2019 February School Break KidoGuide: Fun stuff to do! -

2019 February Break Events in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut

February Vacation at The Providence Children’s Museum

When: Monday-Sunday, February 18 – 24
Where: The Providence Children’s Museum, 100 South Street, Providence, RI 02903
Cost: $12 per person / Members and children under one are free.

MetLife Family Friday – Free at Five! Friday, February 15, 5 pm-8 pm. The Museum is open free for “MetLife Family Friday – Free at Five!” sponsored by MetLife Foundation. Stay out late and splash, play, explore and discover!
Children’s Theater Preview Night of “After the Beanstalk” Friday, February 15, 5:30, 6:30 & 7:00 pm. Help Jack and Jill solve the giant’s puzzling spatial challenges in an interactive performance that expands on the classic tale.
Children’s Theater Debut Weekend: After the Beanstalk Saturday, February 16, Sunday, February 17, 10:30 am-1 pm, Help Jack and Jill solve the giant’s puzzling spatial challenges in an interactive performance that expands on the classic tale. Performances at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM.
Engineers: Invent Saturday, February 16,11 am–2 pm. The annual Society of Women Engineers event will celebrate engineers and how they improve our lives through hands on experiences. The need for the next generation of practical inventors and innovators continues. Who will step up? Recommended for ages 6 and up.
Let’s Move! Monday, February 18 through Friday, February 22, 10 am-3 pm. Dive in to fun exercises and track changes to your heart rate through measurement and time keeping. Explore where exercise and nutrition are important to a healthy lifestyle.
Special February Vacation Week Performance by Keith Munslow: Monday February 18: Performances at 10:30 am, 11:30 am & 1:30 pm. Keith’s highly interactive show will delight everyone with a unique mix of funny, original songs and stories, tongue-twisting poems, and on-the-spot cartoon drawing. Rhythmic piano and quick wit combine for an upbeat, positive experience…so hang on and don’t blink – you might miss something,
Special February Vacation Week Performance by “Hoopoe”: Tuesday, February 19: Performances at 10:30 am, 11:30 am & 1:30 pm Hoopoe the hilarious mime (Chris Yerlig) gets the audience into the act and dazzles them with silent comedy, eye-popping magic tricks and balloon wizardry in a funny, imaginative show. Performances at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM & 1:30 PM.
Makerspace Weekend: Arcade Games: Saturday February 23 and Sunday February 24, 11 am – 2 pm. Collaborate and create to turn Discovery Studio in to a low-tech arcade! Repurpose recycled materials to design and build a game, and play games built by other visitors.

Day at the J!

Don’t let the cold weather ruin all your fun. Join us for a day filled with activities for the whole family.
When: Sunday, February 24, 9:30 am-5 pm
Where: Dwares JCC, 401 Elmsgrove Avenue, Providence, RI 02906. (401) 421-4111
Cost: No cost to attend, open to the public

Fitness Workshop: 9:30 – 11 am. Join us for a unique 90-minute Cross Training Workout led by our own veteran Group Exercise instructor Dawn Salerno. We’ll focus on using both cardio and strength techniques for a full body blast! The workout will be from 9:30-10:30am followed by a 20-minute Q & A opportunity to discuss what’s trending in fitness. Babysitting available.
PJ Library Story Time: 10:30 – 11:30am Come listen to a PJ Library story with “Miss Lyndsey,” participate in a craft, and enjoy music and movement activities as we highlight a different Jewish value or holiday. Ages 5 and under.
Pool Party: 3-5 pm. Kick the winter blahs, crank up the heat, and come to the beach! Well, not the beach exactly, but our very own newly renovated Dwares JCC pool. Join us for a special Family Swim with swim toys, flotation devices, and slides. We will also have games in the pool and on the pool deck for children of all ages. *All children must be accompanied by an adult. Regular pool rules apply.

Scavenger Hunt Tours for Kids & Families- Linden Place

When: Linden Place is open for guided and self-guided tours of the mansion Tuesdays through Friday from 10am until 4pm.
Where: Linden Place Mansion 500 Hope Street, Bristol, Rhode Island 02809 (401) 253-0390
Cost: Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for students and $5 for children 12 and under. Free for children 6 and under.

Make your way through our 200-year old mansion rooms and seek out dozens of artifacts, big and small, while you learn about Linden Place’s rich architectural and family history. Seek out a Roman, life-size marble statue of Bacchus, search for George Washington and find out the meaning behind the phrase “sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite!” Fun and educational for all ages!

Each room inside Linden Place has an exhibit where kids can see, handle and learn about artifacts of long ago and imagine what life would have been like in 1810 when Linden Place was built. See petticoats and breeches, washboards, a 19th century “television”, the stereoscope and more! This tour is fun and educational for the whole family and for kids both big and small.

Padma Venkatraman “The Bridge Home” and Elly Swartz “Smart Cookie” at Books on the Square

When: Saturday, February 23, 4 pm
Where: The Books on the Square, 471 Angell Street, Providence (401) 331-9097
Cost: Free

Padma Venkatraman, author of the new book The Bridge Home, and Elly Schwartz, author of Smart Cookie, will be joining us for a conversation on their work, the importance of children’s literature, and more. Please join us and bring your friends, your kids, and your curiosity.

POW! Science!

When: Monday-Friday, February 18 – 23
Where: POW! Science!, Wakefield Mall, 160 Tower Hill Rd. Wakefield
Cost: Varies

Mineral Mining Monday! Monday, February 18, 10 am-7 pm. Get TWO Bags of Mining Rough to pan in our Running Water Sluice for $6.00. We also put out the Pow!Science! Abandoned Mining Cart for younger Miners to sift through and keep ONE Treasure that they find!
Roller Coaster Tuesday! Tuesday, February 19, 11 am–7 pm, Kids 80 pounds & under ride the EXTREME COASTER in our activity room free all day,
Hot Wheels Wednesday! Wednesday, February 20, 10am – 7pm. Come play on a 50+ feet of double lane Blu Track for your racing excitement! Bring your own Hot Wheels cars or borrow ours (we have plenty) and Roll ’em, Jump ’em, Loop ’em and more! Hot Wheels Wednesday is a Free Event.
Free Family Game Day in Wakefield! Thursday, February 21, 10am – 7pm. Come sign out one of our various board games found at the registers and play with your family in our Activity Center! Come test out a board game you’ve always wanted to try.
KinderScience Class! Friday, February 22, 10am – 11am. KinderScience is fun, hands-on science for you and your 2.5 to 5-year-old to do together! Different hands-on topics every week! Just check in at the front counter! $5/child.

Providence Children’s Film Festival

The Providence Children’s Film Festival will present its 10^th Annual “A Decade of Wonder” film festival from February 15-28, 2019 in venues across Rhode Island.

The Festival will feature 13 days of film screenings, filmmaking workshops, field trips and activities that help deepen the film-watching experience. The annual Festival represents the best of independent and international children’s cinema to inspire, delight, educate, and connect a diverse community of children and families throughout Rhode Island and New England. You can purchase tickets here.

Animated, live-action, documentary, and youth-made films are selected for their compelling stories with a global perspective that challenge young audiences to better understand the world. To see the latest list of films, visit here and choose “2019.”

February Vacation at The Children’s Museum in Easton

When: Monday-Sunday, February 18 – 24, 2019
Where: The Children’s Museum of Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave, North Easton, MA 02356
Cost: $9 per person / Members and children under one are free

MakerSpace Fun: Monday, February 18 to Sunday February 24, 10 am-3 pm. Our Makerspace is a place for creativity to come to life through planning, construction, testing and invention. Trial and error. Success and failure. Plan, make, play, repeat. Come in, get creative, and let your imagination soar! Materials are plentiful and the possibilities are endless!
Jewelry Making: Monday, February 18, 2:30-3:15 pm and 3:15-4 pm. Ages 7-12. $9.00 admission price required. Join us for some beading! Your choice of necklaces or bracelets. Get creative, and work on your fine motors skills all while making yourself some beautiful jewelry with a variety of beads, crystals, gems and jewels. First come first serve. Maximum 15 kids per session.
Shadow Play Silhouettes: Tuesday, February 19, 10-noon. Learning about shadows hands-on and in a creative way. Come have fun with us as we create shadow puppets! Put on a show for yourself or others, all ages are welcome! Free with admission
Birdhouse Building: Tuesday, February 19, 2:30-3:15 pm and 3:15-4 pm. Ages 7-12. $9.00 admission price required. A beginner look into woodworking and constructing. Grab the hammer and wood and create your own warm house for the birds to stay warm on these chilly days. First come first serve. Maximum 15 kids per session.
Animal World Experience: Wednesday, February 20, 10 am-noon. Matt from Animal World Experience in Stoughton is coming to town and bringing some animals with him! All ages welcome for a day of exploring, learning and interacting with some cool animals! Free with admission.
Pam’s Art Class: Wednesday, February 20, 2:30-3:15 pm and 3:15-4 pm. Ages 7-12. $9.00 admission price required. Join a wonderful artist Pam in an afternoon of making self-portraits. Using cardboard and paint and exploring the world of multiple dimensions, all while creating a vision of yourself! Wear your best painting clothes and come ready to learn. First come first serve. 15 kids maximum per session.
Airbrush Tattoos: Thursday, February 21, 10 am-noon. Get funky and get a fresh tat! Come on in for a colorful, creative and quick airbrush tattoo! Join us up in our STEAM Lab as we explore aviation. Free with admission.
Mother’s Helper Workshop: Thursday, February 21, 2:30-3:15 pm and 3:15-4 pm. Ages 7-12. $9.00 admission price required. Get the tips, knowledge, help and support in learning how to be a Mother’s Helper. Here you will get lessons in child care, and the basics you need to take care of children, entertaining them with activities, changing diapers, making sure they are safe and helping out a mom! First come first serve. Maximum of 15 kids per session.
Gymnastics Class: Friday, February 22, 10 am-noon. Recommended for ages 18 months to 5 years only. An Instructor from Arnold’s Gymnastics will be here teaching, demonstrating and inspiring us to get active and explore the gymnastics world! Free with admission.
Rigamajig: Friday, February 22, 10 am-noon. For ages 6 and up. Come in and start building! Check out the engineering behind it all and see what we can build. With different shapes, sizes, screws and connectors, come create. Free with admission.

Feb Fest at the MIT Museum

Join us for Feb Fest, our annual celebration during February school vacation, with daily hands-on activities, tours, workshops, and more.
When: Monday – Saturday, February 18 to Saturday 23.
Where: MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Avenue Building N51, Cambridge, MA 02139
Cost: $10 Adults / $5 Youth under 18, students, seniors 65+ / Free for children under 5.

Nautical Chain Reaction: Monday, February 18, 10 am – noon and 1:30 – 3:30 pm. Ahoy chain reaction enthusiasts! Create a unique chain reaction contraption with ramps, string, dominos, and balls, then add nautical items like knots, sails, or even sailor hats. Participants will work in teams to design and build parts of a contraption with the goal of connecting all the segments together to create one gigantic chain reaction. This activity celebrates our exhibition, Lighter, Stronger, Faster: The Herreshoff Legacy.
Sail Through Engineering (workshop): Tuesday, February 19, 9 am–noon.Teens (ages 11-14) $40/student; Pre-registration required Learn about the engineering design process by building and testing your own model boat. Participants will use modern technologies of computer-aided design and laser cutting, as well as methods that were used at the turn of the 20th century to design and build boats. Gallery tour of our exhibition Lighter, Stronger, Faster included.
Structural Engineering (workshop): Wednesday, February 20, 9 am-noon. Teens (ages 11-14). $40/student; Pre-registration required Learn how simple geometry is used to engineer the longest bridges and tallest buildings in the world. Build your own long and tall structures while discovering the strength of simple materials in this hands-on workshop.
Illuminating Protein Expression (workshop) Friday, February 22, 9 am-noon. Teens (ages 11-14). $40/student; Pre-registration required Discover how your body makes the proteins that you need every day. Explore DNA, enzymes, and light as you carry out experiments to create your own green fluorescent protein.
WALK-IN WORKSHOPS: Try an abbreviated version of our popular hands-on workshops, available to families, teens and adults. Ages 11+ Students under 15 must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited and allotted on a first-come, first served basis with onsite, day-of registration beginning at 10 am. $10/person + Museum admission
Sail Through Engineering (walk-in workshop): Tuesday, February 19 and Friday, February 22, 2-3:30 pm. Build and test your own model boat in this walk-in workshop. While working through the design cycle, participants will apply science and math to solve engineering challenges.
Structural Engineering (walk-in workshop): Wednesday, February 20, 2-3:30 pm. Learn how 3D printing can be used to improve massive structures such as buildings and bridges. Participants in this hands-on workshop will build and test their own 3D printed suspension bridge cables.
IDEA HUB: Drop into our maker-space. Families, Teens, Adults
Included with Museum admission. Seating limited. 30-minute timed sessions available for day-of, onsite sign-ups.
Intro to 3D Design: Tuesday, February 19 and Thursday, February 21, 10:00 am-1:00 pm. Learn how to design in three dimensions using Tinkercad and explore how the revolutionary technology of 3D printers can turn digital models into reality.
Float Your Boat: Wednesday, February 20 and Friday, February 22, 10:00 am-1:00 pm. Learn how to create an efficient boat design by building and testing your own model boat hull.
Nautical Day: Saturday, February 23, 1-4 pm. Dive into hands-on nautical explorations with members from the MIT Museum’s Hart Nautical Collections staff, MIT researchers, and other partners and friends. Explore ocean engineering, navigation through nautical charts, and talk to individuals working in the field. Offered in conjunction with our exhibition, Lighter, Stronger, Faster: The Herreshoff Legacy.
Teen Science Café
Saturday, February 23rd, 6-8:30 pm: For high school students only
Free with pre-registration (opens Feb 8), Dinner provided. Teen Science Cafés are exciting events connecting local high school students with scientists and each other. This vacation-week science café looks at materials science. Come join in conversation and activities with MIT researchers.