Fun To Go

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving and with the  holidays just around the corner,  you may find that your relatives  are asking you  for present ideas for your kids. 

Since every family needs a go-to place for a rainy afternoon  or for those ”Mom, I’m bored!” days, here’s a ready answer.  Ask for a family gift of a membership to a local children’s or science museum, a  zoo, or the Massachusetts Audubon Society.  

 A family museum  membership offers fun and educational opportunities year round – and  your membership helps support your favorite  museum’s programming throughout the year.  

In this month’s P+K I wrote the Holiday- Fun- To- Go Guide. There are lots of suggestions for free and low -cost holiday fun throughout the area, and several ideas for attending local holiday performances.  

And although with the current economic crisis, some holiday events may seem too expensive for the family budget this year,  you may want to check out the Mayor’s Holiday Special website. Mayor Menino along with ArtsBoston is offering half-price tickets for selected performances of the Boston Holiday Pops (my personal favorite!) the Boston Ballet’s “Nutcracker”, the “Black Nativity”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas- the Musical” and the “Mickey and Minnie Ice Show”.  You can get half-price tickets for other holiday shows throughout the area too- like  the Jose Mateo “Nutcracker” performances at Brandies University or “A Christmas Carol” at the new Hanover Theatre in Worcester.

 Confession. I have lived in Massachusetts for 27 years and have not visited Plimoth Plantation. All four of my kids have visited though- Plimoth Plantation is the field trip highlight of the third grade for every child that attends the Newton public schools.

So as I drove into the Plimoth Plantation parking lot last week, my 17-year-old son said, “Oh good. There are lots of little kids today. Please let the actors pick on them.”

Who says kids don’t remember their elementary school years? Evidently 9 years later,  my son remembered the Plimoth Plantation living museum premise.  Here in the English Village, costumed actors or “interpreters” describe life as it was in Plimoth in 1627- and visitors are part of the action.

As it turned out, the mistress of one of the village homes asked my 16-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter to go to the village crossroads and gather firewood to keep her home hearth burning. And they actually did it!

At the Wampanoag Homesite the staff are Native People who help visitors explore the history of the Wampanoag Nation. We watched as a native woman trussed a rabbit to cook on a spit over an open flame. A Wampanoag man burned out the inside of a log boat, or “mishoon”. Inside the three- fire “wetu” we listened as a young Wampanoag man discussed Wampanoag matriarchal society.

Plimoth Plantation is open daily through November 30^th.  For families hosting out-of state visitors during the Thanksgiving holiday, a  visit to Plimoth Plantation would make an excellent excursion!

Sometimes, my parents still need to “parent” me. Today I was on the phone with my father.  “Your brother has Veteran’s Day off. You may want to call and thank him for his military service in Iraq.  And you may want to thank your mother and I, for our military service during the Cold War”.

So thanks Dad for the reminder that Veteran’s Day is not just a day off from work and school, but a opportunity to say thank you to those who have served in the armed forces. (And thanks Dad, Mom, and Michael for your military service.)

Tomorrow, the weather is predicted to be near-perfect for a New England November day. If you are looking for a fun-to-go activity, you may want to consider bringing the kids to one of the area’s Veteran’s Day parades.

Boston, Worcester, Amesbury, Lexington and Plymouth are some of the towns that will be hosting a Veteran’s Day parade. There are sure to be lots of flags, brass bands, and marching units of both veterans and active military personnel.  Everyone loves a parade- and there isn’t a better way to teach your kids the importance of Veteran’s Day.

It is already November- and not too soon to think about holiday shopping. If you are out and about in the stores this month with small kids in tow, you may want to work in a story time break.

Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Pottery Barn Kids are three national chain stores that offer free,  regularly scheduled story times geared specifically for toddlers and preschoolers at their stores throughout the area.

A captivating storyteller, and sometimes  themed finger plays, crafts and sing-alongs are often part of the mix.

Story time can be a real treat for the kids , and you may even be able to sneak in picking up a  holiday gift or two while you are there!

To continue with the scary theme, you may want to bring the kids to check out the Dia de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” celebration at the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology in Cambridge this Sunday , November 2.  The family event runs from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. and kids can learn all about the history and traditions of one of Mexico’s biggest holidays. The over-the-top altars , the folk art, and skulls are all very cool ! Most of the activities are free with museum .  For a $5 workshop fee , kids can decorate a traditional sugar skull.

If you have never visited Harvard’s Peabody Museum, you should  definitely put it in your list . The Peabody is a wonderful museum for families- the museum  has an exceptional collection of art and artifacts from the Americas –including North American Indian and Latin American culture.  The Peabody is a smaller museum  and not over-whelming for kids. It’s really a great choice when you want to bridge social studies learning in school with a museum visit.

It seems that I am forever suggesting visiting the local zoos for spring and summer animal fun.  But visiting a zoo during the fall is a great idea too. Zoo Halloween events are a safe way to celebrate the holiday -and another chance for your kids to wear those costumes!   Here are some area “Zoo-Boo” events happening this weekend.

In Boston, check out the daytime “Zoo Howl” at the Franklin Park Zoo. This is a two-day event co-presented with Radio Disney on Saturday October 25 and Sunday October 26 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. There will be a hay maze, creature encounters, and crafts.  Come in costume, there will be a trick or treat trail too.

At Capron Zoo in Attleboro, the “Zoo Boo Spectacular” will take place this weekend for two nights October 24 and October 25 from 6 p.m.-9 p.m.  Kids can come in costume if they wish- there will be candy, games and face painting too.  

At Buttonwood Zoo in New Bedford,  “Boo at the Zoo” will be held from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. for three nights; October 24-October 26.  There will be candy stations, crafts, a hay maze, as well as wagon and train rides.  There will be a haunted forest for the little ones and a haunted house for the big kids -and parents!

Apple- picking season is winding down. But late fall is also an excellent time to bring the kids to visit a local farm and attend a harvest fair.

On Sunday October 26^th, Newton’s Angino Community Farm  will be having it’s Annual Fall Harvest Festival from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. There will be pumpkin decorating activities for the kids and cooking, composting and farming demonstrations for adults. You can help support Newton’s only farm when you bid on silent auction items and purchase home-baked treats and apple cider.  The farm is located at 303 Nahanton Street; parking is along Winchester Street.

With the economy in  a tailspin, you probably don’t want to spend a lot of money on family outings this fall. In previous posts I have written about requesting free museum passes from your local library and  maximizing your family museum memberships with free reciprocal museum agreements.

Free admission  all the time for everyone is always a very good deal. Here are five of my favorite, always free local museums and  attractions.  

In Boston, the Bunker Hill Monument, the USS Constitution and the Arnold Arboretum  are always free. The Wellesley College Greenhouses are absolutely gorgeous and are free and open to the general public every day. The National Heritage Museum in Lexington is also free every day. This American history museum houses a fascinating collection of Americana and historical artifacts. The exhibits “ Made in Massachusetts”  and  “Keepers of Tradition-Art and Folk Heritage ” are particularly interesting for families.

It was a perfect fall Columbus Day- the weather was sunny and warm, the trees were ablaze with color, and there was an extra day to the weekend.

We arrived at Tougas Farm at 11:00 in the morning to go on our annual apple picking excursion.

When my kids were little, picking apples was a full half-day outing. We would go on a hayride, pick apples, take tons of pictures, have a picnic lunch, feed the barnyard animals and play in the playground. Fast forward 19 years.  We arrive at the farm, go on the  hayride only because the kids are too lazy to walk to the orchards,  pick a half bushel and a peck of apples in 20 minutes,  and beg the kids to take a few pictures, “You are in Northboro and nobody knows you. ” We left the farm just before noon.   It was a great day.