Hi everyone! I hope the weekend was fun and get ready for another week of virtual fun events and some outdoor also!
This week check out and enjoy BPL Summer Reading: The Jolly Lollies, Hudson River Park’s Hudson RiverKids with City Stomp, Storytime from the Edible Academy with New York Botanical Gardens, Summer on the Hudson: Super Soccer Stars, Virtual STEAM Workshop: Paper Engineering, Special Family Program: Meet Author Vashti Harrison!, “Virtual Family Tour” with Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Summer Reading: Conroy Warren, Biking, Boating + Splash Pad in Prospect Park, Free Bike Mornings on Governors Island, little Lola & tots: Wee Jam Sing-Along in Von King Park and the Opening Day of the 39th Annual Battery Dance Festival.
There are more evens on the calendar so check it out to see everything going on. Also follow us on our Facebook page for updates.
Stay cool & safe and have fun!
~Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Monday August 10th
Storytime from the Edible Academy with New York Botanical Gardens
Monday August 10th 11-1145a. Free. This program is intended for children and families. A world of food adventure awaits the whole family with selected readings from the children’s book Kalamata’s Kitchen and cooking demonstrations, filmed at NYBG’s Edible Academy! Register here.
Hudson River Park’s Hudson RiverKids with City Stomp
Mondays 4p until August 31st. Free. Hudson RiverKids brings together learning activities and family friendly entertainment all summer long! This year Hudson River Park is bringing our programming to you, wherever that is this summer season. The Park community might be apart, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t join in the fun! With a multitude of programs and performances all made with kids especially in mind, virtual Hudson RiverKids is fun for the whole family. Come join us – we take play seriously! Check out our line-up below to discover something for all kids; recommended for children ages up to 8 years old. Tune in to Facebook Live for Monday performances that are a mix of magic, music, storytelling and much more. If you’re unable to join live, performances will be available after events on hudsonriverpark.org. Monday August 10th: City Stomp
See all the Monday events here.
Tuesday August 11th
Summer Reading: Conroy Warren
Tuesday August 11th 11a-12n. Free. Feeling the beat! Enjoy the power and pleasure of Jazz, Calypso and Reggae through singing and dancing in this interactive performance with versatile entertainer Conroy Warren. It’s fun! It’s exciting! View the broadcast on Facebook Live at 11a.
little Lola & tots: Wee Jam Sing-Along in Von King Park (Bedford Stuyvesant)
Tuesdays 330-415p until September 8th. August 11th class is free and classes after are $15. Sign up here for the 11th & here for the other classes. Don’t miss Brooklyn’s most fun and interactive singalong! Each session is packed with singing, dancing, stories, puppets, parachute, bubbles and more. Best for ages 0-4 and their grownups.
See all the Tuesday events here
Wednesday August 12th
“Virtual Family Tour” with Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Wednesday August 12th 1030a-1130a. Free. This program is intended for families with children ages 5 and up. Explore the museum from home with an interactive, family-friendly tour that includes creative, hands-on activities. Each tour is organized around a single theme and highlights artworks from the Guggenheim’s collection and special exhibitions. You must register with your email address through GoToWebinar in order to receive the link to participate. You will need a device with audio and/or video and an internet connection to join.
Summer Reading: The Jolly Lollies
Wednesday August 12th 11a-12n. Free. Liz Corwin and Holly Johnson are both singer-songwriters who teamed up to create Liz, Holly, & The Jolly Lollies. Based in Charlotte, NC they are known around the Queen City for teaching early childhood music in preschools and for leading music programs for Music Together of Charlotte. Liz and Holly met in 2011 and quickly realized they both loved bringing people together through music and imagination. In 2013, they decided to team up together musically. View the broadcast on Facebook Live at 11a.
See all the Wednesday events here.
Thursday August 13th
Summer on the Hudson: Super Soccer Stars
Thursdays 930-1030a until August 27th. Free. Dynamic coaches help children 5 and under learn soccer skills and develop self-confidence in a fun, non-competitive environment. Super Soccer Stars is committed to keeping your kids active and healthy during this time away from in person events and classes. Keep your child kicking in any environment now with their new digital programming that allows your child to have fun and continue to build their soccer skills. In this introductory class, Soccer Stars @ Home will cover Skills & Drills and basic warmup exercises that are easy to practice at home with children of all ages—all you need to have is a ball of any size (soccer balls are great, but even a tennis ball or a rolled up t-shirt works!) to practice with and some space to move around! Classes will take place on Zoom. To join, register here. Once registered, you will receive attendance instructions 24 hours prior to the event. Registration closes 30 minutes prior to event start. See the website for all the event details.
Special Family Program: Meet Author Vashti Harrison!
Thursday August 13th 1-2p. Free. For all ages. Join us online via Zoom to meet author Vashti Harrison and discuss her celebrated book Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, a captivating collection of profiles that showcase women from the worlds of activism, arts, journalism, sports, politics, and more. Rediscover women you’ve learned about before—like Rosa Parks—and explore the lives of women whose stories need to be sung, like chemist Alice Ball. Come ready to discuss your favorite biographies, chat with other families about the book, and ask Harrison about her work as a writer and illustrator. Register here.
See all the Thursday events here.
Friday August 14th
Virtual STEAM Workshop: Paper Engineering
Friday August 14th 12n-1p. Pay as you wish. Register here. Ages 7 and above, families welcome. Join Lewis Latimer House Museum for a unique virtual program! Participants will build amazing structures and explore engineering techniques using only paper. Participants will examine the objects around them in the spaces they inhabit and simplify them into geometric shapes. By breaking furniture and decor into primitive shapes, they will be able to build them out of paper using a basic set of techniques. They will use these techniques to create a new, remixed, or fantastic room space out of paper.
Opening Day of the 39th Annual Battery Dance Festival (Virtual)
Friday August 14th & ongoing daily 7-8p until Saturday August 22nd. Free online performance online or yourtube. Register for free to receive reminders and bonus content for every day of the Festival here. Or click on a day on the website to register for a specific day. The Battery Dance Festival is New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival. Each year, the Festival draws a combined audience of over 12,000 people. AUG 14 ~ Black Voices in Dance: The 39th Annual Battery Dance Festival opens this year with a celebration of Black Voices in Dance, standing in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. This program features works that explore individuality, community, and the sometimes uneasy relationship between.
See all the Friday events here.
Daily Events
Brooklyn Public Library Vitural Storytimes
Daily usually at 11a & 2p. Free. Sometimes the storytimes are on the Brooklyn Public Library Family facebook page and other times they are on a specific branch facebook page. See the website for all the details.
Biking, Boating + Splash Pad in Prospect Park
Open daily. Hours: Boating + Biking: daily, 10a- 8p & Splash Pad (water play): daily, 10a-dusk. Splash pad is free see website for biking & boating rates. COVID-19 Update: Please note that starting Saturday, August 1, the LeFrak Center at Lakeside will be open daily for biking, boating and water play, with food and drink available for takeaway from the Bluestone Cafe; roller skating is not offered at this time. Please note that our water play feature, Splash Pad, is not regularly sanitized, and patrons are requested to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines posted on site, including adhering to mask wearing and social distancing protocols.
Creatively Wild Art Studio: Creative Playtime for Toddlers with DM & BLU
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 9-945a until August 31st. $20/class (class packages also available). Suitable for Toddlers ages 22 months- 3.5 yrs. Our fun, engaging summer online playtime class for Toddlers is hosted by our very own DM (our creative director /owner) and will include an awesome art project, a story & a sing-song! Brought to you in the comfort of your own home during these challenging times. This is a 45 minute immersive adventure & the perfect way to keep your tiny one engaged & inspired. Art nurtures each child’s development and helps them make creative choices, gain confidence, develop fine motor skills. We will set a cool art project every morning, you will be amazed at what your little one can create! For all online classes you will need to purchase your own Art Supplies. See the website for the details. NOTE: This is an Online Art Class that meets virtually
Free Bike Mornings on Governors Island
Mondays-Fridays 10a-12n. Free. Blazing Saddles offers bikes, surreys, pedal cars, scooters and more for rental. Free Bike Mornings allow visitors to borrow a bike from Blazing Saddles for free for up to one hour every weekday between 10 AM and noon. Come visit Blazing Saddles at the north end of Colonels Row and bike the Island! This year you need a reservation for the ferry. See the website for all the details.
The Hopalong Andrew Show
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10a until August 27th. $10 Suggested Minimum. Back in the saddle! This is the first time I’ve ever tried something like this… a retro-tinged, 1-man variety show from my apartment. Flavorpill Critic’s Pick: “A camp-heavy combination of Mr. Rogers meets Bob Ross… Hopalong Andrew might be just weird enough for folks to tune in.” VENMO @HopalongAndrew (code, if needed, 5283) or PAYPAL hopalongandrew@gmail.com. See the website for all the details.
PJ Library Digital Resources
Monday-Friday storytimes & craft-alongs at 11a, 1p & 4p (eastern) and virtual field trips 12n eastern everyday. See website for details.
Bilingual Birdies Zoom Classes
Tuesdays 5p (Spanish), Wednesdays 11 (Mandarin), Thursdays 11a (Spanish), Fridays 11a (French). Pricing: Weekly: $15 per week of unlimited access to classes, Monthly: $40 per month of unlimited access to classes, Semester: $120 for an entire four months of unlimited access to classes. Experience the bilingual magic from home with virtual classes for kids up to age 6! Learn & practice languages at home through singing, dancing, and puppetry! Interactive 30-minute classes will be held live by our top bilingual teaching musicians who will enchant your child while they increase their vocabulary and celebrate diversity! Sign up and receive a “Mini Birdkit” (fun class materials) in the mail and enjoy unlimited classes in Spanish, French, and Mandarin. See the website here.
Jumpin’ Jams: Summer Online Music Class
Wednesdays-Fridays 945-1030a until August 14th. $17/drop in class. For ages 3m-6y. This is a LIVE online, interactive version of our hoppin’ music classes! You can login thru Zoom (we’ll send you the link, once registered) and join the fun! We will go on a musical train ride, get down and boogie, and check out different instruments while jamming along with fun, age appropriate music. Many of the movement based songs are designed to reinforce early language development and an understanding of the world around them. Come jam with us! Register here for Wednesdays, here for Thursdays & here for Fridays. See the website for information on classes on other days/times.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan at Home
Activities in a daily email newsletter. Free. While the Museum is closed, our CMOM educators are still working to fill your child’s day with engaging interactive activity. CMOM can still be a part of your day through videos, sing-a-longs, games and so much more for you to do together with your family at home! Sign up for emails here (go all the way down the page on the right hand side for email sign up). From slime-making, dance parties and being transported to Japan with a recipe for sushi, to making animal puppets from recycled materials around the house, creating a bedtime routine and storytimes, “CMOM at Home” is sure to delight. Each day of the week will feature a different theme: Magical Monday, Move & Grove Tuesday, Our World Wednesday, Artsy Thursday, Feel Good Friday, Storytime Saturday and Surprise Sunday.