Moms Can-Do’s: Meditation for Kids + More

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Michelle Johnstone, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Get the new year off to a relaxing start with some meditation and yoga. Photo: jseattle/Flickr

Hey New England moms! Can you believe that today is the last day of 2013? We can’t either! Today marks the end of another fun-filled year with your little ones, and tomorrow marks the beginning of a new one.

Many people enjoy looking back on the previous year on New Year’s Eve. Hopefully, Mom Can-Do’s has inspired you to make the most of your year with the kiddos, and to get out and enjoy some great local events—from story-times to museums, from a day at the zoo to kid friendly crafts and more.

Here are 5 close-to-home activities to enjoy with your little ones as you welcome 2014—all within an hour’s drive of home.

Meditate!

Look back on your hectic, crazy, wonderful, beautiful year with some kid and family friendly meditation! Every Sunday from 9:30-10:30 am, Atisha Kadampa Buddhist Center in Providence offers their special Meditation for Kids & Families class. The program is designed for kids between the ages of 5 and 12 and teaches kids love, compassion, and happiness—things every parent wants for their little one.

339 Ives Street, Providence, RI. (401) 400-1657.

Rainbow Fun!

Head over to Providence Children’s Museum to take part in their Toddler Try-It program! Fridays from 10 am-noon, kiddos ages 18 months-3 years are invited to come to the museum for a hands-on experience. This Friday’s theme is Toddler Try-It: Rainbow Collage. Kids will discover their creativity as they experiment with different colored papers to create a one of a kind collage.

100 South Street, Providence, RI. (401) 273-5437.

Bowling!

Enjoy this New England classic with the kids this weekend!

Get the kids out of the house and moving this week—with some good old fashioned bowling! Kids love to bowl. Whether it’s the cheesy bowling shoes that they get to rent for the day, the thrill of keeping score, the attached arcade, or anything else that comes with the thrill of a bowling alley—it is an American classic and a staple of childhood! Have no fear—there are plenty of bowling lanes close to home. Many of them offer candle-pin bowling; a New England original!

Bayberry Bowling: 326 Main Street, Spencer, MA. (508) 885-3876.

Harvard Lanes: 204 Ayer Road, Harvard, MA. (978) 456-9361.

East Providence Lanes: 80 Newport Avenue, East Providence, RI. (401) 438-2300.

Colonial Bowling Center: 248 Mill Street, Worcester, MA. (508) 754-7645.

Science!

Facilitate the creativity and desire to learn for your budding scientist this week at the EcoTarium! Science + You is the perfect program for kids that love to tinker and see how things work. Little ones are invited to step into a REAL (and by real we mean kid-sized) science lab to conduct experiments, use scientific machinery and learn how scientists impact the world.

222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA. (508) 929-2700.

Yoga!

While you’re crafting your New Year’s fitness resolution, get your kids in on the action too. What better way to start the New Year than some yoga—an activity that is both good for body and mind. Om Kids Yoga Center in Pawtucket is the place to go; they are, after all a yoga studio that is dedicated completely to kids! Their creativity and imagination will run wild as they try out the poses, enjoy upside down time, sing, dance, stretch and more!

999 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI. (401) 305-3667.

Related Slideshow: Winter Activities

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Tubing at Ward

Ski Ward in Shrewsbury has something for the everyone in the family—snow bugs and otherwise. Get your thrills and relive your childhood while you tube down the hillside. If tubing isn’t your thing, pack your skis or snowboard and hit the slopes; Ward has 3 terrain features. After the snow fun comes to a close, make sure to grab a hot cocoa or adult beverage and bite to eat to round out the day!

1000 Main Street, Shrewsbury, MA. (508) 842-6346.

Photo: Aline D./Flickr

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Sleigh rides

If a sleigh ride through the snowy New England countryside doesn’t warm the heart, nothing will. This weekend, take your significant other (or the whole family) to Sweet Brook Farm in Williamstown for a good old fashioned sleigh ride. This nostalgic wintertime tradition lasts about 45 minutes, and even includes a hot cocoa pit stop at a cabin in the woods.

508 Oblong Road, Williamstown, MA. (413) 884-4246.

Photo: Pete Markham/Flickr

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Yankee Candle Village

Let your worries disappear and take in a little retail therapy…while buying gifts for you! Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield is synonymous with Christmas…they start their Christmas countdown on December 26th. If the weather isn’t quite wintry enough outside, snow will surely be falling in the indoor village. Learn how to make a candle, peruse over 400,000 candles, munch on holiday goodies, and make light hearted memories that will last a lifetime—all so close to home.

25 Greenfield Road, South Deerfield, MA. (877) 636-7707.

Photo: Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism/Flickr

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Stockbridge

Stockbridge, MA is a quintessential New England town that was made famous by Norman Rockwell. Take a breather from the stress of the holiday season and take a trip to this iconic town. View the streets of Rockwell’s picturesque hometown and take in the winter chill before heading to the Norman Rockwell Museum. The museum features the largest collection of the painter’s original works in the world, his supplies, reference materials, personal memorabilia, and more.

9 Route 183, Stockbridge, MA. (413) 298-4100.

Photo: Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism/Flickr

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Christmas By Candlelight

Old Sturbridge Village is a New England classic year round. At Christmas, there is no better place to enjoy an old fashioned celebration than right at OSV. Christmas by Candlelight is the perfect event to get away from the sometimes hectic holiday season. For 3 special weekends in December, visitors are invited to enjoy roasted chestnuts, gingerbread, sleigh rides, Victorian carolers, Mrs. Cratchet’s Christmas dinner and more at this one of a kind event.

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA. (800) 733-1830.

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Edgartown

There is nothing more romantic than a holiday getaway to the sea. This weekend, escape the holiday frenzy and head to Edgartown, MA on Martha’s Vineyard for the town’s 32nd annual Christmas in Edgartown Celebration. Enjoy complimentary holiday massages, raffles, horse drawn carriage rides, the annual lighting of the lighthouse, food sampling events and more.

Edgartown, MA.

Photo: Edgartown Board of Trade

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Wine

Take the bite off the winter chill this weekend and take a drive to Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton. The winery hosts tasting events everyday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For just $5.00, you will receive a free tasting glass and samples of up to five different wines. Some favorites include Strawberry Rhubarb Wine, Holiday Special Cranberry Apple (new release November 2013), and New English Cider. While you’re in store, make sure to grab a couple of bottles—they make perfect holiday gifts for anyone (yourself included!)

100 Wattaquadock Hill Road, Bolton, MA. (978) 779-5521.

Photo: Liza31337/Flickr

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Ice skating

Pull out the ice skates and revive your childhood dreams at the ice skating rink. There is something so magical and invigorating about gliding over a fresh sheet of ice. Why not take a short, close-tohome getaway to the Worcester Common Oval Public Skating Rink? Spend a few hours out on the ice, and afterwards grab a hot chocolate and take a drive around the city to see the holiday lights.

455 Main Street, Worcester, MA.

Photo: Elvert Barnes/Flickr

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Theatre

Watch the magic of the holiday season unfold before your eyes at one of Worcester’s performance treasures. The Hanover Theatre is loaded with great holiday performances during December. Join the Theatre for family favorites like A Christmas Carol and others. Make sure to call the box office for tickets ASAP—these shows are sellouts year after year.

The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA. (877) 571-7469.

Photo: Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism/Flickr

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Music

Head over to Mechanics Hall on Main Street for great musical and dance performances like The Nutcracker—a Worcester family tradition, Worcester Holiday Pops featuring area colleges, and more!

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main Street, Worcester, MA. (508) 752-0888.

Photo: Gabriel Saldana/Flickr