Tag Archives: things to do with kids

Boston, Kid Stuff

Concrete Exploration at the Museum of Science

story and photos by Kayte Deioma

Mother and Daughter try to identify butterflies from a reference sheet in the Butterfly Garden at the Museum of Science, Boston, MAWith MIT and Harvard right down the street, it’s only to be expected that the Museum of Science (MOS), straddling the Charles River Dam between Boston and Cambridge, would be one of the best in the world. Between the museum’s exhibits, lunch at Puck’s (as in Wolfgang) café in the first floor dining area and a visit to the Mugar Omni IMAX Theater and the Charles Hayden Planetarium, you can stay dry all day, or even two at the MOS.

Incorporating all the sciences in one place, the MOS lets you learn about A boy builds a computer-generated fish to add to an animated scene at the Museum of Science, Boston, MAdinosaurs, electric currents, animal behavior, the brain, X-rays, the properties of light, human genomes and how a computer works – all without leaving the building. Kids can measure their own motion waves, see themselves on interactive video, create colored shadows of themselves, build and race a scale model solar car, use a computer to create an animated fish or discover the properties of flocking birds. In the Current Science and Technology Center you can check in on what’s happening at NASA or communicate with research expeditions around the world.

Get a schedule when you arrive and plan your day according to the live Zebra Butterfly in the Butterfly Garden at the Museum of Science, Boston, MApresentations and special exhibits you want to see. Appointments are required to visit the Butterfly Garden, where flowering plants and a steamy environment keep a vivid assortment of butterflies fluttering happily from cocoon to adulthood. A mirror on the way out lets you check yourself for hitchhikers before you exit. Don’t miss the lightning show created by the world’s largest Van de Graaff generator in the Theater of Electricity. A variety of live animal presentations, demonstrations and plays about developments in science are presented on the SA young girl builds a scale model of a solar car at the Museum of Science, Boston, MAcience Live! Stage. The 3DTheater presents 20 minute films that get you up close and personal with insects and butterflies. The Mugar Omni Theater has a five story domed IMAX screen and tilted seats that put you smack in the middle of the action. Planetarium shows introduce you to the stars and planets.

To maximize your visit and choose the exhibits that interest your family most, visit www.mos.org ahead of time for hours and prices and explore some of the museum exhibits online. Today’s schedule of live events is also posted to help with pre-planning your visit. The web site also has some virtual exhibits found only online.

The Museum of Science is included in the Go Boston Card.


Boston, Destination Features, Going Solo, Kid Stuff

Abstract Exploration: the Mapparium and Hall of Ideas

story and photos by Kayte Deioma

The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity at the Christian Science Home Church in Boston, MATo escape a passing shower in Boston, stop in to the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity at the Christian Science complex on Massachusetts Avenue. If you’ve been looking for ways to get your kids thinking about the world and their place in it, the Library has designed a variety of interactive exhibits that can spark great discussions, whether you agree with the Christian Science philosophy or not.

A family visits the five-story stained-glass globe at the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of HumanityWhen you have just a little time, visit the Mapparium and Hall of Ideas. The Mapparium is a three-story stained glass globe, which visitors can enter and view from inside. The countries represented in the Mapparium reflect the world as it was in 1935, when the globe was created. A seven minute audio tour and a short video clip highlight some of the significant changes that have occurred in the geo-political divisions of the world since then.

Next door, in the Hall of Ideas, philosophical quotations are projected around the room in playful swirls and streaks. They dance around a central fountain and flit across the floor before climbing the wall to a screen where they disassemble and reassemble themselves into the words of famous thinkers and young philosophers-to-be.

A family visits the five-story stained-glass globe at the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of HumanityIf you have more time, head upstairs, where The Quest Gallery uses technology and age-appropriate content to ask questions such as: Who am I? What is my purpose? Is there a higher power? The Monitor Gallery gives you a glimpse into the workings of a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper, including history, “how to” exhibits and a window that looks into the offices of the Christian Science Monitor.

For more information, visit www.marybakereddylibrary.org or call (617) 450-7000 or 1 (888) 222-3711.

The Mapparium is  included in the Go Boston Card.


 

Boston, Destination Features, Kid Stuff

Blue Man Group in Boston

story by Kayte Deioma, photos courtesy of Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group in BostonRight next door to Shear Madness on the Charles Playhouse main stage in Boston, Blue Man Group creates its own brand of delightfully interactive chaos. Though not locally conceived, the Boston company of the original New-York-born multi-media performance art experience is true to its roots. Now also in Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando and Berlin, Germany, the Blue Man experience has evolved with its expansion into new arenas. People who have seen earlier Blue Man shows will be charmed by the new additions. The original three Blue Men, Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton and Chris Wink keep strict creative control over the content presented by the 33 Blue Man actors who rotate through the various performances.

But what is Blue Man Group?

photo courtesy of Blue Man Group Š BMPIf you sit in the first several rows, you’re given a plastic rain poncho to wear during the show to protect you from miscellaneous substances that spew from the actors and the stage. Three men in black with bald heads painted blue manage to create art, rhythm and music by the most unconventional means. Mouths are used to play catch, to paint, to sculpt and to play rhythms. But never to talk. Food is the medium of choice, from rhythmically chomping Cap’n Crunch to sculpting photo by Eric McNatt Š BMPchewing gum. The antics of the three Blue Men would be downright silly if they weren’t so ingenious and perfectly executed.

Drumming becomes painting as drumsticks splash paint from drum skins to canvases, spraying plastic-covered audience members in the process. PVC piping in the form of an elaborately twisted xylophone played with foam rubber paddles and a trombonesque tube drum they call a “drumbone” create complex rhythms backed by a full band in a cage above the stage.

But what is Blue Man Group?

Blue Man roams the audience and invites a woman from the crowd to join the on-stage tableau to be courted with flowers and Twinkies. The silent acting is subtle and smart. Blue Man roams again and finds a young man to be taken backstage and used as a human paintbrush as the audience watches on the big screen. The deadpan Blue Man addresses various states of the human condition. Subtext is provided by a scrolling marquee, giant posters and projected slides.

But what is Blue Man Group?

Blue Man Group is head-bobbing, foot-stomping, hand-clapping, mesmerizing, unadulterated fun for the whole family. Don’t try this at home kids – at least not without covering everything with a plastic drop sheet first.

Visit www.blueman.com or call (617) 426-6912 for schedule and pricing information.

Blue Man Group Ticketing