Watson Adventures – Salem Happenings

Entertaining Your Kids in the Winter

Parenting can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it can also be pretty tough because there is an amazing amount of work involved in raising a child. In fact, the average parent is regularly required to juggle work and home schedules, pay extra bills to clothe and feed their children, take care of their children when they are sick or upset, and perform a variety of other tasks with little or no sleep. However, one of the issues that many parents come up against in the wintertime is how to get their child to do something other than stare at a computer screen or a TV screen when sending them outside could potentially cause them to get frostbite in a matter of minutes. Fortunately, if you are looking for some ways to get your kids out of the house and away from their screens this weekend, there are a number of events in the Boston area that will help you do exactly that.

First, if your child is a fan of scavenger hunts and/or science, there is no better place to be this weekend than the Museum of Science. This is because the Museum of Science, with the help of Watson Adventures, is hosting the Mad Science Family Scavenger Hunt at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday (January 17, 2015.) This scavenger hunt will allow you and your family to search the museum for all of the best exhibits, including dinosaurs, hidden messages, a mad scientist’s laboratory, musical zebras, optical illusions, snakes, and more. For more information and/or to order tickets (which include admission to the museum), please visit the Watson Adventures’ Mad Science Family Scavenger Hunt webpage.

Secondly, if your child is more into comedy than chemistry, you may want to check out the Airborne Comedians. The Airborne Comedians, who are performing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline at 10:30 A.M. on Sunday (January 18, 2015), are a pair of globetrotting jugglers. These jugglers will toss and catch everything from bird baths to lawn chairs while they crack jokes on unicycles (yes, you read that correctly. They will be balancing on unicycles while they juggle and joke.) For more information and/or to order tickets for the Airborne Comedians’ show at Coolidge Corner Theatre, please visit the Coolidge Corner Theatre website.

Finally, if your child would prefer a good fairy tale to some learning or laughs, you may want to try the BCA Black Box Theatre in Boston. This is because the imaginary beasts are performing Kerplop! The Tale of the Frog Prince at the BCA Black Box Theatre every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from January 17, 2015 to February 7, 2015. This show will give you and your children the opportunity to see a Panto retelling of the classic story of an unfortunate prince who is turned into a frog and has to convince a princess to kiss him. For more information and/or to order tickets for Kerplop! The Tale of the Frog Prince, please visit the Boston Theatre Scene website.

Photo credit: ingermaaike2 / Foter / CC BY

The Finer Things in Life

We’ve all heard the old expression, “stop and smell the roses”, but how many people actually take the time to follow through on that advice? I mean, if you stop and think about it, there’s no way around the fact that we live in a really busy world. A world in which school, work, family, unexpected disasters, and a whole list of other similar issues and responsibilities suck up our time faster than an overpowered vacuum cleaner. As a result, it’s often a wonder that anyone has the time to actually sit back, relax, and take in all of the finer things in life. However, it’s still important for everyone, not only for themselves but also for the sanity of the people around them, to find the time to enjoy the little things. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy the finer things in life this weekend, there are several events that are sure to help you relax and put your mind at ease.

First, if you’re an art fan looking for an inexpensive way to see a wide assortment of great artwork, you may want to head on over to the Museum of Fine Arts on Monday. This is because the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) is holding an open house on Monday (May 26, 2014) from 10:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. This event will allow you and your family to enjoy the Museum’s artwork, hear music from several different live bands, see live dancers and other performers, try your hand at making your own artwork, watch Technicolor films, and do a whole lot more for free. For more information on the Memorial Day Open House at the Museum of Fine Arts, please visit the Museum of Fine Arts Programs page.

Secondly, if your passion is more geared towards the culinary arts than the art you would typically find in a museum, Watson Adventures may have a scavenger hunt that’s more up your alley. This is because Watson Adventures is hosting the Munch Around Cambridge Scavenger Hunt at 2:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, May 24, 2014.) This adults-only scavenger hunt will allow you and your friends to search the city of Cambridge for some of the best ice cream, hot chocolate, pizza, sandwiches, and other foods around. For more information on the Munch Around Cambridge Scavenger Hunt and/or to reserve your spot, please visit the Watson Adventures website.

Finally, if you’re more interested in spending time with someone rather than something, you may want to grab your significant other and head over to the Boston Public Garden Lagoon. This is because the Lagoon is the home of the Swan Boats, which are a great way for you and your loved one to enjoy some quality time together on a pleasant, romantic ride around the water. For more information on the Swan Boats, which currently operate daily from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., please visit the Official Swan Boats website.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Friday Fun: Fireworks and Mysteries

The fireworks may be over but that doesn’t mean that the fun has to be. In fact, if you missed out on the 4th of July festivities, you may be in luck as there are still some places that are having fireworks tonight and tomorrow. As a result, if you’re looking for something to do now that the 4th of July has come and gone, you may want to look into some of the fireworks displays and other events that are happening this weekend.

First, if your kids love arts and crafts and are really into fireworks, you may want to think about taking them to the Boston Children’s Museum this weekend. The Boston Children’s Museum is holding a special event entitled Kitchen Science: Fireworks in a Glass on Saturday, July 6, 2013 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. This event will allow your children ages 5 and up to use oil, food coloring, and other items found around the kitchen to make colorful firework-like designs in a glass. For more information, please visit the Boston Children’s Museum website.

Secondly, if you’re looking for an activity that you can do without the kids and/or you’ve always been a fan of murder mysteries, the Museum of Fine Arts may have exactly what you’re looking for this weekend. The Museum of Fine Arts and Watson Adventures is hosting a Murder at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 6, 2013. This event, which is only open to adults, will feature a series of clues related to the art in the museum that will help you to determine why the museum curator was killed and, most importantly, who killed the curator. To find out more about the event or to register for it, please visit the Watson Adventures website.

Finally, if you were hoping to catch another fireworks display or you missed all of the displays earlier in the week, Falmouth, Hudson, Lowell, and Waltham are all having fireworks displays that begin somewhere between 9:00 and 9:30 pm tonight (July 5, 2013.) If you can’t make it to any of the displays tonight, however, don’t worry. Ayer, Brockton, Hudson, Salisbury, and Wilmington are also having fireworks displays this weekend, but each of these displays will begin somewhere between 9:00 and 10:15 pm tomorrow (July 6, 2013.) For more information, please check your local paper.

Friday Fun: How to Beat the Heat

It may not officially be summertime yet, but the warm weather is definitely here. In fact, if you’re living in the Boston area or you’re planning to go just about anywhere in the Northeast this weekend, you’ll probably see temperatures in the mid 80’s to low 90’s. This means that while the weather may be perfect if you’re planning to spend a few hours outside, it’s going to be pretty hot if you’re planning on doing anything other than sitting or swimming. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to entertain your family without succumbing to the heat, there are some upcoming events that are conveniently located in air-conditioned buildings (or somewhere with a cool ocean breeze.)

The first place that you may want to check out if you’re looking for a way to beat the heat this weekend is the Boston Sailing Center. The Boston Sailing Center is offering free sailing cruises from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 1st. Each of these cruises will typically last approximately 20 to 30 minutes and will give you the opportunity to either sit back and relax as you cruise down the waterfront or try your hand at steering the boat. For more information on the Boston Sailing Center’s Free Sailing Open House, please visit the Boston Sailing Center website.

The second place that you may want to check out if you’re looking for a way to escape the heat this weekend is the New England Aquarium. The New England Aquarium is offering free admission to its IMAX theatre at 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 2nd. This means that you and your family will be able to see sharks, turtles, fish, and all of the other creatures that live in and around the coral reefs of the world (12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.) or more penguins than you’ve ever seen before (1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.) on one of the biggest screens you will ever see without paying a dime. For more information, please visit the New England Aquarium’s website.

The third and final place that you may want to check out if your kids are big fans of Harry Potter and you’re looking for somewhere cool to spend the day is the Museum of Fine Arts. The Museum of Fine Arts and Watson Adventures is holding a Wizard School Scavenger Hunt at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday. This event will allow kids ages 10 and up (even kids that are technically adults, but still kids at heart) to track down centaurs, dragons, giants, owls, unicorns, and other creatures and objects from the world of Harry Potter in the artwork of the museum. To find out more about the event or to register for it, please visit the Watson Adventures website.