passionate - or even curious - about a particular Olympic sport, why not give them a taste of what it’s like?

  • For figure skating, ice hockey, curling and speed skating, try skating at an outdoor ice rink.
  • For alpine skiing, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, and ski jumping, downhill skiing is a good place to start.
  • For cross country skiing, nordic combined and the biathlon, cross country skiing is the way to go.
  • The bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events all have their roots in simple sledding - a family favorite by all accounts.

For more about any of these sports, visit the Olympics 2014 website.


Image: Sochi 2014 Mascots