{"id":7848,"date":"2013-06-30T10:22:36","date_gmt":"2013-06-30T15:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/?p=7848"},"modified":"2013-06-30T10:47:19","modified_gmt":"2013-06-30T15:47:19","slug":"free-kids-summer-activities-at-cochituate-state-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/2013\/06\/30\/general-interest\/free-kids-summer-activities-at-cochituate-state-park\/","title":{"rendered":"FREE Kids Summer Activities at Cochituate State Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_5046\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/cochituate.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5046\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5046\" title=\"Cochituate State Park\" alt=\"Cochituate State Park\" src=\"http:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/cochituate.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"202\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5046\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">There's lots to do at Cochituate State Park!<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>FRAMINGHAM, MA<\/strong> - Between the towns of Framingham, Wayland and Natick, MA, <strong>Lake Cochituate <\/strong>offer many recreational summer activities including swimming, boating and fishing.<\/p>\n<p>Many locals may not realize that just a few hundred yards east of the Framingham\/Natick town line, <em>(on Rt. 30)<\/em>, the beach, picnic area, boat launch, snack bar and canoe rental shop are in \"<strong>Cochituate State Park\"<\/strong>, which is part of the Massachusetts State Park system and operated by the <strong>MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, (\"DCR\").<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Throughout the months of <strong>July and August<\/strong>, <em>(Tuesdays-Saturdays),<\/em> the park provides fun, educational, and <strong>FREE summer activities for kids and families!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All programs are<!--more--> free and open to the public. Most programs take place at the beach. There is a $5.00 parking fee. Bring water, wear sunscreen\/bug spray, dress in layers, and wear good footwear. An adult must accompany children. Rain cancels.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #339966; text-decoration: underline;\">July Activities at Cochituate State Park<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>TUESDAYS<\/strong><\/span> 12:30 \u2013 1:30pm<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong> It\u2019s Sand, Man!<\/strong><em> (on the beach)<\/em>\u00a0 What is sand? What materials make up the substance? Sift sand with the interpreter to learn about our beaches. Games too. Ages 5 \u2013 13.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>WEDNESDAYS<\/strong><\/span> 10:00 \u2013 11:00am<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Kidleidoscope<\/strong><em> (at The Nature Center!) <\/em>Nature based fun for ages 3 \u2013 5. Activities (stories, games, crafts, exploration) and topics rotate weekly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>THURSDAYS<\/strong><\/span> 1:00 \u2013 3:00pm<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Water Comes to Boston!<\/strong> <em>(on the beach)<\/em> Learn the Lake Cochituate history and its role in fresh water in Boston. Help build a model aqueduct. Ages 6 and up. <em>(NOTE: No program on 7\/4 and 7\/18)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>FRIDAYS<\/strong><\/span> 1:30\u2013 3:00pm<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Critter of the Day<\/strong><em> (on the beach)<\/em> Learn about the wildlife that live in and around the park. Each week will feature a different critter. Ages 6 and up. <em>(NOTE: No program on 7\/5)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>SATURDAYS<\/strong><\/span> 12:30 \u2013 1:30pm<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sandy Art<\/strong> <em>(on the beach) <\/em>Meet with the interpreter to learn about wildlife \u2013 then make it in the sand! Materials provided. Ages 6 and up.<em> (NOTE: No program on 7\/6 and 7\/27)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>TUES. &amp; SAT<\/strong>.<\/span> 2:00 \u2013 4:00pm \/ <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>WEDNESDAYS<\/strong><\/span>\u00a01:00 \u2013 4:00pm<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Nature Center Open - <\/strong>Stop by the nature center to explore nature displays, make a craft, read a story, participate in an activity, or sign out a Discovery Pack\u00a0 and explore the park on your own.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_5045\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps?q=43+Commonwealth+Rd,+Natick,+MA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5045\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5045\" alt=\"Map to Cochituate State Park Entrance (on Rt. 30)\" src=\"http:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/map-cochituate-state-park.jpg\" width=\"460\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/map-cochituate-state-park.jpg 460w, https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/map-cochituate-state-park-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5045\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click to use Google Maps to enlarge or get driving directions.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Click links below to download printable (PDF) copies of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/JULY-Program-Schedule.pdf\">JULY 2013 - Cochituate State Park Program Schedule<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/AUGUST-Program-Schedule.pdf\">AUGUST 2013 - Cochituate State Park Program Schedule<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i>The MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, bike trails, watersheds, dams, and parkways. The agency\u2019s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources. To learn more about DCR, facilities, and programs, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/email.state.ma.us\/owa\/redir.aspx?C=5xYu9SQwI0-3Iunfxpt6-shzsMYVC9BIrYuBmd-5cluHFK-82UVoF04tV_EJ7Xk3MXMuVgOjRSQ.&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.mass.gov%2fdcr\" target=\"_blank\">www.mass.gov\/dcr<\/a>.<br \/>\n<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FRAMINGHAM, MA &#8211; Between the towns of Framingham, Wayland and Natick, MA, Lake Cochituate offer many recreational summer activities including swimming, boating and fishing. Many locals may not realize that just a few hundred yards east of the Framingham\/Natick town line, (on Rt. 30), the beach, picnic area, boat launch, snack bar and canoe rental shop are&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/2013\/06\/30\/general-interest\/free-kids-summer-activities-at-cochituate-state-park\/\">[read more]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[377,2621,246,2074,3454,2125,1158,809,3455],"class_list":["post-7848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","tag-children","tag-cochituate-state-park","tag-crafts","tag-family-fun","tag-free-activities","tag-fun-for-kids","tag-lake-cochituate","tag-nature","tag-summer-prorgams"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7848"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7852,"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7848\/revisions\/7852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.framingham.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}