Hi everyone! I hope everyone is adjusting to their normal schedules again and looking forward to the fun weekend here in NYC!
This weekend check out Theatre for the Young Minds: Journey Around My Bedroom, Second Saturdays Trailwork Party + Bike Share at Highbridge Bike Park, Coastal Scavenger Hunt on Rockaway Beach, New York Public Library: Game Night, Virtual Hike: Winter Animal Tracks, The Jewish Museum Virtual Tour and Art Workshop: Recycled Robots, Birding: Winter Birds in Canarsie Park, MulchFest and Books are Magic Virtual Storytime: Stella’s Stellar Hair.
Don’t forget about running events like Aladdin & the Wonderful Lamp at Puppetworks, the Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History, Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection at New-York Historical Society Museum and the last weekend of the Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo.
These are just some of the weekend events so check the calendar so check it to everything going on. Also like us on Facebook for last minute events and updates.
Enjoy the weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday January 8th
Theatre for the Young Minds: Journey Around My Bedroom [sponsored]
Friday January 8th 7p, Saturday January 9th 2p & Sunday January 10th 11a & 2p. All tickets are Pay What You Will, with a suggested price of $25 for up to two viewers. Purchase tickets here. Running time: 45 min with a 15 post show behind the scenes Q&A to follow. Xavi is a little girl with a big imagination, stranded alone in her bedroom. When a mysterious visitor drops by looking for a missing part to fix his magical flying machine, they explore the hidden depths of her room and use the power of imagination to turn her isolation into an epic indoor voyage. This online interactive experience borrows techniques of the Victorian toy theatre (like paper cutout characters) and combines them with contemporary style puppetry and original songs. Designed specifically for online viewing, it invites viewers to turn their cameras on to participate in select scenes. A post-show talkback after each performance invites them to meet the puppeteers, ask questions, and explore behind-the-scenes. Audience members will also receive a printable puppet template that they can make and color at home. This is an opportunity for families quarantined together to share some quality fun time together; and for extended families, who can’t get together physically, to enjoy a shared virtual experience.
Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo
Select dates through January 10th 3-8p (last weekend). Tickets are required and must be reserved in advance. Tickets start at $22.95. Purchase tickets here. Join us for five animal lantern safaris, ice-carving demonstrations, holiday treats, costumed characters, wildlife theater, stilt walkers, and more! Join us for a global safari in lights featuring illuminated animals from all over the world. Our five lantern safaris, spread out throughout the park each showcase a different wildlife region and will lead you on a fun, safe, and leisurely tour of the attractions. See the website for all the event details.
New York Public Library: Game Night!
Friday January 8th 4-445p. For ages 8-12y. Register here and you will receive an email with the Google Meet link the by 12n on the day of the event. Join staff from the Melrose Branch ONLINE as we play games related to our favorite books! From Jeopardy to BINGO, Wheel of Foprtune to Charades–we will have fun playing and geeking out about books together. Hope you can make it!
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday January 9th
MulchFest (citywide)
Saturday January 9th 10a-2p. Wrap up your holiday season and say goodbye to your tree at Mulchfest. Join NYC Parks and the New York City Department of Sanitation in the NYC holiday tradition of recycling your Christmas tree! Put on your boots and haul your tree to a Mulchfest location — we’ll chip your tree into wood chips that we’ll use to nourish trees and make NYC even greener. More than 50,000 trees were recycled last year. Help top this number! Bring your own bag so you can take home some mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree. To participate, just look for a chipping site on the website.
Second Saturdays Trailwork Party + Bike Share at Highbridge Bike Park
Saturday January 9th 10a-3p. Free. Register here. Dig, then ride with us on NYCMTB’s monthly welcome days at Highbridge Park in Manhattan! Bring your friends and family for a day of fun in the woods and learn what it takes to build, maintain, and ride the most progressive urban bike park in America! There will be light trail maintenance tasks for all ages from 10:00 a.m. to noon. All participants, NYCMTB members, or anyone with logged volunteer hours, receive a free 20-minute clinic and a guided ride throughout the trails from 12:30 p.m to 3:00 p.m. Bikes and helmets provided!
Aladdin & the Wonderful Lamp at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Saturdays-Sundays starting January 9th and ongoing until Sunday March 28th 1230p & 230p. Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each (suggested for ages 3 and up). Aladdin & the Wonderful Lamp from “1,001 Arabian Nights”. Adapted for Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola. Call for Reservations: 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: puppetworksinfo@gmail.com NO same day e-mail reservations please. Performances are @ 25% Capacity, Masks Required.
Coastal Scavenger Hunt on Rockaway Beach
Saturday January 9th 1-2p. Free. Join the Urban Park Rangers on Rockaway Beach to explore the ecological diversity of our coastal shorelines. You never know what you may observe on this exploration of clues left behind by some of the species that call this area their home. See the website for information on the Covid-19 protocols.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday January 10th
The Jewish Museum Virtual Tour and Art Workshop: Recycled Robots
Sunday January 10th 10-11a. Free with RSVP. RSVP for Zoom link, one ticket per family. Zoom information will be sent with email confirmation. Join us for a virtual family tour and art-making experience inspired by our popular Picture This! series now designed as an at-home opportunity for families. Discover how artists change everyday materials into imaginative works of art! With the holiday of Tu B’Shevat (birthday of the trees) coming this month, think about ways to be more kind to the earth and reuse materials around you. See works in the Jewish Museum collection that include a playful mix of objects such as light bulbs, metal cans, stones, wood blocks, and more. Design a unique robot character out of materials you find or collect and transform these objects into something new.
Birding: Winter Birds in Canarsie Park
Sunday January 10th 10-11a. Free. New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders to deer and seals, wildlife viewing opportunities exist year-round in all of our parks and beaches. Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in New York City. Discover the amazing variety of birds that winter here in NYC. Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome. See the website for Covid-19 protocols.
Virtual Hike: Winter Animal Tracks
Sunday January 10th 11a-12n. Free. What animal made these tracks? What do deer footprints look like in the mud & snow? Greenbelt enthusiasts of all ages will discover the answers to these questions as we explore, and learn to study signs of winter wildlife. This program will be available via Facebook Live through our Greenbelt Conservancy Facebook page and Greenbelt Environmental Education Facebook page.
Books are Magic Virtual Storytime: Stella’s Stellar Hair with Yesenia Moises
Sunday January 10th 11a. Free. Books are Magic will be hosting storytimes every weekend via Youtube and Youtube Live at 11am. See their channel for videos!
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection at New-York Historical Society Museum (UWS)
Ongoing until February 21, 2021. Free with Museum admission. Purchase timed entry tickets here. Hours are Fridays 11a-8p, Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p. Friday 10-11a is for Members and age 65+ and immunocompromised. A magical wonderland awaits visitors with the return of this holiday tradition. Featuring toy trains, figurines, and miniature models from the renowned Jerni Collection, Holiday Express transports young and old alike to a bygone era. The installation includes a variety of toy train stations dating from the turn of the 19th century to the WWII era, showcasing the evolving designs of American and European toymakers. New to the display this year are Marklin’s Onion Dome Station and Grand Station (1904–08). Visitors are greeted by animations and fun facts about the toys on nearby screens, and kids will be delighted by a specially created bench inspired by a sleigh in New-York Historical’s collection.
Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
On exhibit until January 17th. Location: Grand Gallery, first floor. Free with Museum admission. Museum is open Wednesdays-Sundays with timed entry tickets are available 10a-4p (museum closes 530p). Visit the American Museum of Natural History this holiday season to see one of New York’s most beloved displays, the Origami Holiday Tree—an annual tradition for more than 40 years. The theme of this year’s 13-foot tree is Cranes and Colors, featuring 1,000 brilliantly colored origami cranes, presented as symbols of peace and good wishes as New York continues to endure the many challenges posed by COVID-19, and drawing inspiration from The Nature of Color special exhibition, which explores the role and power of color in the natural world.The tree—which is the 49th Origami Tree, continuing a Museum tradition started in the 1970s—also features hundreds of other models relating to the Museum’s exhibitions, collections and icons.
Ice Skating at Winter Village in Bryant Park
Skating hours daily 8a-10p until March 7th. Admission is free. Skating rental vary by day. Reservations must be made in advance. See website for all the information on skating & the shops. Bryant Park is Manhattan’s winter wonderland. Enjoy New York City’s only free admission ice skating rink, the Holiday Shops, and rinkside eats and drinks at The Lodge Deck.
Indoor Exhibits Open at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Museum hours Saturdays-Sundays 10a-7p. Museum admission: $13 per person (children under 1 free). BCM is delighted to have the indoor exhibits open. Make sure you don’t miss a minute of fun by ordering your tickets online in advance and reserving a timed ticket. There are two types of tickets to BCM: Play Session tickets and ColorLab Session tickets. Play Sessions are Saturdays & Sundays at 10a, 1230p, 3p or 5p (90-minute session). Come play in our exhibits! BCM favorite exhibits including Totally Tots, World Brooklyn, Neighborhood Nature, Collections Central and The Nest are open for exploration. For more information on BCM’s exhibits, check out our Permanent Exhibits page. Artmaking in ColorLab are Saturdays & Sundays at 1030a, 130p & 330p. Every weekend, BCM hosts artmaking workshops featuring a muse artist and family art projects inspired by their work. Families attending the 1030a & 1p ColorLab sessions may come up to 30 minutes in advance to play in BCM’s exhibits, and visitors attending the 3p session may stay up to 30 minutes after their workshop. Space is limited to ensure that families can spread out in our art studio. See our ColorLab page for more information on art workshops. Masks required. See website for all the details.
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.
Spineless Exhibit at The New York Aquarium (Coney Island)
Daily 10a-330p (park closes 430p) until March 2021. Admission included with ticket. All visitors must reserve a date-specific ticket in advance. Please check Know Before You Go for details. We have great news: The New York Aquarium is reopening on August 27! Buy tickets to see all of your favorite marine animals today and enjoy summer on Coney Island! Explore Spineless, our latest exhibit, and marvel and the jellies, octopus, and more. Come wave hello to Erie the sea lion and Murphy the Harbor Seal. Relax in Ocean Wonders: Sharks! and watch the rays, sharks, and turtles.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan at Home
CMOM is now open Wednesday-Sunday 10a-5p. CMOM at Home is still ongoing. Activities are sent in a daily email newsletter. 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. 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.