Summer of Imagination!

Every day this Summer you can see how far your imagination can take you. Join us as we celebrate the joy of using our imaginations to play, pretend, and discover around specific themes. Activities will take place every day 9:30-11:30am and 2:00-4:00pm in the Common on the second floor. Check our calendar for updates and details.

Return of the Dinosaurs!

Monday, July 4 – Monday, July 25

Visit our new Dinos in Space exhibit and then use your imagination to create your own dinosaur and the place where it lives. What if you could travel back in time to meet dinosaurs? What if dinosaurs lived in outer space? What if both you and dinosaurs lived in outer space?!

Imagination City

Tuesday, July 26 – Monday, Aug 8

If you were in charge of designing a city what would it be? What if that city was for cats? Or fairies? Or dinosaurs?! Use your imagination and creativity to help make a new city.

Under the Sea

Tuesday, August 9 – Monday, August 22

If you were an ocean explorer what would you see? What might live there? Use your imagination to design an underwater world filled with fantastical fish and other creative creatures.

Shape Extravaganza

Tuesday, August 23 – Monday, September 5

What can you do with lots of different shapes? Can you make a person? A new planet? A dinosaur in a spaceship?! Use your imagination and lots of different shapes of all sizes to tell a story.

Special Event - Imagination Carnival!

Saturday, July 30

Saturday, July 30 the Museum will be open for a fun day of play and exploration and in the evening for a special Imagination Carnival. During the day, games and unique carnival entertainment can be found outside under the tent. Play games, compete against friends and family, and walk away with fun prizes!

Want even more fun, then make sure to join our event later that night, the Imagination Carnival. Far-fetched, whimsical, and fantastic, the Imagination Carnival will feature traditional carnival games, performances, and challenges with an imaginative twist. Enjoy activities both inside and outside the Museum. This special evening event from 6:00-9:00pm will make for a joyful summer evening along Fort Point Channel.

Tickets for the Imagination Carnival are $25 per person and include:

Admission to the Museum and access to most Museum exhibits (Note: PlaySpace, the Japanese House, the STEAM and Art Labs will be closed for this event).
Outdoor tent with carnival games and performances
8 game tickets you can redeem to play different carnival games
Prizes for everyone who attends
Juggling and stilt walking performances
Juggling workshops
DJ and dancing
Character meet and greets with some favorite superheroes and princesses.

Tickets will go on sale July 11. Members will receive early access to tickets on July 8.

Dinos In Space

Age: 4-5, 6-8 Category: Play!

How far can your imagination take you? It’s dinosaurs in space! And it’s just as fun, creative, and silly as you imagine. Enter a space dome and create a landscape for dinosaurs, design a new constellation, send an inter-galactic message, and dress up a dinosaur for a space flight. Start with the question “What if…?” and see where your imagination and creativity go next!

Age: 6-8 Category: Culture and Identity

Welcome to the Japanese House! Walk down the street, take off your shoes, and step into an authentic two-story silk merchant’s home from Kyoto, Japan. The Japanese House was transported piece by piece from Kyoto and reconstructed here in Boston by Japanese carpenters. Families can explore every corner of the fully-equipped home. Japanese family life, customs, ceremonies, art, architecture, and seasonal events are all highlighted in this fully functional 100-year-old house inside the Museum. This house was a gift to the City of Boston from the City of Kyoto on the 20th Anniversary of their sister city relationship in 1979. Come explore this rare and very special landmark.

Learn more about the Japanese House

Japanese House Gallery

Age: 6-8 Category: Art

Adjacent to the Japanese House, an authentic 1880s house from Kyoto, Japan, this gallery space explores contemporary stories of Japan, especially of the vibrant and multifaceted lives and expressions of youth. Using art and culture as vehicles, local and international artists, storytellers, and curators co-create a culturally responsive gallery space that invites visitors to build empathy. Shared narratives are authentic and complex, bringing more appreciation to the lived experiences of each individual. Children and their grownups are encouraged to experience imagination and belonging in the Japanese House Gallery. This small space has a large mission!

Learn about the current Japanese House Gallery exhibition.