Cultural Events

“Listen my children and you shall hear…” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

April is National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Kids in the greater Boston area can celebrate with poetry contests, workshops, performances, a festival and an exploratory walk through the woods. Read on for a roundup of all things poetry.

Take a walk up Cambridge Street in Boston most evenings, and you can’t miss the blue glow that comes from a 100-foot-tall tent rising from City Hall Plaza. The glowing tent is a unique theatrical space - the “threesixtyº Theatre” - where Peter Pan is performed through December. This new, in-the-round version is true to J.M. Barrie’s original tale of the boy who refuses to grow up, yet technically innovative enough for a 21st century audience. First performed in London, the traveling show has been to Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles prior to its arrival in Boston.

Each year, two of our favorite local theaters - the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline and the Regent Theatre in Arlington - host special Saturday and Sunday morning shows just for families. The series, geared primarily to kids ages three to 10, run most weekends from October through April.

Many of the offerings are concerts, but there are also films, children's entertainers and dance performances. While there are a lot of well-known, local names on the rosters this season, there’s enough variety to keep families entertained throughout the season. Both theaters recommend purchasing tickets in advance, although you can try your luck at the door. Read on for details.

Adventure abounds in Boston museums and cultural institutions this fall. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite entertaining (and educational) exhibits that will have families reliving Shark Week, ditching the plastic bags, learning about life in the 1960s, wondering which of their peers will be the next Jackson Pollock, and even stumbling around in the dark.

We had returned to the US after living overseas for seven years just three days before the terror of 9/11. While it was hardly the welcome home we had expected, with my husband working in NYC at the time (across the street from the WTC) and me trying to unpack boxes and settle two young children into new schools on my own, the day was for our family, as for so many others, a life-defining moment.

Lots of really good things have happened in the subsequent ten years, but each year, the anniversary of the attacks always gives us pause. There are many ways families can mark the day, remembering the victims and honoring the heroes. Whether you explore an exhibit, visit a memorial or volunteer to help others, there are enriching and educational things to do on September 11 with your kids, some of which we’ve listed below.