Cambridge, Mass – To celebrate the end of Christmas vacation, we went to the ART to see The Light Princess, a fairy tale by Scottish author George MacDonald. I had never heard of the Light Princess, before I bought tickets to the…
First Night Family Festival
Boston, Mass – Boston held the country’s first First Night way back in 1975. For those not familiar with the New Year’s Eve event, it’s a jam-packed schedule of performances, art exhibits, interactive activities, ice sculptures and fireworks, held at venues all…
Museum of Fine Arts for Kids
Boston, Mass – It’s only recently that I have gained the confidence (or foolhardiness) to take the twins to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) when there are no special kids’ activities on tap. We used to go regularly to the bimonthly “play…
Christmas – Here vs There
Somerville, Mass – The twins brought home a worksheet from school that we were supposed to fill out and return. Some of the questions included: My family members come from these countries ____________________________________ During the holidays, we celebrate _______________________________________________ A special…
The Nutcracker
Boston, Mass – Apparently, this is the year we turn our children into culture vultures. We have had some success with the symphony and musical theater, and so we decided to see what they think of the ballet. Not just…
Illuminations Tour
Somerville, Mass – The twins are crazy about Christmas lights. What 4-year-old isn’t? And really, what better time to embrace your inner 4-year-old, suspend your judgment, and just soak up some sparkly, high-wattage holiday spirit? It’s one of the things…
How Finland Keeps Kids Focused
Somerville, Mass – As a follow-up to my previous post about Free Play, here is another article from the Atlantic about an interesting (and not necessarily intuitive) discovery made by an American teaching in Finland. It’s no secret that I…
Free Play
Somerville, Mass – A few weeks ago, I came across this fascinating article from The Atlantic, The Overprotected Kid, about a new, old kind of playground in Wales, known as The Land. (Thanks also to The Atlantic for the cover…
Scooters
Poughkeepsie, New York – We are attending a wedding in Poughkeepsie, where the bride and groom have planned a few extra-curricular activities to keep the guests entertained. Yesterday–a cold, windy, November morning–we were invited to traverse the Walkway over the…
Tune Out Cable News and Turn Away Fear
Somerville, Mass – Thank you, Rick Steves. (I never thought I would say that.) I just read his excellent op ed in the LA Times from earlier this month. “Fear is for people who don’t get out much, who don’t…