The Big Apple Circus will soon be pitching its tent at City Hall Plaza in Boston for its annual spring run, April 3-May 16, 2010.  The Big Apple Circus is always big- fun for families.  The cozy one-ring circus format is ideal for children - none of the seats are more than 50 feet from the show - so even the smallest child won’t miss any of the action! This year’s show, “Bello is Back” features  ”America’s best clown” Bello Nock joining the Big Apple’s star clown, Grandma.  The Big Apple show lasts just 2 squirm-proof hours and always includes the thrills of some amazing international artists - acrobats, trapeze artists, jugglers, and more.  Treat your kids and  treat yourself. Can’t you just smell the popcorn?

Did you survive February vacation? Thankfully the kids are back in school this week! But the weekend will be here again before you know it so here’s my pick for your next fabulous winter outing with the kids.

On Saturday, February 27th the Institute of Contemporary Art (100 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-478-3100) is hosting it’s monthly Play Date for families.The ICA’s Play Date takes place on the last Saturday of every month- and the scene is more like a gallery opening than a museum. Play Dates are a bargain too-  ICA admission is free for 2 adults per family with a child age 12 and under . Good to know- children under age 17 are always free at the ICA!

Play Date programming is often exhibit -related and can include films, performances, gallery tours and art-making activities. Inspired by the  ICA’s newest special exhibition, “Roni Horn aka Roni Horn” this month’s play date theme is ICA Birdwatch . Kids can borrow binoculars from the ICA and practice their bird-watching technique outside. Live bird encounters with professional bird handlers will  give kids opportunities to sketch and make their own whimsical bird puppets. And after your kids have had a chance to experiment and make art at their own pace, chances are good that they will be ready to explore the rest of the museum with you!

Image Credit: Roni Horn, Dead Owl, 1998, courtesy of the artist and Hauser and Wirth

An overnight stay in Boston is a popular February vacation tradition for lots of  Massachusetts families . This year, the Hotel Commonwealth (500 Commonwealth Ave.,Boston 617-532-5019) is offering a very special February Vacation “Hotel For Kids” package  on Friday, February 19th for just $219  to coincide with its “Bedtime Pajama Stories” fundraiser to benefit ReadBoston.The package includes accommodations for 2 adults and 2 children (additional children can be accommodated for $49 each), complimentary parking, cookies and milk upon arrival, and a welcome backpack for each kid with L.L. Bean slippers, a bedtime story and a flashlight.Saturday morning the kids can participate in a kid’s pancake making class with chef Jeremy Sewall of the Hotel’s highly regarded Eastern Standard. You can even extend your stay, additional nights are just $169 per night .

Of course, there are no shortage of things to do in Boston-even in winter! You may want to visit (or revisit!) your family’s favorite Boston kid-oriented museum- the Children’s Museum, the New England Aquarium or the Museum of Science are all great choices. Close to the Hotel Commonwealth, you can take a tour of Fenway Park, 5 W!ts Tomb, or the Museum of Fine Arts.  Be sure to  have an early dinner though, because on Friday evening, the Hotel is sponsoring a “Bedtime Stories” Pajama Party  from 7PM-8:30 PM . The cost per family is a suggested $10 donation which benefits ReadBoston and includes storytelling and performances by professional storytellers and a make-your-own hot chocolate bar. Note too, that you don’t have to stay at the Hotel Commonwealth to participate in the Pajama Party, the event is open to all, RSVP at  617-532-5017.

Image Credit: Hotel Commonwealth, used with permission.

Girl Scouts are cool. A few weeks ago I received a calendar listing for the “Cookie Creations” benefit event at Boston’s  Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel on January 28  for the Girl Scouts of Eastern  Massachusetts. Seven Boston-area celebrity chefs were competing in a cook-off using Girl Scout cookies as an ingredient to make original dishes. The crowd samples each of the creations and chooses their favorite. Celebrity judges Kennedy from Mix 104 and Jenny Johnson from NECN’s  TV Diner and Dream Home were hosting. The  money raised by the benefit supports the Girl Scouts and kicks-off the local Girl Scout cookie selling season.

My 13-year-old daughter is a Girl Scout- and  has been since kindergarten. Over the years there have been sleepovers at the Museum of Science, International Dinners, Encampments at Girl Scout headquarters in Waltham, and seemingly endless winter weeks of cookie selling. But she is at the age  now where some of her peers scoff at Girl Scouts.

Rare that my life as a writer meshes with my life as a Mom. With approval of our troop leader, I sent out an email for a  ”Mom and Girl’s Night Out For Troop 3450.” It was a school night, but  it turned out that six of us could attend.  In  the lobby of the Copley Plaza Hotel, the girls met the very famous “Catie Copley” , the hotel’s resident  black Labrador and the subject of two children’s story books.  Moms and girls nibbled on crudite and cheese as a prelude to the very serious businessss of tasting each of the seven very  fancy desserts created for judging.  There was a peanut butter cheesecake with butterscotch sauce from Tremont 647, Caramel Delite Cupcakes from Sommerville’s Kick *ss Cupcakes (my personal favorite!)  a layered Lemonade Pushpop  from Aura at the Seaport Hotel, and more.  We hob-nobbed with the famous. I met Chef Rachel Klein, “Are you the Rachel Klein” I asked as I shook her hand.”I just wrote about your Fine Dining , Family Style event for Parents and Kids.” My daughter met Jenny Johnson, who was super-friendly, asking her about school and Girl Scouts.  The event was very well-attended; and many in the crowd were young, professional girls- just the sort of person you want your teenage girl to emulate.

The girls had a blast  at “Cookie Creations”, it was all the talk at the next troop meeting. For the adults, the evening was about as much fun as a Mom could have on a Thursday night. Seems like Troop 3450 will be back next year!

Wouldn’t it be great to dine on  a  sophisticated (and organic!) meal while your kids eat from a  children’s  menu that not only caters  to their tastes, but is healthy as well?  Aura Restaurant at the Seaport Hotel (200 Seaport Blvd. Boston, 617-385-4300) in Boston’s Seaport District is again  hosting  its popular family dinner series,  ”Fine Dining, Family Style” on select Friday evenings from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Aura’s  next scheduled family dinner will be on January  29th from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. The dinner will be preceded by a kid’s yoga class led by the hotel’s yoga instructor. Afterwards,kids can join their parents in the dining room . Parents can choose from either the a la carte menu or the  $30 three course prix fixe menu (love prix fixe!) which includes either a salad or soup for a first course, a choice among entrees, and a choice of dessert. Kids can sup on homemade chicken tenders amped up in flavor with orange juice and a brown sugar crust,  grilled cheese with sweet potato fries, and more. Chef Rachel Klein even offers a seasonal selection of purees just for baby!  ”Fine Dining, Family Style” may be a bit pricey, but it is a fun night out for that special occasion when you want to celebrate “en famille”.

For those parents with school age kids, December break ended just last week- and already there is a long weekend looming!  This month’s P+K  feature,” 25 Places to Go and Things To Do  under $25″ has some great, inexpensive ideas for winter outings to consider for this weekend’s Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 18th. Among my personal favorites is the  MLK Day Open House at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  I’ve brought my kids to this event several times over the past few years and it really is a wonderful way to spend a winter afternoon as a family.  The  MFA’s MLK Day Open House features free admission for all, including free admission to the MFA’s kid-friendly current special exhibition, “Secrets of Tomb 10A”.  Kids love mummies- and the exhibit showcases treasures from an ancient Egyptian tomb from 2000 BC. The MFA’s Remis Auditorium  will have activities too,  including a gospel performance at 12:15 p.m. and a poetry slam event from 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., featuring students from the Berklee School of Music. There will be art-making activities for kids throughout the galleries and free introductory tours of the MFA too. Since admission is free, consider treating the kids to a quick bite from the Courtyard Cafe. Finish your day with a spin through the MFA’s gift and book shop for a wonderful selection of educational children’s toys and books.

New Year’s Eve Day is predicted to be sunny and 30 degrees-perfect  weather for  First Night activities with the kids . Check out this month’s P+K for Five Family Friendly New Year’s  Celebrations. Boston’s First Night Celebration of course, is the granddaddy of all First Night celebrations. To really do First Night right, here are some tips.

1. Bundle up. Dress the kids (and yourself!) in layers. Don’t forget a hat and mittens and very good (and warm!) shoes or boots.
2. Take the T. First Night activities take place at more than 40 locations throughout the city, but since the Hynes Convention Center is the site of the FedEx Family Festival   (1 PM-5 PM )and is also the starting point of the Mardi-Gras parade  which starts at 5 PM-  try to arrive at Hynes or  Copley  on the Green line, or Back Bay on the Orange line.
3. Plan for an early dinner (or really late lunch) to avoid the crowds. A  3 PM dinner  is not too early to enjoy both the 5 PM parade and the  family fireworks on the Boston Common at 7PM.  There are lots of chain restaurant choices and a food court in the Prudential Center- but if you are looking for a little quiet, consider either  Caffe Jaffa across Boylston St. at 48 Gloucester St.  for family- friendly Middle East  or Asana in the Mandarin Oriental hotel (776 Boyslton St.) for Asian-inspired cuisine.

If you haven’t made plans yet for the December school vacation , don’t panic-yet.  This month’s P+K  feature ,“20 Places To Go And Things To Do To Make Special Holiday Memories” lists the best family fun activities that the area has to offer.

If you want to enjoy a holiday performance  with the kids, you may want to check out the  discounted tickets available at the Mayor’s Holiday Special where you can buy half-price advance tickets to some of the area’s family oriented seasonal performances including “A Christmas Carol” at the New Repertory Theater in Watertown, the musical “101 Dalmatians“ at the Wang Center and the Christmas Revels at the Sanders Theatre in Cambridge. Amid the craziness of the holidays, attending a  holiday performance can be a wonderful family tradition.

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston (465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300) always has programs that make art fun and accessible for kids. This week, from Wednesday December 2-Sunday, December 6, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300)will be hosting its MFA for the Holidays event  which offers tons of seasonal activities for families.

Check out the Gingerbread model of Copley Square- the original site of the MFA- at the Linde Family Wing on the first floor. Here, on Saturday, December 5 from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., there will be a family concert featuring the Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble, playing kid’s requests.

There will be children’s book signings and book give-aways on both Saturday and Sunday. Hundreds of books will be given away on a first -come, first served  basis. Saturday will feature “Finn Throws a Fit” read by author David Elliott. Author Emily Redmond will read her book, “Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo” and “Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggles the Secret Silk Out of China” will be read by author Debra Noyes. At noon on Sunday kids can hear the story of the “Gingerbread Pirates” will be read by author Matt Tavares. And finally, the very famous Catie Copley, the black lab that lives at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, will be present  at 2 p.m. when her book, “Catie Copley” is read by Suzanne Wenz.

Afterwards, with a little luck,  your kids may let you check out the MFA’s excellent bookstore and gift shop and knock a few presents off your gift list!

MFA for the Holidays is free with general admission which is $20 for adults, and free for children ages 17 and under.

Addendum to my last post: So pleased to  read in the Boston Globe that Jordan’s Furniture convinced one of the Jordan Marsh bakers to come out of retirement to recreate those famous blueberry muffins to be available for purchase during the Enchanted Village run!