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!
First a note about myself: I have a BA in art history. I completed one year in a graduate program in museum studies. I am a supporter and defender of the arts and museums. I appreciate art. I make room for all kinds of art to exist in the world. I accept there are works that I will not personally enjoy, but fully embrace those works as important to the culture. Some art isn’t safe, some art is challenging. Some art, just like some parts of life, is not for children.
We visited the ICA yesterday to take part in a program on the exhibition “When Home Won’t Let You Stay.”
First of all, this is a heart-rending exhibition. Not only is it about the experiences of people who must leave their countries, it is also about how other countries treat refugees. Most of the art displayed was excellent, introduced ideas, and evoked strong emotions and thoughts.
“When Home Won’t Let You Stay” at the ICA, Boston, MA Source: BBHS
Toward the end there is a dark room with three monitors at a child’s eye level. There are headphones hanging from hooks below them and benches to sit on while watching. At first it appears to be relatively innocuous, certainly there’s no indication of imminent danger – one person on each screen in front of a neutral backdrop speaking. There are easy to read subtitles on each screen that can be read comfortably 15 feet away.
We passed through that room without stopping, to view “American Library.” Our guide mentioned mildly and in passing that there might be some difficult topics on the videos in the prior room and parents should use discretion. I understood that as a PG-13 kind of warning. I shepherded my 10-year-old son away from the doorway in “American Library” so he wouldn’t see the videos. However, while looking around the library together, I didn’t notice that he went back to the doorway to watch them.
Kids! AmIRight? They LOVE videos of almost any kind, if there’s a screen in a room playing anything, it grabs their attention immediately, like a Siren singing to Odysseus…who you will remember had to be tied to the mast of his ship to prevent him from throwing himself to the deadly Sirens.
The next thing I knew, my son was next to me visibly upset, beginning to cry, asking to leave. Downstairs as we waited for our group, he wanted to distract himself on my phone and by walking through the gift shop to look at cute things. When I was finally able to get him to tell me what he read on the screen, he told me a detailed, horrifying story of torture with a sexual element to it.
He could not participate in his group’s art making session, he was too upset. When I sat with him to encourage him, we made something together to help him process what he was feeling. Instead of a quilt square about our family’s migration stories, he made tear drops falling into a puddle, and told me and another parent that he’s scared because he’s small and not strong and doesn’t want to get hurt or die.
Processing distress at the ICA Source: BBHS
This is the third time we’ve gone to the ICA and my kids were exposed to excessively disturbing material in a way that was impossible to avoid, particularly because no appropriate warning was given. These were materials no functioning parent willingly exposes their kids to: NC-17 level imagery and descriptions of rape and torture. Both my sons still occasionally bring up a video installation that we saw over a year ago. I really hope this latest experience doesn’t have lasting effects on my younger son.
I don’t understand the curatorial decisions of a museum that welcomes families, but subjects the public to such extreme imagery and words, without warning and sometimes without a way to avoid those works and still visit the rest of the exhibits. It feels like intentional infliction of distress.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is just around the corner from the MFA. Both museums are offering free admission and activities to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Gardner limits the number of people in the museum at any given time, so it may be a better option for people who don’t want to deal with the crowds at the MFA on free days. Though you may have to wait in line before getting inside.
The museum opens at 11 AM, and MLK Jr. Day activities run 1-4 PM.
Join social justice project Wee The People for an interactive, family-friendly workshop that guides young and old in unlearning and reclaiming the legacy of MLK. Together we will explore MLK’s practice as a radical disruptor and honor his most important act of love: resistance. Activities include sign-making tributes to protest movements, a #ReclaimMLK photo booth, and timed acts of resistance inside the Museum.”
Free general admission to the Gardner is a rare occurrence. If your name is Isabella or your family is Active Duty in the military, you can get in free anytime. Children 17 and under are always free as well. EBT cardholders can get $2 admission for up to 4 adults. The BPL has a $5/person museum pass available that admits 4 people on weekdays, 2 people on weekends.
The ICA is accessible by Silver Line Waterfront out of South Station. You can walk from either the World Trade Center stop or Courthouse. I do not recommend parking for BBHSers because of the expense. The ICA does not have its own parking lot, but you can find their recommendations for parking here.
I know the Museum of Fine Arts is crazy-busy on their free days, but they do offer lots of really wonderful family programming on those days. It can also be a great, low-cost way to spend time with friends. Even this introvert has gone to 4 or 5 MFA free days over the years!
Arrive EARLY is #1, the lines in won’t be as long, and the lines for the coat room won’t be long either.
Arrive LATE, another good move if you don’t mind a short visit. Note that most of the family programs will be winding down by mid-afternoon.
Do not drive there! The garage, lots and street parking will be full and traffic will be sluggish around the museum with people trying to park, save yourself the headache and either take the T or plan to park far away and walk over. Also, museum parking is NOT free on free days.
If the line to get in winds out to the sidewalk on Huntington Ave, go around to the Fenway entrance. The line is usually SO MUCH SHORTER! Keep in mind, the Huntington entrance also has a long line inside, whereas the Fenway inside line is about 1/4 the length. The Fenway coat room usually has a shorter line too.
The downstairs cafe is going to be mobbed, consider eating outside before going into the museum, or visit the cafe at non-peak times.
You can bring your own food into the museum to eat at the cafe, make sure you’re carrying it in a museum approved bag.
Do you have any tips to share? Please leave them in the comments below! ❤️
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 🙂
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!
Broke Boston Homeschooling 