What do you do when your husband flies you and 4 kids half way across the world to accompany him on his management course?
Staying in a (albeit 2 room) Boston hotel room watching my 4 children aged 2-11 bouncing off the walls was not an option, and mine are not the sort to allow even 5 minutes of sales browsing. Fortunately, Boston, home to MIT and Harvard had some wonderful science treats in store for our science loving family
Boston Children’s Museum
I’ve never seen my 2 year old so excited! Golf balls, hurtling, swirling and exploding around different shaped tracks,and giant bubbles floating, bouncing and popping. That was just one room! 3 floors of made for kids scientific, cultural, artistic and physical exploration including the “Arthur & Friends” exhibit. Be prepared for tears at home time!
Creative Commons License photo credit: sibbiblue
MIT tour
A great one for older children. We took the Harvard Tour as well, but MIT won hands down as the coolest university tour. Tales of a police cars rebuilt on the MIT roof (and filled with police dummies and Dunkin’ Donuts), the infinite corridor and the “is it going to topple over” architecture, make this fun and inspirational way to spend a few hours.
Boston Museum of Science
The largest of all the Boston science treats and perfectly arranged for visitors big and small. Presentations from in-house scientists keep older children entertained and the 2 floor Discovery Center for under 8’s will have your youngest ones playing scientist. There’s also the ever-popular 2 storey T-Rex but our favorite was the Science in the Park exhibit including the science of see-saws and swings.
Harvard Museum of Natural History
What child doesn’t like animals? The whole family enjoyed looking at the mounted animal specimens and fossils of plants and animals as well as geological rocks. This multi-floor museum will easily fill half a day, but time your visit to avoid visiting when your kids are hungry as there is no on-site cafe.
MIT Museum
The small 2 storey building which houses the MIT museum at first seemed like it would have little to offer the youngest visitors. However 20 minutes on the musical staircase, a session with crayons drawing inventions as well as browsing the fascinating exhibits such as holograms, robots and engineering sculpture kept all my kids engaged for more than 2 hours.
Caroline Mukisa is an expat Brit living in the Middle East. She runs the Maths Insider website where you’ll find tips and advice to guide your child to math success. Head to Maths Insider to grab 2 free ebooks, “Yes! You Can Be Your Child’s Maths Tutor!” and “21 Seriously Cool Careers That Need Maths!”
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