Kids are home: Your April vacation things-to-do guide

(NECN) – If you’re looking to avoid hearing the dreaded whine of the kids: “I’m bored!” Parenting expert Heather Kempskie is in studio sharing fun ways to spend the week.  

Outdoor fun – best picks on the weather front are Thursday and Friday
The famous Swan Boats in Boston have opened for the season. A great tradition with the kids can be followed by a picnic in the park.


Garden in the Woods (180 Hemenway Road) in Framingham is an ever-changing living museum that has more than 1,000 native plant species, with many rare and endangered native specimens throughout the gardens.


Davis Farmland (145 Redstone Hill) in Sterling promises lots of animal fun and adventure for kids.


Occupying 175 acres, Southwick’s Zoo is New England’s largest zoo with more than 500 animals, many of which are rare or endangered species and officially opened for the season yesterday.


The 11-mile paved Minuteman Bikeway is separate from traffic and follows the old Boston and Maine railroad line through the picturesque towns of Bedford, Lexington, Arlington, and Cambridge and is one of the country’s most used bike paths.


Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center (1904 Canton Ave.) in Milton is a great way to spend an afternoon. Established in 1885, the Blue Hill Observatory is the country’s oldest continually operating weather observatory and can be reached by hiking or biking

Indoor fun – best bets for rain are Tuesday and Wednesday

Established in 1950, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (51 Sandy Pond Rd.) in Lincoln features unique indoor and outdoor venues.

New England Aquarium has opened it shark and ray touch tank where visitors to this new exhibit can reach out and gently stroke cownose rays, bonnethead sharks, Atlantic rays and epaulette sharks as they swim gracefully through the crystal clear water. The exhibit presents these incredible species in a way that highlights their importance in a healthy ocean ecosystem.