Science Friendly Activities to Check Out This Weekend!
If you are looking for some new ideas, how about these?
1. MIT Museum (https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/).
Yes, I was a postdoctoral research fellow at MIT from 2008-2010, and yes, I did have a child during that time, but I am embarrassed to admit that we have never actually been to this museum. We are planning to be there soon, though! Some of the main exhibits include robots (PSA: The Party Elements is doing a Veteran’s Day vacation day program on robotics in Sharon, MA, stay tuned for more information coming soon!), photography, and construction. Note that it is free admission on the last Sunday of every month from September-June (i.e. not this last Sunday). Special exhibits from current MIT students and affiliates are also available.
2. The Arnold Arboretum (https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/). This is an absolutely beautiful location, and the weather on Sunday should be perfect for this. I went earlier this summer with the three mild-mannered, well-behaved children, and unfortunately for us we were not at all prepared for the trip, so we failed to bring a stroller, bug spray, sufficient drinks, activities, etc. Life lesson: be prepared. There are a large number of trees, all well-labeled, but this may be under-appreciated by your children. Bring essentially whatever you would plan for a large park – bubbles, kites, balls, etc, plan to see a few of the trees, and then enjoy the natural beauty.
3. Harvard Museum of Natural History (https://hmnh.harvard.edu/home). This is free year-round on Sunday mornings for Massachusetts residents. Check it out today! Of particular interest may be the Bee Exhibit, where you can look at real-live bee colonies. Did you know that honey bees have 5 eyes? Or that they have 170 receptors for smell that lets them find even small amounts of food? We recently watched some honey bees at work on our tomato plants (stay tuned for next week’s post about gardening) and were fascinated.
Note an interesting special event will be on Tuesday, August 1st at 2pm for “Live from the Deep Ocean” that explores the deep sea off the coast of California. This event is also free (!) and open to the public.
More next time, readers! Have a great weekend!
