What’s a parent to do with kids on Spring Break? Why not pass the time in your own borough, enjoying festivals but also educating your kids in the celebrations of Earth Day, Hanami and more? The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and The Brooklyn Children’s Museum both have loads of activities to choose from that are appropriate for all ages. Your newborn will enjoy the flowering cherry blossoms as they burst into color and your big kids will love dyeing their own fabrics from earth’s natural dyes. There’s a little something for everyone.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Now Through Sunday, May 1 – Graceful Perseverance
Brooklyn Botanic Garden has one of the largest collection of bonsai in the United States. The art of bonsai takes moments in time in nature and captures the essence, mood and atmosphere. The bonsai in this exhibition are shaped to mirror the unexpected beauty of life in challenging environments. Although small in size, these trees show the viewer vast expanses of landscape and limitless moments of time. For more info: visitorservices@bbg.org, (718) 623-7260, www.bbg.org or find on Facebook, Twitter @bklynbotanic. New admission pricing: $10.00/adults; $5.00 students and seniors; children under 12 free. 900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.
April 2 to May 1, 2011 – Celebrate Hanami at BBG
The Japanese cultural tradition of viewing and cherishing the cherry blossom season. From the first buds, to the luminous blossoms, to the snowfall of petals cascading from the trees and blanketing the ground, visitors of all ages will marvel at the Garden’s iconic collection of Japanese flowering cherry trees, the world’s largest and most diverse outside Japan. During Hanami, visitors can take free Seasonal Highlights Tours Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 PM, focusing on the ethereal beauty of BBG’s Japanese plant collections and specialty gardens, including the exquisite flowering cherries. BBG’s web-based exhibit, CherryWatch, tracks the blossom display in real time and provide a detailed guide to the history, cultivation, and care of BBG’s 220-tree cherry collection. With 42 species blooming at different times to create a spectacular four-week display, CherryWatch is a great resource to monitor when the first blossoms of each species appear, and to plan visits throughout Hanami. For more info: visitorservices@bbg.org, (718) 623-7260, www.bbg.org or find on Facebook, Twitter @bklynbotanic. New admission pricing: $10.00/adults; $5.00 students and seniors; children under 12 free. 900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.
April 19, 20, 21, 26 – Spring Break Discovery Week
During Spring Break, commemorate Earth Day with a native plant celebration in the Discovery Garden! Kids will learn about wild Brooklyn plants through hands-on explorations, create a take-home project, and discover a world of wildflowers throughout the Garden. Free with Garden admission. Drop in at any point between 1:00 – 3:00 PM – no registration required. For more info: visitorservices@bbg.org, (718) 623-7260, www.bbg.org or find on Facebook, Twitter @bklynbotanic. New admission pricing: $10.00/adults; $5.00 students and seniors; children under 12 free. 900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.
Saturday, April 30 – Sunday, May 1
The four weeks of Hanami – the cherry blossom viewing season – culminate on Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1 at the Garden’s Sakura Matsuri festival—a two-day celebration of nature, renewal, and Japanese culture. Over the course of its 30-year history, Sakura Matsuri has evolved into one of the city’s most anticipated weekend events, as tens of thousands of visitors experience Japanese culture through music, dance, martial arts, food, manga, workshops and demonstrations, kids’ activities; and, of course, the breathtaking beauty of the fleeting blossoms. Popularly referred to as “New York City’s rite of spring”, Sakura Matsuri is the nation’s largest event in a public garden. Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more info: visitorservices@bbg.org, (718) 623-7260, www.bbg.org or find on Facebook, Twitter @bklynbotanic. All activities take place rain or shine, with indoor locations provided for most activities in the event of rain. A detailed schedule for the festival is available at bbg.org/cherries. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students with ID; kids under 12 and Garden members are admitted free of charge.
For Families
- Hands-on workshops for kids, inspired by both horticulture and Japanese culture, where young ones can make their own tea bag, try taiko drumming, and create miniature Noguchi-inspired sculptures
- An upbeat hanagasa odori flower hat parade
- A children’s Suzuki recital from Brooklyn College’s Preparatory Center featuring “Sakura, Sakura” and other pieces for strings
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Spend your “Spring Break” at Brooklyn Children’s Museum by participating in a Museum-wide spring festival of special programs, family fun, and extended hours from 9:30am to 5pm each day from Saturday, April 16, through Tuesday, April 26.
Celebrate Earth! program and festival is a new exhibit about the amazing plants, animals and people that live here. You can practice your recycling skills, meet threatened animals, and more with workshops from a myriad of local organizations, including Cornell University Sustainable Design , Gateway Research Learning Center, Salvadori Center, GrowNYC, Solar One and the Staten Island Zoo. Every day is a new adventure as you learn how to keep yourself and the planet healthy and strong. All Celebrate Earth! & Spring Break programs are included with Museum admission.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS for the weekend- for next week check their website.
Saturday, April 16:
Play Lab Workshop Series: Hello, Tree: 11:30am-12:30pm
Why are trees important? Explore why trees are important for our planet and how they help our environment and ecosystem. Learn to identify parts of a tree and how they grow. Plant your own tree to take home and use bark to create a beautiful work of art. Pre-registration is required. Please call 718-735-4400 ext. 106. Ages 5 and under
Meet and Greet: Creatures of the Sea: 12:30pm-1:00pm
Discover how diverse life really is under the sea by exploring animals up close and personal! All ages
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE: MetLife Early Learner Performance: Joanie Leeds – CD Release: 1:00pm – 1:30pm & 2:00pm – 2:30pm
Be the first to hear Joanie Leeds playing cuts from her latest album, as she celebrates her CD Release here in Brooklyn! Made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State’s 62 counties. All ages
Get Down and Dirty: 1:30pm
Composting is fun! Get down and dirty and discover how soil is created and recycled by worms. Adopt a worm for a day and learn to feed and care for your slimy new pal. Ages 4+
Art Works: 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Visit the Totally Tots Art Studio and see what activity is in store for your young Picasso. Ages 5 and under
A Natural Fashionista! 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Before clothes could be purchased in stores, people around the world created garments of vibrant colors and patterns using dyes made from the plants and minerals around them! Explore cloth-dyeing traditions from different countries, and experience these traditions come alive as you create your own dyes from common foods and use it make your own bandana to take home! Ages 6+
Live Animal Encounter: 4:15pm-4:45pm
Learn about and touch live animals from the Museum’s living exhibit. All ages
Sunday, April 17:
Play Lab Workshop Series: Hello, Tree: 11:30am-12:30pm
Why are trees important? Explore why trees are important for our planet and how they help our environment and ecosystem. Learn to identify parts of a tree and how they grow. Plant your own tree to take home and use bark to create a beautiful work of art. Pre-registration is required. Please call 718-735-4400 ext. 106. Ages 5 and under
Meet and Greet: Creatures of the Sea: 12:30pm-1:00pm
Discover how diverse life really is under the sea by exploring animals up close and personal! All ages
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE: Big Idea about the ENVIRONMENT: 1:00pm – 1:30pm & 2:00pm – 2:30pm
Award-winning singer-songwriter Patricia Shih presents a fun-filled concert that asks the audience “What can each one of us do to help make the world a cleaner, safer place for all living things?” Adults and children will help Patricia honor our planet in song, sign language, and movement. All Ages
Pollination Sensation: 1:30pm
Come find out what the buzz is all about by joining us in the green-house and exploring flowers from the inside out. Ages 5+
Art Works: 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Visit the Totally Tots Art Studio and see what activity is in store for your young Picasso. Ages 5 and under
A Natural Fashionista! 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Before clothes could be purchased in stores, people around the world created garments of vibrant colors and patterns using dyes made from the plants and minerals around them! Explore cloth-dyeing traditions from different countries, and experience these traditions come alive as you create your own dyes from common foods and use it to make your own bandana to take home! Ages 6+
Live Animal Encounter 4:15pm-4:45pm
Learn about and touch live animals from the Museum’s living exhibit. All ages
Details:
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Avenue (at St. Marks Avenue), Brooklyn.
Subway: 3 to Kingston; or A/C to Nostrand; or C to Kingston/Throop.
Bus: B43 or B44 to St. Mark’s Avenue; or B25, B45, or B65 to Brooklyn Avenue.
Admission: $7.50 per person. Museum members and children under 1 free. All programs during normal Museum hours are free with Museum admission.