Kid Stuff for Metrowest Ma/Relocation Tips

Welcome to a Kid's World in MetroWest

A Kid's World | Fun Things to Do | Community Activities

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A Kid's World

From the "tinker toy" toddler to the emerging teen, children require very special attention when families move around. Your move can be a simple one across town or miles and miles away. Children still feel the apprehension about moving away from familiar friends and places. The whole process of moving can be confusing and frustrating. And even parents' best intentions to make the transition a smooth one can be daunting to pursue.

As a child who moved quite a bit, I have firsthand knowledge of how stressful a move can be. My parents were recent immigrants to the U.S. and as I grew up, I found myself feeling anxious about making new friends and settling in. But as I found out, moving can be exciting, making new friends rewarding and living in new places fun. As a realtor, I have a special empathy with moving children and parents since I've "been there, done that." Here are a few ideas to help ease the way:

Let your children know about the move as soon as possible. Encourage children to share their feelings with each other.

If you can't take the whole family with you on a preliminary trip, take lots of pictures, maps and postcards back home. Bring your teens a copy of the local or high school newspaper highlighting special activities.

Find out about pen pals or phone pals for children of all ages. Contact the local school to find out if contact can be made with other students. Many schools have an Internet address and that is certainly a great way to communicate.

Give young children an address book and photo album. While you're busy packing, they will be busy collecting memories and making plans to stay in touch with old friends.

Just before you leave send a postcard or small gift to the children at your new home. Have their friends write postcards ahead of time. By the time you get to your destination, the mail be be there providing a feeling of being "at home."

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Fun Things To Do

There a hundreds of things to do in the area. Check out local Yellow Pages for specific listings of Gymnastics, Dance, Arts, etc. Here are a few to investigate!

Parks & Museums & Zoos & Y's

Garden In the Woods- Hemenway Rd, Framingham

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge - Weir Hill Rd, Sudbury

Callahan State Park, Millwood St, Framingham

New England Science Center - 222 Harrington Way, Worcester

Southwick's Animal Farm - Millville St, Mendon

Discovery Museum - 177 Main St, Acton

Danforth Museum of Art, Union & Danforth St, Framingham

Ashland State Park - Route 135, Ashland

Hopkinton State Park - Route 85, Hopkinton

MetroWest YMCA - Old Connecticut Path, Framingham

JCC - 57 East Main St. Westboro -508-366-6121

Framingham Historical Society - Vernon & Grove Sts, Framingham

Sports & Clubs & Youth Groups

4 H Center - Chestnut St, Ashland

Girls Scouts of America - Patriots Trail Council, West Central St, Natick

Preschool Activities - Framingham Library, Lexington St. Framingham

Jewish Community Center - Salem End Rd, Framingham

Mass Ski Club - Oak St., Needham

Big Brother/Big Sister Organization - Union St, Framingham

Around New England

Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH, (603) 893-3506. Take I-93 to Exit 2. In operation since 1902, Canobie Lake has dozens of rides, including four roller coasters and a log flume. The park also features a riverboat, arcades, flower gardens, and an antique carousel. Canobie Lake is also the summer home of Bozo the Clown, who performs every day but Mon.; "Frankie and Annette's Beach Party" and "Kickin' up Country," a "high-steppin" country show, both with performances every day but Tues.; and fireworks every Sat. night. There are food stands and a restaurant, but no picnic areas. Open daily from noon to 10 p.m., through Labor Day. Admission $17, $10 for children under 48 inches; after 6 p.m., $10 for everyone. Free parking.

Attitash Bear Peak Cranmore Alpine Water Slide, Rte. 302, Bartlett, NH, (603) 374-2369. Three waterslides let you fly over bridges and under tunnels into a pool; you ride down them on a mat. Two alpine slides take you on a three-quarter-mile trail down Attitash Mountain; you control the speed. Other attractions include chairlift rides to the summit and the White Mountain Observation Tower, lift service for mountain biking (plus bike rental), a driving range, and horse and pony rides. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 17 through Sept. 4. Single rides $7, $5.50 for children and seniors, all-day passes $18.

Funland, 1879 Main St., Rte. 38, Tewksbury, MA, (508) 851-3281. Just about all the standard attractions except for a roller coaster are here. Funland has 20 batting cages (with baseballs, softballs, little league balls, and whiffle balls), go-carts, an 18-hole miniature-golf course, a radar-operated Mulligan golf net (for golfers and hackers), about 35 arcade games (both pinball and video), and kiddie rides. No general admission charge. Special rates for groups. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Lake Compounce Theme Park, Rte. 229N (2 mi. off I-84 exit 31), Bristol, CT, (860) 583-3631. Celebrating its 152nd season this summer. More than 30 rides and attractions, family entertainment, and food stands. Open June 27 through Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closed on Tues.). Admission $18.95 for unlimited rides, $13.95 for adults over 60 and children under 48 inches. There is also a general admission ticket for $3.95, which allows you to see the shows, but carries no ride privileges.

Riverside Park, Agawam, MA, (800) 370-7488 or (413) 786-9300. Take the Mass. Pike west to Exit 6, and follow I-291 west to I-91 south. Take Exit 3, cross bridge, and take first exit. Follow the rotary to Rte. 57, then to Rte. 159 south. Located an hour and a half from Boston, Riverside calls itself the largest amusement park in New England. There are more than 125 rides, shows, and attractions here, including six waterslides, a log-flume ride, and the Cyclone roller coaster. The 150-foot Giant Wheel is touted as the largest and most terrifying Ferris wheel on the East Coast. There are 30 games and 35 food stands but no picnicking. NASCAR-sanctioned stock-car racing on a quarter-mile race track every Sat. and often on Sun. (Stadium admission varies.) Open daily at 11 a.m. through mid-October. Admission (includes rides) $21.99, $15.99 for children six to 11.

York's Wild Kingdom, York Beach, ME, (207) 363-4911. Take I-95 north to the York exit. The park is two miles north on Rte. 1. This is a 100-acre park with a zoo and amusements. The zoo contains 300 animals, including lions, tigers, bears, and llamas. Among the amusements are an arcade, bumper cars, a roller coaster, and miniature golf. There are 15 rides, food stands, and a picnic area. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Beginning in late June, open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission to zoo $9.75, $7.50 for children under 10, $3.50 for children under three. Unlimited-ride and zoo admission $12.75, $9.50 for children under 10, $3.50 for children under three.

Story Land, Rte. 16, off Rte. 25 (Exit 23 off I-93), Glen, NH, (603) 383-4293. This is a children's theme park, set on 30-plus acres. It features kiddie rides, an antique carousel, swan boats, an African safari, a miniature village with a silver mine, and a Victorian-theme river-raft ride. The Farm Follies feature human-size singing and dancing vegetables (all the better to confuse budding vegetarians). A Child's Visit to Other Lands is modeled after Disney World's Epcot Center. Food stands and picnic areas available. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Labor Day. Admission $16.

Farms

Hanson's Farm - 20 Nixon Rd, Framingham -Barnyard animals to ogle and pick your own strawberries
Harvey's Farm & Country Store - 120 South St, Westboro
Lookout Farm - 89 Pleasant St, South Natick - a large working farm with game animals plus ostriches and llamas.

More About Parks

Ashland State Park
Union Street, off Route 135
Ashland, MA
Phone: 508-435-4303

Small park set on only 47 acres, offers a wealth of activities. Fishing areas are available to visitors, along with canoeing, boating, and swimming, in addition to cross-country skiing trails and picnic areas.

Beaver Brook Reservation
Mill Street
Waltham, MA
Phone: 617-484-6357

Small nature preserve offers biking paths, fishing and swimming areas, interpretive programs, and small historic sites. Full toilet facilities are available.

Cochituate State Park
Union Street, Route 30
Natick, MA
Phone: 508-653-9641

More than 1,000 acres, featuring ample space for canoeing, boating and fishing. Swimming and picnic areas also are available.

Rocky Woods
Hartford Street
Medfield, MA 02052
Phone: 508-785-0339
Email: seregion@ttor.org

Just 30 minutes from downtown Boston, Rocky Woods features over six miles of former woods roads and footpaths rambling through rolling hills of white pine and red oak. Explorers of the four ponds on the reservation may find bullfrogs and painted turtles, and visitors can enjoy catch-and-release fishing from these shores. Recent landscape renovations have created a scenic meadow, grassy common areas, sandy shorelines, and plantings of ornamental shrubs. Restrooms, picnic tables and a pavilion are onsite, and future plans include creating a visitor center and improved children's play area.

Upton State Forest
Westboro Road
Upton, MA
Phone: 508-278-6486

Visitors to this state forest can find a fishing spot, eat in one of the designated picnic areas, or just take in the scenery.

Walden Pond State Reservation
Route 126
Concord, MA

This is a 304-acre park on historic Walden Pond that Henry David Thoreau made famous. Fishing areas, hiking, and cross country ski trails are available, in addition to public campgrounds.

Parents and Kids Volunteer Groups/Support Groups such as Playgroups, New Moms Groups and just about anything you can think of.

If you want to get an idea of what your money buys in MetroWest,
call Sally Vetstein at 508-561-7424 or email: svetter@metrowest-ma.com