Weekend Fun for Boston Kids - Trains, Maple Sugaring, and More March 1-2

2/27/14 - By Audrey Trieschman

Outdoor activities like maple sugaring and outdoor scavenger hunts are starting to make their way onto our Events Calendar. Does that mean spring is soon to follow? We’re ready! If it still feels too much like winter to plan on outdoor activities, there’s plenty going on this weekend for Boston families indoors, too. Kids can enjoy music with Little Groove, a performance by Riverside Theatre Works, a puppet show with Applause Unlimited. Read on for details of these and other events.

Also on Mommy Poppins Boston this week:

Finally, we’re pleased to announce the launch of the Mommy Poppins Camp Directory. The Mommy Poppins Boston editors have chosen quality camps in and around Boston to include in the directory, and there are multiple ways to search for the right camp for your child. Read Tara’s tips on how to get the most out of the Directory, and happy camping!

Enjoy the weekend!

OUR LATEST VIDEOS


Celebrating Seuss - Harvard Coop for Kids, Cambridge
Sat 3/1
FREE

Children celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday with stories, a messy craft and a birthday cake.


Sideways Stories From Wayside School - Riverside Theatre Works, Boston
Sat 3/1-Sun 3/2
Tickets $10-$15        

Sideways Stories From Wayside School is a funny, exaggerated and very colorful family play, which takes place in the Thirtieth Floor classroom of Wayside School. Based on the popular children’s books by the same name.


Little Groove - Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Sat 3/1
Tickets: Adults $10; Children $8        

Children enjoy a real interactive music experience as they use real instruments such as drums, shakers, and tambourines. Children will also interact with puppets, bubbles, balls, pom poms, and parachutes.


Aesop's Fables - Puppet Showplace Theatre, Brookline
Sat 3/1-Sun 3/2
Tickets $12        

Applause Unlimited explores three classic fables in an imaginative production featuring multiple styles of puppetry: The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, and The Tortoise and the Hare.


Weekend Maple Sugaring Tours - Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield
Sat-Sun through 3/16
Adults $9; Children $8        

Spring celebrations begin early at the sanctuary with the age-old tradition of maple sugaring. On a naturalist-guided tour, learn how to identify a sugar maple, observe tapping and sap collection methods, watch the sap being boiled down in the sugarhouse, and get a sweet taste of the final product. Afterwards, warm up in the Barn by the woodstove, indulge in a hot dog cooked in maple sap, sample delicious soups and desserts made by our volunteers, or browse through our gift shop.

Tours last about an hour and run rain or shine. Dress warmly and wear warm waterproof boots because the walk is entirely outdoors. Advance registration is required; call 978-887-9264.


Bay State Model Railroad Museum Open House - Roslindale
Sat 3/1 & Sun 3/2
Adults $5; Children (5-12) $3        

Join the Bay State Model Railroad Museum for its spring celebration - one of the two times each year the museum is open to the public. Visitors can see 4 operating model railroad layouts featuring trains in “N”, “HO”, “HOn3” (Narrow Gauge), & “O” Scale.

NOTE: Less crowded after 2pm. Snow dates: March 8-9


Celebrate Purim - Boston Children's Museum
Sun 3/2
Included with admission

Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday celebrated with storytelling, costumes, and the making and giving of gifts. Join PJ Library at Boston Children’s Museum for a festival of activities and performances for Purim. Enjoy all your favorite Museum exhibits plus fun Purim activities including:

  • Musical puppet show
  • Dr. Seuss©-Style Shpiel (Play)
  • Make gift baskets, crowns and groggers (noisemakers)

Museum visitors are encouraged to come in costume.


March First Sunday Drop Into Art: Take a Closer Look - Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham
Sun 3/2
FREE

Families explore Danforth Art’s newest exhibition Robert Ferrandini: Down in the Valley as they play fun gallery games with our Teen Docents. Create watercolor landscapes and be an inventor while experimenting with found objects and pencils to create unusual drawing tools in the studio.


Winter Scavenger Hunt - Rock Meadow Conservation Area, Belmont
Sun 3/2
FREE

Young children and their parents can join in on a walk at Rock Meadow Conservation Area, where they explore the forest habitat and look for tracks, nests, and other signs of animals. This is a great activity for kids ages 8 and under. Please dress warmly, including hats and gloves. In case of snow, wear waterproof shoes if you have them.


Looking to make your own fun? March 3 is Read Across America Day, and the NEA has everything from booklists to tips for reading out loud - plenty of ideas to inspire kids to pick up a book and become lifelong readers.

Photo courtesy of Read Across America