Hi everyone! Public schools are closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and there are a lot of fun events to enjoy this long weekend.
This weekend check out Celebrate MLK Day at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, The 35th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gratitude Tree Leaf Decorating Project & Food Drive for Bk Relief Kitchen at Private Picassos, Virtual Farmhouse Family Day: Color and Light with Wyckoff House Museum, QPL: Virtual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Show, NY Transit Museum Family Program: The ABC’s of Civil Rights & Fights for Transit Rights, Winter Coastal Exploration in Lemon Creek Park, Nature Craft: Impressions in Clay, New-York Historical Society Reading into History @ Home: “March”, Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden Virtual Storytime: Tea Party, How Plants Survive in Winter, NYPL YA Book Discussion with African American Authors, Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music, BPL: Read With A Therapy Dog and Outdoor Skills: Animal Tracking in Marine Park.
Don’t forget about running events like Aladdin & the Wonderful Lamp at Puppetworks, Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection at New-York Historical Society Museum, Ice Skating at Winter Village in Bryant Park, Spineless Exhibit at The New York Aquarium and the last weekend of the Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History.
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 long weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday January 15th
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden Virtual Storytime: Tea Party
Friday January 15th 1130a-12n. Free. Everyone welcome, but designed especially for children 6 and under. See website for Zoom information. Join us for a virtual museum storytime brought to you from inside the Museum. We will read picture books about tea parties, and then we will explore the Museum to discover where tea would have been served in the 19th century. Bring a tea or coffee cup, (and a stuffed friend if you like), and we’ll end with a virtual tea party.
NYPL YA Book Discussion with African American Authors
Friday January 15th 3-4p. Free. Online via Google Hangouts Meet. For ages 13 to 18 years. To celebrate Martin Luther King’s Birthday, lets have a book discussion about African American authors. Ms. Jo want to hear about your favorite authors. Register here.
BPL Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music
Friday January 15th 330-4p. Free. Join Ms. Ann from the Mill Basin Branch as she reads Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle. Afterwards, we will create our own drum from everyday materials. Materials: can or plastic container, balloon, rubber band, masking tape, clear tape, dried beans, construction paper, crayons or markers, glue stick, scissors. Optional: duct tape, washi tape, stickers. This video will premiere on the Mill Basin Facebook Page and remain up for 48 hours.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday January 16th
QPL: Virtual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Show
Saturday January 16th 11a-12n. Free. Join us to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with The Freedom Fighters. Watch live on the Queens Public Library Facebook page.
Virtual Farmhouse Family Day: Color and Light with Wyckoff House Museum
Saturday January 16th 1-2p. Free. RSVP here. We’re finding creative new ways to brighten up the short days of winter. Join Family Programs Coordinator Chloe every 3rd Saturday of the month at 1:00 p.m. for step-by-step instructions of our hands-on activity of the month. For our January Farmhouse Family Day From Home, we will be creating colorful glowing lanterns with papier-mâché! We’ll be posting video instructions as well as step-by-step photo slides on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, so you can follow along at your own pace, beginning at 1:00 p.m.
BPL: Read With A Therapy Dog
Saturday January 16th 1-2p. Free. Grab your favorite book or current read and sign up for a virtual slot to read to Angel the therapy dog! Angel loves to hear stories! Each child will have approximately ten minutes to read to the dog. Registration is required for a slot. Participants will be emailed the day of the program with the Zoom meeting information and timeslot. Register here.
Winter Coastal Exploration in Lemon Creek Park (Staten Island)
Saturday January 16th 1-2p. Free. Registration is required. To register, please visit the Urban Park Rangers registration page here. Join the Urban Park Rangers on this hike to explore the winter wonderland of the Lemon Creek Park and its coastal environment. Please wear comfortable shoes or boots. Please see the website about the Covid-19 protocols.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday January 17th
Nature Craft: Impressions in Clay (virtual)
Sunday January 17th 11a-12n. Free. Register here. Learn how to make an all-natural homage to the different textures you can find on a walk in the woods. With an accompanying video, Environmental Educator Angel Ehlers will bring you through the process of how to make textural impressions in clay, a craft that you will be able to save and admire long after the clay dries. You will also learn about where clay comes from, and how Native Americans in this region and many others harvested, stored, and utilized clay in their everyday lives. Materials will be prepared for you to pick up prior to the program, and Angel will create a virtual component so that you can craft right along with her from the comfort of your own home.
Outdoor Skills: Animal Tracking in Marine Park
Sunday January 17th 1p. Free. Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center. Our Urban Park Rangers are skilled in the techniques and development of diverse outdoor skills. In this program, learn how to identify animal tracks to understand animal behavior. See the website for the Covid-19 protocols.
New-York Historical Society Reading into History @ Home: “March”
Sunday January 17th 2-3p. Free online program. For ages 9-12y. Register here. Honor the legacy of American statesman and civil rights leader John Lewis by reading book one of the March trilogy, Lewis’s groundbreaking graphic memoir with co-author Andrew Aydin. Follow the story of Lewis’s youth in rural Alabama, his first meeting with Martin Luther King Jr., and the birth of the Nashville Student Movement all told from Lewis’s perspective. Sign up today to join us for a discussion of Lewis’s lifelong struggle for civil and human rights and the impact of his career on our country today.
How Plants Survive in Winter
Sunday January 17th 4-530p. Free. RSVP to info@FortTryonParkTrust.org to reserve a workshop spot and to be sent Zoom details. Join author and naturalist, Leslie Day, as she leads a Zoom workshop on how the plants of Fort Tryon Park survive the colder months. Learn about the park’s abundant flora, from stately trees to perennials and annuals, and how the park offers year-round beauty and habitat to its visitors.
See all the Sunday events here.
Monday January 18th
Celebrate MLK Day at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Monday January 18th at various times. Free with Museum admission. MLK Sessions are two hours long, beginning at 10a, 1230p and 3p. Reserve your tickets here! Celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.! Explore shadow puppets with Nehprii Amenii, create community art, and pack winter warmth packages for people in need with Repair the World!
Gratitude Tree Leaf Decorating Project & Food Drive for Bk Relief Kitchen at Private Picassos (Park Slope)
Monday January 18th 10a-5p. Free. RSVP here. In honor of MLK Day of Service, 1/18/21, stop by Private Picassos and drop off canned goods, and take a little creative break. Children and adults are invited to write or draw something they are grateful for on pre-made leaves, that will be added to the Gratitude Tree at our studio. Anytime between 10am to 5pm! Wear a mask, bring a can, create. Note: Donation bin for BK Relief Kitchen will be inside our Park Slope Art Studio. Due to social distancing efforts, our free art project will be at a table outside of our Studio, on the sidewalk in front of our space.
NY Transit Museum Family Program: The ABC’s of Civil Rights (virtual)
Monday January 18th 10-1030a. Free Online Program. Recommended for ages 4-6. Register here. Join us to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., by reading a story about activism, learning about civil rights hero Elizabeth Jennings Graham and making collage art! Also check out the Family Program: Fights for Transit Rights at 1p for kids 6 and up.
The 35th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (virtual)
Monday January 18th 11a. Free. RSVP here. We come together to honor iconic civil right leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at this digital adaptation of our beloved annual event. Audience members from around the world are invited to join us for New York City’s largest public celebration of Dr. King’s legacy, a free virtual program featuring world-renowned activists, public figures, and civic leaders alongside musicians and other performers. After a painful year, we take this moment to reflect and to move towards the future. We draw inspiration from Dr. King’s words, his life, and the actions of those around us who continue the fight for equality and justice. With a keynote address by Alicia Garza—author of The Purpose of Power, principal at Black Futures Lab, and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network—and performances by Grammy winner PJ Morton, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Sing Harlem!, poets Timothy DuWhite and Ashley August, and other changemakers, this tribute to Dr. King grounds us in a message of hard-earned hope. RSVP to this event here for the most up-to-date information and new details about the event. Reservations are strongly encouraged, although they are not required in order to attend.
See all the Monday events here.
All Weekend
Aladdin & the Wonderful Lamp at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Saturdays-Sundays 1230p & 230p ongoing until Sunday March 28th. 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.
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.