5 Fun Weekend Activities

Woohoo!  The first weekend of summer has arrived, bringing with it a GORGEOUS forecast.  Here are some free or inexpensive happenings for the weekend.  Enjoy!

1.  Verrill Farm's Strawberry Festival.  PYO berries, strawberry shortcake, pony rides, music, burgers, hay rides.  Free admission.

2.  Watertown's Greek Festival.  Greek food (including pastries!), games, music, dancing.  Starts tonight and goes through Sunday.

3.  Riverfest on the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers. Kids can explore the riverbanks, ride boats, listen to music, and more.  These activities appear to be FREE!

4.  Free Beach Party in Acton.  Beach admission is waived for this event which includes hula hooping, sand building, and more fun and games.

5.  Play outside until dusk.  Tomorrow is summer solstice, which throughout my childhood meant playing outside until the sun went down.  Even if it's past your kid's bedtime, let them stay up and enjoy a long day full of daylight.   Some of my favorite memories were getting to play outside until 9 on the first day of summer.  This could be made complete with ice cream sandwiches or ice pops.  :-)

Groupon and LivingSocial Roundup!

Together in Motion is a fun for babies and toddlers. 

Good afternoon, everyone!  For future "Groupon Roundup" posts, I will also be including my favorite LivingSocial deals!  This will help me find my readers the best, most awesome deals on the internet.   Here's what deals are going on this week.  Enjoy!

• Four hour introductory sewing class at Newton Sewing Studio.  Learn to "sew like a pro" and create a patchwork pillow and stuffed animal, hand puppet, or pencil case!
  
• Boomer's Playland and Laser Tag down in Carver.  Kids can enjoy mats, slides, tubes, a ball fountain, and more - a great idea for these never-ending polar vortexes...
  
• Truck on down to Providence for the New England Family Fun Festival in April!  This event includes dancing, music performances, magicians, storytellers, clowns, contests and games, Lego building, Zumba, and lots more!
  
• Together in Motion's drop-in play in Arlington.  The Groupon says for ages 0-6, but I think it's better for the younger set, like newly mobile babies and toddlers who need a safe, soft place to run and climb.  It doesn't expire until August, so it's great for really cold days, April showers, and heat waves!
  
• Sandwich Works in Newton Centre is super yummy!  This friendly deli has really good sandwiches and breakfast.
  
• 16 Handles - froyo in Coolidge Corner!  Mmmm, cider doughnut yogurt!
  
• Newburyport Whale Watch.  Available May through October, enjoy New England whale watching!  Kids under 3 are free on weekdays.
  
• Do the tourist thing and check out Cambridge Historical Tours and a Freedom Trail Tour.  Play tourist with your family or buy these for when you have out-of-towners visiting for a fun way to enjoy historical New England together!

• Body Worlds Vital -Faneuil Hall.  The Body Worlds exhibit has 200 authentic human specimens, including individual organs, transparent slices, and whole bodies.  I hear it's really fascinating.
  
• Kids Fun Stop in West Roxbury.  Visit this indoor playground (perfect for ages 6 and under) for half price.  Since this winter seems never-ending, you may as well buy some more indoor play passes...
  
• Drumming lessons in Arlington.  Half price drum lessons for kids aged 5-12.
  
• Monster Mini Golf in Norwood.  Monster Mini Golf is an indoor, black-lit mini golf course with music and of course, MONSTERS!  There's also a Groupon for its Danvers location.  If you miss the fun of playing mini golf in the summer, this is a great option.
  
• Kidsports in Stoughton.  This Groupon is for indoor play passes, with the option to add bowling and plaster painting.  Fun idea if you're down near Stoughton!
  
• Animal Adventures in Bolton.  It's a bit of a drive, but totally worth it if you have a kid who is really into animals.  We've gone twice because my son liked it so much the first time. You get up close and personal with all sorts of animals.
  
• Jump Around in Framingham.  I bought one of these already and might buy another.  I'm kind of burnt out on these jumping places, personally, but these jumping passes have been a great thing during the miserable weather.  Anything that gets us out of the house and gets my son some exercise!  

5 Things to do on February Vacation Week

Snowshoeing at Gore Place was a blast!

Woohoo!  February Vacation Week!  Here are 5 ideas of fun, discounted/cheap/free things to do this week.  ENJOY!

1. Go bowling!  Boston Bowl has a vacation week deal:  Two games, shoe rentals with socks, and 10 game room tokens on the tenpin side from 9am-2pm. It's only $10 per person!  Nice!  Westgate Lanes in Brockton has a Groupon deal right now. There's also Saco's Bowl Haven in Somerville or Needham Bowlaway for some old school candlepin.
2. Go snowshoeing at Gore Place.  We finally did this last week and I loved it!  Can't wait to try it again.
3. Attend the ParkSCIENCE Children's Festival on Thursday.   This free event at Franklin Park will feature the New England Aquarium Tidal Pool, the Plantmobile horticultural lab table, Rosalita’s Puppets, facepainting, LL Bean's Snowshoeing Discovery Course, and tons more!
4. Attend a free performance of Cantata Singers' dress rehearsal of Mendelssohn's Elijah! "With a sold-out concert, our dress rehearsal on Friday, February 21, 1:30pm is free and open to the public. A perfect event to introduce your children to the gift of music! Families also welcome to leave at any time during the dress rehearsal."  For more information about the event, and to reserve tickets, visit their website at: www.cantatasingers.org.
5. Head over to a Boston Public Library branch.   They're closed on Monday, but there's otherwise a lot going on this week.  There's stuff going on for Black History Month in addition to crafts, chess, storytime, Wii Olympics, and lots more!