Hi everyone,
Winter is here with cold temperatures but we have a lot of indoor events to help beat the blahs!
This week you can stay warm and have fun at the Big Greenpoint Playdate! at the Greenpoint Brooklyn Public Library, check out Spellbound Explorers at at Birth Day Presence, head to the American Museum of Natural History for the Gateway Storytime in the Discovery Room, a Free Trial Mad Science at Pipsqueak Children’s Shoppe and Tots Yoga at Bend & Bloom Yoga.
More indoor events are Transit Tots at New York Transit Museum, a Play Group at The Stomping Ground, Rock with Adam! at the Park Slope Brooklyn Public Library, a new Singalong with Hopalong Andrew at at Die Stammkneipe/ DSK and the start of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in Central Park. The week the FiDi Families: Community Cube has free activities with Music for Aardvarks, Bilingual Birdies and Breathe Bend Grow at South Street Seaport
That is just some of the indoor events happening this week so check the calendar for information on all the winter activities in Brooklyn & NYC! Also remember to like us on Facebook for last minute news and events!
Happy January!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Monday January 12th
Gateway Storytime in the Discovery Room at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Mondays 1015a & 1115a. Programs do not run on public school holidays. Age: 2 1/2 – 5y. Free with Museum admission. Free passes for the 10:15 and 11:15 Gateway Storytime sessions are available the day of the program at the Discovery Room entrance on a first come, first served basis. The Discovery Room invites preschoolers and their parents or caregivers to explore! Each week highlights a topic in natural science or a cultural theme. There is a period of free play followed by a story, song, and visit to a related Museum hall.
Spellbound Explorers at at Birth Day Presence (Park Slope)
Mondays 11a. All Spellbound Explorer classes are drop-in but have limited seating, so you can register in advance to secure a spot. Single classes (online or in-person): $15/one child, $22/siblings. Discounts available for pre-purchasing class packs online. See, touch, smell, hear and move with your favorite stories as they come to life through creative play activities. Classes and public events are led by professional storytellers who specialize in early childhood. Spellbound classes and Free Family Art Days will spark your child’s creativity and curiosity through song, puppetry, and creative play. Each week children and adults will dive into a story at class, and learn new art-based literacy activities to do at home. Classes are drop-in on a weekly basis. See website for all the details. Classes are designed to engage a wide range of ages and developmental stages, but are most enjoyable for ages 9 months through 3 years. We encourage a mix of ages to allow for multiple methods of exploration and problem-solving, and to welcome families with siblings of various ages. All children over 4 months must be registered.
Free Trial Mad Science at Pipsqueak Children’s Shoppe (Bedford Stuyvesant)
Monday Jan 12th 4-5p. 10 week series starts January 12th and the first class is free. For ages 5-8y. Each class will cover a different topic. Topics included will be Bugs, Earthworks, Walloping Weather, Life in the sea, All About Animals, Mission Nutrition, Birds and Beasts, and Nature. To see a more detailed description of this series please check their website.
For more fun Monday events click here!
Tuesday January 13th
Tots Yoga at Bend & Bloom Yoga (Park Slope, Gowanus)
Tuesdays 10-1045. $24 for adult/child together. Class packs also available for purchase. For walkers up to 3 and a parent or caregiver. Tots Yoga with April Cantor. Your babe will celebrate the wonders of mobility, communication, and independent exploration with you in this joyful class. Animated animal poses and imaginative games help toddlers to recognize (and eventually repeat!) patterns and tap their budding creativity. Our tot-centric poses improve motor coordination, cognitive development, and socialization while kids learn about the wonders of their body.
Big Greenpoint Playdate! at the Brooklyn Public Library (Greenpoint)
Tuesday Jan 13th 1030a-12p. Free. For babies and toddlers birth to 3 years and their parents and caregivers. Stop by the Big Greenpoint Playdate to enjoy fun games and activities that delight young children and encourage early literacy. Come to play and leave ready to turn ordinary objects in your home into your child’s favorite toys.
Drop In Sing Along with Miss Katie at LARK (Flatbush/Prospect Park South)
Tuesdays 11a-1145a. $5. Singing a mix of classic kid favorites and rare folk gems, Miss Katie is known for bringing the sing along fun to Brooklyn families! As one parent put it, “Miss Katie knows how to connect with caregivers, parents and children to bring out the rhythm in all of us.”
For more fun Tuesday events click here!
Wednesday January 14th
Play Group at The Stomping Ground (Crown Heights)
Wednesdays 10a For ages 9 months to 2 years, Free for members $5 non-members
This weekly play group for children between the ages of 9 and 24 months is facilitated by parents and includes fun, familiar songs and unstructured free play in Stomping Ground’s colorful, active space. Play group provides an opportunity for families to get to know each other while their children play. The group includes parent led songs and stories during circle time at the beginning and end of the group.
Rock with Adam! at the Park Slope Brooklyn Public Library
Wednesdays in January 1030a-1115a. Free. Babies & toddlers will enjoy songs and dancing with Adam! Tickets will be handed out at the reference desk 30 minutes prior to the program.
Singalong with Hopalong Andrew at at Die Stammkneipe/ DSK (Fort Greene)
Wednesdays 330p. Doors open at 3p. $10 includes a $5 consumption voucher!
Announcing a super cool new singalong in Fort Greene! It’s their DSK Babies & Bier series. Come hang out for folk songs, brezels and bier! How do you say “yeehaw” in German?
For more fun Wednesday events click here!
Thursday January 15th
Transit Tots at New York Transit Museum (Dowtown Brooklyn)
Thursdays 1015a except February 19th. Free with admission. For ages 2-5y with adult companions.
Stories, games and surprises for our youngest transportation fans with with Educator Polly Desjarlais!
Tots Yoga: Practice & Play w/Natalie at Brooklyn Yoga Collective (Crown Heights)
Thursdays 230-330p. Caregivers welcome. Ages 6 weeks – 2.5 years. All yoga classes are offered on a sliding scale payment model of $7-$15 per class. Mats are available for free use. In this baby-centered class we will sing, stretch, dance and play. Introduce your baby to yoga and enjoy some time for your own practice. Partner with your child in simple poses, games, music and breathing exercises that help to strengthen coordination and build body awareness. This fun class provides bonding methods between parent and child, while also providing space for community building.
Book Adventures at the Carroll Gardens Brooklyn Public Library
Thursdays until March 26th 415p-5p. Free. For ages 5 to 12y.
Transport yourself to different worlds with books and factual insights. This is a Read Aloud program followed by an activity, inspired by arts or crafts. Adventures, we will be exploring: Crime Scene Investigator, Secret Agent: Cracking the Code, Be an Illustrator, Shapes in Art, Simple Machines and the Impact on our Daily Lives, Doodle Diary, Flight and People in Flight
For more fun Thursday events click here!
Ongoing
Playgroup at Bija Kids (Clinton Hill)
Mon-Thu now until May 29th 330-5p. For ages 0-3y. Sign up here and then drop-in – $15 first child/$7 additional child or 10 pack/10 visits $120 (expires 3m from purchase). Take Refuge at Bija Playgroup When the Weather Turns! After a nap and lunch, but before bath and dinner, come to hang out and play with other 0-3 year olds at Bija. With parents or caregivers present, little ones explore puzzles, instruments, books, and plush toys in a warm, safe, and enriching environment. One our our dynamic teachers leads an enrichment activity each afternoon. Expect bubbles, parachute, paint, and more! Parents and caregivers must remain onsite.
Jack and the Beanstalk at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Starts Wednesday January 14th. Show information: Tue–Fri 1030a & 12p, Wed 1030a, 12p & 230p, Sat & Sun 1p. Tickets are $7/children and $10/adults. Based on the classic English fairytale, this fresh retelling of the Swedish Cottage original production takes Jack on an enchanting adventure up a magical beanstalk. In this starry new world, Jack encounters the notorious Giant, Milford, whose thieving ways have brought misfortune upon Jack and his mother. Determined to make life better for his family, Jack, with help from friends old and new, risks his life to take back what the Giant stole.
WEE Arts Drop-in Session at the Children’s Museum of the Arts (South Village)
Monday-Friday 1045a-12p, $25 per family up to 5 ($20 for members). Want to stay longer? General admission is just $6 per person after drop-in. Music time! Story time! Art time! Join CMA’s WEE teaching artists for an art-filled drop-in session before we open our doors to the public. Parent and/or caregivers are required to join and we encourage family collaboration throughout the class. No sign up required.
FiDi Families: Community Cube at South Street Seaport
Monday-Wednesday in January 10a-12n. Free. The Howard Hughes Corporation, in partnership with FiDiFamilies.com, and sponsor New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital invites local families inside the Community Cube at the South Street Seaport Mondays thru Wednesday in January. Children will have a chance to partake in music, arts, crafts, film and even kid’s yoga! January 12th: Music for Aardvarks – Kids music fun with catchy tunes and interactive experience, January 13th: Bilingual Birdies – Music and language immersion class that encourages cross-cultural awareness through foreign language and live music curriculum, January 14th: Breathe Bend Grow – Fun yoga classes for kids.
Holiday Express at the New-York Historical Society (UWS)
Now until February 22nd. Friday 10a-8p, Tue-Thu & Sat 10a-6p & Sun 11a-5p. Free with paid admission. Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection. The New-York Historical Society will be transformed this holiday season with the installation of a spectacular exhibit of treasures from the renowned Jerni Collection, now owned by the New-York Historical Society, of model trains, scenic elements and toys. The dynamic display will appeal to all age groups, showcasing the beauty and allure of toys from a bygone era. The exhibition begins at the West 77th Street entrance, where movement and sound from four large-scale multimedia screens will make it seem as though trains are roaring through the space. A 360-degree mountainous landscape will be on view in the Judith and Howard Berkowitz Sculpture Court, featuring artifacts grouped into ten scenes.
Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Now and until January 19th 2015. Various times and prices. See website for information.
Advance reservations are strongly recommended as tickets do sell out. Tickets are timed and sold in 15 minute increments. New York City’s Favorite Train Show: A 23-Year Tradition! A must-see New York tradition where enchanting model trains zip past popular landmarks under the twinkling glow of the magical Haupt Conservatory! Step into a city in miniature featuring more than 150 iconic buildings, all re-created with bark, leaves, and other natural materials. Marvel at G-scale trains humming along among familiar sights such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, and Rockefeller Center—surprising at every turn—on a quarter-mile of track as they enliven this cherished holiday experience. The Artist’s Studio showcases how visionary artist Paul Busse and his team craft these amazing small wonders. Real trains, real landmarks, real fun—only at NYBG!
13th Annual Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Terminal (Midtown East)
Now until February 22nd. M–F: 8a–8p, Saturday and Sunday: 10a–6p. (extended hours November 22n-December 24th – see website for details. Location: Shuttle Passage adjacent to the Station Master’s Office. Free. Lionel trains once again will capture hearts and imaginations at the Transit Museum where Metro-North, New York Central and subway trains depart from a miniature GCT. The Museum’s store and booth at the Holiday Gift Fair offer great gifts for your holiday shopping!
To see all the events click here for the calendar!