Hi everyone!
Back to sunshine this weekend and hoping it stays this time! There are 2 more days of Spring break for NYC public school kids this week & guess that makes all those trips to school in snow last winter worth it!
If you didn’t get to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan to see the Meet the Makers Festival you still have time and there is also a few days of Blooming Naturalists at the Audubon Center, Spring Sprouts at the Lefferts Historic House, ride the Prospect Park Carousel or roller skating at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park! Earth Week continues at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and also check out an Earth Day event in Union Square on Earth Day!
Also happening this week is a Parents Helping Parents Workshop: Parents of Children with Special Needs and Babywearing International of NYC Support Group at Caribou Baby. You can head on over to Rockerfeller Center and check out all The Fabergé Eggs or Silly Jazz with Camille Harris at Brooklyn Park Slope Public Library!
As always this is just a sample of some events so check out the calendar so check it out for everything going on this week in Brooklyn & NYC! Since the break isn’t over yet please remember to check with the venue to see if there are any cancellations or schedule changes since some drop in places run camps this week! If you know of an event you can submit it to our calendar via this link. Also A Child Grows is on Facebook so like us for last minute events and news!
Happy Easter & Happy Passover!
Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Spring Break Events
Meet the Makers Festival at Children’s Museum of Manhattan (UWS)
Mon April 21st – Tue April 22nd various times – see website. Free with museum admission.
CMOM’s first ever Meet the Makers Festival over Spring Break (April 12–22). Visiting scientists, engineers and artists will lead a series of hand-on workshops during the 11-day fest. Plus, join us on Saturday, April 12 at 11am for a special program with eight-year-olds Gabrielle Nafie and Miles Pilchik. The two elementary school students from Manhattan were recently honored by President Obama at the White House for the film Full STEAM Ahead: How Technology Rocks the Classroom in partnership with Sci-Tech Kids. The lineup for Meet the Makers Festival is on the website.
Mon April 21st-Tue April 22nd 7p. Tickets $30. In PEACE, LOVE, AND CUPCAKES THE MUSICAL, Kylie Carson has a problem. She loves monster movies, zombie thrillers, and vampire sagas but her classmates at her new school avoid her like the Creature from the Black Lagoon! To sweeten up her image, Kylie starts a Cupcake Club. With the help of her new friends they begin spinning out tasty treats. But when Meredith, the most popular girl in school, tries to sabotage the big cupcake party, it may spell the end of the Cupcake Club.
Spring Break Roller Rink Hours at LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Monday-Tuesday April 21st & 22nd 10a-6p, Admission $6 weekdays (Mon-Thu), $6 for skate rental.
Time to swap those ice skates for quads. Lakeside offers public skating seven days a week and features a spectacular 16,000 square foot covered rink overlooking Prospect Park Lake with ample open spaces for those not quite ready to lace up their skates. With skate rentals ranging from a children’s size 9 to an adult size 13, Lakeside makes it easy for people of all ages to enjoy getting some fun healthy outdoor action. If you have never set foot on a rink or are looking to take your skills to the next level Lakeside’s offers beginner skating and roller hockey classes.
Prospect Park Alliance Spring Break Programming
Mon April 21st-Tue April 22nd 12n-4p. Free.
Spend Spring Break in Prospect Park! Blooming Naturalists at the Audubon Center! History in Your Hands: Spring Sprouts at the Lefferts Historic House and the Carousel is also open during Spring Break too! (12n-5p/$2 a ride). See website for all the details.
Celebrate Earth Week! at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Mon April 21st & Tue April 22nd 10a-5p. Free with museum admission.
Spring is finally here! Spend your spring break week at BCM for our festival celebrating all things green and sustainable. Make an Eco Art project, meet and touch sea creatures threatened by warming seas, or plant seeds in an old boot to add to our shoe garden! We’re jam packed with programs and community partners, so check out our full schedule for details.
More events happening this week:
Monday April 21st
Culinary Kids Food Festival at The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Mon April 21st, 10a–5 p.m. in the the semi-circle area by the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. Included in any All-Garden Pass.
As part of the Garden’s Edible Academy initiative, join us for a family-friendly, weeklong food festival celebrating the relationships among plants, farms, and your favorite foods. Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden staff and the culinary team, Growing Chefs, will be on hand offering cooking demonstrations, recipes, and hands-on activities, with plenty of music and tastings to add to the fun. Bring your Festival passport along as you tinker with the science of kitchen chemistry and get to the root of foods from honey to sprouts at a variety of activity stations. The daily 1 p.m. cooking demonstration will feature kid-friendly recipes and tasty samples, while local chefs will share tips and recipes.
Silly Jazz with Camille Harris at Brooklyn Public Library Park Slope
Mon April 21st 1030-1130a. Free.
Join us for a fun and silly jazz performance by local musician, Camille Harris! Tickets Required. Arrive early to get a ticket. One ticket per family.
Cool School Holiday at The Staten Island Children’s Museum
Mon April 21st 10a-5p.
Cool School Holiday-Free Admission All Day!
For more Monday events please click here!
Tuesday April 22nd
Earth Day at Union Square
Tue April 22nd 11a-7p. Free. At North Plaza
Kids’ activities and entertainment, Green vehicle runway show and exhibition, Green travel exhibits sponsored by United Airline,s Environmental exhibits and green product samples, bring your used clothing, textiles and electronics for free recycling, After-work concert 3p-7p.
Uncover Civil War History Over Spring Break at DiMenna Children’s History Museum (UWS)
TueApril 22nd. All day. Free with Museum Admission.
Families explore, learn, and compete together in Civil War-themed family programs in conjunction with the New-York Historical Society’s new exhibition Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War. Search for Civil War clues on a scavenger hunt throughout the museum
Spring School Break! Sharin’ a Ride at NY Transit Museum (Downtown Brooklyn)
Tue Apr 22nd 11a, 130p and 3p. For 4y+. Free with paid admission. Join us during spring break for SHARIN’ A RIDE, an original musical! Carbon Footprint Man and The Professor star in this hysterical, historical tale of public transportation in the Big (Green) Apple. Get ready to sing along—audience participation makes the show! Program is free with Museum admission. Performance is approximately 30 minutes.
For more fun Tuesday events click here!
Wednesday April 23rd
Sing-A-Long at Flying Squirrel (Greenpoint)
Wednesdays 930a. Suggested Donation: $5-15
Bring your children for a music & laughter as they sing-a-long with Greenpoint Kids Music director, Lily!
Babywearing International of NYC Support Group at Caribou Baby (Williamsburg)
Wed Arpil 23rd 1015a-12n. $5 suggested donation (no sign up, just drop in). Group meets up 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of the month.
Hosted by Babywearing International of NYC, this support group is designed for parents with children of any age who either love babywearing or are interested in learning more. This group is lead by Sarah Longwell-Stevens, a certified babywearing educator, along with Jenna Morvay. They are dedicated to sharing the love of babywearing in NYC while broadening our babywearing skills and knowledge together. Ask questions, share, and chat away about babywearing! Experience of all levels and different carrier styles welcome and encouraged.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Lego Challenge at Brooklyn Bay Ridge Public Library
Wed April 23rd 330-5p. Free.
This started on Wed April 16th and is a 2 part program. Children are welcome to drop in for a long as they want on the 23rd. Kids collaborate on a Spider-Man inspired display.
For more fun Wednesday events click here!
Thursday April 24th
Parents of Children with Special Needs at Parents Helping Parents (Park Slope)
Thu Apr 24th 930-11a
There is a sliding scale fee of $15 – $35/family for each workshop. To allow for a full discussion there will be no children present. To register, receive more information or make suggestions of workshop topics that might be helpful to your family contact Sharon at: brooklynphp@gmail.com
The DAD BEATS at LARK (Flatbush/Prospect Park South)
Thursdays 11a. The Dad Beats are a power trio wrapped in a playdate with a hootenany garnish! Made up of three real live Brooklyn dads, the Dad Beats traverse surf, rock and country grooves to deliver playful reimaginings of your childhood favorites. Bring your baby/toddler/kid and dance along with the Beats! $5 suggested donation.
Ezra Jack Keats Bedtime Stories at Brooklyn Public Library Central Library (Prospect Heights)
Thur April 24th 19th 7p in the Youth Wing. Free.
Through the Ezra Jack Keats Bedtime Stories and Take-A-Book Series, librarians read aloud to children and lead singing, rhyming, and playing activities related to the themes and images of the book. At the end of each session, every child is given a free copy of one of Mr. Keats’ books to keep.
For more fun Thursday events click here!
Ongoing
The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt at Rockerfeller Center
Monday April 21st-Friday April 25th all day. Free.
Rockefeller Center will host a display of unique egg sculptures as the finale of a city-wide egg hunt. From April 18 – 25th, 2014, visitors will have the opportunity to see over 260 egg sculptures, each created by the world’s leading artists, designers, photographers, architects and other creatives, located throughout the plaza. This art exhibition, including one-of-a-kind sculptures from Jeff Koons, Zaha Hadid, Tracey Emin, Peter Beard, RETNA, Julian Schnabel, and Leo Villareal, among others, is open to the public and free of charge.
Bessies’s Big Shot at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Tue- Fri 1030a & 12n and Sat & Sun 1p. (also ongoing until June 29th) Tickets: $7 children under 12y & $10 all others. For all ages. Based on the famed PuppetMobile show of the same name, this popular production makes its Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre debut! Directed by Bruce Cannon and co-written by Douglas Strich, Alexander Bartenieff and Bruce Cannon, this version of the beloved show will feature several new puppets in addition to new and extended scenes. It’s a bird … it’s a plane … no … it’s Bessie the cow! CPF’s original production, Bessie’s Big Shot, follows Bessie the cow’s dream of joining the circus. Can she lift more than Ziegfried, the strongest man in the world? Fly on a trapeze high above the crowd? Train Munson the Monkey? This variety show cheers Bessie on as she attempts the impossible and searches for her special talents.
Free Stroller Strides Workout with FIT4MOM Brooklyn (various locations)
Tue April 22nd 9a Grand Army Plaza (meet by the pavilion outside the park)
Wed April 23rd 10a 9th Street (meet in front of the statue)
Stroller Strides isn’t just a walk in the park. Each class includes a 60-minute workout including intervals of cardio, strength and core training designed for new moms to help build the strength you need for motherhood. We keep the class moving so babies don’t get too fussy and sing songs and play games to keep them engaged when they do. We welcome babies from six weeks to any age! more info at brooklyn.fit4mom.com. Each launch party will include giveaways and prizes for everyone who attends from our sponsors along with awesome discounts on Stroller Strides memberships to help get you through the whole summer. Sign up at fit4mom-brooklyn.frontdeskhq.com or RSVP to annacatherine @ fit4mom.com. Please specify which class you’d like to attend.
UniverSoul Circus at Aviator Sports & Event Center
Mon April 21st 230p & 630p and Thu April 24th 1030a & 730p. $20-$28 for grandstand, $35 for box.
The UniverSoul Circus is a world-class, live entertainment attraction that has captured the hearts and imaginations of a new generation of families. Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, UniverSoul Circus has come full circle in its influence in the international entertainment marketplace – garnering the distinction of being known as a one-of-a-kind, must see attraction.
Brooklyn Block Laboratory at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Ongoing until August 31st 10a-5p. Free with museum admission.
Brooklyn Block Laboratory is a new 1,000 sq. ft. pop-up activity area that provides engaging hands-on learning experiences through block play. Children and families design and experiment with different building blocks, creating imaginative structures, stacking, sorting, and talking. Utilizing a curated selection of wood, foam, and magnetic blocks, families and teachers examine how children interact and speak during the building process.
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Now until January 4, 2015 10a-545p. Free with General Admission Plus One
In the new exhibition Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs, rare fossils, life-size models, and hands-on interactives bring these ancient animals to life. Step back in time to see pterosaurs, including giants such as Tropeognathus mesembrinus,with a wingspan of more than 25 feet, and find out how they moved on land and in the air. Get a first-hand look at the rare pterosaur fossils that have helped paleontologists learn all that we know about these animals. In a virtual flight lab, use your body to pilot a pterosaur over a prehistoric landscape. Encounter the exceptional creatures that flew in the age of dinosaurs.
Dinosaur Safari: Mysteries Revealed at the Bronx Zoo
On going until November 4th 10a-5p. Admission included in total experience ticket price.
Dinosaur Safari: Mysteries Revealed! Nine new dinosaur species have been added this year including the deinonychus, prodohadros, stegosaurus, and edmontonia. Returning for the Dinosaur Safari: Mysteries Revealed, the ever-popular 40-foot long tyrannosaurus rex will send chills up the spines of Bronx Zoo adventurers. At the end of the experience, there is a field site that includes a fossil dig for children; a Tyrannosaurus rex photo-op; a paleontologist’s tent that includes a fossil museum; and an interactive robotic dinosaur that illustrates how the animatronics work.
Book Swap Month! at Torly Kid (Tribeca)
Now until April 30th! Book Swap Month! Exchange your old picture and chapter books for a “new” book from our selection of community donated books. All excess books will be donated to a local school or charity.
The Little Prince: A New York Story at The Morgan Library And Museum (Midtown East)
Now through April 27, 2014. Tu-Th 1030a-5p, Fri 1030a-9p, Sat 10a-6p, Sun 11a-6p. Free with paid admission. Readers throughout the world have embraced The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint–Exupéry’s tale of an interstellar traveler who comes to Earth in search of friendship and understanding. Saint–Exupéry wrote and illustrated the story in New York during World War II and it was first published here, in English and French. This exhibition of the original manuscript and watercolor drawings—the most comprehensive ever mounted—explores the American origins of a story that reminds us that what matters most can only be seen with the heart.
Play Space Spring Schedule at Juguemos a Cantar South Slope
Tue-Thu 9a-12n April 1st-June 12th. $10 per visit / Sibling $2 per visit. Playpasses also available.
Drop in play space.
Play Space Spring Schedule at Juguemos a Cantar North Slope
Tue-Thu 9a-12n. April 1st-June 12th. $10 per visit / Sibling $2 per visit. Playpasses also available.
Drop in play space with activities: Tue 1030a Story time with Alejandra, Wed 9a-12p Arts & Crafts, Thu 1030a sing with Ale.
Play Space Spring Schedule at Juguemos a Cantar South Slope
Tue-Thu 330-5p April 1st-June 12th. $10 per visit / Sibling $2 per visit. Playpasses also available.
Drop in play space With singalongs: Tue 4p Story time with Alejandra, Wed 4p sing with Ale, Thu 4p Sing with Damian
Free Storytime at the Scholastic Store (SOHO)
Tuesdays, Wednesday & Thursdays at 11a for all ages. Join The Scholastic Storyteller for readings of all-time favorite children’s books or new releases from Scholastic! Perfect for babies and toddlers, these stories will spark imagination and fun in your budding bookworm. Stroller Entrance: 130 Mercer Street.
Open Play at The Learning Garden (Prospect Heights)
Mondays-Fridays 11a-6p. For 0-4y. Daily pass $12. Pass packages also available.
Our popular Open Play program is a time that offers a social learning environment for your children (ages 0-4) to grow and learn through creative play. With our space changing and growing every week, your little explorer will have lots to discover. Materials and activities are provided to engage you and your child while sparking their imagination.
Sing Along & Open Play at Creative Arts Studio (Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill)
Monday-Thursday 1-230p. Drop-In Parent/caregiver supervised with an ArtsCetera staffer on hand. $10 per session. Experts say our children are not getting enough unstructured play time, which they report is essential for healthy development. Here’s a great way to add more free play time to your child’s lif in a safe, welcoming environment. Some sessions include a short Sing Along segment to add to the fun. Creative play for all ages from infants up to 5 years. Toys, coloring, lego table, puzzles, reading corner.
To see all the events click here for the calendar!