Hi everyone
There are lots of events happening this week for the children!
This week you can Celebrate Father’s Day all week at the Children’s Museum of the Arts, go to the Summer Reading Storytime at Brooklyn Bridge Park, listen to music at The Metropolitan Opera at Brooklyn Bridge Park check out Fledglings: Early Childhood Program at the Audubon Center and First Discoveries for Toddlers at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Also happening this week is the Kids Concert in Madison Square Park with Alastair Moock and Friends, The New York Aquarium presents: Far Out Forests at the Kensington Brooklyn Public Library, a Japanese Play Date at The Stomping Ground, Spellbound Explorers at at Birth Day Presence, Free Extended Thursday Hours at Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Splash Pad at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park is great on hot days!
There or more events happening this week so check the calendar for all the Brooklyn & NYC events! Remember to like us on Facebook for last minute news and event reminders.
Only two more weeks of school! Enjoy the week
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Monday June 15th
Celebrate Father’s Day at the Children’s Museum of the Arts (SOHO)
Mon 12n-5p also Wed 12n-5p, Thu-Fri 12n-6p, Saturday-Sunday June 20th-June 21st 10a-5p. Free with museum admission. Bring dad to CMA for a day of art-making fun for the whole family! Or leave dad at home and surprise him with a unique handmade gift! Throughout the week of June 15-22, create Family Photo Albums and DIY Ties in the Fine Arts Studio, dot marker cards in the WEE Arts Studio, busts of dad at the Clay Bar, “If I Were a Dad…” Found Object Portrait Animation, and more! Don’t Forget: All dads receive free admission on Father’s Day, June 21!
Spellbound Explorers at at Birth Day Presence (Park Slope)
Mondays June 15th 11-1145a. All Spellbound Explorer classes are drop-in – you can pay by cash or credit card in person at class. Single classes: $15/one child, $22/siblings. June 15: Costumes and Characters. Explore one story a week through song, story, and play. Children will have a chance to socialize, develop pre-literacy and imaginative skills, and learn new stories. Grown-ups will have a chance to learn stories and songs that they can do at home. Each week is a new story and theme, explored through art-based play. The theme this week is dress up and character creation! Spellbound Explorers is a mixed-age class. 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. June 22: Construction Site
Audra Rox Drop-in Music Class at Gumbo (Boerum Hill)
Mondays 330p & 430p for mixed ages until June 22nd. END OF SPRING drop-ins available ($30 cash or check). Come join in the fun at Music for Aardvarks classes – a musical experience for families with children ages 3 months to 5 years. We will explore music through song & gesture, dance & movement, rhythm training, and instrument play; using original music that celebrates the lives of children growing up in an urban environment. Written by David Weinstone, songs like Taxi, City Kid, and Subway provide children with a positive image of their world and help them relate to their surroundings.
For more Monday events please click here!
Tuesday June 16th
Summer Reading Storytime at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Tuesday June 16th 1030a-1130a. Free. Location: Granite Terrace near Pier 3. Come and join The Brooklyn Public Library on the second Tuesday of June, July and August at 10:30am for a rollicking good time listening to stories, singing songs, and enjoying the breeze from the water! Our Brooklyn Heights children’s librarian will read stories from the library’s summer reading list, plus a whole lot more! The only thing more fun than a good storytime is one with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge! In the event of rain, Storytime will be held the following Tuesday.
The New York Aquarium presents: Far Out Forests at the Kensington Brooklyn Public Library
Tuesday June 16th 3-4p. Free. Journey to the west coast of the United States and dive in to explore the unique, underwater kelp forest ecosystem. Much like forests on land — kelp forests are full of life that is found nowhere else in the world! To explore these underwater forests, we will bring the kelp forest to you, introduce some live animal ambassadors that would call the kelp forest home, and uncover how this habitat impacts our lives.
First Discoveries for Toddlers at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Crown Heights)
Tuesday 130-3p June 16th and also July 7th-August 25th. Free with Garden admission. Calling all explorers 2–4 years old (and their caregivers)! Plant a carrot seed, touch a wriggly worm, nestle into a meadow nook to read a story, or create a unique nature craft at special Discovery Garden activity stations designed for toddlers. Activities rotate seasonally. This drop-in program is designed for parents and caregivers to attend alongside their children. All programs are outdoors and canceled in inclement weather; for updates, call 718-623-7200, ext. 7801.
For more fun Tuesday events click here!
Wednesday June 17th
Japanese Play Date at The Stomping Ground (Crown Heights)
Wednesdays 1130a-1230p. free for members / $5 non-members. This weekly play date is open to all families, including those who speak Japanese as their first language. Host Yuko Gilman will begin each group with circle time, including a story or song presented in Japanese.
Science Club: Building Circuits with littleBits at the Brooklyn Public Library (Washington Irving)
Wednesday June 17th 4-5p. Free. Learn about creating your very own circuits using interlocking magnetic parts. Design and build your concepts from littleBits circuits, Legos and craft materials. Each week we will have a different challenge you will accomplish. Get a challenge (climb a hill, race, draw something, etc.), Sketch your idea on paper, Experiment building your machine, Use Legos and craft materials to bring your machine to life! Get building!
The Metropolitan Opera at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Wednesday June 17th 7p. Free. A favorite summer tradition in New York! The Met Opera returns with a concert filled with famous arias and duets, featuring Met Opera stars soprano Janai Brugger, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, and baritone Nathan Gunn, joined by pianist Dan Saunders.
For more fun Wednesday events click here!
Thursday June 18th
Fledglings: Early Childhood Program at the Audubon Center (Prospect Park)
Thursdays 930-1030a until June 25th. Free. Join Prospect Park Alliance Naturalists in a new early childhood program for parents and caregivers with children ages 18-36 months. Children will develop self-reliance, creativity, and problem-solving skills through outdoor play-based activities. Focusing on a different theme every week, children will begin to appreciate nature. The program will include opportunities for mini nature-walks, animal encounters, nature play, and story time.
Kids Concerts in Madison Square Park (Flatiron)
Thursdays until July 30th at 1030a (lawn opens at 10a). Mad. Sq. Kids Concert Series is a free interactive concert on the Farragut Lawn! Children can learn simple skills and the appreciation of music from an eclectic mix of today’s top children’s performing artists. Concerts are rain or shine. Rain location for concerts is held on the southern gravel. Adult supervision is required. On Thursday, June 18th at 10:30am the Mad. Sq. Kids stage will welcome 2014 GRAMMY Nominee and Parents’ Choice Gold Medal Winner, Alastair Moock and Friends to play original and traditional American roots music for the whole family. Stick around at our EXPLORE! Cart after the show for some self-guided worksheets and games for all ages.
FREE Extended Thursday Hours at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Thursdays 3p-7p for all ages. Come join us for our FREE afternoon hours at the Museum, EVERY Thursday of the month after 3p the museum is free! The 3rd Thursday of the month the museum stays open until 7pm for all your fun exploring (other Thursdays it closes at 5p)!
For more fun Thursday events click here!
Ongoing
Celebrate Father’s Day at the Chidlren’s Museum of the Arts (SOHO)
Mon & Wed 12n-5p, Thu-Fri 12n-6p, Saturday-Sunday June 20th-June 21st 10a-5p. Free with museum admission. Bring dad to CMA for a day of art-making fun for the whole family! Or leave dad at home and surprise him with a unique handmade gift! Throughout the week of June 15-22, create Family Photo Albums and DIY Ties in the Fine Arts Studio, dot marker cards in the WEE Arts Studio, busts of dad at the Clay Bar, “If I Were a Dad…” Found Object Portrait Animation, and more! Don’t Forget: All dads receive free admission on Father’s Day, June 21!
Splash Pad at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Mon-Sat: 10a-7p & Sun: 10a-6p. Free. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day, weather permitting. The Splash Pad, officially known as the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Water Playground, is the LeFrak Center’s free water play area for kids 12 and under. Open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the water feature welcomed over 30,000 visitors last summer. Featuring 47 water spray jets and covering 16,000 square feet, Splash Pad is largest water play area in Prospect Park. In addition, the LeFrak Center offers roller skating, the Bluestone Café, and surrounding landscapes for picnicking and relaxation.
Art in the Park in Madison Square Park (Flatiron)
Mondays & Wednesdays 10a-2p until September 30th. No sessions on the last Monday of each month (6/29, 7/27, 8/31 & 8/28). Free. The Mad. Sq. Park Teaching Artist can be found in the Moira Ann Smith Playground each Monday and Wednesday from June 1 – September 30 with free hands-on creative arts activities at 10am and 2pm. Children are encouraged to participate in free flowing art-based activities. Adult supervision is required. Monday June 1st: Kandinsky’s Kones (10am) Scoop up some facts about artist Wassily Kandinsky while using his “Circles” artwork to make ice cream cone confections! Henri’s Scissors (2pm) Learn to paint with paper like the artist Henri Matisse! We will read all about Matisse’s life and work before creating symmetrical collages using tissue paper. Wednesday June 3rd: Watercolor Wings (10am) Draw your own flying friend using shapes and learn watercolor techniques that will ruffle these bird’s feathers! Breezy Trees (2pm) Learn about warm and cool colors by making trees representing all of the seasons! Use a paint-blowing technique to make realistic branches that will bring your trees to life! See the website for future art project themes.
Jeppe Hein: Please Touch the Art at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Open daily 6a-1a until April 17, 2016. Free. Visitors entering the park at Pier 1 will encounter Hein’s iconic water sculpture, Appearing Rooms installed on the Bridge View Lawn. Vertical jets of water will gradually appear forming seven-foot-tall “walls”, which moments later will disappear, enabling visitors to move to different “rooms”, all without touching a drop of water. Systematically, these “walls” appear and disappear through a timed cycle, enticing visitors to step onto the gridded platform and move from space to space within the sculpture. The cycle of changing walls may also be observed from outside the piece as a dynamic and perceptually engaging work of art. The second major component of the exhibition is a newly conceived, large-scale Mirror Labyrinth to be installed at the Pier 3 Greenway Terrace. The third body of work, Modified Social Benches, will be on view throughout the park,surprising visitors with each chance encounter. See website fore the full descriptions of the art.
Backyard Playtime at Norman & Jules (Park Slope)
Mondays 930a-530p and Tuesday-Friday 930a-3p. $12 first child, $6 additional child. Single 10 Packs also available. See website for details. Our backyard is intended for ages 6m to 6y. Caregivers must be with their children at all times.
Play Space Spring Schedule at Juguemos a Cantar North Slope
M-F 9a-12n. $10 per visit / sibling $2 per visit. Play passes also available. Drop in play space with activities: Mon 10a Let’s Paint, Tue 10a Arts & Crafts, Wed 1030a Sing with Tucker, Thu 1030a Sing with Ale, Fri 1030a Sing with Damian. Also Play Space hours 9a-12n M, W & F South Slope location. See website for more information.
Jack and the Beanstalk at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Tue–Fri 1030a & 12p, Wed 1030a, 12p & 230p, Sat & Sun 1p until June 28th. See website for July & August showtimes. 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.
To see all the events click here for the calendar!