5 Fun Things to do this Week

Learn about animals at Playful Paws Playgroups

I'm a little late with posting this, but here are 5 fun things to do this week!  

1.   Hit up a playground during the second half of this week.  It's going to be 50 on Thursday and 45 on Friday, and I don't know about you, but I am desperate for some outside time.

2.  Playful Paws Playgroups at the Stone Zoo or Franklin Park Zoo.  Call ahead to make sure they're not full.  Each class is $8 for members and $10 for non-members and classes are for kids 18 months - 3 years.  We haven't done Playful Paws, but we've done Curious Cubs (for ages 3-4) and Isaac had a lot of fun.  The educators are really knowledgeable and the activities are all age-appropriate.  [The next Curious Cubs groups aren't until April]

3.  Catch a free movie at the Museum of Science on Friday!  Recommended for age 8 and up.

4.  Head to the COOP in Harvard Square on Saturday morning for their story and crafts for ages 7 and under.  There is also juice and refreshments!

5.  Try some Swiss baked goods at swissbakers in Allston or Reading with this Groupon.   The Swiss-style baked goods are different than what you may find at a typical bakery.  Go ahead and indulge this week!

Box Office Babies in Brookline

Sometimes with a baby, especially with a newborn, getting out of the house is the key to sanity. There are only so many times you can run errands or take a walk around the block, but luckily the Coolidge Corner Theatre offers something called Box Office Babies.

Box Office Babies offers a baby-friendly atmosphere for parents and caregivers to catch a current movie, baby in tow. They leave some extra lighting on during the movie and they lower the volume just a little bit. If your baby cries, you won't get the evil eye, and you can feel completely comfortable nursing your baby whenever he or she gets hungry during the movie.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre has a huge lobby where you can park your stroller and changing tables in the bathroom. The movies are held twice a month, on alternate Fridays. Sign up for their newsletter to get information on which movies are being shown.

This is probably best suited for very young babies (under 3 or 4 months), as once they get a little more alert and active it can be difficult to get them to sit still for the duration of a full-length movie. The movies shown are not necessarily kid-friendly movies (some recent ones included Vincere and The Last Station) so if you have older children, this probably isn't the best outing.

The Capitol Theater in Arlington offers something similar on Monday afternoons.

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This originally appeared on Boston Baby Activities - Examiner.com on June 14, 2010.