Hi everyone,
The weather this weekend is looking pretty good for all the summer events happening this weekend!
FAB Friday Kid Activities are happening at Fowler Square and FAB Friday concert with Moozika at Putnam Triangle and also there is another chance to catch Manhattanhenge! You can also see Mil’s Trills at South Street Seaport, check out the Circle Line Kid Cruises, see Bugaboo Review Puppetry Theater at the Central Park Family Performance Festival, make Clay Creatures with the CMA at Boerum House & Home and visit Prospect Park’s Lakeside Rink for Hip Tot Family Day!
There are even more events so check out the calendar for all the events this weekend in Brooklyn & NYC! Please remember to check with venues to see if weekly drop in classes are happening due to the holiday weekend. Remember to like us on Facebook for last minute events and news!
Happy weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday July 11th
FAB Friday Kid Activities at Putnam Plaza (Clinton Hill) & Fowler Square (Fort Greene)
Fri July 11th 10-11a and 2-7p. FREE!
Bring your little ones out for a FREE CONCERT at Putnam Triangle Plaza (Fulton Street and Grand Avenue) in Clinton Hill. This Friday Enjoy FREE Live Music Featuring: Moozika. Then 2-7PM The Uni Project, pop-up reading room with children’s picture books for browsing and a variety of activities such as making origami and reading aloud by volunteers will be available at Fowler Square (Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue) and 4-6p there will be FREE games and arts and crafts with New York Cares volunteers.
Creepy Crawlies at the Brooklyn Public Central Library (Prospect Heights)
Fri July 11th 330-430p. Free.
Giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches, tarantulas and other creatures invade in this hands-on workshop!
Roller Rink Opening Celebration at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 2
Friday July 11th 3-6p. Free admission. Roller Skates $6, Inline Skates $6, Skate Mate $6. See website for more skate times and admissions.
The rink, operated by New York Skating, LLC, has hockey boards running the perimeter, multiple entrances and player boxes, and will provide opportunities for roller and in-line skating, roller hockey and roller derby. The operators, who were selected last year as a result of an RFP process, will rent skating equipment and manage the rink schedule to allow for a mix of public skate time, recreational league play, and special events including free skate sessions on Mondays and Fridays from 3 to 6 pm, and Sundays from 10 am to noon.
NY Philharmonic Concert in Central Park
Friday July 11th 8p. Free.
On July 11 Alan Gilbert conducts works by Strauss, Smetana, and Tchaikovsky; then, on July 14, he is joined by Joshua Bell for Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 on a program that also includes works by Grieg, Liszt, and Nielsen. Fireworks follow. Westside entrances: West 81st or 86th Streets at Central Park West. Eastside entrances: East 79th or 85th Streets at Fifth Avenue
For more Friday events please click here!
Saturday July 12th
Circle Line Kid Cruises
Boarding: 930A. Sailing: 10A-1115A. Cruises depart from Pier 83 W. 42nd Street & 12th Avenue. Adults $29, children 3-12y $20 and under 2 free.
Family friendly 75 minute cruise to Statue of Liberty with an interactive LIVE tour guide & entertainment. July 12 – Liberty Day with Maddie from the WNBA team New York & Baze and His Silly Friends!
CMA Clay Creatures: Big Cats and Small Dogs at Boerum House & Home
Sat July 12th 10a-2p. Free. For children 5+. Advance registration required. Session times are 10a, 1045, 1130, 1225p & 110p. Register here.
Join CMA for a free hands-on art making workshop sponsored by Boerum House & Home. Young artists will work with CMA Teaching Artists to learn how to sculpt the larger members of the feline family (cheetahs, leopards, lions, lynx, bobcats, cougars, pumas, panthers, tigers) OR to sculpt creatures from the smaller side of the canine family (a pug, chihuahua, toy poodle, jack russell, brussells griffin, yorkie, and more!) Limit 1 creature per young artist. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to engage in the workshop with their children, have a beverage, and shop around the store.
The Skate Truck NYC at Greenwood Playground
Sat July 12th 10a-1p. Free.
The SKATE TRUCK NYC! The truck will be bringing skates, safety equipment, and lessons to our playground!! If you can walk, you can skate! Please help us spread the word! This is a FREE EVENT for ALL AGES!
Nostalgia Ride: Coney Island Bound
Sat July 12th 11am. $50/$25 Adult/Child, $35/$20 Adult/Child Museum Members
Join us on the ever popular, boardwalk-bound Coney Island Nostalgia Train! Ride the 1930s R1/9 cars of the Independent Subway System above and below ground for a two-hour jaunt. Then visit Coney Island’s beach-side amusement park, take a dip in the ocean, or stay on the train for additional rides. Purchase tickets here.
For more Saturday events please click here!
Sunday July 13th
Pop Up Makerspace on Hudson River Park Pier 25 (Tribeca)
Sundays now until August 24th 10a-12n. Free.
Presented by Google. NEW! Guided maker workshops challenge participants to design and construct projects inspired by both innovative technologies and traditional crafts. Participants will learn from and collaborate with each other while working together to find solutions to real-world challenges. Projects will range in difficulty from low tech to high tech. Investigate WHY and HOW things work! Each workshop has two projects – an interactive guided lesson and a “larger than life” build which challenges participants to adapt newly learned skills to different resources and scale. Come build, tinker and create in an enriching environment filled with possibilities!
Hip Tot Family Day at Prospect Park’s Lakeside Rink
Sun July 13th 11a-2p. Free.
Beat the Summer Heat Dance Party with Audra Rox and Jeremy Plays Guitar. You can find all the FREE Hip Tot Family Day fun at Lakeside on the terrace above the skating rink and water play area. Craft activities, skating, food, fun & more!
Central Park Family Performance Festival
Sunday July 13th and Sundays until August 31st at 12n. Free. Performances are 60 – 90 minutes long.
At the Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade
Each summer, the Conservancy hosts a series of eco-education and multicultural performances for the whole family to enjoy. Formerly known as A Clearing in the Forest, this year’s Family Performance Festival is chock-a-block full of fun and learning through music, storytelling, in-Park adventure, puppetry, and more! Programs happen in the Park’s most natural playground, The Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade (located inside the Park near West 106th Street). Pack a picnic, grab your blanket, and get ready to discover Central Park in a whole new way! All ages are welcome. No advance registration. In the case of inclement weather programs will be canceled. For more information, click on the links below. For day-of weather-related changes and accessibility information, call 212-860-1370 or check the event on our online calendar. July 13th: Bugaboo Review Puppetry Theater
Kid/Around with Mil’s Trills at South Street Seaport
Sun July 13th 1-3p. Free.
KidAround! at the South Street Seaport is a FREE family event series featuring live music, story-time with your favorite characters, games and more! Happening this Summer at See/Change. Mil’s Trills is a children’s music project, founded by Amelia Robinson, who invites families to celebrate the community through interactive performances that feature original tunes and a rotating cast of musical guests.
For more Sunday events please click here!
All Weekend
Manhattanhenge
Full Sun on the Grid on Friday July 11th 824p & Half Sun on the Grid Saturday July 12th 825p
Manhattanhenge — sometimes referred to as the Manhattan Solstice — is a circumstance which occurs twice a year, during which the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of the main street grid in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The neologism is derived from Stonehenge, where the sun aligns with the stones on the solstices with a similarly dramatic effect. The word was popularized in 2002 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. The term applies to those streets that follow the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, which are laid out in a grid offset 29.0 degrees from true east–west. (The 29.0 degrees should be added to true east and west, making the western bearing approximately 299.0 degrees.) During Manhattanhenge, an observer on one of the gridded east-west streets will see the sun setting over New Jersey directly opposite, from the street, along its centerline. Arrive a half-hour earlier and For best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. But ensure that when you look west across the avenues you can still see New Jersey. Clear cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them. The Empire State building and the Chrysler building render 34th street and 42nd streets especially striking vistas. For best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. But ensure that when you look west across the avenues you can still see New Jersey. Clear cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them. The Empire State building and the Chrysler building render 34th street and 42nd streets especially striking vistas.
New York Classical Theatre: As You Like It in Battery Park (Financial District)
Tuesday July 1st-Sun July 27th (except Mondays) 7-9p. Meet in front of Castle Clinton. Free.
Celebrating Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday and our 15th Anniversary Season. New York Classical Theatre’s production of: AS YOU LIKE IT! Directed by Stephen Burdman. The show is completely FREE! No tickets or reservations required! As You Like It tells the tale of one of Shakespeare’s most beloved female characters, Rosalind (Rin Allen), and the object of her affection, Orlando (Ian Antal). Exiled to the Forest of Arden, the two become entangled in a beguiling game of love, lust, and mistaken identity. Gender roles, nature, and politics are confused in a play that exuberantly upends the traditional rules of romance.
Kids Time Game Social in Bryant Park
Saturdays and Sundays 2-4p until September 28th. Free.
Join us at our all new weekly Game Socials to meet up with like-minded players interested in the same games as you. Though kids games are available whenever we are open, the Kids Time Game Social lets the little ones enjoy games geared especially towards them. Teach them Candyland, Old Maid, Memory, or Operation every weekend.
Victorian Garden at Wollman Rink (Central Park)
Daily until Sun Sep 7th various times and admission & ride prices varies by day. See website. Enter park from 59th St. and 6th Avenue.
Victorian Gardens will open its gates Memorial Day Weekend! Opening weekend times: May 24th 10a-9p, May 25th and May 26th 10a-8p. Victorian Gardens is a traditional family amusement park featuring one-of-a-kind handcrafted rides, games of chance, classic concessions, face painting and live entertainment.
Bessies’s Big Shot at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
M-Sun July 7th-August 24th M-F 1030a & 12p, Wed 1030a, 12p, & 230p, Sat-Sun 1p. 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.
CMA/Free Arts Island Outpost on Governors Island
Sat-Sun now until Sep 28th and Labor Day Sep 1st 11a-3p. For ages 1-15y. Free.
Join us as we spend the summer amongst the trees, with the crickets and cicadas, dreaming of far away spaces and surreal surroundings! Places with wonderful surprises and strange twists, where not making sense makes the most sense! Be prepared for theater games and film-making; painting, collage, and found object art; costume and prop-making; up-cycling, recycling, and re-purposing! And don’t forget: The Flubber Experience! Location: Governors Island, Outside Buildings 11 & 14 in Nolan Park.
Kids Corner at Habana Outpost (Fort Greene)
Saturdays & Sundays until August 24th 11a-3p.
Drop in for FREE, fun arts & crafts every Saturday and Sunday in the courtyard of Habana Outpost. July 12th-13th: Solar Powered Art
Sensory Room Family Hours at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Tue-Sun now until August 31st 2p-445p. Free with museum admission. Space is limited; availability on first come, first served basis.
Over, under, swing, and rock as you explore our newest space at BCM. Unlock doors on our Sensory Snake or relax and read on our fluff chair mountain This is an inclusive space that engages children of all abilities. This room provides a welcoming environment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Brooklyn Block Laboratory at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Ongoing until August 31st 10a-5p. Free with museum admission. Closed on Mondays.
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.
Dinosaur Safari: Mysteries Revealed! at the Bronx Zoo
Now until November 2nd 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.
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Now until January 4th 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.
Prospect Park Carousel Summer Hours
Now until September 1st 2014 Thu–Sun: 12n–6p. $2 per ride, $9 for a book of 5 tickets.
Kick off spring with a ride on the Park’s beautiful 102 year-old carousel. Located in the Park’s “Children’s Corner,” the Carousel features 51 magnificently carved horses, a lion, a giraffe, a deer, and two dragon-pulled chariots. Carved in 1912 by Charles Carmel, one of the foremost carousel designers of the time, and restored by the Prospect Park Alliance in 1990, the Carousel promises that classic summertime amusement will be available for generations of fun. In addition, the Prospect Park Carousel is one of the few in the world that is wheelchair accessible.
Pop-Up Audubon in Prospect Park
Saturdays & Sundays until October 19, 2014: 12n–5p. Free.
The Prospect Park Alliance presents Pop-Up Audubon, now in its second season, which invites families to directly engage with nature through outdoor learning in locations around the Park. JUNE: Incredible Invertebrates. Location: Entrance to the Ravine, downhill from the Picnic House
The Art of the Brick at Discovery Times Square (Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown West)
Now until Sep 7th. Sun-Tues 10a-7p, Wed & Thur 10a-8p, Fri & Sat 10a-9p. Tickets: $19.50/adult, $16.50 kids age 4-12y. The return of The Art of Brick!RT OF THE BRICK, and will feature a newly introduced gallery that showcases artist Nathan Sawaya’s In Pieces collection, a multimedia collaboration produced in tandem with award-winning photographer Dean West.
Sawaya’s original Art of the Brick exhibition is a critically acclaimed collection of intriguing and inspiring works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world — LEGO® bricks. The Discovery Times Square exhibit will be the world’s biggest and most elaborate display of LEGO® art ever and will feature brand-new, never-before-seen pieces by Sawaya. Don’t miss the show named one of CNN’s Top 10 ‘Global Must-See Exhibitions.’
For a full calendar of events please click here!