Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
February Vacation Week 2013 with Kids in Boston Part II: Museum Programs
Welcome to Part II of our February Vacation Week coverage. We’ve highlighted puppet shows, dance and theater performances, one-day events, and nature programs in our first post, and continue our coverage with a roundup of the many museum programs available during the break. Note that many of the area museums participate in library pass programs, which allow library patron to borrow passes to museums and other local attractions for single-day use. Most - including the Boston Public Library and Cambridge Public Library - have online reservation systems for these passes (plan ahead!)
Have a great break!
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Mexican Flag Day - Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Cambridge
Tue 2/19-Fri 2/22
Free with admission
February 24 is Mexican Flag Day. Families explore the history of the flag and the Aztec origin of the eagle and the cactus in the flag’s coat of arms. Enjoy the story of the founding of Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City, and learn more about the Mexica people. Plus a make-and-take-home project.
February School Vacation Week: Ben Franklin - Old South Meeting House, Boston
Mon 2/18 - Fri 2/22
FREE admission for kids under 18
Benjamin Franklin experimented with static electricity to discover the properties of lightning, invented a musical instrument in 1761, and discovered the ocean’s Gulf Stream through observation! Kids can channel their inner Benjamin Franklin this week in activities designed to mimic his exploration of electricity, tides, music and printing.
Built to Last - USS Constitution Museum, Charlestown
Sat 2/16 - Sun 2/24
FREE; suggested donation $2-$5
215 years ago, Joshua Humphrey constructed a ship that was "built to last." Visitors learn the secrets to his success and test their skills as a shipbuilder during USS Constitution Museum's February School Vacation Week. Hands-on family activities will be offered all week.
While at the Museum, stop by the 34th Annual Ship Model Show. Explore over 60 handcrafted models with a special-themed scavenger hunt and family guide to the Museum. After talking with and seeing the modelers in action, try your hand at building your own boat at our craft station.
School Vacation Week: Animal Time - Peabody Essex Museum, Salem
Mon 2/17 - Fri 2/21
Free with admission
The week-long celebration of animals includes drop-in art activities, games, live performances, and films. Some performances require advance reservation; see website for details.
Vacation Week at the Museum of Science - Boston
Mon 2/18-Sat 2/23
Free with admission
The museum is open until 7pm (Fridays until 9pm) during February school vacation week, so whether you are looking to take an educational outing, spend time with your family, or just have fun, it’s even easier to visit this week.
Winter Vacation Week Programs - MIT Museum, Cambridge
Mon 2/18 - Fri 2/22
Free with admission
Students and their families can enjoy hands-on engineering challenges and demonstrations by MIT students, local companies and more during MIT Museum’s school vacation week program.
Look, Listen, & Touch - Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge
Daily
Free with admission
The museum offers a special guide to help young children explore the museum's New England Forests exhibition (pick up the gallery exploration flyer at the front desk). Museum visitors can also explore all 17 galleries that hold more than 500 animals.
February Vacation Program: Architecture - Mary Baker Eddy Library, Boston
Tue 2/19 - Fri 2/22
Children 17 & under free
Visitors are introduced to the topic of architecture in a program that highlights different building techniques and materials, as well as architectural vocabulary. Various activities touch upon the concepts of construction and design, as well as the history behind the creation of the building and the Mapparium.
Outside the Box - Boston Children's Museum, Boston
Mon 2/18-Fri 2/22
Free with admission
Vacation week activities and explorations are inspired by the exhibit Blue Man Group-Making Waves. Children use everyday objects in unexpected ways, paint with things that roll, build a bridge out of paper and more.
February Vacation Activities - Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
Tue 2/19-Thu 2/21
Free with admission (17 & under always free)
Visit the galleries to look at works on view in the exhibitions and collection, then stop by the Bank of America Art Lab to explore your own creativity with our new discovery kits and banner activity.
MFA Vacation Week Adventures - Dive into Art - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Mon 2/18-Fri 2/22
Free with admission (kids free during non-school hours)
Kids dive right into creative thinking as they discover some of the inventive ways artists use materials to make their work and then make their own masterpieces with tape, paint, paper, color, and lines. Late night Wednesday, open until 8pm.
Whimsical Winter Garden Vacation Week Activities - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Mon 2/18, Wed 2/20, Thu 2/21, Fri 2/22
Free with admission
Hands-on projects include making snowy winter flowers out of everyday drinking cups, weaving a yarn flowers on a small plastic loom, creating a puffy garden leaf out of glitter paper, cotton batting and yarn, plus foil embossed drawing and a self-guided flower scavenger hunt. While you’re there, be sure to check out the European courtyard, which truly transports visitors to another time and place.
On Wednesday, at 11:30am and 2pm, join award winning puppeteer Margaret Moody of the Galapagos Puppet Theater for a puppet show of The Trolls and the Tree.
Vacation Week Activities - Concord Museum, Concord
Mon 2/18-Thu 2/21
Free with admission
Winter afternoons are the perfect opportunity to come to the Concord Museum, and today, visitors can take advantage of free admission. See the museum for the first time or revisit favorite galleries.Visit the museum for some vacation week fun. Kids can get creative with presidential crafts: build a mini log cabin and then make their very own paper stove-pipe hat to decorate and wear home.
EcoCasino - EcoTarium, Worcester
Tue 2/19-Fri 2/22
Free with admission
EcoCasino is a host of fun activities and games with an "Eco" twist. Visitors can try an all new version of "Go Fish," take a chance with "Bone Bingo," test their skills with "Scat-tleboard," discover how a board game can impact nature by playing "Beetle Checkers,"and place bets on the "Chinchilla Craps Table." Visitors can also enjoy and compare games from across cultures and time in the popular traveling exhibit, Playing Together: Games, which ends on March 31.
National Engineering Week - The Discovery Museums, Acton
Sun 2/17-Sat 2/23
Free with admission
The Science Discovery Museum celebrates National Engineering Week with a different project every day to help kids put engineering skills to a test.
February Vacation Week - DeCordova Museum, Lincoln
Wed 2/20-Fri 2/22
Free with admission
Drop in as a family for a dynamic hands-on project inspired by the use of vibrant color in three-dimensional form in PAINT THINGS: beyond the stretcher, a group exhibition of artists from across the country whose work is at the dynamic intersection of painting and sculpture.
