Please join us at the Harvard Art Museums for an afternoon of family-friendly activities open to all ages. Explore the museums with scavenger hunts and family conversation cards; use your eyes, mind, and imagination to engage deeply with works on view; and play with clay, wire, and shadows in the Materials Lab.
The event is free and open to the public. Sign-up for certain activities during the day, such as art-making workshops, will occur on-site and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Learn more about this joyful holiday, a national symbol of Mexico. Enjoy craft activities for the young and young at heart. Personalize a sugar skull (extra fee), learn about the natural history of Mexico, watch live folk dance and mariachi performances, purchase traditional pan de muerto, hot chocolate or specialty cocktails. Contribute your message of love to honor and celebrate the lives of the departed at the museum’s altars.
Activities are free except where noted. RSVP by October 25 at 12:00pm and check in on arrival.
Harvard College Observatory Plate Stacks, 47 Concord Ave., Cambridge
During Massachusetts STEM Week, join us for an evening celebrating remarkable women in astronomy from across the galaxy. Enjoy a dynamic lecture on exciting applications of astronomy, explore a captivating exhibition in the Great Refractor, engage in family-friendly STEM activities, and cap off the night with fall refreshments and stargazing.
Remarks from ProfessorLisa Kewley, Director, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Welcome remarks from Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, highlighting...
The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden St., Cambridge
Become an astronomer for a day! Come visit us on Observatory Hill, and see what the Center for Astrophysics has been up to. Enjoy exploration stations that include hands-on activities, telescope tours, and solar observing. There’s even an opportunity to ask our scientists all of your burning space questions at our “Ask an Astronomer” tables.
Find out the latest discoveries about the sun, exoplanets, and black holes and take your own telescope images using our robotic telescopes, or go on a virtual tour of space using the World Wide Telescope visualization lab- It’s out of this...
Families need nature at all times of the year! We will look for seeds that fly, seeds that float, seeds that get buried away, and seeds that travel through an animal’s stomach. If you were a seed, which one would you want to be?
Free and open to all, most suitable for children ages four through ten.
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge
Celebrate the vibrant culture and natural history of El Salvador. Enjoy captivating folk dances by Grupo Torogoz and try hands-on activities including corn grinding and painting with cochineal insects. Go on a scavenger hunt and discover the rich heritage of animals, minerals, and artifacts from the region. Join an archaeologist for a live-streamed tour of Joya de Cerén, the Pompeii of Latin America. Take a break with Spanish Story Time, enjoy traditional Salvadoran cuisine (available for purchase), and enter a raffle to win a museum gift basket.
The Caterpillar Lab is returning to the Arboretum! This immersive, interactive exhibit will feature hundreds of native caterpillars at every stage in their life cycles. Visitors will be able to learn from the experts as they explore the displays. The Lab offers something for every age group, and will give new insight into the world around us.
Peters Hill, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Bring your family and friends to Peters Hill for an afternoon of free tours, crafts, family activities, and more! Did we mention free ice cream and bubbles? Free activities open to all ages include:
Tours of Peters Hill offered in both English and Spanish
Plant information tents featuring wildflowers and plant defenses, fascinating Arboretum plant highlights, know-how of Arboretum experts, and a rich assortment of cuttings to view up close
Ice cream, art activities, lawn games, StoryWalks®, and more!...
Harvard's Common Spaces and University Disability Resources will be hosting a Disability Pride celebration featuring free ice cream (limited availability, so come early!), music, games, disability trivia, pet therapy, and more! All are welcome to come and celebrate disability as an important part of our community.
Anyone with a disability who would like to request accommodations or who has questions about physical access may contact disabilityresources@harvard.edu or call 617-495-1859 in advance of the program....
Join us for an introduction to Houghton Library, Harvard’s primary rare book and manuscript library. The tour includes visits to our exhibition spaces and display rooms dedicated to the English writer Samuel Johnson and his circle, Romantic poet John Keats, American poets Emily Dickinson and Amy Lowell, as well as the library of Harvard collector William King Richardson. A history of the building and an overview of services available to library patrons will also be provided.
Davis Center for Russian & Eurasian Studies, 1730 Cambridge St., Room S010, Cambridge
The Program on Georgian Studies presents Georgian artist and Master Calligrapher Shota Saganelidze for a night of Georgian art and culture.
Shota's distinctive art style uses the three Georgian alphabets to create portraits of influential figures from Georgian history. At this event, Mariam Tabakhmelashvili will speak about Georgian script, followed by a multimedia art presentation from Shota, including live music. After the presentation, there will be Caucasian food and an interactive art project. Come learn more about Georgian culture, enjoy live music and art, and eat...
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Families need nature at all times of the year! Learn about the beautiful redwing blackbirds that have returned to the North Meadow. Wear a redwing blackbird cape, go on a StoryWalk® about wild birds, get a redwing blackbird tattoo, and learn about bird songs in the Arboretum.
Join Harvard Women's Lacrosse for Youth Day as the team takes on Penn. Admission for children 12 and under for Youth Day is FREE and adult tickets are only $5! Stay after the game for a Title IX Celebration Clinic where all children ages 12 and under are welcome to attend and learn the basics of Lacrosse from members of the Harvard Women’s Lacrosse team and coaches. Attendees will also receive a commemorative tote bag and a Title IX 50th Anniversary magnet!
Join Harvard Women’s Fencing for a Title IX Celebration Clinic where all children ages 12 and under are welcome to attend and learn the basics of Fencing from members of the Harvard Women’s Fencing team and coaches. Admission to the event is free and attendees will also receive a commemorative tote bag and a Title IX 50th Anniversary magnet!
Join Harvard Golf for a Title IX Celebration Clinic where all children ages 12 and under are welcome to attend and learn the basics of Golf from members of the Harvard Golf team and coaches. Admission to the event is free and attendees will also receive a commemorative tote bag and a Title IX 50th Anniversary magnet!
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge
Break out of the winter doldrums and let your inner scientist loose. Meet amateur and professional scientists who study and collect mushrooms, shells, insects, and minerals. Talk with experts who build telescopes, create chocolate, and grow carnivorous plants. Try your hand at finding bugs or exploring sand. Be creative designing an imaginary insect or crafting a button to display your passion for exploration. Watch a live ice sculpture demonstration in front of the museum. Enjoy hot cocoa and chocolate bars available for purchase from Goodnow Farms Chocolate. This popular annual event...
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Teen Saturdays! is designed for Latino teens interested in culture and community. High school students of Hispanic heritage are invited to monthly workshops to explore notions of culture and identity through bilingual discussions, hands-on activities, and exploring their reactions to exhibits. Sign up for one session or more. Meet people, munch on snacks, learn something new, and help make the museums more accessible to Latino audiences. February–May sessions will focus on Indigenous cultures. ...
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Drop in to learn about archaeology with graduate students. Join archaeologist Jack Bishop and examine ancient stone tools for a glimpse into the early domestication of animals and the rise of agriculture in the Middle East (11:00 am–1:00 pm). See how the ancient Inka of Peru (c. 1400–1532 CE) wrote with string. Join archaeologist Mack FitzPatrick in deciphering a khipu—a knotted string record-keeping system–through close examination of a working replica. (1:00–3:00 pm). Handle examples and ask questions. Look for the archaeologists in the third-floor gallery.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
The Caterpillar Lab returns to the Arboretum September 23–25! Visit the Hunnewell Visitor Center at 125 Arborway from 10:00am–noon and 1:00–4:00pm daily.
The Caterpillar Lab fosters greater appreciation and care for the complexity and beauty of our local natural history through live caterpillar educational programs, research initiatives, and photography and film projects.
Visit their residency at the Arboretum to experience an immersive, interactive exhibit featuring...
Bradley Rosaceous Collection, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Led by Castle of our Skins’ Director of Education Taylor Lena McTootle, “Making a Mythos” focuses on the creative power of storytelling. Young participants will experience firsthand how fictional tales can reflect our cultural values and create them.