Weekday Events for July 28th-31st in Brooklyn & NYC!

Hi everyone!

The last few days of July and so much to do with the children!

This week you can do a free Studio in a School workshop at Brooklyn Bridge Park, sing Everything is AWESOME during the Lego Movie at Coney Island Flicks on the Beach, learn about culture at SummerStage Kids Presents: NY Chinese Cultural Center at Sunset Park and enjoy a Free Family Arts Day with Spellbound Theatre at the Old Stone House!

If you need to beat the heat indoors you can see The Adventures of Tintin & Rise of the Guardians for $1 Movies at various NYC locations, check out “High Flying Design!” at Brooklyn Public Williamsburgh Library and eat dinner at Dizzy’s listening to City Stomp Live!

Check out all the fun events on the calendar events in New York City this summer!  Please remember to check with the venue to see if there are any cancellations or schedule changes.  Don’t forget to LIKE A Child Grows on Facebook and get more events and news!

Happy Summer!

Deirdre (mom to O & C)

Monday July 28th

Studio in a School at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Mon July 28th 10a, 1130 and 130p.  Free with RSVP.  RSVP here. Pier 2 Promenade.
Get inspired by the cityscape and landscape that envelops Brooklyn Bridge Park with Studio in a School for a morning of drawing and collage at the far end of Pier 2. Ages 5-12 are welcome with an adult!

Sandbox: Stories at Central Park (various playgrounds)
Starts Monday 28th 2-3p. Occurring every Mon, Tue, Wed & Thu thereafter, through August 14th.  Free.
Be part of fun and fantastic stories told by Brennen Lowery and go on an adventure of the imagination!  See website for full schedule.

Coney Island Flicks on the Beach – The Lego Movie
Monday July 28th 730p.  Free.
Come on down to the Coney Island Beach at West 10th Street to see the fifth movie of Summer 2014. Everything will be awesome at Flicks on the Beach when we show the hit film The Lego Movie, starring Chriss Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Will Ferrell.

For more Monday events please click here!

Tuesday July 29th

Think ‘n’ Fun NYC in Central Park (UWS)
Tuesday 29th and Tuesdays until August 12th.  Drop in: $20.  0 to 2y: 945A—1045A & 3 to 5y: 1115A—1215P.
Come join Think ‘n’ Fun NYC’s four-week program of themed learning activities and connect with other great moms and their little ones! With our playgroup, you and your child will explore the world using art, reading, science, and math concepts while having fun and making new friends. Each week will include a relaxed setting with music, movement, crafts, stories, bubbles, parachute time and a small snack.  Location: near the Delacourte Theater — is the host location for this series. Enter at West 85th Street and cross the West Drive. You’ll find us just north of Arthur Ross Pinetum by the picnic tables. July 29th: Weather Fun

Sea Life Storytime with the NY Aquarium at Brooklyn Bay Ridge Library
Tuesday July 29th 230-330p.  Free.
Listen to sea life stories with the mascot for the Aquarium! Play the aquarium guessing game and win special surprises! Take your photo with the walrus (please bring your own camera)

Summer Sandbox Series at The Carl Schurz Park (UES)
Tuesdays 4-430p weather permitting.  Free.
Live music for the children in the park playground.  Tuesday July 29th: Moosiki Kids

For more fun Tuesday events click here!

Wednesday July 30th

SummerStage Kids Presents: NY Chinese Cultural Center at Sunset Park
Wed July 30th 1030-1130a.  Free.
The spectacular dance program features traditional folk dances performed by NYCCC students. Audiences will be treated to a variety of regional and folk dances, such as the Mongolian, Uygur, Tibetan, and Tai dances that showcase the rich diversity of China’s different regions.  Come experience the richness of Chinese dance and arts & culture in this exciting family show!

The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Presents “High Flying Design!” at Brooklyn Public Williamsburgh Library
Wed July 30th 230-330p.  Free.  For ages 4 and up.
Learn about the four forces of flight and how they allow airplanes to fly across the sky. Then we’ll make our own paper airplanes and gliders!

City Stomp Live at Dizzy’s on Fifth (Park Slope)
Wednesday July 30th.  First seating at 5:00 (show at 5:45), second seating at 6:30 (show at 6:45).
City Stomp Live has shows at Dizzy’s Fifth Avenue. Called the Best Place to Rock Out While Having Dinner by Time Out New York Kids, shows are free with a dinner reservation. Reservations required, call Dizzy’s Fifth Avenue at (718) 230-5551.

For more fun Wednesday events click here!

Thursday July 31st

Free Family Arts Day with Spellbound Theatre at the Old Stone House (Park Slope)
Thu July 31s 10a-12n.  Free.
Thanks to generous funding from the Park Slope Civic Council, we are able to share two free days of stories, performance, and art-making at the Old Stone House in Park Slope. Join us anytime between 10am and 12pm and get creative with Spellbound artists.  The sights, sounds, and people of the city will come alive in this morning of storytelling, subway riding, and art-making. Work together to create a large mural of a vibrant Brooklyn street, and take a ride through the city with Catbear, the star of Spellbound Theatre’s “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, Please”. Make a city-inspired artwork to bring home, created from recycled objects from Materials for the Arts.  City Life – 10a Storytime, 1030a Art-making, 11 Subway Games, 1130a Except of “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, Please”

Free Summer Kids Concerts at Madison Square Park (Flatiron)
Thu July 31st 1030a (on Tuesdays & Thursdays until August 7th)  Free.
Madison Square Park Conservancy is thrilled to present its 12th season of Mad. Sq. Kids, a series of free outdoor performances for children and their families that takes place rain or shine in the Park. July 29th Moona Luna & July 31st Shine and the Moonbeams.  See website for full line up.  July 31st: Shine and the Moonbeams
Pop Up Makerspace on 14th Street Park (Chelsea)
Thursdays 5-7p until August 28th.  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!

For more fun Thursday events click here!

Ongoing

Cirque Du Soleil: Varekai at the Barclay’s Center
Wed July 30th-Sun August 3rd various times.  See website for information.  Adults:$45 to $125,Children (12 & under): $36 to $101.
Deep within a forest, at the summit of a volcano, exists an extraordinary world – a world where something else is possible. A world called Varekai.  From the sky falls a solitary young man, and the story of Varekai begins. Parachuted into the shadows of a magical forest, a kaleidoscopic world populated by fantastical creatures, this young man sets off on an adventure both absurd and extraordinary. On this day at the edge of time, in this place of all possibilities, begins an inspired incantation to life rediscovered.

Theatreworks USA Presents: The Lightning Thief at Lucille Lortel Theatre (West Village)
Performances Monday July 21-Friday August 22nd at various times (no shows on Sat)  See website for full schedule.  Free.  For ages 7y+
Let Theatreworks take you into a world with gods, monsters, and heroes! The Lightning Thief is a new musical adapted from the book, “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief”, by Rick Riordan. With the rights provided by Twentieth Century Fox, and through a special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre, Theatreworks is excited to bring this new musical adaptation to children and families in New York, with book by Joe Tracz and music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki, choreographed by Sam Pinkleton and directed by Stephen Brackett. The Lightning Thief features Percy Jackson, the 12-year-old son of Poseidon, who gets pulled into an unfamiliar, mythological world full of treacherous encounters and challenges thrust upon him by the Greek Gods. Percy struggles with dyslexia and ADHD, coming to terms with a father he has never known, and solving the mystery of Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt, alongside his two best friends Grover and Annabeth.  Since this is a free event please read the information on the website about how to get tickets.

Sandbox: Stories at Central Park (various playgrounds)
Starts Monday 28th 2-3p. Occurring every Mon, Tue, Wed & Thu thereafter, through August 14th.  Free.
Be part of fun and fantastic stories told by Brennen Lowery and go on an adventure of the imagination!  See website for full schedule.

Free Summer Kids Film Series at Chelsea Cinema
Tuesdays & Wednesdays 10a  now until August 20th.  Seating starts at 9a.  Free.
Absolutely Free Admission! Seating limited to theater capacity; tickets issued on a first come-first served basis. Films and schedules subject to change without notice.  July 29th & 30th:  Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

KIDS Events for Everyone at Seward Park Volleyball Court (Lower East Side)
Tuesdays & Thursdays until July 31st 10-1130a.  Free.
Tuesdays:  Zumba and Capoeira for Kids. Join the Manny Cantor Fitness team for an action-packed, musical and fun drop in dance class.  Thursdays: Summer Sidewalks in the Park. Dance, create chalk murals and pop bubbles with your neighbors under the sun.
$1 Movies at NYC various locations
Tuesdays & Wednesdays 10a from July 1st – August 27th.
Family fun movies playing on Tuesdays & Wednesdays for the summertime.  Admission to these movies during the Summer Movie Express is only $1. Tickets must be purchased at the theater and all movies start at 10:00 am. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Will Rogers Institute. Search for a theater in your area to see where the Summer Movie Express is playing.  NYC locations:  Regal Atlas Park Stadium 8 in Glendale NY, UA Kaufman Astoria Cinemas 14 & RPX inAstoria NY, UA Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14 IMAX & RPX in Brooklyn NY.  July 29th & 30th: The Adventures of Tintin & Rise of the Guardians

Bessies’s Big Shot at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
M-Sun now until August 24th M-F 1030a and 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.

Unsung & Heroes at Tada! Youth Theater (Chelsea, Midtown West)
Tues-Sat at various times now until August 1st.  Tickets $8-$25.  See website for details.
Unsung (part-one) is a world-premiere dance theater piece about the most daring thing for every kid: coming of age.  Part two is Heroes, a new musical based on the play by Tom Keegan and Davidson Lloyd. When the sun disappears, a group of kids learns what it means and what it takes to be brave.

Summer Hours at Jane’s Carousel (DUMBO)
Now until September 28th.  Open 6 days a week (closed Tuesdays) 11a-7p.
Tickets are $2.
Children age 3 and younger and those under 42” tall may ride free if accompanied by a paying adult.  Multiple Ticket Discount:  12 Tickets – $20.00

Sandbox: Dance at Central Park (various playgrounds)
Occurring every Monday and Tuesday 11a-12n through August 12th.  Free.
Shake it out! Take a break from the swings to learn new dance moves as musician Michael Wimberly plays live djembe beats can really move your feet to! Co-presented with the Museum for African Art. FREE!  Tuesday July 8th playground location is the Diana Ross Playground (W81st).  See website for full schedule.

Sandbox: Music at Central Park (various playgrounds)
Occurring every Wed, Thu & Fri  through August 15th 11a-12n.  Free.
March along to live music, learn about rhythms and melodies, and play percussion instruments with professional musicians from one of NYC’s premier brass quintets, Central Park Brass.  See website for full schedule.

CMA:  Hudson River Outpost at Pier 25 (Tribeca)
Every Tuesday & Thursday from now until August 28th 1-4p for ages 1-12y.  Free.  *Workshops are weather dependent. Please check the website for daily updates or give us a call at (212) 274-0986.  At Pier 25 at N. Moore St.  Make art along the waterfront in Hudson River Park! CMA is bringing a wide variety of free hands-on art making to Pier 25 throughout July and August in partnership with the Hudson River Park Trust. Each week will include activities for 1-12 year olds, including an individual mixed media project and a larger-scale collaborative project inspired by the unique waterfront.

Summer Water Play at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside
M-Sun now until September 1 (Labor Day) 10a-7p.  Free
Starting Memorial Day, the LeFrak Center at Lakeside will transform its uncovered rink into the Park’s largest water play area for children. Free to the public, the water feature includes 41 jets that form clear streams of water that dance across the surface, so children can play while keeping cool on a hot summer day. At night, the fountains will be lit up for a spectacular display.

Summer Safety Event at the Jewish Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Tue July 1st- Sat Aug 30th.  Monday – Thursday: 10a-4p & Sundays: 10a-530p.  $13 General Museum Admission (ages 2+) includes all activities.  Second annual safety event for kids this summer! Featuring a number of safety themed exhibits including a sun smart challenge and hydration activities. Children will have the opportunity to meet and be photographed with “community heroes – safety personnel” including policemen, fire fighters, and others (Sundays only).  Drive through “Safety City”, a mini-city road course complete with traffic lights, pedestrian crosswalks and typical high street attractions along the “road”. Children will have to practice safe street behaviors both as drivers on pedal go-carts and as pedestrians, in order to be awarded a “Safety City” license.

Playtimes at Norman & Jules (Park Slope)
M-Sun various times see website for all the details.  $12/first child, additional child $6.  Package 10 for $108.  Our backyard is intended for ages 6m to 6y.  We do not offer drop-offs.  Caregivers must be with their children at all times.

Sensory Room Family Hours at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Tue-Sun July 1st-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).

Summer Art in the Park in Riverside Park (Morningside Heights)
M-F June 16th-August 22nd 10a-12n (excluding July 4th) 10a-12n.  Free.  At the Hippo Playground located at Riverside Drive & West 91st Street.  For all ages.  This popular summertime favorite will return to Hippo Playground this summer.  Please join us each weekday for this enriching art program.  The class will take place at the picnic tables in the playground.  In the event of rain, the program will be held in the park house.

Victorian Garden at Wollman Rink (Central Park)
Everyday 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 is a traditional family amusement park featuring one-of-a-kind handcrafted rides, games of chance, classic concessions, face painting and live entertainment.

Summer Meals at Brooklyn Public Library (various branches)
M-F now until August 295h 115-2p.  Free.  Some branches are closed on Monday See website for branches and days.
New York City’s annual Summer Meals Program, run by the New York City Department of Education and funded by the federal government, provides free meals to children and teens ages 18 and younger regardless of New York City residency. Free lunches will be served at the following 25 Brooklyn Public Library branches, Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted, from Friday, June 27 to Friday, August 29. Lunches are served from 1:15pm to 2:00pm in the libraries’ meeting rooms.

July is Harry Potter Month! at The Scholastic Store (SOHO)
Tue July 1st-Thursday July 31st 1-4p.  Free.  For ages 8+.
In honor of Harry Potter’s birthday (July 31), The Scholastic Store is dedicating the entire month of July to Harry Potter! Stop by between 1pm-4pm EVERY DAY to participate in events, including Creature Feature Sundays, Muggle Mondays, Trivia Tuesdays, Wizard-Craft Wednesdays, Three Broomsticks Thursdays, Fun Fact Fridays, and House Party Saturdays. Plus, for every Harry Potter book purchased at The Store in July, we’ll donate a copy to The Pajama Program.

Free Summer Kids Concerts at Madison Square Park (Flatiron)
Tue & Thu until August 7th 1030a.  Free.
Madison Square Park Conservancy is thrilled to present its 12th season of Mad. Sq. Kids, a series of free outdoor performances for children and their families that takes place rain or shine in the Park. July 29th Moona Luna & July 31st Shine and the Moonbeams.  See website for full line up.

Art in the Park in Madison Square Park (Flatiron)
Tue-Sat 10a & 2p until October 17th.  Free.
You can find Annie in the Police Officer Moira Ann Smith Playground, presenting fun and creative art activities.  All Mad. Sq. Kids activities are free and open to the public! Drop by the playground and say hi to Annie.  See the website for the art activity of the day.

Explore! in Madison Square Park (Flatiron)
Tue, Thu & Sat 10a-1230p until October 16th.  Free.
The Mad. Sq. Kids: Explore! program lets you and your little ones learn about the park first hand by using fun, self-guided worksheets. Go on a scavenger hunt! Learn about local flora and fauna! Get to know our park monuments! Join our playground activities assistant in the Police Officer Moira Ann Smith playground to learn about today’s featured activities.  See the website for the daily activities.  *Adult supervision is required for all EXPLORE! activities.

Preschool Play at Wagner Park (Battery Park City)
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, now until Oct 29th, 2014 10am-12noon.  Free.
Join other toddlers, parents and caregivers for interactive play on a grassy lawn. Toys, books, and play equipment provided.  No sessions 10/14.   Location just north of Historic Battery Park, off Battery Place.

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.

Prospect Park Carousel Summer Hours
July 3rd-Sept 1st 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.

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.

Le Carrousel in Bryant Park (midtown)
Now until October.  M-Sun 11a-8p.  One ride: $3.  Parents assisting children unable to ride solo will not be charged.  Discount cards:  buy a discounted card and enjoy 10 rides for $15.
Le Carrousel in Bryant Park, specially created to complement the park’s French classical style, is an homage to both European and American traditions. Its fourteen delightful animals, replicas of classic carousel creatures, revolve to the sounds of French cabaret music. The rounding boards, inspired by Bryant Park’s elegant baroque-style torchères along 40th Street, blend into the leafy canopy of the park’s plane trees.

Play Space Summer Schedule at Juguemos a Cantar South Slope
Mon-Fri June 23rd-August 29th 330-5p.  $10 per visit / Sibling $2 per visit.  Play passes also available.
Drop in play space. Ongoing activities during playtime.  Thu 4p Sing with Ale.

Play Space Summer Schedule at Juguemos a Cantar North Slope
M-F 9a-12n now until August 29th.  $10 per visit / Sibling $2 per visit.  Play passes also available.
Drop in play space with activities: Mon: Let’s Paint Tue: 1030a Story Time, Wed: 9a-12p Arts & Crafts, Thu: 1030a sing with Ale, Fri 1030a Drum Circle.

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.

To see all the events click here for the calendar!