Activities for children (Manchester, Nashua, Concord: 2010, loan, theater)

[dreamer003]

I would like to live in or near a town that has a lot of activities for children. We enjoy going to the ballet and art museums. Both boys are involved in sports. I'd also like to live somewhere that has good music and art programs for the kids either at school or after school. I'd love to find a school that implements art and music into their curriculum. Something like a performing arts high school would have but for elementary aged kids. I'm not sure if schools up there have programs like this and if not then I'd be happy finding a small town within driving distance to these activities. Any comments would be appreciated! Thanks

[Mrtwigg]

Not so much in schools but you can have all the activites you care to pay for yourself.

If you want government funded activites for the kids try Massachusetts.

Not being sarcastic, just sayin'.

[steveusaf]

Dover has the Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy, a new charter high school that has lots of art/music in the curriculum. The seacoast is overall a great area for the arts.

Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy - Welcome to the 2009-2010 School Year

[dreamer003]

Originally Posted by Mrtwigg

Not so much in schools but you can have all the activites you care to pay for yourself.

If you want government funded activites for the kids try Massachusetts.

Not being sarcastic, just sayin'.

I wasn't asking about activities that the government pays for! I'm more than able and willing to pay for my family. I was trying to get an idea of what's available in different areas. Geesh!!

[Mrtwigg]

Relax, I said I wan't being sarcastic.

either at school or after school

Oh. I guess I misunderstood.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by dreamer003

I wasn't asking about activities that the government pays for! I'm more than able and willing to pay for my family. I was trying to get an idea of what's available in different areas. Geesh!!

Really?

Originally Posted by dreamer003

I would like to live in or near a town that has a lot of activities for children. We enjoy going to the ballet and art museums. Both boys are involved in sports. I'd also like to live somewhere that has good music and art programs for the kids either at school or after school. I'd love to find a school that implements art and music into their curriculum. Something like a performing arts high school would have but for elementary aged kids. I'm not sure if schools up there have programs like this and if not then I'd be happy finding a small town within driving distance to these activities. Any comments would be appreciated! Thanks

Now I know you said if they don't and you can find it that's great, but IMO your attitude was if the gov provides it - great! Not to mention several other threads where you consistently ask about public schools.

We have more "art" crap than you can imagine in our schools here in CT, we also have about 9K per year average property taxes and a state income tax, taxes on taxes and more taxes and out of control "fees" to pay for it all. We are literally taxed to death here and they keep on spending and people keep on demanding like it doesn't matter.

Based on your reaction towards someone who would "dare" point out the local mindset of "less government"...I would suggest you take a little closer look at the overall mindset of NH, and then be sure you wouldn't be happier in MA/CT. You are going to run into people that say what Mrtwigg said more than you think...and to me, it's a good thing.

Just a thought.

[NH2008]

Any good school will offer music and art classes, often with funds raised by the PTA. Many will have theater as an extracurricular. You will have many more options in southern NH which is more crowded and more affluent than further north and also closer to cultural offerings in Boston. Most towns around the cities (Portsmouth, Manchester, Nashua) will have recreational sports available for a fee (soccer, tee-ball, etc.) There are also private offerings like My Gym in Bedford, gymnastics studios, music schools, etc. Many libraries loan out free or discount passes to the Currier Museum in Manchester and other local museums. Manchester, Concord and Portsmouth all have theaters and I know the Nutcracker is coming to Manchester in December. However, there's certainly nothing in NH that's going to touch the quality and variety of ballet and theater you'll find in Boston. That's not a philosophical or state line issue, it's a size of city issue. You might want to consider the Portsmouth area, which probably offers the most for your family and is about 60 minutes from Boston, or you might want to consider a suburb of Boston - not because you're not welcome here, but because it sounds like you really like urban activities and an hour can be a long time with little kids or when traffic gets backed up and turns into 3.

[steveusaf]

Politics aside, government/school funded or not, there is a lot of arts activity in the Seacoast. You can pretty much find whatever you want.