MFA Boston: Vacation Week Adventures

Museum of Fine Arts Children's Vacation Activities during Spring Break!

Discover the wide range of colors found in art! All are invited to April Vacation Week to enjoy interactive family tours and drop-in art-making activities exploring color! All ages and abilities welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. See Visiting with Kids and Family for more information.

  • Drop-In Art Making: Sun Catchers

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Shapiro Family Courtyard
    • See how light changes color by taking a closer look at beautiful examples of stained glass on view in galleries 218, 221, 222, 223, and 228. Then head to the Shapiro Family Courtyard to create your own hanging artwork that glows with help from the sun.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Felt Art Whimsy

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Druker Studios, 159, Linde Family Wing
    • Learn how to transform natural wool fibers into a beautiful felt work of art with artist Alexandra Adamo from Alex Makes Art.
    • Please note: Felting needles are sharp! This activity is only for visitors ten years old and up.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Ukrainian Easter Eggs

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Druker Studios, 160, Linde Family Wing
    • Welcome spring by learning about pysanky, traditional Ukrainian painted eggs. Then create your very own pysanka by adding bright colors and intricate patterns to a wooden egg using watercolor-based dye, tape, and masking fluid.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Paper Flowers

    • Occurs every day but Saturday, April 22
    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Koch Gallery, 250
    • Take a look at Dutch and Flemish paintings depicting flowers in galleries 243 and 244. Then stop by gallery 250 to create realistic-looking flowers using paper, wire, tape, and scissors.
  • Story Hour

    • 10:30 am and 1:30 pm
    • Gallery LG36
    • Stop by to hear children’s stories about color. Leave after one story or stay for the whole hour.
  • Family Tour: Colors All Around Us

    • Occurs every day but Saturday, April 22
    • 10:30 am, 11:15 am, 1 pm, 1:45 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet at Sharf Visitor Center
    • Join a family-friendly tour in search of the most bold and vibrant colors in the Museum! What’s your favorite? Tours are 30 minutes.
  • Conservation Up Close: Gilding Frames

    • Wednesday, April 19
    • 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet in Gallery 168
    • Join Christine Storti, head of Furniture and Frame Conservation; and Gregory Porter, assistant frame conservator; to explore the materials and tools used to gild frames. See up close the delicate nature of gold leaf, and learn how gilders used squirrel hair brushes to transfer the leaf and agate gemstones to burnish the gold for shine.
    • Space is limited. Free tickets available for pickup in Gallery 168 on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes prior to the start of each session.
  • Conservation Up Close: Making Traditional Egg Tempera Paint

    • Saturday, April 22
    • 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet in Gallery 168
    • Join Sarah Mastrangelo, Cunningham Associate Conservator of Paintings, for a brief history of the use of egg tempera in Italian panel painting and a demonstration of how traditional egg tempera paint is made. Take part in a discussion on the manufacture and processing of pigments, and get a feel for the difference between egg tempera and a contemporary paint medium like gouache.
    • Space is limited. Free tickets available for pickup in Gallery 168 on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes prior to the start of each session.
When: 
Wednesday, April 19 – Saturday, April 22, 2023 10am–4pm
Phone: 
617.267.9300
Camp Whirlygig for kids ages 4-10 at the Wenham Museum in Massachusetts

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Music Together - Tuesday in Marblehead

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® of Salem classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45...
10:00 am to 10:45 am

Barnyard Story Hour at Appleton Farms

Kids can meet the barnyard animals and hear a story at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts.
Barnyard stories really come alive when you get to see the main characters in real life! Bring the kids down to Appleton Farms for our farm-fresh version of story time. Explore the farmstead, visit our learning garden, see our cows and rabbits, and find a spot to play under a shady tree in our...
10:30 am to 11:30 am

STEM Club at MPL

Stem Club for kids in grades 3-6 at the public library in Manchester Public Library
Have some fun and learn a little science too at STEM Club! This group meets every third Thursday from 4-5 and is for grades 4-6. 
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Pajama Story Time at Manchester Public Library

Kids are invited to the pajama time book reading at the Public Library in Manchester by the Sea Massachusetts.
Join Miss Audrey for a cozy pajama storytime and craft the first Thursday of every month from 6-7. This program is for kids ages 4 and up and their families. 
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Chess Club at Salem Public Library

Salem Public Library hosts a weekly chess club for all ages on Tuesday evenings.
Salem Public Library the library is hosting weekly chess nights where players of all ages can play and learn from each other.  Whether you're new to the game or a veteran player, all skill levels welcome, and basic instru
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Wednesday, April 2

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Music Together - Wednesday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
9:30 am to 11:15 am

Thursday, April 3

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Ukrainian Egg Workshop at NTL

Ukrainian Egg Workshop at the Newbury Town Library in Massachusetts
Back by popular demand! Kati Bourque will present a brief history on Ukrainian Easter Eggs and teach you how to create your own egg.  All materials will be provided and you will go home with an egg that you made! This program is geared towards teens and adults, as you will be handling a raw egg, a...
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Friday, April 4

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Music Together - Friday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
10:30 am to 11:15 am

Saturday, April 5

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Yukan Fool's Run | Half Marathon & 5k

Yukan hosts the Fool's Dual Half Marathon and Half Marathon in Gloucester Massahcusetts
Yukan hosts the Fool's Dual Half Marathon and Half Marathon in Gloucester Massahcusetts! Jump into spring with beautiful ocean views as you run along the scenic coastline on Cape Ann. Kids 5K only $10.00! (12 & under, Open to ages 6 and up)
9:00 am

Music Together - Saturday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
9:15 am to 11:15 am

Vernal Pools | Family Nature Series

Vernal Pools - Family Nature Series with Essex County Greenbelt and North Shore Nature Programs
Greenbelt and North Shore Nature Programs team up for this event for all ages! What sound do frogs make? Turns out, they make a lot of different sounds! Come meet the residents of the vernal pools to learn who says ribbit, quack, chirp, peep and more!​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We recommend...
10:00 am to 11:30 am