Editor’s Note: While all attempts have been made to make these lists as accurate as possible, times and program availability may be subject to change. Please check information in advance to avoid disappointment. 

Ongoing

Aqua Kids Family Day, Fridays, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston. Enjoy stories, games, art projects and live animal demonstrations in the Curious George Discovery Center. Free with aquarium admission. 617-973-5200; neaq.org

Animal Happenings, 10:30-11:15am, first and third Thursdays, Children's Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. Each week, kids can touch something furry, feathery, scaly or slippery and learn about animal behaviors. 508-230-3789; childrensmuseumineaston.org

Around the World, 10am – 2pm, Second Friday, Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. Travel around the world and enjoy a multi-cultural celebration. Each month, jet off to a new country and explore the music, crafts and games of the land. Free with museum admission. 508-230-3789; childrensmuseumineaston.org

Art Explorations, 10-10:45am, Fridays, The Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. Have loads of fun with paint, glitter and play dough. Free with museum admission. 508-230-3789; childrensmuseumineaston.org

Behind-The-Scenes Tour, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston. Get an inside view of what it takes to care for the animals and exhibits. Tickets: $15 plus aquarium admission. Reservations must be made two weeks in advance. For children ages 7 and over. 617-973-5200;neaq.org

Creature Feature, 11am, Second and Fourth Tuesday, Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. Show and tell with a live reptile. 617-426-6500; bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Daily Messy Sensory Activities, 10am-3:30pm, Saturday – Thursday; 10am-7pm, Fridays, PlaySpace, Boston Children’s Museum, 300 Congress St., Boston. Free with museum admission. 617-426-6500;bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Drop-In Art Activities, 1-3pm, Saturdays and Sundays, Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem. Explore art, nature and more. Free with museum admission. 978-745-9500; pem.org

Exploring Music, 10-10:45am, Wednesdays, The Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. Participate in a variety of creative musical activities including singing, rhythm-making, dramatic interpretation and more. Free with museum admission. 508-230-3789;childrensmuseumineaston.org

Family Gallery Explorations, 1-1:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays, Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem. Enjoy a 30-minute gallery adventure just for families. Free with museum admission. Sign up at the admission desk. 978-745-9500; pem.org

First Sunday Drop-into Art, 2-4pm, first Sunday of the month, Danforth Museum of Art, 123 Union Ave., Framingham. Children’s art activities and family tours by teen and adult docents. 508-620-0050; danforthmuseum.org

Free Admission on Your Birthday at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston. 617-566-1401; gardnermuseum.org

Friday Afternoon Sketching, 2pm, Fridays, Hull Lifesaving Museum, 1117 Nantasket Ave., Hull. Brush up on your foundation skills and keep your sketchbook active. $10 per class. 781-925-5433;hulllifesavingmuseum.org

From the Deep: The Sperm Whale, Bone by Bone, New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford. View the skeleton of a 45-ton Sperm Whale, found off Great Point, Nantucket. 508-997-0046; whalingmuseum.org

Gabrielle Healy Carroll Storytime Program, 10:30am, Tuesdays and Fridays; 2pm, Saturday and Sundays, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst. Free with museum admission. 413-658-1105; picturebookart.org

Historic Stagecoach Rides, Monday – Sunday, Old Sturbridge Village, Route 20, Sturbridge. Take a ride in an old-fashioned stagecoach around the Village Common. $5 with village admission. 800-SEE-1830, osv.org

Kids Chess Club, 4pm, Thursdays, Hull Life Saving Museum, 1117 Nantasket Ave., Hull. Learn how to play chess! 781-925-5433; lifesavingmuseum.org

Let’s Play School, 10:30-11:30am, Tuesdays, Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. See what Kindergarten is all about. 617-426-6500; bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Let’s Pretend, 11am to noon, Tuesdays, Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. Join staff in theatrical, imaginative play. For children ages 5 and under. 617-426-6500;bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Music & Movement, 11am, Mondays and Wednesdays, PlaySpace, Boston Children’s Museum, 300 Congress St., Boston. Join the circle of toddlers and grownups for music and dancing. Free with museum admission. 617-426-6500; bostonchildrensmuseum.org

My First Yoga, 11-11:45am, Fridays, Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. Flex and relax for big and small bodies. 617-426-6500; bostonchildrensmuseum.org

 Rosa’s Recipes, 10-10:45am or 2-2:45pm, First Tuesday, The Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. Rosa is back and she’s opening her recipe box to share some of her yummiest treats with us. Come sample a new dish each month, learn about the healthy ingredients, and take home the recipe so you can share it with friends and family! Free with museum admission. 508-230-3789; childrensmuseumineaston.org

Meet & Greet the Harbor Seals, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston. Go behind the scenes of the harbor seal exhibit and interact with the seals. $100. 617-973-5206; neaq.org.

Meet & Greet the Northern Fur Seals, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston. Go behind the scenes and get to know a Northern Fur seal with marine mammal trainers. $100.  617-973-5206; neaq.org.

Preschool and Toddler Wednesdays,10:30-11am; 11-11:30am and 11:30 to noon, Enjoy storytime, craft activities and live animals, all developed for little ones under age 3. 508-929-2700;ecotarium.org

Tales for Village Tots, 10am, Wednesdays, Old Sturbridge Village, Route 20, Sturbridge. Enjoy story-telling and related arts and crafts about life in early New England. Fee: $6, can be used toward village admission. 800-SEE-1830, osv.org

Tasty Tuesdays, 10:30-11:30am, Tuesdays, PlaySpace, Boston Children’s Museum, 300 Congress St., Boston. Make a yummy, healthy snack, that toddlers and adults will both enjoy. 617-426-6500;bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Toddler Tales, 10:30am, Thursdays, Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn St., New Bedford. Enjoy a snack while listening to a couple of short stories, then create a craft or meet an animal. Free with zoo admission. 508-991-6178; bpzoo.org

Toddler Time, 10-11am, Fridays, Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. Explore the classroom toddler style. For children ages 0-3. 617-426-6500; bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Toe Jam Puppet Band, 10:30am and 12:30 pm, Mondays, Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn St., New Bedford. $5 with zoo admission. 508-991-6178; bpzoo.org.

Trucks on Tuesdays,10-10:45am, Tuesdays, Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. Stop by and see a different truck each week. 508-230-3789; childrensmuseumineaston.org

Temporary Exhibits

Grossology:  The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body. EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester. Based on the best-selling book, Grossology, this exhibition uses sophisticated animatronics and imaginative exhibits to tell you the good, the bad and the downright ugly about runny noses,  body odor and other icky things that everyone experiences. Free with museum admission. Runs through December 2, 2012. 508-929-2700; ecotarium.org.

The Jeweled Net:Views of Contemporary Holography. MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Ave. 617-253-5927. This exhibit surveys state-of-the-art display holography, and showcases the artistic and technical merit of over 20 works of holographic art. Through Sept. 2013.

Lost Egypt: Ancient Secrets, Modern Science, 9am, 5pm, Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston. Check out this new exhibit that opens today and discover how archaeologists use modern science and technology to uncover and understand the ancient civilization of Egypt. Free with museum admission. May 27-Sept. 3. 617-723-2500; mos.org.

Native Voices, Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. Through hands-on activities, artifacts, stories and songs, children can explore five thriving New England communities, which balance their Native American cultural traditions with modern life. Free with museum admission. Runs Jan. 28 to Sept. 10. 617-426-6500; bostonchildrensmuseum.org.

New England Forests, Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge. This new, permanent multimedia exhibit explores the natural history and ecology of our regional forests, their responses to human activity and their environmental significance. 617-495-3045;hmnh.harvard.edu

Ropewalks of the West End and Beyond, West End Museum, 50 Staniford St., Suite 7, Boston.  617-723-2125,  westendmuseum@gmail.com, May 22nd - Aug 18th.

From the mid-17th century to the end of the 19th century, the rope-making industry thrived in Boston. Ropewalks—long, narrow plots with covered walks and sheds that housed rope-making facilities—dotted the landscape of West Boston and supplied rope primarily for seafaring vessels. The city’s earlier ropewalk lay less than one hundred yards from the West End Museum. Ropewalks of the West End highlights the history of these unusual buildings beginning with the earliest “ropefield” of John Harrison established in 1642 and continuing beyond the onset of the War of 1812 when a West End ropewalk supplied the anchor cable to the U.S.S. Constitution, the most famous war ship of the era. Concurrent walking tours that start in the West End and fan out across the city offer the opportunity to discover firsthand the remnants of the ropewalks’ footprints on Boston. FREE.

Spider Sense: A Scavenger Hunt, 9am -- 5pm, June 16 -- Sept. 3. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge. Delve into the amazing world of spiders and spider-like animals from around the globe by picking up a Spider-Sense! guide and map at the museum front desk. The scavenger hunt will guide you on a journey of discovery – exploring the astounding diversity of spiders and their kin and the elegant adaptations which have allowed their survival for tens of millions of years. Free with admission. 617-495-3045; hmnh.harvard.edu. 

Ward Boss Lomasney, West End Museum, 50 Staniford St., Suite 7, Boston.  617-723-2125,  westendmuseum@gmail.com. This new show commemorates the legendary status of Martin Lomasney, the undisputed boss of Boston’s Ward 8 (later Ward 5 and Ward 3) from about 1885 until his death in 1933. Reproductions of W. Norman Ritchie’s political cartoons from the Boston Post and others from the Boston Globe will be on display together with graphic panels featuring related articles and Lomasney’s most renowned quotes, including “Don't write when you can talk. Don't talk when you can nod your head.”  FREE.