If any of you love watching meteor showers like me, there’s a meteor shower peaking tomorrow night, December 13th/morning of the 14th. With this shower, you should be able to see up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour. They will be radiating from the constellation Gemini and best viewing will be to the east after midnight.
Also…there will be a total lunar eclipse on December 21st. It will be visible after midnight here and the moon will be almost directly overhead.
I’m trying to compile a listing of the best christmas light displays around the South Shore. Please let me know your favorite displays!
Here’s some from our readers:
Abington: Shaw Ave
Braintree: Eileen Drive
Bridgewater: Bridgewater Festival of Lights, 55 Alexander Drive
Carver: 3 Melanie Lane; Edaville Railroad (pretty to just drive by)
Kingston: 201 Parting Ways Rd
Norwell: Grove Street
Middleboro: 897 Plymouth Street
There’s a listing of lights from the Patriot Ledger back in 2008 but I don’t know if they are still active or not.
There must be more out there! Let us know where to find them!
The Pinehills’ sixth annual Holidays on the Green will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, at the Village Green in The Pinehills. Activities include cookie decorating, ornament making, a petting zoo and more. Take your furry four-legged friend for the popular Reindog Parade. Shop at the Arthouse Boutique and visit Santa Claus. He loves having his photo taken, so take your camera. Santa will also be collecting letters from the children.
All activities begin at noon, unless otherwise indicated.
Pancakes with Santa: Café Olio from 10 a.m. to noon for a pancake breakfast with Santa. Reservations and tickets are required 508-224-4200. $5 for kids, $7.50 for adults.
Story telling: Children’s holiday themed stories from noon to 2 p.m. (kids should take their favorite books).
Arthouse boutique: Do a little holiday shopping at the Arthouse Boutique featuring unique gifts created by area artists. The Boutique will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Ice sculpting demo: Watch professional ice sculptors as they create winter wonderland masterpieces on the new Village Green 1-5pm.
Gingerbread auction: Check out the silent auction of gingerbread houses at The Pinehills model homes to benefit the local food pantry.
Reindog parade: Dress your pups in their best holiday gear for the 3 p.m. parade, register by 2:30.
Meet Santa Claus:at the Post Office, 2-6pm.
Cookie decorating: Kids can decorate (and eat) their own holiday cookies at TD Bank, 2-6pm
Holiday ornaments: Kids can hang their wishes and ornaments on the Caring Trees that will be delivered to children in local hospitals.
Petting zoo: Feed the animals at the petting zoo on the Village Green, 2-6pm.
Carolers: Get in the holiday spirit with festive carolers.
Tree lighting: See the lighting of The Pinehills holiday tree at 5 p.m.
Chanukah Celebration: Reading and Lighting of the Menorah, 4pm.
For more information, their website.
Head on over to the Pembroke Town Green on Sunday, December 5th from 2:30-5:00 for the Annual Tree Lighting Event. There will be hayrides, moonwalk, cookie decorating, sing along and more. Santa will appear at 5, light the tree and meet with the kids. For more info, visit their website.
There’s quite a few “Polar Express” events going on starting this weekend!
Marshfield Polar Express: Kingston MBTA Station. Benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield. Caroling, cookies, hot cocoa, storytelling. Saturday, December 11. 11:45, 1:30, 7:10. Tickets can be bought online, $20.
Cape Cod Railroad’s Polar Swan Express: Hot Cocoa, story, Santa. Saturday, November 27th & 28th. Tickets $12. ***Sorry…this event is now sold out*** (bookmark it for next year!)
Scituate Polar Express: Sunday, December 5th, 9:45am, 12:30 pm, 2:40pm and 4:40pm. Cookies, chocolate milk, bell and story. Contact Scituate Town Library for more info.
North Pole Express: Cape Cod Central Railroad, Sandwich Depot. Friday, December 3, 4:30pm; Saturday December 4th at 10am and 12:30pm. Sunday, December 5th at 10:30am, 1pm and 3:30pm. Tickets $28.
Tonight is the Tree Lighting at Colony Place from 6-7pm. There will be music, dance and carolers near Panera Bread.
Santa arrives on Sunday at noon. There will horse drawn hayrides with Santa and you can take your own photos with him. Santa will then be available for pictures every Saturday & Sunday until Christmas from 11-3.
There will also be “Strolling entertainment” throughout Colony Place every weekend.
LaZBoy will have “Fireside” storytime and pictures with characters Max from Max & Ruby, Pig from If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Grinch and Cat in the Hat Saturdays & Sundays from 11-12.
Visit their website for more information.
Plymouth is having their Thanksgiving parade starting at 11am on Saturday, November 20th. There’s lots of other events going on from Friday 11/19 thru Sunday 11/21. There will be the New England Food Festival, Kids activities, crafter’s pavilion and more.
For a full listing, click here.
Head on over to Expressions in Duxbury this week to help your child make a handprint Turkey Plate!
Thursday, November 18th: 10am or 1pm
Friday, November 19th: 10am or 1pm
Kids, bring Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa or any other special friend to help you paint a special Handprint Turkey Plate for Thanksgiving! We will help with your print and have lots of ideas to decorate your plate.
All ages welcome - even babies can come do a turkey print!
We are offering workshops at 10am and 1pm (informal class, usually 1/2 - 1 hour, depending on the children). Space is limited. Please sign-up in advance at 781-934-8122. $20/plate (includes glazing and firing).
If your child is aged 6-14, they also have a drop off Turkey Plate class on Wednesday, November 17th from 4-5:15, Friday, November 19th from 4-5:15 and Saturday, November 20th from 10-11:15. Cost is still $20 plus tax. =)
Great keepsake!!
I don’t know how many of you already do the The Elf on the Shelf
started ours quite a few years ago before he became really popular. The kids love him. Our Elf Eldon (kids named him) appears on the morning after Thanksgiving. He watches over what the kids are doing and reports directly back to Santa every night. When he comes back, he’s in a different spot for the kids to find him. (so don’t forget to move him! lol) If they kids act up, I threaten that the Elf is going to tell on them! Really cute idea…and the kids love it. There’s a book that comes with him that you can read that tells all about how he “works”. We always put him up high because he loses his magic if he’s touched and I don’t want the kids “testing” it, lol.
If you have little kids…I definitely recommend getting his! Hallmark stores carry them but sell out really fast. Amazon has it with free shipping.
Came across this today on the Old Colony Memorial site. Great idea!!
Dr. Kerr and Dr. Lutz Family Dentistry will be buying back candy from local trick-or-treaters for a Halloween candy buy-back event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at both their Plymouth offices, 233 Water St. and 3 Market Crossing in The Pinehills. In partnership with the Nathan Hale Foundation and the local VFW, candy collected will be sent to troops overseas in their holiday boxes. Kerr and Lutz will be paying $1 per pound to children who want to “give it up” for a good cause. Children will also have the opportunity to write a special holiday message to the soldiers to be included with the candy. Candy must be wrapped and unopened. All trick-or-treaters are welcome to give their piggy banks a “boo”st and reach out to troops who will be away from home this holiday season.
A great way to get rid of all that candy and a great cause to be involved in!
NE Wildlife Center, Weymouth: “Night of a Thousand Faces” from 4:30-8:30 on Friday night. Hundreds of jack o lanterns line nature trails. $7/adults, $5/kids.
Wareham Crossing, Wareham: Best Buy is having face painting, costume contest from 11-3 on Saturday. The stores will also have trick or treating throughout the day on Sunday. Friendly’s Express is also giving a free kids meal with an adult entrée on Sunday.
Borders Stores: Halloween Spooktacular at 11 am on Saturday. Scary stories, games, craft and parade. See website for participating stores.
Independence Mall, Kingston: Mall-wide trick or treating from 3-5pm on Sunday and a costume contest at 4:45 in Center Court.
Hanover Mall, Hanover: More mall wide trick or treating from 3-5pm on Sunday. Stop by Uno’s in your costume and kids get a free make your own pizza (see restaurant for details).
Silver City Galleria, Taunton: Visit on Saturday from 6-8pm and children 12 and under can trick or treat at stores displaying an orange poster. Kids can also enter a coloring contest in the center court. Costumed kids will get a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes. (No Masks Allowed)
Carousel, Fall River: Family Halloween Party at the Fall River Carousel. For kids 12 and under. Costume contest, candy hunts, ghost stories, crafts, face painting and more. $10 per person. Reservations Required. Saturday, 3-5pm.
Halloween Day Event, Hanover: West Hanover Crossing will have halloween fun…face painting, photos, games, crafts and more. Sunday, 1-4pm. 1415 Hanover Street (Rt. 139). All proceeds will benefit Hanover PTA.
Paragon Carousel, Hull: “Haunted” Carousel, 12-3 on Sunday. Fun, prizes and ice cream!
Halloween Family Festival, Everwood Day Camp, Sharon: Meet Wally the Green Monster, pumpkin painting, hayrides, facepainting, moonwalks and much more! Free! Noon –2pm, Sunday.
Zoo Howl, Franklin Park Zoo: Saturday & Sunday 11-3pm. Crafts, games, trick or treating and a haunted maze. Hayrides available too!
Halloween Howl, South Shore Natural Science Center, Norwell: 5-7:30pm on Saturday. Crafts, activities, pumpkin decorating and a wildlife presentation. $10 for non members, $8 for members. Includes a walk through Spooky Woods too.
Unscary Halloween Party, Soule Homestead, Middleboro: Hayride, games, story, costume parade. 4-6pm Saturday (rain date Sunday). $5 for members, $7/nonmembers. Must preregister.
Plympton has a haunted maze this Friday and Saturday October 22 & 23rd from 7-9pm behind the Plympton Town House. Cost is $4.
Whitman Middle School is having a Haunted Maze this weekend as well, Friday and Saturday from 6-9:30. Admission is $8.00 per person and there is free babysitting so you don’t have to take the little ones in with you. They do have a “children’s maze” as well…admission is $2 for that…with parents being free.
There’s a haunted house in Lakeville too. Dates are October 22 & 23 and October 29th & 30th from 6:30 til 10pm, tours start at 7.
The Berwick Boys Foundation has the House of Horrors in West Bridgewater. Head on over there the 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th from 6:30 til 10pm. There’s even a $2.00 off coupon!
Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island has their Annual Jack O Lantern Spectacular going on nightly thru Oct. 31st. Hundreds of carved pumpkins!
Boo at the Zoo is back at Buttonwood Zoo in New Bedford. An evening of Halloween fun with crafts and activities. They are open the 22nd-24th and the 28th-30th from 6-9pm. Cost is $10/adult and $8/child.
Know any other fun haunted happenings? Let us know!
The Mom’s and Dad’s Guide is holding their annual kids expo at the Independence Mall this Sunday, October 17th from 11-6. There will lots of fun for kids including face painting, dancing, balloons and more. There will also be a Fashion show put on by the student of Fashion Focus Modeling & Finishing Program.
This weekend is the National Cranberry Harvest Festival at Edaville Railroad in Carver. There will be live entertainment & music, arts, crafts food and more! There will even be a special appearance by the Grinch. Open 10-5. General admission to the festival is $5. General admission with a train ride is $10. Full price admission to ride the train and the amusements is $18 per adult, $16 per child. Save $2 off each full price adult admission here.
The Cranberry Harvest Celebration will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 9th & 10th. The event is held 10-4, rain or shine at Tihonet Village in Wareham. There will be cranberry bog tours, helicopter rides, pony rides, demonstrations, crafters, entertainment, games and more! Admission is $2, under 6 is free. Parking is free.
Head on over to Bog Hollow Farm on Rt. 106 in Kingston this weekend 10-4 for the annual event. You can take a hay ride to the pumpkin patch where you can find your perfect pumpkin, do a maze, visit the animals and more. Admission is $5 per person, children 2 and under are free. For more info, please see their website.
Nessralla Farm has their corn maze open weekends thru October 31st. It will take you about an hour to go through the maze. You can also make a day of it and get lunch there, see the animals at the petting zoo and more.
Columbus Day weekend they have the largest pumpkin drop in Massachusetts! Be there at 2pm on Saturday, Sunday or Monday for the awesome sight! Admission is $8 for adults, kids 4-12 are $6 and 3 and under is free. You can print a coupon from their website to save $1.00 per admission.
This weekend is also the Fall Harvest Weekend at Patriot Place sponsored by Ocean Spray. There will be free hayrides, build a bog for the kids, a farmers market, free samples from local restaurants, free samples from Ocean Spray and more. You can see the schedule of events here. Admission is free.
The Lakeville Arts Festival will be held tomorrow from 10-4. Admission is free. There' will be fun stuff for the kids in the children’s room at the library from 10-2. There will also be over 50 local artisans selling their crafts and music too. Check out their website for a complete listing.
You can enjoy and afternoon of family fun at the King Caesar’s Autumn Fest on Sunday, October 3rd from 12-4 at the King Caesar House in Duxbury. There will be games, food, crafts, face painting, entertainment and more.
Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children (under 6 is free). Maximum $20 per family. Please park at the Duxbury High School and take the trolley to the event that day.
This Sunday, October 3rd is the 5th Annual Arts by the Bog at Flax Pond Farms in Carver. Head on over there 10-4 for children’s activities, arts & crafts, food, dry harvest bog tours, entertainment and more!
Kids ages 8-22 can enter their artwork into their art show as well! Entries must be ready to hang and dropped off between 9 and 9:30am.
A nice family outing!
THE HANSON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Presents a FREE Family Fun Event
"The Cranberry Festival"
Part of our Fall traveling exhibit program!
Monday, September 27th from 4-8pm
At The Hanover Mall
Please bring your family to enjoy the following free events!
PLUS
Music and performance from 6 to 7pm by
Enjoy special offers, coupons and giveaways from participating merchants throughout the Mall!
Be sure to check our raffle table of items generously donated by Mall stores!
(Proceeds to benefit the Hanson Children’s’ Museum)
This Saturday, September 25 is Farm Day at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield from 10-4. There’s lots of games and crafts for the kids as well as hayrides, demonstrations, music and yummy food. Admission is $7, children under 3 are free.
Kerry wanted me to let you know about a very cool thing they’re having at some local libaries…..
Have you ever wondered about all of the cranberry bogs we see in our area? The Hanson Children’s Museum is excited to bring our traveling Cranberry Bog exhibit to a library near you! Your child can harvest cranberries and crawl through the "earth tunnel" to check out the layers of a bog on our traveling Bog Pit exhibit. Spend a fun morning in one of our playgroups, using hands on activities and crafts to introduce the importance of cranberries in our local area! Three playgroups will be offered at each library, Bog in a Cup, Eco Tours and Tools of the Trade.
In September, please visit us at the Whitman Library from September 21st to the 23rd, where we are offering two playgroups each day from 10:00 to 10:45 and 11:00 to 11:45! Call the Children’s Librarian to register at 781-447-7613. First come first serve! We will also be visiting the Rockland Memorial Library the week of September 27th! Please call 781-878-1236 to register for the Rockland Cranberry Festival playgroups. All activities are free, but are limited to 15 children in each session!
Keep an eye out for us at your local library over the next few months! Our October Schedule will be available soon! Stay tuned to our website and find us on facebook!
Random.org choose #17 as the lucky number. Congratulations to Maureen who said…
Tough to choose just one but I'm between the starfish necklace, the silk wrapped charm necklace, or the little dottie collection for my daughter.
Check your email Maureen!
Don’t forget about Kate’s site with the (gasp) holidays coming up! Stella & Dot jewelry would make great gifts! And if you’re looking to get the girls together for a night in, consider having a Trunk Show with her.
Thank you to Kate for sponsoring the giveaway and once again Congrats to Maureen!
The Soule Homestead in Middleboro is having their annual Harvest Fair on Saturday & Sunday, September 18th & 19th. There will fun, food and lots of activities for all ages including
Along with the Harvest Fair is the Joe Davies Folk Festival. You can view the music line up here.
Admission is $7 per person, under 6 is free.
If you haven’t already seen or heard about Stella & Dot, it’s a celebrity-coveted, editor adored, boutique style jewelry line that’s been featured in InStyle, Lucky, Real Simple, Redbook, on The View and The Today Show. 
The vintage designs are unique, affordable and can be worn with a tank top and jeans or a black cocktail dress. The line includes everything from initial charms to metro-chic cascading chains and chunky rings; something to fit everyone’s style and budget!
Not to mention that the Trunk Shows are a blast! No stuffy presentation; just a great opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine, try on the irresistible jewelry, all while you enjoy some much needed girl time!
Enter the Stella & Dot Giveaway!
Kate LaRose, a local Stella & Dot Stylist, is offering a $40 Gift Certificate to one lucky South Shore Kids reader! The contest rules are below. Enter by Wednesday, September 15th for your chance to win!
If you’re interested in hosting a trunk show or becoming a Stella & Dot Stylist, contact Kate directly at kathryn.larose@gmail.com. On average, hostesses receive $250 in free jewelry and shop more at 50% off.
Good Luck!
Now that the kids are back in school, I decided I really should get my butt back in gear and put me first again. Sooo…I rejoined my gym. I can never seem to get there during the summer with three kids at home so back to school is a great time to join again!
Stonewood Health and Fitness in Carver has recently become USA Fitness. It will be nice to get myself back into a schedule…and losing a few pounds would be really, really nice! I like this gym…very clean, lots of equipment and a women’s gym (my favorite!) Not to mention it’s very convenient for me. =)
While I was there, I took one of their cards so I could post their special right now. Until the end of the month, you can save half off their enrollment fee (reg. $199) and pays only $29/month with no commitment. And you can get your first month free. If you want to take advantage…print the card below and bring it with you. =)
They do have babysitting…I think it said $4.00 per hour. And they have a lot of classes….I’ll be taking up the yoga again!
So if you’re interested in joining somewhere and this gym is convenient…head on over there! If you’ve got a membership somewhere else, make time to use it and get healthy. =)
Most local libraries have free or reduced rate passes available to local attractions like the Museum of Science, the New England Aquarium, Plimoth Plantation and more. I found this link that let’s you 
reserve passes online if you’re library is in the SAILS network making it nice and easy for parents! Check with each library though, there may be restrictions on use. And don’t forget to check with your local library if they’re not on the online list, they most likely have some you can reserve as well!
They are having lots of fun family things at the Best Buy Grand Opening at Colony Place tomorrow September 4th!
9am…Sparky the firedog with the Plymouth Fire Department
10am…Face painting
10-4…giveaways!
11-6…Wii bowling tournament on a movie screen
12-3…samples from Colony Place restaurants
My Gym in Kingston is having their open house on Saturday, September 11th and 12th from 9-12. The event is free and open to the public. They are giving away over $500 in raffles and prizes.
While you’re there, check out their new fall schedule! Lots of great programs for the kids as well as Parent’s Nite Out events and Yoga. You can get more info at the website.
Thanks to Melanie for the info!
On Sunday, September 5th, the Plymouth Airport on South Meadow Road is having an Air Fair from 10-4! They will be having fly-bys, plane rides, helicopter rides, displays, helicopter golf ball drop, antique cards, raffles, games and more family fun!Admission is free, but they request a $5.00 parking donation. Bring a donation for the food pantry and get a free raffle ticket!Rain Date is Monday, September 6th.
You can go view the Goodyear Blimp on September 16-19.
Antique Steam and gas engines will be on display by the Cranberry Flywheelers on September 25 & 26th.
And lastly, you can go check out the “Wings of Freedom” tour on September 27-29. You can see famous WWII bombers & fighter aircraft: the North American P-51 Mustang fighter, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Walk through tours are $12 for adults and $6 for kids 12 and under. WWII Veterans get into the ground tours at now charge.
We just used Jess for our family pictures and they came our fabulous! She is offering a an off-season special for South Shore Kids fans….
Please visit the www.jessicadoherty.com for samples of her FABULOUS work! She is also on Facebook so go “like” her!
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