This month’s resources include museum events featuring children with special needs, a great tool for transportation in Boston during the school year and a handful of FREE events throughout the month to end the summer on a happy, healthy note!
VinFen & Longwood Symphony Orchestra Free Concert, August 14th
At this event Vinfen will be announced as a Longwood Symphony Orchestra (LSO) Healing Art of Music Community Partner for 2014. Vinfen is a nonprofit that works to transform the lives of people living with psychiatric, developmental and behavioral disabilities. The LSO Healing Art of Music offers Boston-based organizations an opportunity to raise money for health-related initiatives. The LSO’s orchestra is composed primarily of health care professionals and caregivers from the area’s hospitals and universities. This concert will be held at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade at 7pm.
“Morningstar Access” at Boston Children’s Museum, August 15th
From 8-9:30am on August 15th the Boston Children’s Museum is open exclusively to children with special needs so they can enjoy the museum in an uncrowded environment. Fee is $7.00 and pre-registration is required.
Adaptive & Accessible Sailing with Piers Park
From July 8 to August 23 in East Boston, Piers Park Sailing is holding a program for individuals with various cognitive and physical disabilities such as PDD-NOS, Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, ADD, MS, Cerebral Palsy, Deaf, Blind, and Spina Bifida. Program is completely inclusive with able bodied and adaptive participants. For more information contact ydp@piersparksailing.org or 617-561-6677 x14 or 800-244-2756
Museum of Fine Arts “Artful Healing” Program
On Saturdays over the summer (10:30am-12pm), children ages 8-12 years on the Autism Spectrum can explore the MFA collection with a trained Museum instructor, then continue to a classroom and create their own masterpiece to take home. One parent or caregiver is required to accompany the child, but is admitted free with each purchased child ticket, and also receives a discount on parking in Museum facilities. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are only available online. Tickets for the current week’s class will only be available for sale until 1 pm on Wednesday
The Highland Street Foundation provides support to selected Massachusetts’s cultural institutions so they can open their doors to residents and tourists for FREE on Fridays throughout the summer. Free Fun Friday’s runs through August 30th.
August 2nd: Boston Children’s Museum, Franklin Park Zoo, Arnold Arboretum
August 9th: The Sports Museum
August 16th: The Institute of contemporary art, Boston
August 23rd: Museum of African American History
August 30th: New Repertory Theatre
Find programs located in Boston that are providing transportation or making special accommodations for Boston students from early childhood through age 24. You can also register on the site to write reviews and comments about programs in which you have participated.