The replica of the Mayflower is coming to Boston in May and you can get FREE tickets to take an on board tour! In our coop we just did a section on the Voyage of the Mayflower. If you too are studying our early colonial past, this is a perfect way to bring home the reality of the voyage, and just how difficult the conditions were on board for the passengers.
Source: BBHS
What: Tours of the replica of the Mayflower Where: Charlestown Navy Yard When: May 15-19, 2020 Why: To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Voyage of the Mayflower Cost: FREE (but timed entry tickets required)
While you’re there, you can visit the USS Constitution ship for free, just be sure to bring valid ID. The USS Constitution Museum is admission by voluntary donation, which means free if you need it to be!
As of today, this is 2020’s schedule of community days:
January 20
February 1
February 5
March 18
May 25
June 17
For us BBHSers, this is a great deal. If you ever go to Artful Adventures, the ticket price is already low but now you can get a 15% discount in the cafe! Worth visiting on a free day, I’d say!
One of our favorite activities at an MFA vacation week was a weather-vane project, where my “avant-garde” 4-year-old made a dog weather vane with a spiraled, yellow pipe-cleaner attached to show the dog peeing 😂😍🎨 The museum educators facilitating the activity were wonderfully supportive of him and even suggested art styles his creation would fit right into. The child has a sense of humor!
Another time we made Polynesian stick charts after looking at a Navigation Chart from Micronesia. This was right around the time the Disney movie “Moana” was big, and my kids really enjoyed an activity relevant to something they loved.
Now, I know as homeschoolers we don’t usually like to go places during school vacation weeks, there are just so. many. people. But I do make an exception for the MFA’s vacation week activities because the quality of the activities is very good and very kid-friendly. The activities are also more low-key and free-form compared to Artful Adventures. Giving my kids a positive experience with art, history and museums is something I highly value, and can usually accomplish at the MFA!
This year’s December Vacation Week Activities are focused on the solstice and light, and runs Thursday, December 26 to Tuesday, December 31, 2019.
Cover image for “Ancient Nubia Now” special exhibit Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
From 10am to 4pm everyday, you can visit these activities:
Reflected Light – Features a Persian mosaic with mirror pieces and a mosaic making activity.
Light from Above – This activity invites kids to look for the rainbow in a painting called Blue Niagara and to see if they can find rainbows in other paintings. The connected art activity is to make your own picture with colored pencils focused on water and light.
Light of the Sun – After visiting the Ancient Nubia Now exhibit to see how the Nubians used gold to represent sunlight, kids can make their own jewelry.
Infinite Light – Kids can look at a bronze Altarpiece with Amitabha and Attendants, and then make their own mixed-media sculpture as they “imagine a special place filled with endless light.”
On Monday December 30, 2019 at 11 am only, you can visit this activity:
Riley the Museum Dog Book Signing and Scent Training Demonstration – Meet the MFA’s canine volunteer who helps sniff out bugs hiding in the museum that could damage art works. There will be a demonstration of his skills and a book signing.
The MFA full-price admission isn’t cheap, but you can get passes for $10 admission for 2 people at most area libraries. Children 17 and under are free whenever school is not in session. An EBT card will get you $3 admission per person.
Have you gone to any of the MFA’s vacation week activities in the past? What did you think of your experience? Leave a reply below 🙂
A few days ago, we spent some time visiting collections at Harvard University, including The Semitic Museum which is tucked behind the Museum of Natural History at 6 Divinity Avenue. Admission is free and open to the public.
When I first heard about this museum I wasn’t sure what it was about, maybe you’re scratching your head too. Here’s a lovely text from the museum to explain:
Text from the Semitic Museum. Source: BBHS
My favorite object on display here is a painted, plaster cast of the Stele of Hammurabi that is in the Louvre! Our first time to the museum, we were totally surprised to see it. We had come to see Egyptian artifacts and I had no idea Greater Boston had a life size replica that we could visit. I remember learning about the Code of Hammurabi as a kid. We covered it in our ancient history homeschool curriculum. The pictures didn’t prepare us for how massive it is in person. We were also surprised to see the text covers the entire surface, front to back, and that it’s roughly cylindrical. The long story short is that seeing an object in person is powerful!
Laws of Hammurabi. Source: BBHS
The Semitic Museum is very small, and is nestled among academic offices on three floors. You can visit objects that are at least 5 thousand years old, see Egyptian sarcophagi, cuneiform tablets, pottery and more. And, you can see everything in under an hour.
On our visit this week, the first floor gallery with a life-size reproduction of an Israelite home was closed. I can’t say if it’s a long-term closure for renovations or temporary for minor repairs. Call before you go if that’s what you want to see most! The third floor has a newer exhibit on reproductions of ancient Mesopotamian palace carvings, which I personally think is really great! We can’t all have original objects available to see in person all around the world. Well made reproductions give people a wonderful opportunity to have first hand experience with important art and artifacts.
“From Stone to Silicone” exhibit at Harvard Semitic Museum. Source: BBHS
There are two really cool technological features available from the museum. One is an augmented reality app you can use with the reproduction of the Dream Stela on the second floor. You can either borrow a tablet from the information desk downstairs or download an app to your own device. Click here for more on experiencing the Sphinx and Dream Stela in augmented reality.
The second are digital models of artifacts that you can download and recreate on a 3D printer. The cuneiform tablet image above is actually a 3D printed model. When you visit the digital models page, click on the little blue box on each model image to go to sketchfab.com where the downloads are available.
Have you been surprised to find an important artifact in one of Greater Boston’s museums? Tell us about it in the comments!
Commodore 64 station once used in Harvard’s Cyclotron
A 1st floor display
Source: BBHS
Yesterday we visited the Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments located in Harvard’s Science Center at 1 Oxford Street in Cambridge. Admission to the collection is free and open to the public.
This is a lovely, small, but high-interest collection with lots of objects from Harvard’s long history of scientific research and study. The collection spans 400 years and includes “telescopes, microscopes, sextants, medical tools, and computational instruments.” You could easily connect your history or science studies to objects on view here. Before you go, you could search their collection online using their Waywiser database to see what’s on view that you’d like to see.
The main entrance to Harvard’s Science Center. In the summer, there’s a mist fountain among the boulders, which are a fun obstacle course for kids year-round. Source: BBHS
While you’re visiting the Science Center, you can see some wonderful examples of Mid-Century arts and some fun science objects on display in the hallways. There’s also a Clover cafe on the first floor where you could stop for a snack or coffee. You can also bring your own food and eat in the cafe seating.
Source: BBHS
Have you visited the CHSI? Do you have any favorite scientific instruments that are on display? Would love to hear your comments below!
The links in the list below go to each institution’s visiting/admissions information page. Please make sure to read all information on those pages to make sure you know what to expect and to confirm the days and times. I always recommend calling ahead or visiting websites before going to museums because policies can change at any time and sometimes museums are closed unexpectedly. Click here for the BBHS page on Museum resources.
Source: BBHS
Generally you will need to bring an appropriate ID for free admissions based on residency, military status and EBT benefits.
Arnold Arboretum, free and open to the public. Donations accepted. The visitor center is closed on Wednesdays and holidays.
Boston National Historical Park, all City and Federally owned properties of the park are free and open to the public. These include Faneuil Hall, Bunker Hill Monument, Bunker Hill Museum, USS Constitution (the ship), and Dorchester Heights Monument.
Harvard University, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Sundays 9am-Noon, MA residents only. During the school year, Wednesdays 3pm-5pm. Always free for active duty military, EBT card-holders.
Harvard Museum of Natural History, Sundays 9am-Noon, MA residents only. During the school year, Wednesdays 3pm-5pm. Always free for active duty military, EBT card-holders.
MIT Museum, During the school year, the last Sunday of the month. July and August, free for Cambridge Public Library cardholders. Always free for active duty military, EBT card-holders.
USS Constitution Museum, suggested donation. Always free for active duty military, EBT card-holders.
I will update this post with new information as I get it. Please send me any information you have on free admission to museums not listed here!! Comment below or contact me.
This BBHS family lives in a tiny apartment. It’s so small, we barely have enough room for all 4 of us to sit and watch TV. If we have one more person over for dinner, we have to move the couch and bring the table out of the kitchen. If you come into our apartment, I would say, “welcome, let me give you a tour, here’s all of it!”
Having playdate, or teaching a class together over here isn’t comfortable or practical. In warm months we can meet people anywhere outside, but when it turns cold we have to be creative about where to spend time with friends. This post is dedicated to BBHSers with similar challenges to having friends visit.
Places that are Free
A Library is a great place to meet up; it’s free, children’s rooms often have board games kids can play together, or other activities such as crafts, movies and more. The downside is that there aren’t many opportunities for gross motor activities if the kids are bigger than toddlers. I always appreciate libraries where the kids’ room is separate from the rest of the library. The Main branches of the Arlington, Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Watertown libraries all have very nice, seperate kids’ rooms. In Cambridge and Somerville, there are playgrounds right outside as well.
The BPL’s Children’s Library at the Main branch. Source: BBHS
Hiking/Going for a walk is also a good, cheap activity that’s better with friends. In winter you just have to have good enough outerwear and know where the nearest bathrooms are. If you need some inspiration or ideas on city locations for hiking, check out Outdoors Rx! When you register and sign up for their newsletter you can join their organized activities in and around Boston for free. If you just want information on where to spend time outdoors in nature in the city, check out their brochures on Boston (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan), Chealsea/Revere, Framingham, and Waltham.
Almost Free/Cheap
Go with your friends to a museum’s free/cheap day! Or take advantage of library free admission museum passes. Most of the bigger museums in the area have days and times with free admission or admission by voluntary donation (which can be zero dollars, too). Visit the website of a museum you’re interested in to find out if they offer free admission days/times.
The Museum of Science is a decent place for indoor, gross motor opportunities. You can easily get a free admission pass from various libraries. There’s the Science Playground on the top floor (although they got rid of the running feature) and the Charles River Exhibit on the lowest level for some wonderful sensory play. If it isn’t busy, it’s not much of a problem for the kiddos to run a little bit. I’m not advocating full on running, just noting that it’s an indoor space where it’s more acceptable for the kids to get out some big movements. Also, there’s a lot to see without needing a ticket, such as the little zoo and hands on lab (check schedule for topics and hours) both downstairs from the Discovery Center, the ball machine and the solar system exhibit outside the Omni Theater.
If you have favorite go-to places for meeting up with friends in winter, I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
This is a tough time of year to be a BBHSer. We had a really hard time a few years ago and it was the first time we needed to use a food pantry. Here’s a few things I learned from that experience.
You might think that you have to have income under a certain level, but the pantries I visited did not have that requirement. Most of them wanted you to register with them and recorded visits. It’s a good idea to call ahead and find out a pantry’s eligibility requirements before you go.
I know that Cambridge food pantries coordinate so that there’s at least one open every day of the week except Sunday.
Community Boating Inc. has a 10-week Summer program for kids ages 10 to 17. Called the Junior Program, it offers lessons in sailing, canoeing, paddle-boarding and wind-surfing. They have STEM classes, games and activities through the season.
First day of a beginner sailing class in 2018, source: BBHS
Last year I sent my two for beginner sailing lessons and because of their extremely generous sliding scale program, they qualified for $1 memberships!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!! (Please pardon my excitement, our BBHS household doesn’t typically qualify for aid programs though we totally need them)
Anywhoo…the best way to describe the overall program is that it’s kind of like a Boys & Girls club where kids can come and go during open hours, no adults besides instructors are allowed inside during Junior Program, and there are specialty classes they can choose to take.
Once a kid passes their sailing tests they can check out various kinds of boats and go out on their own.
There are some drawback to this program you should be aware of. It’s not an easy thing to get to the CBI location. You have to take the pedestrian bridge over Storrow Drive and it’s a long walk. (I’m getting older and the walk over from train platform to CBI was really long for me.) There are no reliable cheap places to park near the pedestrian bridge. We saw many parents pull over near the base of the bridge and let their kids out to take themselves to CBI. This is fine for older kids, but might be tricky if your kids need accompaniment. Other families, like ours, took the T. Some kids take themselves to and from the train.
Another drawback – if you need to accompany your kids to and from – is what to do with yourself while they are there. If they go for the whole day, it’s not so hard because you can easily leave and have time to get things done before returning. But if they only go for the lessons, that’s 3 hours you have to fill for yourself. The West End branch of the BPL is reasonably close enough if you want a free place to be to get out from the sun and heat.
For almost two years, we lived where it was very difficult to access a public library. You know what happened? I very quickly started hitting up used book stores and homeschooler book swaps, jumped on free book offers, and even bought some books new. When we left that apartment, we had 9 more boxes of books than we moved in with, SMH. Now we can easily access a library again and I’ve bought very few books in the last year, in large part due to interlibary loan!! A priceless civic treasure.
Pick your library, borrow a book for free!
Not only can you get “The Story of the World” books and audio CDs (vol. 1-4), you can get almost all of its recommended readings from Minuteman Library Network or the BPL network. 👍👍😃😃 A book can be in a library in another town or just across town in another branch and you can still get it delivered to a library near you. I am so grateful for this public service!!
TLDR: Interlibrary loan is free and is an absolute treasure for homeschooling!
Broke Boston Homeschooling 