At Home Activities

Real Stories. Real Talk. Real Life.

Tune into the Work-Life Equation podcast from the team at Bright Horizons®. It features candid conversations, stories, and strategies from corporate leaders, public figures, and everyday people who are putting the pieces together to make life work.

Summer Camp for Preschoolers

There are so many good reasons to send your preschooler to summer day camp - for you and them. Take a peek at what the Bright Horizons team says is the top 5 reasons why summer camps are great for preschoolers!

Getting Excited About STEM: A Bright Horizons Webinar

STEM is for everyone! Hear from the experts at Boston University and Bright Horizons® on how to inspire your child to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math, encouraging the exploration of their big ideas.

Language Development in the Early Years: A Bright Horizons Webinar

From babbles, to words, to full sentences — children’s language development is fascinating. Join the experts at Bright Horizons® as they discuss the different stages, key milestones, and what to expect in your child’s first few years. Register for the live session or recording.

Bright Horizons - Build Family Timelines

As your family is celebrating this holiday season, our friends at Bright Horizons have the perfect family experience for you, building Family Timelines. This activity promotes development and learning by encouraging children to develop a sense of belonging and identity.

Bring the whole family together for your Family Timeline activity today.

Building Nutritious Eating Habits for Life: A Bright Horizons® Webinar

Listen in with child development expert Claire Goss, from Bright Horizons, and Jennifer Anderson, registered dietitian, and founder of Kids Eat in Color, for a conversation about healthy eating for kids. From first foods to picky eating, find out how to work around cost, busy schedules, and changing preferences to build healthy habits for life. Grab a snack and join in!

Loose Parts: Simple Materials for BIG Exploration

Discovery is at the center of everything we do. Bring curiosity, learning, and discovery into your home using the Loose Parts: Simple Materials for BIG Exploration activity from our friends at Bright Horizons®.

At Bright Horizons their educational proven approach, Discovery Driven Learning, encourages questions and inquiries, giving educators the opportunity to guide each child's natural curiosity.

Webinar Replay - The Important Work of Play

It's not just what children learn, it's how they learn - and play is how children develop new skills, process emotions, and discover the world around them. Watch this webinar replay as the education team at Bright Horizons® share about the importance, and sophistication, of play. Parents will get practical ideas on how to weave in everyday playful experiences that support a child's development.

Go Outside and Play: A Bright Horizons® Family Webinar

Go Outside and Play: A Bright Horizons® Family Webinar Outdoor play, it's more than a breath of fresh air. Learn from the experts at Bright Horizons how it contributes to your child's imagination, encourages healthy risk taking, builds resilience and confidence, and inspires STEM skills.

Boston Public Library's 'Oceans of Possibilities' Summer Reading Program for Kids

Dive into books and develop stronger reading skills with Boston Public Library's summer reading program for youth 0-17 years old. The theme for 2022 is Oceans of Possibilities, developed by the Collaborative Summer Learning Program.

Empathy, Understanding, and Finding Common Ground

Read The Power of Play Blog guest written by Leverett Wing, President and CEO, Commonwealth Seminar.

Our Kids Are Paying Attention: How to Support Them During the War in Ukraine and Other Tragic Events

While we wish the world was free of tragic situations, we need to support each other and our children when they happen. Read The Power of Play Blog and some resources from Boston Children's Museum team that you might find helpful.

Let's Play! | Freeze Dance

Ready to dance? Get up and moving-but make sure you're prepared to FREEZE! Play a game of Freeze Dance with us in today's play-themed video.

Let's Play! | Follow the Cheese Maze

The next video in our series getting kids up and playing will be highly relatable to all the cheese lovers out there. Our friend Neil suffers from a cheese addiction that has left him in a pickle. Help him navigate a cheese maze to reach the extra-cheesy prize at the end.

Let's Play! | Build a Drop Copter

Our next play-themed video is all about embracing your inner engineer. We're crafting drop copters! Try making your copter in different ways to see how fast, slow, spinny, or zig-zag-y it will drop.

Let's Play! | Freeze Dance

Ready to dance? Get up and moving-but make sure you're prepared to FREEZE! Play a game of Freeze Dance with us in today's play-themed video.

Let's Play! | Paper Airplane

We wrap up our series on play with a classic craft-paper airplanes! There are many different ways to craft a perfect paper airplane. Much of the fun comes from testing them all to see which one goes fastest and farthest.

Let's Play! | Laughter Yoga

Yoga is a wonderful way to relax, but it can also be a very playful experience! Giggle, chuckle, chortle, and roar with laughter during our Laughter Yoga practice.

Let's Play! | Charades

Today, we're excited to kick off "Let's Play!," a series of videos shared over the next month encouraging kids to get playing. First up, join us for an extra-silly game of charades. Grab a friend and polish off your acting skills!

It's Story Time! "A Tree is Nice" by Janice May Udry

Trees are special and nice in so many ways. "A Tree is Nice" by Janice May Udry is a classic tale about the beauty of trees and the outside world around us. Cozy up and settle in as Akemi reads this wonderful story aloud!

Let's Play I Spy in our Collection!

Join us behind-the-scenes in Boston Children's Museum's collection for a game of I Spy, hosted by collections intern Gaby Perez-Dietz. As we play, we'll learn about some of the objects in our 100-year-old collection. Gaby will then show you how to create your own personalized replica of one of these historic objects at home!

Action and Adventure Games from National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids offers many interactive, nature-themed activities on their website. Match three bugs in a row and get fun bug facts along the way during Bug Bash, swim and jump with dolphins in Dolphin Diving, or try out one of their many other games. It is perfect for animal lovers!

Explore Boston Children's Museum's 100+-Year-Old Collection!

Come explore behind the scenes at Boston Children's Museum's collection! We've been collecting at the Museum for over 100 years now, and there are thousands of objects to see and learn about. Together with collections intern Gaby and some friends, let's discover what a collection is and what it means to take care of it.

Bring the Fun of Fiber Art Home With You!

Want to bring the Art Lab's fiber art fun into your home? Check out this list of 33 fiber art ideas you can try with kids at home. Some examples include creating felt beads, finger knitting, and painting with yarn.

Yayoi Kusama Dotted Pumpkins for Kids

Create your own dotted pumpkin inspired by the art of Yayoi Kusama! This is a great activity for elementary school-aged kids. See Kusama's work and learn how to make your own dotted pumpkin.

Make a Straw Skeleton

From Education.com: Infuse a fun Halloween craft with an educational science lesson on the skeletal system. This project may be just the thing to spark your child's interest in science!

America's Test Kitchen Kids

Curious young chefs can explore the world of food and cooking with America's Test Kitchen's library of kid-tested, kid-approved recipes, activities, quizzes, and more. We love this resource!

No-Blow Balloons: Use Chemistry to Blow Up a

Balloon! National Chemistry Week Celebration We continue our celebration of National Chemistry Week with another chemistry-powered at-home activity! Have you ever tried to blow up balloons for a birthday party using just your breath? It can get pretty exhausting, right? Well, a little chemistry can help! Science Program Manager Alissa will show you how you can use chemistry to blow up a balloon and save your breath!

Build a Boat Powered by Chemistry! National

Chemistry Week Celebration Celebrate National Chemistry Week with Boston Children's Museum! This year's theme is "Fast or Slow: Chemistry Makes It Go." Coming to you from the Museum, join in the fun with Science Program Manager Alissa as she shows you how to create a small, chemistry-powered boat. Young chemists, DO try this at home (with a grownup nearby!).

Exploring Traditional Mariachi Costumes

¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana! Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Our friend Veronica Robles, a Mariachi singer/founder of Boston's first all-female Mariachi, an arts teacher, and an all-around Boston icon is helping us continue our celebration. Watch and learn as she takes viewers through her colorful Trajes de Charro (traditional Mariachi dress) and some of her other beautiful performance costumes.

Art-Making Activities for Kids and Families

Our friends at the Museum of Modern Art have rounded up some of their favorite drawing, collage, audio, and movement activities inspired by the artworks in their collection. These fun and creative activities are ideal for kids six and up!

Explore the Habitats of North America

In a new segment of National Geographic Kids' Destination World series, experience North America, the continent with the most diverse environments in the world. North America stretches from the polar Arctic to the tropical Caribbean, and you'll find almost all major habitats on this continent.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15th marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month! The month honors the many Latinos who have greatly contributed, influenced, and enriched our culture and society. Children's books are a fantastic way to joyfully engage children and help them learn why we celebrate through story and art. Check out this list of 11 picture books celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from PBS Kids.

A Conversation About Food Allergies and Increasing Allergy Awareness

In the newest episode of the Big & Little Podcast, join Carole and guests Drs. Michael Pistiner and Ali Yurkovic for an important conversation on food allergies in children. As allergy experts and parents of children with food allergies themselves, Michael and Ali speak to the prevalence of allergies in children, their own experiences as parents of kids with allergies, and how people can get involved in advocacy efforts to protect those with food allergies in public spaces.

The Power of Reading

From classroom techniques to technological distractions to a lack of resources, there are many "blame-factors" one can point to in order to explain the decline in children's reading levels in the United States. On our blog, Boston Children's Museum President and CEO Carole Charnow explores these potential causes-and more importantly, what we can do to turn things around.

Oliver the Ball Python Did WHAT!?

Ollie's a....female!? Our friendly Museum ball python Oliver has had quite the month-Alissa recently discovered something that made our jaws DROP and raised so many questions! Check out this video that explains it all.

PBS Kids Educational Games

Check out PBS Kids' incredible library of games that will have kids learning about math, engineering, social studies, rhyming and more–and having fun doing it! We can't get enough!

DIY Slushies with a STEAM Twist

We know it's been a bit rainy lately...but Alissa is manifesting gorgeous, sunny days by making DIY slushies. But wait! These aren't your typical slushies-we're using a little bit of science to bring them to the next level.

The Incredible Fish of Our Oceans

Summer is here, and there's nothing like cooling off with a swim at the beach! Our oceans are teeming with incredible wildlife that your child might be interested to learn about. National Geographic Kids has a great kid-friendly library of fun facts about deep sea creatures such as electric eels, bull sharks, clown fish (hello, Nemo!), harry frogfish, and more.

Many Homes in Kyoto, Japan

The Japanese House in Boston Children's Museum was originally built around 1890 near Nishijin, a famous silk district of Kyoto. It was transported as a gift to Boston in 1979 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their sister-city relationship. Many kids in Kyoto and other parts of Japan live in modern housing, but some still live in traditional homes like the Kyo no Machiya. You can meet a diverse group of new friends in Kyoto in this video, 'Many Homes in Kyoto, Japan.' After watching, think about the people you met and compare and contrast their homes, families, and traditions with your own.

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Take your conventional sidewalk chalk up a notch and make your own chalk PAINT! Chalk paint is a fun, entertaining way to keep kids engaged and entertained on a summer day. It's easy to make, and kids will have a blast helping out.

The Water Keeper's Library

While in the Art Lab, Arts Program Manager Faith Johnson leads programming like Pattern Play and Curious Comics. Outside the Museum, she is a practicing artist making a difference with her work. Explore Faith's impactful exhibition 'Water Keeper's Library,' an interactive project that connects people to the beauty and magic of water.

Fun with Mud

Happy International Mud Day! As it turns out, mud has a lot more benefits than you might think. Sometimes it's GOOD to get messy, but if you'd rather stay tidy, watching someone else do it is good enough. Who could forget last year's celebratory Mud Day video from Science Program Manager Alissa? Check it out.

Make Your Own Homemade Bird Seed Cake

Calling all bird lovers! Learn how you can use just bird seed and gelatin to make your very own bird seed cake! You can use this to bring all kinds of different bird species to your backyard. Then, sit back and observe. With Alissa's help, you can learn how to spot and identify different bird species right in your own neighborhood.

The Wavin' Flag Project from DEAFinitely, Inc.

Who are you? What is your identity? What are you proud of? Our friends at DEAFinitely, Inc. explored these questions through the power of art during the Wavin' Flag project. Art materials were provided to remote and in-school Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and Deaf mentors supported kids as they created personal flags representing their identities, including their countries, cultures, languages, and interests. Check out this heartwarming video, and then ask yourself or your child the question - what is your identity?

Pride Month Storytime: 'When Aidan Became a Brother'

This Pride Month, we invite you to join us in celebrating the diversity of families that make up our community and each person's freedom to be who they are. We are joined by educator Josia Gertz DeChiara who is going to share 'When Aidan Became a Brother' by Kyle Lukoff, a story about embracing one's identity and celebrating inclusivity. We hope you enjoy it!

Pride Month Resource: Answering Kids' Questions About Gender

It can be difficult to know how to respond to kids' questions about gender or gender-based teasing. This resource from Welcoming Schools offers great techniques to prepare you to embrace teachable moments with kids and foster a gender-inclusive environment.

Juneteenth Stories and History for Kids

June 19th was Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the ending of the enslavement of Black Americans in the US. It is also time to celebrate the many contributions Black Americans have made to this country. The staff of Boston Public Library compiled an excellent list of children's books exploring the history of Juneteenth through stories to help you celebrate and honor Juneteenth with the children in your life.

'We Are Pride'—Pride Month Book List from Boston Public Library

Boston Public Library compiled a list of books published in the last year for all ages concerning the diverse experiences of the LGBTQ+ community in celebration of Pride Month. Check out this fantastic list of books.

Make an Everyday Material Sculpture Inspired by Woomin Kim

What do you think you see? What do you really see? In a new art instructable, learn how to make a sculpture out of everyday materials around the house!

The Role of Play in Any Setting

Play in early childhood is so important for healthy development. Although we love when families come to play here at the Museum, play doesn't require a special destination to have a powerful effect! Explore the role of play in any setting with this resource from Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child.

Fizzy Lemonade

Who agrees: There's nothing quite like an ice-cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer's day. With just a little bit of science, you can kick your plain old lemonade up a notch and make it FIZZY! Join Alissa back in her kitchen to learn how.

Storytime: The History of Pride Month

Happy Pride Month! As we celebrate, it is important to acknowledge the origins of Pride and recognize the hard work and struggles of those who have fought for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Join Ms. Loredo for a read-aloud of "Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution". This true story tells of the historic presence of New York's Stonewall Inn during the 1969 Stonewall Riots-the origin story of today's Pride Month celebrations.

Make a Pinch Pot Inspired by Courtney Leonard

Meet Courtney Leonard, our new spotlighted artist and the inspiration for a fun and easy at-home project: sculpting pinch pots! Courtney, who is Shinnecock, creates installations with clay/ceramic sculptures, video, and paint. Her work explores the human connection to water and the need for balance between people and the natural world. Learn more about Courtney, and get instructions to create a miniature pot-AKA pinch pot-inspired by her work.

Birdwatching in Collections

Have you ever been birdwatching? There are so many birds to see during spring! Our collection contains countless birds in many different forms, from taxidermy to embroidery. Join Rachel as she takes you through some of these beautiful birds. Next time you're outside, see if you can spot any of these bird species!

Dinomania from National Geographic Kids

Dinosaur lovers, you don't want to miss this! National Geographic Kids has compiled a kid-friendly database of dozens of dinosaur species with fascinating facts, the latest scientific discoveries, and interactive games.

Making Doctor's Visits Easier for Kids

Children can be active participants in their healthcare by knowing why they need to see the doctor and how to take good care of themselves. Check out a new blog post with expert tips from our Health and Wellness Educator on how make doctor's visits easier for your child.

PART 3: Sing with Boston Children's Chorus: "Menina"

It's finally time to put all of "Menina" together and start singing in Portuguese! Ms. Cooper from Boston Children's Chorus will help you practice the words through her game "Sound It Out!" before we celebrate by singing together one last time.

New Podcast Series: Innovation in Education

This summer, we're thrilled to introduce a new Big & Little podcast series called 'Innovation in Education.' This 3-part series will dive into three different schools that are innovating the traditional schooling model we are all familiar, with non-traditional curriculums, strategies, and values.

Ghost Glove Activity from National Geographic Kids

Examine, test, and observe scientific research right at home. In this experiment, make a ghost out of a glove and a few other household items to freak out your friends! You'll learn a little science along the way.

PART 2: Sing with Boston Children's Chorus: Learning "Menina"

Ms. Cooper and the singers of Boston Children's Chorus Training Choirs return for "Menina" lesson 2! In lesson one, we danced to the rhythm of Menina, a Brazilian circle dance or ciranda. We learn the catchy melody that brings everyone to the circle! Before we start, we'll need to crack the solfege code to discover Menina's melody-Ms. Cooper will help! Afterwards, we'll pair song and dance together in celebration of what we've learned so far.

Money Matters Virtual Classroom Experience

What are the businesses in your community? How do we and our neighbors make and spend money? Introducing Money Matters, a virtual experience designed for the classroom where students will get the chance to explore these financial literacy concepts through role-play, creating their own small businesses, and making shopping choices. The program includes virtual visits from one of our educators to help guide Money Matters financial literacy activities. Learn more about Money Matters, and request a virtual visit for your students. Parents, if you're interested, let your child's teacher know about this opportunity!

Kitchen Science: Marshmallow Playdough

Join Alissa in the kitchen for a fun, sticky, sensory STEAM activity as she shows us how to mix marshmallows and other simple ingredients to make marshmallow play dough-because sometimes the best creations are the ones you can eat!

Exploring Boston Children's Museum's Collection: Umbrellas

The Museum has been collecting objects for over 100 years. Today, our collection has over 50,000 items! Join Sayyara here as she introduces some of the many umbrellas in our collection and helps us observe their unique functions. Some may not be what you expect!

Make a Soft Sculpture Inspired by Eri Honda

Bring the Art Lab into your home with our new soft sculpture activity inspired by artist Eri Honda! Eri makes soft fiber art of recycled materials. With fabric, stuffing, and googly eyes, you can create your own unique creature inspired by Eri.

DIY Butterfly Feeder to Pollinate Your Backyard

Butterflies play an important role in the lifecycle of flowers and fruit, all because of a sticky substance called pollen! Learn how to build a butterfly feeder to attract butterflies to your yard that will help pollinate the nearby plants.

What is Composting and How Does it Work?

Composting isn't complicated! In this quick video, kids will learn exactly what it is, why we do it, how it helps the environment, and how you can start doing it right at home. Click to become a composting expert!

How to Make Paper at Home!

When you grab a crisp white sheet of paper, do you ever wonder how it came to be? Maybe not, but we promise it's pretty interesting. Instead of just telling you, you can see it for yourself by making your own paper from the comfort of your kitchen!

6 Easy Ways Kids Can Help Protect the Environment

Earth Day is a great day to start talking with kids about how we can all work together to protect the natural world. To get the conversation started, we've compiled a list of six easy ways kids can help care for and preserve the environment.

Mammals Around the World

Does your child love animals? Check out this amazing resource from National Geographic exploring incredible mammals from around the world, like the Asian Elephant, the Beluga Whale, and even the Aye-Aye (can you guess what that is?!).

20 Children's Books to Support Conversations about Race, Racism, and Resistance

Acknowledging and naming race and racism with children as early and often as possible can help counter bias. The recent and long-standing attacks on Asian Americans as well as the violence against African Americans including last week's police killing of Daunte Wright can lead to very important conversations with kids about racism, but it can be very difficult to navigate these conversations. Children's books can help. Check out this list of 20 children's books from Embrace Race to support conversations about race, racism, and resistance.

Ramadan-Inspired Art Activity

Happy Ramadan! Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic Lunar Calendar. It is a time of spiritual reflection and for thinking about and helping people in need. Celebrate Ramadan through art with this fun activity from our friends Sumaya and Ayesha.

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is a special day to appreciate our extraordinary planet and remember the importance of protecting our environment. When and how did Earth Day first start? Find out in this fun Earth Day

Learn How to Grow Carrots at Home

Spring is finally upon us, and as temperatures rise, it's the perfect time to start getting outdoors more often. Gardening is a great outdoor hobby, and to get your garden started our friend Nate is going to demonstrate how to plant and grow carrots! Some good news-there's no need for a big backyard to do this!

Ramadan Storytime

The start of Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic Lunar Calendar. It is a time of spiritual reflection and for thinking about and helping people in need. To celebrate Ramadan, enjoy this reading of "Night of the Moon" by Hena Khan, the story of a young girl's celebration of the month-long holiday.

Become a Wildlife Photographer

You don't have to travel far to be a wildlife photographer worthy of the pages of National Geographic. There is so much worth photographing right outside your front door. Check out this lesson on nature photography, and don't forget to share your photos with us in the comments or by using the tag #BCMEarthMonth!

Natural Habitats

Learn about the different natural environments of plants and animals, like grasslands, deserts, and rainforests, with this amazing resource from National Geographic Kids.

How to Start Composting at Home

Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter like food leftovers into compost that makes for nutrient-rich soil. This soil can be used to grow healthy plants that don't need chemical fertilizers to grow, which is a big win for the environment. More good news: it's actually pretty simple to start composting at your own home without too many materials or headaches. Alissa will show you how.

Make a Nature Rubbing

We're celebrating the Earth all month long with special at-home activities all to do with our extraordinary natural world! One way we can celebrate the Earth is through art! Learn how to make a rubbing on paper using natural materials like leaves and bark. Share your creation on social media with #BCMEarthMonth to be featured on our pages!

World Autism Awareness Day

Last Friday was World Autism Awareness Day. 1 in 54 children in the US is living with autism. Today and every day, we see the amazing in EVERY child and celebrate and encourage inclusivity for all. Check out these helpful resources for kids both living with autism or who have friends with autism to promote understanding and inclusivity.

The Matilda Effect on Women in STEM

Throughout history, women have made game-changing accomplishments in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Sadly, due to something called the Matilda Effect, the credit for many groundbreaking discoveries made by women was instead given to a man. In honor of Women's History Month, we're highlighting three incredible scientists who deserve some major recognition for their revolutionary work. Hopefully, their stories might inspire young girls today to pursue their interests in STEM.

Learning at Home Together and Keeping the Peace

One year later, and many of us are still balancing working from home with kids, whether they're fully remote, hybrid, or homeschooled. We thought we'd revisit a blog post from March 2020 (*queue involuntary shiver*) featuring helpful tips for parents and caregivers on learning at home together while keeping the peace.

The Story of Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges is a civil rights pioneer. In 1960 at 6 years old, she battled racism & discrimination to become the first African-American student to integrate into an entirely white school system. This is "The Story of Ruby Bridges" read by Jeri Robinson.

Who is Pooja Chandrashekar? | Women's History Month Spotlight

Meet Pooja Chandrashekar, a Harvard medical student doing big things to encourage young girls to pursue their interests in STEAM all around the world.

Build a Sugar Kingdom Inspired by Pip & Pop!

The amazing Tanya Schultz, AKA Pip & Pop, creates other-worldly installation art from objects like sugar, glitter, candy, plastic flowers, and everyday craft materials. Learn about installation art and create your very own fantasy sugar kingdom inspired by Pip & Pop!

Oliver the Ball Python Looks Back on One Wild Year

It's been a chaotic year for us all, including Oliver the Ball Python. When our doors closed last March, Ollie shacked up with Science Program Manager Alissa. There have been so many changes for the Museum (and the world) since then-listen as Alissa & Ollie take a look back.

Myth Busters: Balancing an Egg on the Spring Equinox

True or false: The only day of the year you can balance an egg on its end is the vernal equinox (AKA the first day of spring). Alissa experiments to see if she can bust this scientific myth since the equinox passed on March 20th. Make your predictions!

Celebrate Pi Day

We hope you had a happy Pi Day! Pi is the circumference of a circle (the distance around the circle) divided by its diameter (the distance across). Learn all about the amazing Pi and get a walk-through on making one of our very favorite circular objects...pie, of course!

How to Feed Picky Toddlers

Picky eating is very common amongst toddlers and young children. It can be challenging for parents to find healthy meals that their young ones will eat! In a new blog post, Health and Wellness Educator Saki provides some helpful tips for feeding the picky little ones in your life.

Amanda Gorman | Women's History Month Spotlight

Meet the amazing Amanda Gorman, a poet, author, and activist who shared her poem "The Hill We Climb" at January's presidential inauguration. Learn all about Amanda and a few other inspiring young poets.

Create Sound Art, Art You Can Hear!

Sound art is art you can hear. Derek Hoffend, a local Boston artist, creates sound art installations that combine sculptures with sound, interactivity, and sometimes light. Learn about Derek's amazing work and create your own sound art with our instructable. We hope you'll share what you create with us!

Build a Bridge to Help Animals Travel Safely

Recently, a human road was built through an animal habitat, making it dangerous for the animals to cross to the other side. As an engineer-in-training, your challenge today is to build a crossing that allows animals to across safely.

Storytime: "Boxitects" by Kim Smith

Meg is a super-smart, imaginative boxitect who creates amazing things out of ordinary cardboard boxes. New student Simone is, too. Follow along as Meg and Simone join creative forces for the school's Maker Match and see what they create together. Afterward, put your boxitect had on and see what YOU create with a cardboard box.

Make Musical Instruments with Cardboard Boxes

Cardboard boxes offer a world of opportunities for making! Watch and learn as Alissa and Steve build two different musical instruments out of old boxes. We challenge you to make your very own instrument after watching!

DIY Popsicle Stick Catapult

Follow along with Neil's step-by-step guide to build a catapult that can launch projectiles! This at-home engineering challenge requires super-simple materials you probably already have around the house.

Create Buildings Out of Marshmallows and Toothpicks

Beyond being a blast to create, building marshmallow structures has educational benefits for kids of all ages. Embrace your inner architect and see what you can create-learn how!

How to Make Rainbow Paper

Learn how to make rainbow paper that changes color with the light! Create intricate rainbow patterns and designs, combining science with art in an incredible way. All you need is black paper, water, and clear nail polish.

Cup Stacking for Kids

Stack, build, create, and knock down! Cup stacking is fun for all ages. Take on this engineering challenge as you work on your hand-eye coordination, balance, speed, and more.

How to Build a Simple Electrical Circuit

An electrical circuit is a pathway where electricity can flow. In this science activity, Alissa teaches kids how to make a super simple circuit using a battery that will light up a bulb!

What's It Like to Be a Human Factors Engineer?

Meet Kate McNamee, a human factors engineer. This lesser-known field of engineering uses psychology to understand why people do what they do. This information is then used to create products, from everyday items to surgical robots! Hear Kate share her journey to human factor engineering.

What's It Like to Be a Civil Engineer?

An interest in engineering at a young age propelled Roz Imbaro to pursue civil engineering-one of the oldest kinds of engineering in the world! Learn about Roz's experiences strategizing with a team to build and demolish big structures like bridges and tunnels.

What's It Like to be a Software Engineer?

Not all engineers build things that you can touch. Meet Maddie Schwartz, a software engineer. Maddie She explains what it's like to write computer coding for satellites, and the collaborative effort it takes to help the internet reach people around the world.

What's It Like to be an Aerospace Engineer?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work at NASA? Aerospace engineer Janelle Wellons can tell you! Alissa interviewed Janelle about her path to NASA, her experiences working on both earth and space projects, and the importance of teamwork and dreaming big.

What's It Like to be an Environmental Engineer?

There is not just one kind of engineer! Engineers work in a wide variety of fields and there are many paths to choose from for aspiring engineers. As part of our National Engineers Week celebration, we interviewed six real-life, working engineers about their different specialties. Here's Maeve Carlson, an environmental engineer from Portland, Maine.

What's It Like to Be a Mechanical Engineer?

Meet Maija Benitz, a mechanical engineer and professor specializing in wind energy. Learn her story and what makes mechanical engineering unique, the role of coding and computer programs in daily tasks, and how math can help solve real-world problems.

Have Fun with ICE! An End-of-Winter Science Experiment for Kids

Raise your hand if you're tired of winter. Warm weather is just around the corner, but we're packing in as much winter fun as we can before then. There are so many fun ways to play with ice. Alissa shows us how to make ice blocks in all different shapes, sizes, and colors.

International Women's Day Celebration: Meet Malala Yousafzai

Who is Malala Yousafzai? Malala is an activist who advocates for girls' education around the world. Watch this short video to learn about Malala's incredible story as a part of our International Women's Day celebration!

Five Screen-Free Activities for Kids

Screen time has been unavoidable this past year as the world went virtual. Most classes and activities transitioned to an online format and kids got used to playing and learning via technology. We're putting our devices down for National Day of Unplugging, and we invite you to join us! We've compiled a list of fun, screen-free activities curated by our educators to help engage your child in in-person playtime.

Engineer of Inspiration

Meet Lonnie Johnson, an engineer and inventor most famous for inventing a *blast* of a device which you may be very familiar. Learn about Lonnie's groundbreaking innovation that changed summer vacations forever. Before you watch, take a guess on what it is!

Performing Artist of Inspiration: Cornell Coley

Percussionist and educator Cornell Coley, M. Ed joins us today, teaching some of the cultural traditions and healing powers of drumming and demonstrating a variety of different percussion instruments-including ones you can make and use at home!

Design Your Own Graphic Character

Liz Young, a member of our Museum community, is a graphic artist whose fantastic work has been featured by Boston Comics Roundtable. Liz created an online comic book to show kids how to design their own graphic characters and stories! Try it out, and show us your artwork.

Explore the Japanese House!

The Japanese House exhibit, also called Kyo no Machiya, is a traditional urban house from Kyoto, Japan. In 1979, it was transported from Kyoto to Boston as a gift to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their Sister Cities Relationship. Though we are currently unable to explore this beautiful house in person, you can still make your way through and learn about its many unique features with our 360-degree Japanese House virtual tour!

Get Inspired by the World's Most Famous Engineers

From helping the first astronauts land on the moon to inventing climate change-tracking robots, these engineers are true pioneers in their fields. Get a quick lesson on their groundbreaking lives and accomplishments.

Explore. Create. Test. Try Again.

Boston Children's Museum staff created over a dozen new engineering-inspired activities kids can try at home to get them engaged and curious about the wide world of engineering and STEAM.

What's It Like to Be a Real-Life Engineer?

There is not just one kind of engineer! Engineers work in a wide variety of fields and there are many paths to choose from for aspiring engineers. We spoke to six engineers about their different specialties: aerospace, environmental, software, human factors, civil, and mechanical.

Taiko Drumming from Odaiko New England

"Taiko" is the Japanese word for drum. In a new installment of our Oshogatsu Japanese New Year celebration, our friend Juni Kobayahi of Odaiko New England teaches us about taiko drumming and shows you how to make bachi-drumsticks made from paper bags!

Recommendations from Black Children's Books and Authors

Learn about and celebrate Black history all year with these beautiful stories (and many more) recommended by Black Children's Books and Authors, a non-profit dedicated to promoting awareness of children's and young adult literature by Black authors.

How to Make a Battery Out of Pennies

Could there be hidden energy inside your pocket change!? Convert pennies into batteries that can power LED lightbulbs in a new simple (but SO cool) STEAM experiment for kids!

Giant Ice Experiment

How can you make ice without using a freezer? On a cold winter day, you can make ice outdoors with kiddos of all ages, toddlers to primary schoolers. We've got some tips and tricks to take this easy, fun sensory activity to the next level.

Snow Day Maple Candy

The main ingredient in this tasty STEAM activity: SNOW! Good thing we just got a fresh coat! Learn how to make your own delicious maple candy at home using snow-the perfect treat for a cold day. For those in a warmer climate, you can use shaved or crushed ice for a similar result. Our candy expert, Alissa, will show you how.

Kamishibai Storytime

Gather 'round for Kamishibai storytime! As part of our Oshogatsu celebration with the Japan Society of Boston, we're reading "The Years Were Named: Rainen wa Nanidoshi" in this traditional method that remains an important part of Japan's oral tradition.

Why Your Child Needs Play

If you're a fan of Boston Children's Museum, you know how strongly we believe in the power of play. This article from Today's Parent explains why play is so important to a child's healthy development.

Materials Hunt

Take a guess: How many different materials do you think are currently in your home? Materials include fabrics, plastics, carpeting, wood...the list goes on. See how many materials you can identify on an epic Materials Hunt around your home with Alissa.

Performing Artist of Inspiration: Jean Appolon

We continue our Performing Artists of Inspiration series with Jean Appolon: dancer, choreographer, teacher, Founder, and Artistic Director of Jean Appolon Expressions. In this video, Jean shares his story of growing up in Haiti and explains how dance can build community and heal trauma. He also demonstrates some dance steps to the Haitian rhythm, Yanvalou, that are fun and easy to follow! Many people may be feeling stress or anxiety following recent disturbing national events, and we are grateful to Jean for sharing how dance can be healing and bring us together.

10 Tips for Teaching and Talking to Kids About Race

We honor the life and leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who dedicated his life to advancing racial and social justice-work that spans generations. Our friends from EmbraceRace compiled a list of ten things that caregivers can do to support the child they love in thinking critically about race and continuing the ongoing work of racial justice.

Performing Artists of Inspiration: Ellice Patterson

Advocates for Disabilities Rights Through Dance Our #BCMPerformingArtists series continues with dancer & choreographer Ellice Patterson, founding director of Abilities Dance. Ellice shares how her dance advocates for disabilities rights and how you can use dance to tell a story. Check it out, and tuned for more Performing Artists of Inspiration each week in January.

2020's Top 10 At-Home Activities for Kids Check out our list of the Top 10 At-Home Activities for Kids from 2020, all made by Boston Children's Museum staff. We hope you'll give these activities a try (or a few!) and stay tuned for much more to come in 2021!

10 Resources to Help Kids Understand and Cope with the Riots at the Capitol

Boston Children's Museum staff have compiled a list of resources from organizations doing excellent work to guide parents, caregivers, educators, and children through this difficult time. We have also included resources that will help you connect with your child through play, one of the very best ways to comfort and support your child.

Create a Cozy Space in Your Home

Do you have a cozy space in your house where you can go to relax and have some quiet time? Hear from our Health and Wellness Educator Saki on how to construct a cozy space (whether you're a kid or an adult - we can all benefit!) This is a great activity for cold winter days spent indoors!

Performing Artists of Inspiration: Sandeep Das Demonstrates the Tabla

Over the next four weeks, Boston Children's Museum will share a new series called Performing Artists of Inspiration, featuring local performing artists who will teach us how they make art and what they learn by making it. We kick off the series with Grammy-winning composer and musician Sandeep Das. Sandeep shares how we can find joy in music by demonstrating his instrument, the tabla.

Let's Make Snow Dough!

Learn to make snow dough, a simple playdough recipe that brings all the fun of snow indoors without melting. This fun sensory activity only takes two ingredients!

87 Indoor Activities for Families this Winter

Being stuck at home this holiday season is a drag, but this list of 87 at-home activities from Today's Parent will make dealing with self-isolation from COVID-19 just a little bit more fun for the whole family.

Make Your Own Spinning Top!

Tops are found in cultures worldwide and have been around for thousands of years, and no wonder-they're fun! Follow along as Alissa shows us how to make two kinds of tops with items found around your home.

Storytime: "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats

It might not be as stormy out there as we saw in Boston two weeks ago, but we can enjoy a nice snow-themed storytime! Gather 'round for a reading of "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats.

The "HERstory" of Boston Children's Museum's Collection

Throughout our history, women have always been the guiding force behind Boston Children's Museum's collection. However, they have oftentimes been overshadowed by the stories of men (AKA "his"story.) In a new blog post, read the tale of a beloved dollhouse and an amazing Massachusetts woman that demonstrates a portion of the rich HERstory our collection holds.

Encourage Kids to Make Music Inspired by Nature - Part 3

Get your kids excited about making music with our friends at Continuo, who are back with a final installment of the "Music in Nature" series! This time, we're putting together all that we've learned about how instruments can mimic the sounds of nature. You'll even get to hear what the flute and oboe sound like when played together. Let's listen!

Playdough Two Ways

Let's make play dough-two ways! Kids will have a blast doing this messy sensory activity (slight emphasis on "messy") while learning a little bit about kitchen science. Alissa shows us how it's done.

The Perfect Paper Chain Experiment

Around this time of year, you might like to make paper chains to decorate for the holidays. Alissa is wondering...which paper works best to make the perfect paper chain? Let's conduct a science experiment to find out!

Build Your Own Museum

What would you put in your children's museum? A piano on the roof? A dinosaur in the lobby? A rocket ship to fly to outer space? A three-floor slide? You can now build your very own museum with our new game! Watch this video to learn how to play, and then build your museum. Use your imagination and share your masterpiece when it's complete!

Make Homemade Candles with Crayons!

At this time of year, many different festive holiday traditions involve light. We're joining the celebration of light by making homemade candles using worn down crayons!

Thanks to our STEAM sponsors, National Grid and BNY Mellon!

Meet TIME's Kid of the Year

Meet Gitanjali Rao, TIME's first-ever Kid of the Year. Gitanjali is a 15-year-old scientist and inventor. Her mission is to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over. We're so inspired by her amazing work and can't wait to see all that she can accomplish!

Learn How to Make a Paper Snowflake

This Snowmazing at Boston Children's Museum, we invite you to get festive! Watch this video to learn how to make your own paper snowflake to decorate your home or send as gifts to loved ones. Share a photo of your snowflake on social media with the tag #BCMGetsFestive, and we'll highlight it on our page!

Build a Small World with Your Little One

Little ones can build a small world, after all! Encourage kids to expand their imagination, practice social skills, and explore new materials and scenarios by building their own tiny world at home!

Meet the Woodwind Family with New England Philharmonic

A huge thank you to New England Philharmonic for bringing us an all-virtual Meet the Instruments series this year. In our fourth and final video with NEP, we Meet the Woodwind Family! If you missed out on previous episodes, you can always access them on our YouTube channel in the "Meet the Instruments" playlist.

Storytime: "The Thank You Book" by Mo Willems

There are SO many people deserving of thanks right now in the community and in our families. Join Steve as he reads "The Thank You Book" by Mo Willems. Join Piggie and friends on his quest to thank, well...everyone!

Meet the Brass Family with New England Philharmonic

New England Philharmonic is back for more Meet the Instruments! Today, we'll Meet the Brass Family! Learn all about these amazing instruments and how they contribute to an orchestra.

Make Music Inspired by Nature - Part 2

Get your kids excited about making music with our friends at Continuo, who are back with Part 2 of the "Music in Nature" series! This time, we're diving into the incredible oboe. What parts of nature can the oboe sound like?

Let's Make Oobleck!

It's a solid...it's a liquid...it's Oobleck! Check out this video to learn how to make this gooey, play-dough like substance that is SO much fun to play with.

Meet the Instruments with New England Philharmonic!

We're thrilled to introduce the all-virtual Meet the Instruments series from New England Philharmonic! In Part 1, learn about the instruments in an orchestra and how they fit together to make music.

Send a Secret Message with Thanksgiving Spy Juice

For all you super spies, we're making a top-secret substance called spy juice...with a Thanksgiving twist! Use kitchen chemistry and a popular Thanksgiving dish to write secret messages. Then, decode messages sent to you!

Thanksgiving-Themed Activities for Kids

Even though Thanksgiving looks a little different this year, we can still create festivities our kids will remember. Check out this great list of Thanksgiving activities from PBS KIDS you can try with your kids.

Find Music in Nature

Kids + music = an incredible combination with endless possibilities. To get your child engaged with music making, our friends at arts leadership organization Continuo have shared two videos about how people of all ages can make music inspired by sounds found in nature. Check out part 1.

Sound Hunt Activity for Kids at Home

Let's go on a sound hunt! Can you guess the sounds of different objects around Alissa's home? What kinds of sounds can you find in and around your home? Join the hunt.

How to Help Your Children Cope with COVID This Winter

Winter is just around the corner. Gain some helpful insights on helping kids cope with the effects of the pandemic during the cold months ahead, with school (or homeschool) in full swing.

You and Your Child Can Help Science From Home!

Our research partner from the Cooperation Lab is now doing studies online about how children think and make decisions. Check out their website to learn more about their research.

Ocean in a Bottle

Create your own ocean biome sensory bottle made with household objects in this great activity from the Arizona Science Center!

How to Make Fake Snot!

Alissa and Saki are talking about something kind of gross in this video. What could it be!? SNOT! Learn all about what snot does to keep us healthy and follow along to make fake snot in this fun, educational science experiment.

Fall Playdough

Try out Boston Children's Museum's favorite playdough recipe with a fun seasonal twist!

Make Pumpkin Slime!

Try taking something a little bit ordinary (like a pumpkin and materials you might have in your kitchen) and make it extraordinary... extraordinarily messy, that is! Don't have a pumpkin? That's ok! Slime (also known as Oobleck) can be made in a bowl just by mixing cornstarch and water.

How to Talk to Kids about Mental Health at Any Age

Starting the conversation on mental health is so important, but it can be hard to know what to say. Check out this helpful guide to talking to your kids about mental health at any age.

Storytime: "Sofia Valdez, Future Prez"

It's time for a Kid Civics storytime! "Sofia Valdez, Future Prez" by Andrea Beaty is a story of a young girl and community leader who stands up for what she believes in. Gather 'round for a reading.

The Disappearing Ghost Experiment

Looking for something fun to do at home with the kids? Try out this spooky, easy-to-do science magic trick, featuring a disappearing ghost.

How to Write to Your Congressperson...For Kids!

Our #KidCivics series continues with a lesson on making your voice heard by writing a letter to your congressperson! Watch to see Steve demonstrate how it's done.

Activities for Toddlers: DIY Chalk Paint

Kick your trusty sidewalk chalk up a few notches by making chalk paint! Chalk paint is an ideal way to keep kids engaged and entertained on a nice day outside. It's super easy to make, and kids will love to help out. Let's learn how.

Access an Extensive STEAM Video Library

The free CreatedBy video library is open! This library includes dozens of STEAM-themed activity videos graciously created by amazing educators, creators, makers, artists, and do-ers from the Greater Boston area that can be enjoyed at any time. Check it out with your child.

Tara Donovan Sculpture Making

Make sculptures with everyday materials! Get creative with this activity from the ICA inspired by Tara Donovan's sculpture Nebulous made with Scotch tape. This project is perfect for kids 5+.

What Are the Three Branches of Government?

We're continuing our Kid Civics series with a lesson on the three branches of government and how they work together in a healthy democracy. Check it out!

Pendulum Painting

Pendulum painting is a super fun and *slightly* messy outdoor activity that ALL ages can enjoy! Alissa demonstrates how it's done. We really want to see your finished pendulum paintings, so please share your photos with #BostonChildrensMuseum!

Frozen Ice Sculptures

Check out this great art activity for kids 3+ from our friends at the ICA. All you need is water, containers, a freezer, and some objects from nature to make ice sculptures-some autumn leaves might look nice!

What is Voting, Anyways?

We're kicking off our digital series on civic engagement, Kid Civics, with a lesson for kids on voting. Check it out and stay tuned for more videos coming every week.

STEAM Fun: DIY Stomp Rockets

In this STEAM activity, learn how to make (and stomp on) stomp rockets! STOMP as hard as you can to make your DIY rocket ship fly into space!

Fluffster Wears a Mask

This Sesame Workshop video stars Julia, the 4-year-old Sesame Street Muppet with autism, and helps autistic kids work through difficult concepts like social distancing, disrupted routines, and mask wearing. Check out this video and watch Muppet Julia practice wearing a mask with her dad.

PBS Kids' Molly of Denali

Check out the PBS Kids' action-adventure comedy that follows the adventures of feisty and resourceful 10-year-old Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl, her dog Suki, and friends Tooey and Trini on their adventures in epically beautiful Alaska.

STEAM Activities from THEMUSEUM

Our friends at THEMUSEUM are sharing great STEAM activity videos on their YouTube channel! Check out their "THEMUSEUM @ Home" playlist for fun, educational activities like this one.

Join Our #CollectionElection!

To help kids learn more about voting and how government works, we are kicking off a digital series on civic engagement, #KidCivics! This includes our own election here at the Museum. We're putting together a scavenger hunt in our window displays for the month of November and need YOUR help deciding what collections items to include. Cast your vote for the display you would like to see in our #CollectionElection.

Make Birdseed Cakes and See What Bird Species You Can Spot!

Calling all bird lovers! Learn how to make birdseed cakes to bring all different kinds of bird species to your backyard. Then, it's time to observe! Alissa shows us how to spot and identify different bird species and their unique characteristics right in your own neighborhood. Watch the video and find written instructions in the description.

DIY Mobiles

Parents and caregivers, keep kids engaged at home with this fun and easy arts and crafts project! Our new instructable shows kids how to create their own DIY mobile. The best part-cleanup is quick and this fun craft requires only simple household materials to complete.

Parenting in Place: Coping with Big Emotions

Check out this great video on coping with big emotions and building resilience in young children during times of change, featuring Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Sesame Workshop Senior VP of Curriculum and Content. This comes to us from the Children's Museum of Manhattan's fantastic Parenting in Place series.

Adapt Museum Activities to Your Home

Creating opportunities for play and exploration at home is more important than ever as kids engage in virtual learning. In a post on our blog, learn how you can translate some of the unique learning experiences kids are exposed to at the Museum into your own home this fall.

Fun with STEAM: Let's Make Milk Plastic!

Let's make milk plastic! Using a little milk and vinegar, create a moldable dough that will harden into anything you want-Alissa chose to make a pair of dice! Thank you to our STEAM sponsor, National Grid!

Strategies for Teaching From Home

Check out Scholastic's Learn at Home website for daily ideas to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing at home! Activities are conveniently separated by grade level. They are also offering great resources for parents and teachers as well as home schooling tips and tricks.

Build a Sensory Walk

Our little ones make big discoveries about the world using their senses. Creating a Sensory Walk is a fun way for kids to explore their sense of touch using their feet! Check out our helpful instructions to learn how to make your walk using simple household materials.

Towel Sock Toss

Let's get active! Try this fun Towel Sock Toss activity from BOKS to get a quick burst of energy wherever you are.

Shaving Cream Prints

This week's STEAM activity combines science and art in a fun and beautiful way. We're making shaving cream prints! Join Alissa and learn how it's done.

Thrive: The Children's Summit

The Atlantic convened educators, policy makers, doctors, and more to explore practical tools for parents, caregivers, guardians, and advocates to help kids grow in positive ways during these challenging times. Watch the fascinating conversation.

Who Lives in Your Garden?

Who lives in your garden? This fun activity from Kids Gardening will help you and your young gardener to answer that question by exploring the unique ecosystem in your garden, backyard, or neighborhood.

Anti-Gravity Cups

Can you make water defy gravity? Seems impossible, right? Well, as usual, Alissa has a solution! She's showing us how to make an easy DIY tool called an Anti-Gravity Cup that makes water defy gravity. Want to skip the video, or just view the instructions in writing? We're introducing new instruction sheets to make life simpler when setting up experiments at home. Access the instruction sheet for this activity here: http://ow.ly/phXj50BeAxj

100 Ways to Play

For over 100 years of creating, educating and innovating, Boston Children's Museum has encouraged children and families to play together at the Museum, at home and out in the world in more ways than we can count. Every day, there are a wealth of opportunities for adults and their children to play and grow together. We have chosen 100 of our favorites, and we share them with you.

Artist of Inspiration: Cindy Lu

Our newest Artist of Inspiration is Cindy Lu, an amazing artist and former scientist! Much of Cindy's art reflects her background in biology. In Part 1 of our spotlight, you can learn more about Cindy's process, see examples of her art, and watch as she works. Then in Part 2, Cindy demonstrates two awesome art projects inspired by her work that you can try at home using easily accessible household objects.

DIY Flip Book

Check out this great activity from our friends at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, where you'll learn how to make your own moving image flip book! Creativity and a little bit of patience required. Show us your flip book by sharing with #BostonChildrensMuseum!

Exercise Your Body and Your Mind by Learning How to Juggle!

Juggling is not merely a fun activity, but it has many potential benefits as well. Juggling can help improve eye-hand coordination, problem-solving skills, ambidexterity, balance, motor skills, rhythm and timing-just to name a few. Learn more here!

Supporting Families in Need During a High-Stress Time

In a brand new episode of the Big & Little podcast, Carole chats with Cherie Craft, the CEO of family support and community engagement organization Smart from the Start about strategies for effectively supporting families in times of need, especially amid the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic and an unsettled political climate.

The Importance of Relationships and Socialization

In a fascinating new video, our friends at the Children's Museum of Manhattan spoke to child psychologist Tovah Klein about how COVID can effect our children's relationships with the friends and family members they are social distancing from.

Make Your Own Hachimaki Headband!

In Japan, when someone wants to apply herself to a serious task or problem, she wears a traditional headband called a hachimaki. They symbolize focus and concentration, as well as physical and spiritual strength. Hachimaki are a very common sight at festivals, where everyone is working very hard! Learn how to make yours on the Japanese House website.

DIY Lava Lamp

We're getting groovy with this STEAM activity-DIY Lava Lamps! Alissa will show you how to make a far-out lava lamp in your kitchen with just a few simple materials. Thanks to our digital STEAM sponsor, National Grid!

Practice Mindful Observation

Parents, caregivers, and educators: we recognize what a stressful time this is for you. Mindful observation is a useful way to slow down and find calm by just listening to your senses and noticing your surroundings. Take a few moments to practice mindful observation, either with your family or on your own.

Picture Books Starring Protagonists of Color

Check out this great list of 25 picture books, both fiction and nonfiction, starring protagonists of color.

Send a Found Word Haiku to Your Friends!

We're making found word Haiku cards! Liz will teach you how to write a summer-inspired haiku using words found in old magazines or newspapers. We would love to see your finished cards, so please share a photo with #BostonChildrensMuseum.

Let's Make Blueberry Jam!

Some of the many benefits of homemade blueberry jam include: Delicious, fresh blueberries are easy to find during New England summer months, it makes for the ultimate piece of toast, and it's fun and easy to make with little ones! Join Steve and learn how to make your own blueberry jam.

DIY Paper-Making for Sustainable Kids

Did you know that you can create brand new sheets of paper out of your used ones right in your kitchen?! We're mixing STEAM with sustainability (and fun!) to become recycling pros. Alissa will show you how it's done.

Follow Along on the Milk Bottle's Renovation Journey!

Each week on our YouTube channel, you can view a time-lapse video of the previous week and the progress being made on the iconic landmark's restoration.

How to Encourage Kids to Wear Their Mask

Check out this excellent article from Boston Children's Hospital providing helpful tips for getting kids comfortable wearing face masks.

Homemade Ice Pops

Find some relief from the heat with these homemade ice pops from National Geographic Kids! Not only are they delicious and healthy, they are a more sustainable option than plastic-wrapped store versions.

Let's Make Whatever Butter!

Many folks have allergies to certain kinds of nuts, so it can be difficult to find safe and yummy nut butters at the store. Alissa is showing us how to make a zero-preservative, delicious and nutritious spread with *whatever* kind of nuts work for you!

Storytime: "Who Made a Hole in the Chicken Coop" by Malvika Patel

Author Malvika Patel joins us today for a reading of her book, "Who Made a Hole in the Chicken Coop?", a fun and engaging mystery about honesty and having the courage to go after your dreams.

Build a DIY Telescope

This awesome activity from National Geographic Kids shows you how to build your own telescope to look for birds, treetops, and even stars in the night sky!

Sun Safety with Sesame Street

Headed outside this weekend? Spend a couple minutes with your favorite characters from Sesame Street to learn about sun safety, specifically the importance of staying hydrated when out in the heat!

Storytime: "Julián is a Mermaid" by Jessica Love

Tune in for a reading of "Julián is a Mermaid," written and illustrated by Jessica Love. The story uses words and beautiful illustrations to tell the story of Julián, a young boy exploring his individuality & freedom of expression.

Nurturing Gratitude

Gratitude helps us focus on the good in life, but it requires practice and may not come naturally for young children. Check out this article from Zero to Three for some great ideas on how to model gratitude and values of thankfulness and generosity in kids.

Let's Bake Bread!

Raise your hand if you've tried out a new recipe while stuck at home these last few months? Head to the kitchen to try out a delicious bread recipe with Steve.

Remembering Congressman John Lewis

We remember and celebrate the life and work of Congressman John Lewis. Lewis dedicated decades of his life to supporting young activists seeking justice and was the youngest person to speak at the March on Washington in 1963. He recognized how impactful and important young voices are in the fight for equality, and we hope his legacy inspires America's next generation to continue in the fight for racial justice. Rest in peace, John Lewis.

If you'd like to share more about John Lewis' story with your kids, this is a great book to explore "Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of John Lewis."

Online Mad Libs

We're offering free online Mad Libs and Mad Libs Junior on our website! There are several puzzles to choose from and endless combinations of silly stories to create!

Sesame Street Sun Safety Singalong

With summer in full swing (hooray!), kids may need a few reminders about the importance of sun safety. This video from Sesame Street teaches kids why it's so important to wear sunscreen when we're outside enjoying the sunshine.

Storytime: "Stack the Cats" by Susie Ghahremani

Cats + the internet = a match made in heaven! For this edition of Tell Me a Story, Steve is reading "Stack the Cats" by Susie Ghahremani, a book about the weird and delightful behavior of cats that will help kids practice their counting skills.

Mindfulness Activities Kids Will Actually Want to Do

These simple mindfulness exercises from the organization Zero to Three will help you and your little one find some calm-and they're designed so that kids will actually want to participate!

Spot the International Space Station (From Home!)

Can you spot the International Space Station? The ISS is the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up. This cool resource from NASA will help!

DIY Pinwheels to Encourage Deep Breathing

"Take a deep breath," you might say to your child to calm them. It's a good strategy, though not always easy for kids to put into practice! We are showing you how to make a pinwheel, a fun craft that doubles as a calming tool to encourage deep breathing.

STEAM Activity: Alka-Seltzer Rockets

Looking for something to do outside with kids that is fun, easy, and highly entertaining? Alissa's got you covered-follow along with her and make an Alka-Seltzer rocket!

Fun Ideas for Water Play with Toddlers

Check out this article from the NAEYC offering three easy ways to engage your inquisitive toddler in educational play using water! Toddlers' natural curiosity about what is going on in the world makes them perfect little scientists.

DIY Bracelet Making with Recycled Materials

We are making bracelets out of things you find around your house! With a little creativity, you can turn junk mail, glue, and dental floss into jewelry. This activity is also great way for kids to develop their fine motor skills.

Teach Kids to Cough and Sneeze Safely with Germ Puppets

Pop quiz: Where is the safest place to sneeze or cough? Answer: Into your elbow! We know it’s not always easy to remember this, especially in the moment when you feel a sneeze coming on. Saki is showing us a super fun way to get kids used to sneezing and coughing into their elbows by creating a germ puppet.

La hora del cuento / Spanish Storytime

Gather 'round for Spanish storytime! / La hora del cuento de hoy es presentada en español por Stef y Antonio, leyendo "Cuacúa", por Liz Wong. Acompañanos para esta aventura con Cuacúa, el adorable gato que cree que es un pato.

Mad Libs Meets Boston Children's Museum

Spread the word! Boston Children's Museum has partnered with Mad Libs and Penguin Random House to bring the classic, hilarious word game online, easily accessible from your home! With two versions for both younger and older age groups, there are puzzles for everyone to enjoy-even the grown-ups! Have fun creating stories and building your language skills as you play.

Have Fun with Bubbles

The Bubbles exhibit has always been a visitor favorite at the Museum. If you and your family, like Alissa, are really missing it, this video will teach you how to create your own Bubbles exhibit right at home!

Pride Month Activity: Family Portraits

Portraits don't just show who you are on the outside. They can reveal what's on the inside, too! What makes your family special? Get creative and draw a portrait of your loved ones using crayons, construction paper, recycled materials-whatever helps to tell your story! Then, share your portrait with us on social media using the hashtag #PrideFamilyPortraits.

Music Makers: Bonus Edition

Check out our crash course on DIY Cymbals! Following our step by step guide, you can make your own cymbals to jam with at home. We used washers and old pennies to make noise - what makes music in YOUR home?⁣

Kitchen Science: Color Chromatography

What color would you get if you mixed red paint with blue paint? Purple! After you mix the colors, do you think it would be possible to UN-mix them? With a simple technique called color chromatography, you can! Alissa will show you how it's done. As an added bonus, stay tuned for some great ideas from Faith on what you can do with your designs!

Hidden Object Highlight and Activity: Gat

Our Museum collection includes many styles of hats from around the world. In a new Hidden Object Highlight, Collections and Archives intern Gloria Shin teaches us all about a style of hat with centuries-old Korean origins, called "gat". After reading, try out the personalized hat making activity.

Artist of Inspiration: Stephen Hamilton

Stephen Hamilton, our newest Artist of Inspiration from Roxbury, utilizes West African art forms including traditional hand-dyed weavings, upon which he paints portraits of local people. Hamilton's techniques are based on experience with living artists in Nigeria and skills passed down by his grandmother.

Answering Kids Questions about Face Coverings

Do your kids have questions about wearing masks out in public, especially as people start venturing out more? This article from Healthy Children provides some answers for kids' frequent questions.

Healthy Habits: Feelings Masks Activity

Feelings are complicated, and it can be difficult for kids to find the right words to express them. Facial expressions are so helpful for communicating our emotions, but when wearing a face mask, this isn't always easy! In this video, Health and Wellness Educator Saki demonstrates a fun activity for kids to express emotions while get accustomed to wearing masks.

Storytime Activity: The Lazy Captain

How far can your imagination go? After making a paper boat with Alissa, try coming up with a story for it. Maybe the boat traveled across the world and encountered many different people along the way, or perhaps it was found at the bottom of the ocean by an explorer searching for treasure!

Pride Month: Identity Flags

There are many different Pride flags that use colors, shapes, and pictures to tell a unique story. Some flags have changed and new ones have been added to include stories that weren't being told. Make a flag that represents you! What colors will you use? What shapes? What story can you tell?

DIY Foil Embossing

Get creative with leftover cardboard, foil, yarn and a sharpie, and learn how to emboss at home with your kids with this activity from the New Children's Museum! Embossing is the process of creating raised images and designs in paper and other materials. See what you can create with this fun DIY activity!

Engineering Challenge: Hoop Gliders

Are you up for an engineering challenge? We're taking the classic paper airplane to the next level with hoop gliders. Alissa will show you how to make a basic hoop glider, and it's up to you to make design choices that will make your hoop glider travel further! How far can you get your hoop glider to go?

Easy At-Home Art: Silly Sculptures!

Let's make a sculpture! You can create just about anything in your imagination using just scissors, tape, and some recycled materials...maybe an owl, or a skyscraper, or even a dragon! Faith will demonstrate. Show us your sculpture by sharing a photo with #BostonChildrensMuseum, and we will feature it on our page!

Racism and Coronavirus Add Stress to Already Vulnerable Communities

In a new episode of the Big & Little podcast, Carole talks with Manny Lopes, the CEO of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and a leader in community health care, about the ways in which Boston's vulnerable communities are coping during this challenging time and how today's uncertainty offers room for positive change to come.

Storytime: "The Thank You Book" by Mo Willems

For this week's Tell Me a Story, Steve is reading "The Thank You Book" by Mo Willems. Join Piggie and friends on his quest to thank, well...everyone! There are SO many people deserving of thanks right now in the community and in our families. Leave us a comment below the video on YouTube letting us know who you are thankful for and why.

Make "Love Is" Hearts for Pride Month

Happy Pride Month! Originated to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, Pride Month is a time to celebrate the experiences of LGBTQ people. Please join us in celebrating the diversity of families in our community and each person's freedom to be who they are. We invite you to make these "Love Is" Hearts, decorate them, and share it using the hashtag #pridehearts to be a part of our virtual Pride collage!

Coloring Ancient Egypt: An Activity Book for Kids of All Ages

Check out this coloring book from Harvard Art Museums! Through coloring pages, drawing exercises, space to practice writing hieroglyphs and more, Coloring Ancient Egypt explores Egyptian objects in the museums' collections. Kids & adults of all ages, enjoy!

How to Talk to Kids About Race: Books for Grownups That Can Help

As adults, there is always room to continue learning right alongside our kids. While children's books are excellent tools for teaching kids about racial bias, this booklist for adults will help better equip you to open up fruitful conversations with your children about race.

A Beginner's Sewing Lesson: How to Sew a Pin Cushion

Sewing brings together creativity and function, and it's a fun activity kids as young as six can enjoy. In this video, Melissa is showing us how to get started with a simple pin cushion. Show us your pin cushion by sharing a photo with #BostonChildrensMuseum!

WGBH Family Fun at Home

Join WGBH for a summer of learning at home! Visit the WGBH Family Activity Center for free activities available in English and Spanish. Families with young children can participate by completing activities at home for points that can be used to enter a weekly raffle!

Artist of Inspiration: Tyahra Angus

We're spotlighting local artist Tyahra Angus in the third installment of our Artist of Inspiration series! Tyahra is a Boston-based portrait photographer currently focused on polaroids. In Parts 1 and 2 of the spotlight learn how to make your own DIY polaroid with simple materials - no camera needed!

Family Yoga Activity: Express Your Feelings

At this time, we know that our young children need comfort and a safe place to express their feelings more than ever. Try out this fun Feelings Yoga activity with your kids - it may benefit you, too, as we are all dealing with complicated emotions right now.

31 Children's Books to Support Conversations About Race, Racism, and Resistance

Acknowledging racism with children as early and often as possible can help counter racial bias, which research suggests can present in kids as young as three. Check out this list of children's books to support conversations about race, racism, and resistance.

Healthy Habits: Line Walk Challenge

Getting regular exercise is great for kids' physical and mental health and can be a great outlet for stress and difficult emotions, but it's not always easy when you're stuck indoors! Our Health and Wellness Educator Saki Iwamoto is demonstrating the Line Walk Challenge to help you and your kids get some exercise indoors while having fun.

Storytime with Steve: "Not a Stick" by Antoinette Portis

Join Steve for storytime as he reads "Not a Stick" by author Antoinette Portis! This book is all about the places you can go and things you can do when you use your imagination - even while stuck at home. Check it out!

Webinar: Addressing Racial Injustice with Young Children

In our recent blog post, we mentioned several possible supports for talking with your kids about race and racism, including the book "Something Happened in Our Town." Listen to this webinar from EmbraceRace featuring the three child and family psychologists who collaborated to write this book.

What to Say When There Are No Words

In a new blog post, Museum President and CEO Carole Charnow and Children's Services of Roxbury President and CEO Sandra M. McCroom offer support to parents and caregivers searching for a way to speak with their children about racism in response to the brutal death of George Floyd.

Fun Educational Activities from $martpath

PBS's $martPath with Megan Piphus is a fun way to learn about money, combining live-action, music videos, original songs, comedy, ventriloquism, and puppetry!

Looking back on Boston Children's Museum during the Spanish Flu

In August of 1918, the first cases of the Spanish flu hit Boston. In a new blog post, read here about how the Museum managed to continue serving Boston-area children during the pandemic of 1918.

Artist of Inspiration: Hannah Burr

We're spotlighting artist Hannah Burr in the second installment of our Artist of Inspiration series! Hannah is a lifelong artist who works with many mediums, including sculpture, painting, drawing, and interactive art. Follow along and create your own art inspired by Hannah's techniques!

How to Build a Fairy House, featuring Boston Moms

Building a fairy house is a super simple, fun, and memorable at-home activity you can do outdoors with your kids. Debbie from Boston Moms and her adorable little ones are showing us how it's done. Share a photo of your fairy house on social media using #BostonChildrensMuseum to be featured!

Kitchen Science: Cabbage Juice Indicator

This Kitchen Science experiment is a Museum favorite: Cabbage Juice Indicator. Cabbage juice will change color to INDICATE (or SHOW) whether a substance is an acid or a base. Follow along with Alissa as she tests out different substances to see what happens. Try it out at home afterwards!

Participate in a Children Helping Science Study

You and your child can help science from home! Children Helping Science is made up of a group of researches from around the world. Their website shows studies your family can do online. Their research is fun for families, serious for science. Try participating with your child!

STEM Chat with Erin Khan from Suffolk

Listen to how Erin Khan from Suffolk Construction impacts the Future of Construction using new technologies to make the building process more efficient.

STEM Chat with Emily Dunne from Autodesk

Listen to how Emily Dunne from Autodesk impacts the Future of Construction by bringing together architecture and technology to help make better buildings.

STEM Chat with Brian Scott from Elkus Manfredi

Listen to how Brian Scott from Elkus Manfredi impacts the Future of Construction through architecture, answering questions about what it's like to be an architect and what skills you need to succeed.

Let's Explore Shapes

Triangles, circles, squares - oh my! Explore the different shapes with Faith in this video. Afterward, see if you can find objects of each shape and trace them on paper to make a design. Share your designs using #BostonChildrensMuseum!

Draw Your Own Manga Portrait

Liz is teaching us how to draw our own manga portrait! Manga is a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels made popular in the late 19th century. Liz will show us the basics of manga portrait drawing, but we encourage you to make your portrait your own with any special details or personal touches you'd like to add!

String Art for Kids

DO try this at home - #DIY string art! Design and create a 3-dimensional work of art using simple tools and materials (hammer, nails, wood, yarn). At the Museum, we use this activity to support kids in practicing skills such as thinking creatively and expressing themselves while practicing how to safely use tools. Show us your finished string art by sharing a photo with #BostonChildrensMuseum!

Live Music Concerts with Mr. Jon & Friends

Mr. Jon & Friends make and perform Parents' Choice Award winning music for kids and families. You can join Jon and Carrie Lewis for LIVE concerts featuring music, puppets, and dancing EVERY weekday at 10:30am on Facebook Live! Can't make the live show? Check out all of their previously recorded concerts on Facebook or YouTube.

PART 2: Doing Science with Kids

In Part 2 of our "Doing Science with Kids" series, gain some practical tips and suggestions here on engaging your kids in STEAM. Alissa demonstrates a fun and easy experiment you can do with kids while asking the kinds of questions that will help them (and you!) learn along the way - even if the answer is "I don't know."

How Coins Are Made...For Kids!

Have you ever studied a coin to find out what year it was made? Maybe you've wondered what material the different coins are made out of? This video explains to kids the coin making process from start to finish, in a fun and fascinating way that you'll enjoy, too!

Future of Construction Day 5, featuring Autodesk and United Way

Check out the recording from Day 5 of the Future of Construction, featuring Autodesk and United Way. Future of Construction is a webinar and design challenge for middle schoolers developed in collaboration with the Boston Public Schools, the City of Boston, and the United Way. Today's discussion is about who different products and spaces are designed for and what problems they are helping to solve.

Future of Construction Day 4, featuring Boston Children's Museum and Thompson Island Outward Bound

Check out the recording from Day 4 of the Future of Construction, a webinar and design challenge for middle schoolers developed in collaboration with the Boston Public Schools, the City of Boston, and the United Way. Today's topic: Designing for Resilience. This webinar features Boston Children's Museum's Director of STEAM Melissa Higgins as well as Thompson Island Outward Bound.

Future of Construction Webinar Day 3, featuring Boston Society of Architecture and EcoRise

Boston Children's Museum was thrilled to participate in the Future of Construction, a webinar and design challenge for middle schoolers developed in collaboration with the Boston Public Schools, the City of Boston, and the United Way. Check out the webinar recording from Day 3, featuring the Boston Society for Architecture and EcoRise.

Future of Construction Webinar Day 2, featuring MassRobotics

Boston Children's Museum was thrilled to participate in the Future of Construction, a webinar and design challenge for middle schoolers developed in collaboration with the Boston Public Schools, the City of Boston, and the United Way. Check out the webinar recording from Day 2, featuring MassRobotics.

Future of Construction Webinar Day 1, featuring Autodesk and Suffolk Construction

Boston Children's Museum was thrilled to participate in the Future of Construction, a webinar and design challenge for middle schoolers developed in collaboration with the Boston Public Schools, the City of Boston, and the United Way. Check out the webinar recording from Day 1, featuring Autodesk and Suffolk Construction.

Guess My Superfood!

A superfood is a type of food that is packed with nutrients. We are learning about some of these delicious, nutritious foods with the game "Guess My Superfood!" Can you guess the superfood Laura is describing?

Music and Movement with the Laurie Berkner Band

Take a music and movement break every morning at 10:00am with the Laurie Berkner Band! Laurie is hosting daily Berkner Breaks on her Facebook page featuring original music and dance. An added bonus: each of her livestreams benefits a different charitable organization.

A Special Guest Storytime for Ramadan

We have two very special guest storytellers today for #TellMeAStory Thursday! We're joined by Vanessa McGreevey and her daughter Maryum Samad. The story they're reading is all about Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

Construct a StoryWalk In Your Neighborhood!

Check out the StoryWalk our friend Autumn from Imagination Playground constructed in her neighborhood! To make a StoryWalk, place the pages of a children's book along the side of your street for families to enjoy as they walk along.

What Happens to Paper After We Recycle It?

Fun fact: Half the paper we use in our daily lives has been recycled. What happens to all the ink, fold marks, or stains on the paper? In this video segment from PBS's ZOOM, go inside a material recovery center for a behind-the-scenes look on how paper becomes like new again.

DIY Shrinky Dinks

Did you know you can SHRINK plastic objects down to a fraction of their size? This fun STEAM activity is appropriately called Shrinky Dinks! Following Alissa's instructions, watch as your plastic design rapidly shrinks when heated.

Blog Post: Your Everyday Parenting Skills Are What Your Child Needs

In a new blog post, Health and Wellness Educator Saki Iwamoto cuts through the noise of the countless articles and advice out there on parenting during the pandemic. Instead, turn to the parenting skills you already practice in times of normalcy.

Marble Paper with Boston Moms

Shannon from Boston Moms is showing us how to make marble paper! This is a great sensory activity you can do at home with a few simple materials. Try it out at home and show us how your marble paper turns out by sharing a photo with #BostonChildrensMuseum!

How Can Art Tell Us About Who We Are?

In this video from #METKids, artist Ty Defoe connects the Met's art with stories and dance from his home. Ty is from the Oneida and the Ojibwe nations and has been dancing and telling stories his whole life. After hearing from Ty in the video, see if you can tell a story from your life by making art or choreographing a dance.

Artists of Inspiration: Chanel Thervil

The Artists of Inspiration series will showcase the work of local artists with the hope of inspiring kids and adults to create their own artwork with the techniques they learn. Check out upcoming Boston Children's Museum Gallery Artist and Artist of Inspiration Chanel Thervil.

Coin Target Toss

We're continuing our financial literacy theme today with this Coin Target Toss activity from Finance in the Classroom! This activity is perfect for teaching kids K-3 about the value of the different coins in a fun and interactive way. Try it out at home!

Let's Explore Coins!

Exploring financial literacy fosters a positive attitude towards money management and helps kids to make good financial decisions later in life. Let's explore coins! Learn the value of each coin and how you can substitute different types of coins to create the same value.

Storytime with Ken Casey: Part 2!

Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys is back with another #storytime! He is reading Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli. Thank you, Ken, for helping us spread some joy through books during this time. Enjoy!

Create Your Own Cozy Space

Do you have a cozy space in your house where you can go to relax and have some quiet time? In this video, we'll hear from our Health and Wellness Educator Saki on how to construct a cozy space (whether you're a kid or an adult - we can all benefit!).

Neko and the Friendship Garden

Neko just received a letter from an elementary school in Kyoto, Japan - Boston's sister city! It looks like they sent us a beautiful friendship garden as a spring greeting. Watch this tutorial to learn how to make your own friendship garden at home! Help us create a giant virtual community garden for all to enjoy by sending a photo of your garden to info@bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Learn at Home with Scholastic

Check out Scholastic's Learn at Home website for daily ideas to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing at home! Activities are conveniently separated by grade level. They are also offering great resources for parents and teachers as well as homeschooling tips and tricks.

Spin and Sing with Daniel Tiger

Our friend Daniel Tiger has songs he'd like to share with you! In this interactive game from PBS Kids, your child will learn simple songs that can help them get through the ups and downs of everyday life. When you play and sing together about these important social and emotional skills, you can help your child manage all kinds of feelings and situations.

May is Scratch Month!

Scratch is an interactive online tool from MIT that allows you to program stories, games, and animations. During the month of May, the Scratch Team will share a series of weekly themes. People of all ages are invited to create projects based on any of the themes that inspire them.

Make a Paper Skyscraper

Try this fun STEAM activity from Foster + Partners - build and design your own paper skyscraper (or, better yet, the whole city)! Send us a photo of what you create to info@BostonChildrensMuseum.org, and we'll share it on social media.

Blog Post: A Snapshot of Boston Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Director of Community Engagement Kacy Hughes spoke with several Boston-area families to learn how they are coping with the coronavirus pandemic, from the challenges they're facing to the resources that are helping them get by.

Ask a Pediatrician: Parenting in the COVID Era

Boston Public Library has teamed up with pediatricians from local hospitals to host interactive online sessions aimed at providing helpful advice and addressing parents and family concerns. Click more to join their first session coming up on Wednesday, May 6 at 3:00pm, focused on positive parenting, behavioral issues, and media use during COVID.

Storytime with Daniel Theis of the Boston Celtics

We're joined by Daniel Theis of the Boston Celtics and his daughter for a special guest #storytime! Daniel is reading "Class Trip (Peppa Pig)" by Mark Baker and Neville Astley. Join Peppa and her friends on their class trip to the top of the mountain. What fun things will they find?

What is Money?

Exploring our world is fun! In this PBS LearningMedia segment for kids PreK-2, Abby Brown explains the different types of bills and coins and lists a few ways to use money including saving, donating or spending it on things that are needs instead of wants.

Who's Got the Green Thumb in Your Family?

You don't need a huge patch of land to grow a garden. A small square of backyard or a flowerpot on a balcony or sunny windowsill will do just fine! Check out this step-by-step guide to starting your own vegetable, herb, or flower garden from National Geographic Kids.

Family Yoga: All About Feelings!

No matter what you're feeling, from joy to sadness, anger to disgust, you can express your inner emotions with a yoga pose. Let's practice some of these poses with our yoga instructor, Meg!

Storytime with Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys

Attention music fans and Bostonians alike. The amazing Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys joins us for a reading of "The Boy in Number Four" by Kara Kootstra, the story of #BobbyOrr (or as Ken would call him, the greatest hockey player of all time) and his incredible journey to the NHL.

Make Your Own Zine!

Zines are self-published books or magazines that can cover a topic of your choice. Anything your imagination can dream up will work! You can share your story in your very own zine with just paper, scissors, and decorations. What will your zine be about?

Sky Haiku

The sky above unites us all and finds expression in many forms. One of these forms is haiku, which is not only an introduction to elements of poetry like form, sound, meter, mood, and more; it is a way to connect with the science of "looking up", to build vocabulary, and to learn more about a tradition from another culture.

Join Our #LiveFromTheLivingRoom Challenge!

Who knows funny better than our kids?! Join our "Live From the Living Room Challenge" by sharing a short video or joke that's sure to turn someone's frown upside down and tagging #LiveFromTheLivingRoom.

Homeschooling Help: Engaging Kids in STEAM

Teaching kids about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) can seem like a daunting task. Watch here for some tips and tricks you can implement at home to get your kids and YOU engaged and interested in STEAM.

Send Your Loved Ones a "Hug" from Afar

Do you have any friends or relatives that you haven't been able to visit or hug lately? In this video, Boston Moms owner Meghan Block and her two boys are crafting "hugs" using their handprints to mail to their grandparents, who they aren't able to see during this time. Follow along to learn how to make your own hugs to send to someone you've been missing.

Working from Home with Kids: Anyone Else Freaking Out?

Our Curator of Collections Rachel Farkas has been sharing her experience working from home with two young children since the Museum's closure began in mid-March. Almost six weeks later, she has compiled her experiences, struggles, lessons, and wins into a new blog post that other working parents may find relatable.

How to Make a Stop Motion Movie At Home

What do the classic movies Wallace and Gromit, James and the Giant Peach, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer have in common? They are all stop motion movies! In this video, Michelle is showing you how to create your own stop motion movie at home with help from the app Stop Motion Studio. Watch the video by clicking "More" or view the written instructions here: https://www.instructables.com/id/Stop-Motion-Animation-for-Kids/

Photography Lesson for Kids

In this photography lesson, Lex is teaching us all about background. Choose an object from your house, and try taking some photos of it with different backgrounds to compare — we'd love to see your photos! Share them on social media.

Storytime: What Do Animals Do When We're Not Looking?

Gather for a reading of "What Do Animals Do When We're Not Looking?" written and illustrated by our very own Creative Director, Karin Hansen! When no one is around to see them, what kinds of activities do you imagine animals get up to?

Explore Nature in Your Backyard

We're continuing our Earth Week celebration with a nature scavenger hunt! All you need is a pen, paper, and the neighborhood right outside your door. Spending time outside is fun for all and beneficial to our overall health. So let's get out there, and see what we can find.

Silver Linings for STEAM

Our Senior Director of STEAM Melissa Higgins has identified a silver lining during these times of uncertainty. Read her newest blog post on how stay-at-home orders have provided families opportunities to make lasting STEAM memories and connections that could impact our futures.

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay is a nonprofit organization working to restore and protect our local marine environment. They are sharing fun virtual activities and lessons for kids and their grownups to enjoy at home! Learn all about lobsters, black sea bass, why water is power, and much more — perfect for Earth Week!

Gather 'Round for Spanish Storytime / Acompáñenos para La Hora del Cuento en Español

Antonio leerá "La Familia Ocupada de Oso" por Stella Blackstone e ilustrado por Debbie Harter. / Antonio will be reading "Bear at Home" by Stella Blackstone and illustrated by Debbie Harter.

Family Resources from Save the Children

Save the Children is sharing excellent resources for parents including weekly learning activities for pre-K to 6th grade, tips on talking to your kids about school closures, ways to help kids cope with stress, and ideas on staying connected with relatives.

It's Earth Day - Go on a Safari with Your Kids!

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, National Geographic is encouraging families to discover the planet through its amazing animals by creating a neighborhood safari.

How to Start Composting at Home

Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter like certain food leftovers into nutrient-rich soil. It doesn't take much to start composting at your own house. In honor of Earth Day, Alissa is going to show you how it's done!

Gregory Bear's Story of Hope

Gregory Bear was a Christmas gift to a 3-year-old girl named Ursula in 1939. Ursula's hometown in East Prussia was under Nazi rule, and her family soon fled. In Collections Coordinator Caroline Turner's latest blog, follow Gregory Bear's incredible, heartwarming journey back to Ursula (and eventually our Museum collection!).

Become a Nature Photographer at Home!

In honor of Earth Day coming up this week, Lex is teaching us how to be nature photographers! When you look out your window or take a walk around your yard, what do you see that you'd like to photograph?

Earth Day Meets Messy Monday: Let's Make Playdough!

Laura is showing us how to make playdough at home incorporating materials from nature in honor of Earth Week. This is a fun, sensory activity to do in the kitchen with kids using simple household ingredients!

Help Line the Streets with Hope this Marathon Monday

Each spring, Marathon Daffodils plants bloom along the #BostonMarathon's 26.2-mile race route. While we can't cheer on our marathoners now, you can help by coloring this page and displaying it in support of healthcare workers.

Join in for Storytime with Boston Rob and Amber Mariano!

We're excited to share another special guest storytime from Boston Rob and Amber Mariano! Rob and Amber are reading Moo, Baa, Lalala! by Sandra Boynton. This was Rob and Amber's favorite book to read to their four children when they were young.

Cradles to Crayons Service-Learning Toolkit

Our current crisis has led to a devastating increase in the demand for children's clothing items. The organization Cradles to Crayons helps kids gain access to these essential items, and they recently created an online toolkit of service-learning activities to help kids learn about the importance of giving back. Check it out, and spread the word!

Make a Nature Rubbing for Earth Day!

Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd, and we are celebrating all week long with special programming surrounding our natural environment! We're celebrating the Earth with art. Show us how yours comes out and what materials you used by emailing a photo to info@bostonchildrensmuseum.org

#WeekOfTheYoungChild

You are your child's first and most important teacher! We're continuing to celebrate Week of the Young Child with an article from NAEYC exploring what it means to be a teacher to your child. They also provide a fun, at-home activity that the whole family can do together!

April is Financial Literacy Month

Check out this free video "Meet Your Money" created by FitMoney. Sort coins, learn values of different coins and paper money, and see if you can count.

#WeekOfTheYoungChild: Healthy Habits

On this Healthy Habits Friday, we're continuing our celebration of Week of the Young Child with some ideas for cooking nutritious meals with your little ones. Check out this resource from NAEYC on supporting the learning that can happen in your kitchen and beyond.

Create Your Own Shadow Puppets!

In this Beyond the Chalkboard activity, children will learn how to create shadow puppets with different household objects. Shadow puppets offer children an opportunity to develop different visual effects while creating artwork in a variety of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional media, to use appropriate vocabulary related to methods, materials and techniques, and to take care of materials and tools and to use them safely.

#WeekOfTheYoungChild

We're continuing our Week of the Young Child celebration with a little music! See how you can make music together at home with your little ones.

Young Sheldon's Iain Armitage Reads "The Book With No Pictures"

Gather ‘round for a very special storytime! We are thrilled to have Iain Armitage from CBS's Young Sheldon reading to us today. Iain is reading B.J. Novak's book, "The Book With No Pictures." Thank you for partnering with us to bring some joy to kids and families, Iain!

Beyond the Chalkboard: Can You Build a Bridge with Seemingly Weak Materials?

We're moving #FullSTEAMAhead with another fun and educational STEAM activity from Beyond the Chalkboard! The challenge is this: can you create a strong bridge out of seemingly weak materials?

Continuing our #WeekOfTheYoungChild Celebration with Tips for Making at Home

The Week of the Young Child is an annual national week-long event to celebrate early learning of young children and their families. Try out some of our ideas for making at home to encourage children to experiment, explore, and create.

NAEYC's Resources for Teachers

The Week of the Young Child is a celebration of early childhood educators, too. Teachers, parents, and caregivers, check out this article on bringing the "maker movement" into your classroom or homeschool!

Messy Monday Activity: Wiggly Water

Today's activity is called Wiggly Water – and you'll quickly see why! Watch as Alissa combines droplets of colored water to find out what new colors she can make. This is an easy activity to try out at home with just a few household materials. Can you predict what colors will appear when you combine the others?

Let's Celebrate the #WeekOfTheYoungChild!

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) first established the Week of the Young Child in 1971. The Week of the Young Child is a time to explore how we--as parents, caregivers, educators, policy-makers, and scholars--can work together and better meet the needs of all young children and their families.

STEAM Activity: Learn to Use TinkerCAD to Design 3D Shapes!

In today's video, Neil is showing us how to use TinkerCAD, a free online tool used to design 3D shapes. Follow along with Neil and show us what you can design by sharing a photo with #BostonChildrensMuseum!

NAEYC's Resources for Teachers

The Week of the Young Child is a celebration of early childhood educators, too. Teachers, parents, and caregivers, check out this article on bringing the "maker movement" into your classroom or homeschool.

Blast from the Past: Travel Through Time with Museum Scrapbooks

Scrapbooking has been a popular indoor activity for hundreds of years. In a new blog post, Archives Coordinator Caroline Turner explores different scrapbooking genres that you can try out at home, inspired by real ones from our own collection.

Beyond the Chalkboard Activity: How Smart are Your Ears?

Introducing Healthy Habit Fridays! Our affiliate site Beyond the Chalkboard offers dozens of at-home activities you can do with your kids to learn about health. In this activity, you'll explore your sense of sound with objects of different shapes and sizes. With your eyes closed, can you guess which item makes which sound?

Let's Try the Rube Goldberg Bar of Soap Challenge!

The task is this: build a device that drops a bar of soap into someone's hand using a sequence of 10-20 steps. Jennifer George, granddaughter of Rube Goldberg, the famous cartoonist renowned for designing absurdly complex and wacky contraptions that accomplish simple tasks, wants to see what you and your family can come up with!

Kitchen Science: Let's Make Butter!

Welcome back to Alissa's kitchen! She's showing us how to make a common ingredient that's been a kitchen staple for thousands of years — butter! You may have noticed that your local grocery store is low on butter lately. Have no fear! With just a little bit of heavy cream, you can make your own butter right at home. Let's get started!

Turn Your Doodles into Stories!

Storytelling encourages creative writing and practice of written language. It also helps children learn how to write clear sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea, and how to be thoughtful about the audience and purpose of written material. This activity will guide your kids as they create a story from their drawings.

Wednesday Wonders: Homemade Tangrams

Tangrams are an ancient Chinese puzzle that have existed for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. They have remained popular for so long because they are simple to engage in, yet they can truly challenge the mind.

Design a Square for the ICA's Virtual Quilt!

Our friends at the Institute of Contemporary Art are calling on the community to help build their Threads of Connection Virtual Quilt! You're invited to create your own quilt square that represents who you are. What makes you special? Submit your finished quilt square for the chance to be featured in our virtual quilt, and help us build community while we're all apart!

Goodnight with Dolly

Music superstar and "Book Lady" Dolly Parton recently launched "Goodnight with Dolly," a weekly bedtime story series! This 10-week special series features Dolly reading select books from her foundation, Imagination Library, including classics like "The Little Engine That Could." Join Dolly for some positivity and joy during this time.

Kitchen Science: How to Ferment Vegetables

Joel is showing us how to make a delicious, healthy snack (that involves just a little bit of chemistry) - fermented veggies! Have you ever tried them before? Follow along with Joel. When your veggies are done (patience is key!), let us know if you like the taste.

Science Tuesdays

Nephoscope: A scientific instrument that helps determine the direction that clouds and wind are moving. Sounds complicated, right? Turns out, kids can make their own nephoscope from home with a handful of simple materials! more <

Working from Home with Kids

Have you been following along on our Curator of Collections Rachel Farkas' #WorkingFromHomeWithKids journey? Rachel is sharing her daily activities and strategies for staying productive while keeping her two kids entertained on our Instagram stories. Check out her adventures so far in our highlights section, and submit your own strategies (or struggles) to be featured.

Monday Math!

How good a predictor are you? In this activity, you'll choose a task (like doing jumping jacks) and predict how many times you can complete the task in one minute. Then, set a timer and see how close your prediction was to the real number! Do this with many tasks, and see if your predictions start getting closer to the real number. Parents, guidance for this activity is available.

WBUR's Circle Round Podcast

Created and produced by parents of young children, WBUR's Circle Round is a podcast that adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 4 to 10. Each 10- to 20-minute episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence, and generosity. Each episode ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups.

Let's Explore Ice!

There are so many fun ways to explore ice with kids of all ages. In today's video, Dianne is demonstrating the play and learning opportunities that you can create at home with just water, some household objects, and a freezer. Show us what you can do with ice by submitting a photo to info@BostonChildrensMuseum.org!

Rainbow Color Hunt with Faith

Do you think you could find every color of the rainbow in objects around your home? Join Faith on a rainbow color hunt through her own house in search of all seven colors! After watching, try it out yourself, and see if you're able to find all the colors of the rainbow at home. You might be surprised how many unique colors you find in ordinary objects.

Easy At-Home Jewelry Making

You don't need fancy equipment or skills to make jewelry! You can make beautiful, unique pieces (for all genders) at your kitchen table with just paper, glue, string, and markers to decorate! In this Beyond the Chalkboard activity, you'll experiment with patterns and shapes while crafting beads out of scrap paper and stringing them together to make your wearable art.

Beginner Photography Lesson with Lex

Photography is for everyone — even little ones! Senior Designer Lex Piccione is giving us a beginner photography lesson where we'll learn all about perspective. Understanding perspective can help anyone take great photos. After the lesson, see what photos you can take around the house using different perspectives.

Virtual Creature Feature

Alissa is giving us another update on how our friend Oliver the snake is doing in his temporary home! See Oliver up close and personal and learn a little bit about why many of us are a little creeped out by snakes - and why we may not need to be.

STEAM Activity: Raceways & Rollercoasters

Have you ever seen a marble fly? In this activity, kids will build tracks for their marbles to follow using materials found around the house. The end goal is to get your marble to fly off of a jump at the end of the track! Building these tracks help kids to develop problem-solving and teamwork skills and touch upon some basic principles of physics like energy, acceleration, and momentum.

Free Arts Education from Wolf Trap

Looking for some Arts Education lesson plans to teach your kids at home? Our friends at Wolf Trap Education are providing free video lessons, PDF lesson plans, and audio lessons on their website for you to use!

Storytime with Karin

Gather round for another storytime! Boston Children's Museum's Senior Creative Director Karin Hansen is reading "Augusta's Dragon" by Nancy Geer Hamilton, illustrated by none other than herself! Let's join in on the fun as she tells the story of the adventures of Augusta and her new dragon friend!

Expert Guest Blog: "Staying Connected While Social Distancing: A Guide for Parents and Kids" by Sonya Kurzweil, Ph.D

Practicing child psychologist Sonya Kurzweil discusses ways to talk to your children about social distancing and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as what kids and families can do to stay healthy and engaged with one another during this time.

Friday Health Activity: Are YOU an Effective Food Detective?

The more opportunities kids have to think about what they eat, be curious about trying new foods, and begin to take responsibility for their own lifestyle choices, the more likely they are to make healthy choices later in life. In this activity, kids will learn how to read about the nutritional information for some of the breakfast cereals they enjoy. Learning to read these labels is one of the most helpful tools we have in understanding our eating habits and nutrition.

Get Your Wiggles Out with Yoga!

Today, Meg is leading us in a virtual Family Yoga practice to help you get those wiggles out! We usually host Family Yoga every week at the Museum, but today we're taking things digital! Yoga is an excellent way to relax, promote positive emotions, and increase strength and overall health. It can also be a ton of fun! Let's try it out together.

Beyond the Chalkboard: Thursday's Are for Literacy

Let's play a game of Story Tag. Story Tag encourages quick thinking, creativity, focus, adaptability, and practice of spoken language skills. It also helps children learn how to create clear sentences that help develop a central idea and how a story develops from beginning to end.

Let's Make an Origami Tiger

We're taking you through all of the steps to create your very own origami tiger! Follow along with us on our Instagram or Facebook, and share a photo of your new tiger friend with #BostonChildrensMuseum!

Let's Learn to Draw a Self-Portrait!

Liz is teaching us how to draw our very own self-portrait using simple shapes that we all know. We invite you to make your portrait totally yours — who do YOU want to be? Follow along with her, and show off your finished portrait by posting it on social media with #BostonChildrensMuseum. We can't wait to see all of your beautiful faces!

Let's See What We Can Do With Light!

Check out this easy experiment on Beyond the Chalkboard! Using a flashlight, you'll explore the behavior of light. This activity is a great introduction to both the behaviors of light and the properties of materials, and as a result, works particularly well with your youngest children. Building a foundational understanding of how light behaves is central to most sciences, and this foundation is best built through direct experiences like these.

Blog: A Parent's Guide to Surviving COVID-19: 8 Strategies to Keep Children Healthy and Happy

Please read this blog by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff originally published in Brookings.

Is There Someone You Know Who Deserves a Card?

There may be family members or friends that you aren't able to see right now. Let's make them a handmade greeting card to say hello, and catch up on things!

Virtual Drum Circle

We are making music with things we find around the house! We invite you to join our drum circle, and make music with us using things you can find in your home. What are you using to make music?

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" Reading and Illustration

Watch as Culture and Performing Arts Educator Steve Schroth illustrates "Harold and the Purple Crayon" while he reads the story! We encourage kids to illustrate the story themselves and see how their vision compares to Steve's.

"Rosie Revere, Engineer" Video and Activity

Melissa Higgins, Sr. Director of STEAM, introduces a video of astronaut Kate Rubins who will read "Rosie Revere, Engineer" by Andrea Beaty from the International Space Station! Following Kate's reading, Melissa will walk us through how to make a dropcopter which will help kids explore something that can fly through the air.

Storytime With Steve

It's time for storytime with Steve! Can you say that five times fast? Today, Steve is reading one of his favorite books, "Milo's Museum" by Zetta Elliot and illustrated by Purple Wong. Let's see what happens when Milo and her class take a trip to the museum.

Learning at Home Together and Keeping the Peace

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is trying to work through uncertainties. We know that parents and caregivers are trying hard to fill their children's learning needs while balancing their own work and the needs of their families.

Let's Conduct an Experiment: Psychedelic Milk

Head to our YouTube channel to watch Science Educator Alissa Daniels conduct an experiment called "psychedelic milk." All you need to follow along with her is whole milk, a shallow container, food coloring, toothpicks, dish soap, and water. Let's see how the colors will react to the dish soap!

Learn About Sound and Vibrations by Making Music!

Using small drinking glasses filled with different amounts of water, you can give children direct experience with resonance and vibration as well as musical expression. What will happen if you tap a different glass? Will it make the same sound or will it be a higher or lower sound? What do they notice that is different about the glasses? Let's try it out and see!