With Christmas now only a week and a half away, time is rapidly running out to finish up all of your shopping and wrap all of those gifts. In fact, if you have just looked at your list and realized that you forgot someone or that you still haven’t found gifts for some of the people that are hard to shop for, you may be starting to reach that point of panic. However, there’s no reason to fear the fact that Santa is coming to town because if you need some gifts quick, one of the easiest ways to grab some gifts (and help out a local non-profit at the same time) is to purchase a membership to a local public garden, museum, or zoo for your friend or family member.
Local public gardens, museums, and zoos typically offer annual memberships that will give your friend or family member a number of benefits including free or discounted admission, discounts on purchases in the gift shop or other similar locations, invitations to special members-only events, and a variety of other perks. In fact, many gardens, museums, and zoos actually have reciprocal agreements with other similar institutions so that if you have a membership for one garden, museum, or zoo, you may be able to use it to get free or discounted admission at another garden, museum, or zoo (although, it is important to note that only some institutions will accept memberships from other institutions, and there may be some additional conditions that apply in some cases.) Best of all, you don’t even need to leave your house to get one. All you need to know is your friend or family member’s address and the website of the organization you want to get them a membership from such as the Museum of Science or Zoo New England.
Learning doesn’t have to be this way. Contrary to popular belief, it can actually be fun.
If you live anywhere in the United States, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve seen the slogan “Reading is FUNdamental” somewhere.In fact, this slogan, which was created by a literacy group called Reading is Fundamental, Inc., has been in wide-spread use since 1966.As a result, anyone under the age of 48 has quite literally had their entire lifetime to hear the organization’s motto and, hopefully, recognize its meaning.However, even though reading is essential to our understanding of the world around us, it is not the only way that people can have fun learning new things.You may, therefore, be interested in some of the ways that you can learn new things and have fun at the same time this weekend.
First, have you and/or your children ever wanted to design your own car or another similar type of vehicle? Well, if you have, the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) Space will give you the chance at its monthly Family Design Day this Saturday, January 11th from 10:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.This month’s BSA Space’s Family Design Day, which is entitled Rights of Way: Mobility and the City, will allow children ages 5 to 13 and their parents to see how people move through the city, how the city itself has changed as a result of the way people move, and how future changes to the city and the transportation system may improve the way everyone moves from place to place.Best of all, each family will be able to use the information that they learn from the exhibits to design their own vehicles out of recycled materials.For more information on the program and/or to register for the event, please visit the Family Design Day Eventbrite website or the Learning by Design in Massachusetts website.
Secondly, if you and/or your kids aren’t really into cars or architectural design, but you’re always up for some science, there’s no better place to go than the Museum of the Science.The Museum of Science, which is open every day from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.(with some special nighttime shows on weekends) will give your entire family the opportunity to learn about animals, color, computers, dinosaurs, energy conservation, engineering, light, lightning, mapmaking, math, nanotechnology, optical illusions, the tools and methods that scientists use, the universe, weather forecasting, wind power and other types of renewable energy, x-rays, and a whole lot more.For more information on the Museum of Science, the events that are currently taking place at the Museum, and/or to order tickets, please visit the Official Museum of Science website.
Finally, it is important to remember that there is one thing that you may want to avoid if you are planning to head into Boston with your kids this Sunday, and that thing is the “T.”Why avoid the “T” you might ask?Well, you see, this Sunday is BostonSOS’s and Improv Everywhere’s Annual No Pants Subway Ride.This event, which is exactly what it sounds like, will have a number of people riding the subway throughout the day in their underwear.As a result, unless you want your children to learn that people are really weird (and potentially scar your children for life), you may want to find another way into the city.For more information on how to avoid the Annual No Pants Subway Ride or, if you’re crazy enough, participate in it, please visit the Boston No Pants Subway Ride Facebook page.
This weekend, as you may already know, is Mother’s Day weekend, which means that it is a time to celebrate all of the things that your mother has done for you and a time to apologize for all of the trouble that you have caused over the past year. Unfortunately, you’ve probably already realized that it’s not always easy to come up with a way to honor the incredible amount of time, effort, and money that your mother put into raising you. In fact, finding a way to atone for all of the mischief you may have caused when were younger (or are still causing) can be even more difficult, and if you’re one of the fine, upstanding individuals who totally forgot about the holiday, you may be desperately seeking a way to demonstrate your respect for your mother this weekend. Fortunately, if you’re at a loss as to what to do for your mother this Mother’s Day, you’ll be happy to know that there a number of events specifically designed to honor your mother occurring throughout the weekend.
First, if your mother has a favorite museum or a favorite hobby that is related to one of the museums in your local area, you may want to look into taking her there. Many museums have special events and/or discounts this weekend specifically for mothers, and your mother may be able to get into the museum for free or at a large discount, view special exhibits, have brunch with other mothers, and/or take part in a bunch of activities specifically geared towards mothers and their children. Some of the museums in the Northeast offering special exhibits, brunches, and/or free admission to mothers this weekend include the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, the Discovery Museums, the Providence Children’s Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Secondly, if your mother isn’t really a big fan of museums, but she likes animals, you may want to check out your local zoo or aquarium. A large number of zoos and aquariums offer free admission, discounts on food and gifts, and other special offers for mothers this weekend. In fact, mothers living in the Boston area can get into the Franklin Park Zoo, the Stone Zoo, and the New England Aquarium for free on Sunday (although your mother will have to go with someone purchasing a full-priced ticket to take advantage of the Aquarium offer.)
Finally, if all else fails, you can always take your mother to her favorite restaurant. A lot of restaurants offer a special brunch or other special meals for mothers this weekend, and these meals can be a excellent way to celebrate the holiday and get some great food. However, it is important to remember that these brunches can be pretty pricey, and they tend to fill up fast. As a result, it is always a good idea to call ahead and make a reservation before you head over to the restaurant.
