Seven Things to Do with Your Kids over February School Vacation
MIT’s technology-based museum is offering several family-friendly opportunities specifically for February school vacation week. Photo via iStock/APCortizasJr
Seven Things to Do with Your Kids over February School Vacation
Celebrate the week off with ice-skating, a Lunar New Year parade, and a Bugs Bunny film festival
This weekend marks the start of February school vacation in Massachusetts. If you have kids in your life who you need to entertain, we have some ideas for shows, film festivals, museums, outdoor activities, and more. So, bundle up, grab some hot cocoa, and see what winter in Boston has to offer.
Ice-Skating at the Frog Pond
Strap on some skates and head to the (frozen) Frog Pond at the heart of the Boston Common. It’s often regarded as the top rink in the area, and you can circle the ice or watch from the cafe. Even if you aren’t the strongest skater, there are sleds and crates to help keep you on your feet. Other top spots around Boston include the Rink at 401 Park in Fenway and Skate at Canal District Kendall, near MIT.
Daily, the Frog Pond rink opens at 10 am; check closing times, which vary, here. Admission is $10 if you are taller than 58 inches and free if not. Rentals are $15 for adults and $10 for kids.
Bugs Bunny Film Festival
The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge is hosting its 28th annual Bugs Bunny Film Festival for the entire week, and you can watch a dozen or so Looney Tunes cartoons in 80 minutes. See Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, and Foghorn Leghorn in 35 mm film.
Friday, February 16, to Sunday, February 25, various times, Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. Tickets range from $12.50 to $14.50; purchase them here.
Chinese New Year Parade
Ring in the Year of the Dragon on Sunday with a parade down Chinatown’s Main Street. The annual parade will include traditional lion dances by several dance troupes. These dances are said to bring prosperity into the new year. There will also be live music, food, and more. Line up early, stay warm, and enjoy a cultural celebration.
Sunday, February 18, 10 am to 3 pm, Phillips Square, One Harrison Ave., Boston.
MIT Museum February Vacation Week
MIT’s technology-based museum is offering several family-friendly opportunities specifically for February Vacation Week. Guests can check out a family workshops on artificial intelligence and origami, learn how to use a microscope and wire a circuit, and meet students from MIT’s civil and environmental engineering department, who will help kids create a model of a stable ecosystem in a bottle.
Tuesday, February 20, to Monday, February 26, 314 Main St., Cambridge. Find the full schedule of events here.
ICA: February School Vacation Week
On the arts side of things, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston is hosting a number of arts and crafts–related events just for the February school break. Come check out the ICA’s latest exhibition, Destiny Doorways, where visitors are invited to write affirmations as they journey through a visual metaphor for the different pathways of life. Another special event for kids is the exhibition Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s–Today, which will have an interactive tour led by an ICA guide.
Tuesday, February 20, to Thursday, February 22, noon to 4 pm, 25 Harbor Shore Dr., Boston. Buy tickets and find the full schedule of events here; children under 18 receive free admission.
Museum of African American History
Celebrate Black History Month by making a stop at the Museum of African American History, downtown at the site of the Abiel Smith School, the oldest public school in America built for African American children. The current exhibition, The Emancipation Proclamation: A Pragmatic Compromise, examines one of America’s most famous documents. When you’re finished at the museum, consider walking the Black Heritage Trail, which visits Boston’s most historic African American sites.
Tuesday, February 20, to Sunday, February 25, 10 am to 4 pm, 46 Joy St., Boston. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children aged 12 to 17, and free for children under 12.
Disney on Ice
Do you want to enjoy the wonders of ice-skating without the constant fumbling and subfreezing temperatures? Disney on Ice is coming to TD Garden for five days of magic and music for their Magic in the Stars show, featuring favorites Anna, Elsa, Aladdin, Tiana, and more. The two-hour performance tells several stories that each begin with a wish. There will be 12 shows, and each will have a character experience an hour before the start time, complete with games, storytelling, and interaction with Frozen’s Elsa and Encanto’s Mirabel.
Wednesday, February 21, to Sunday, February 25, various times. TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston. Buy tickets and see the schedule here.
Editor’s note: BU Today initially had incorrect information about the MIT Museum’s programming this week. The error has been corrected.
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