Hi everyone! The weather might be miserable today but looks like it will be great for another busy, fun NYC weekend.
This weekend check out Farmhouse Family Day: Spring Sprouts and Sketches at Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, Play:ground Free Pop-up Play Day at Commodore Barry Park, Welcome Spring Scavenger Hunt + Seed Swap at Old Stone House, Green Meadows Farm Floral Fantasy at Aviator Sports and Events Center, Flower Patch at Queens Botanical Garden, DUMBO Earth Day Celebration at Manhattan Bridge Archway, Sugar Hill Museum: Folktales from Around the World, Hopalong Andrew Outdoor Concerts, Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden Virtual Storytime: Tea Party, CMA Live: Music and Making Marathon with Tom, Cooking Matters for Kids: Virtual Workshop and Karma Kids: American Girl® Doll Zoom Yoga.
Also check out long running events like The 3 Wishes & 3 Little Lambs at Puppetworks, Open Studios Residency at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dynamic H2O at Children’s Museum of Manhattan, The Nature of Color Exhibit and Worlds Beyond Earth at the American Museum of Natural History and Urban Farm Exploration Days! in Randall’s Island Park.
Check the calendar to everything going on this weekend and also events for the break. Also like us on Facebook for last minute events and updates.
Have a fabulous weekend with the family!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday April 16th
CMA Live: Music and Making Marathon with Tom (virtual)
Fridays 10-1045a & also Mondays & Wednesdays 10-1045a until April 30th. For ages under 5. $10/class. Purchase tickets here. Celebrate a creative future by singing original and classic songs, playing instruments, telling stories, and making art while listening to awesome music including jazz, The Beatles, and much more. Only one ticket is required per household. See the website for materials needed and all the event details.
Hopalong Andrew Outdoor Concerts (various locations)
Friday-Sunday 11a. Drop in. $20/family. Socially distanced. Grownups mask, use discretion with little ones. Weather permitting. BRING: picnic blanket (still muddy out there); instruments, cowboy hat, a colorful scarf to twirl. Friday in Cadman Plaza Park, Saturday in Fort Greene Park (meadow/dust bowl) & Sunday in Prospect Park (meadow near Garfield Place/Grand Army). Schedule subject to change! Check his Instagram or Facebook page morning of for weather updates. Additional concerts Monday-Thursday. See website for details.
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden Virtual Storytime: Tea Party
Friday April 16th 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. We will read picture books to celebrate the spring season. Afterwards we will play a virtual scavenger hunt game to find the toy bunnies hidden around the Museum.
Cooking Matters for Kids: Virtual Workshops
Fridays 330-430p until May 28th. Free. Registration is required. Age participation ranges from 6-to-12 years old. • All workshops/courses are in English, access to Zoom is required, no supplies are needed During this 6-week online program, your kids will: Have fun cooking healthy foods! Play fun games and activities! Learn about MyPlate, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommendations for healthy eating. If you live in East New York and would like t o pick up free ingredients, email Ms. Abby at agarnett@bklynlibrary.org.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday April 17th
Farmhouse Family Day: Spring Sprouts and Sketches at Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum
Saturday April 17th 11a-3p. Farmhouse Family Day is free and open to all ages, ideal for children ages 4-10. As the weather warms, we’re resuming socially-distanced outdoor Family Days at the Wyckoff House Museum! Plant seeds on the farm, explore the grounds, play games, or learn still life sketching techniques using fresh flowers as our subjects. Pre-register your family/pod for a specific time slot or drop in (capacity allowing). See the website for all the event details and information on Covid-19 protocols.
Green Meadows Farm: Floral Fantasy at Aviator Sports and Events Center
Starting Saturday April 17th and ongoing Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p until May 2nd. Admission: $12 per person age two and above. Register here. Picture Perfect! They have transformed our farm into an endless family photo-op throughout your visit. Take a stroll to the family selfie stations with thousands of beautiful flowers then meet our animals and explore our play areas. This outdoor kid-friendly event truly will make you say, ”What a great day.” Bring the whole family and bloom into spring! The FLOWER-FILLED event with your paid admission includes these highlights and more: Visit with our Animals, Sit on Ten Different Tractors, Glide down the Hay Wagon Slide, Operate our Bulldozer, Milk “Katie” the Cow, Enjoy the Bunny Barn, Discover our Farm Playground and Open Areas for Picnics. Extra charges apply for: Animal Feed. Please note: this is an outdoor event rental. Due to National Park Service COVID-19 safety regulations, no public access is permitted to Aviator’s indoor facility.
DUMBO Earth Day Celebration at Manhattan Bridge Archway
Saturday April 17th 11a-3p. Free. Celebrate Earth Day with free, Covid-safe Kids Activities (for ages 1 to 10) and a Summer Camp Fair in the DUMBO Archway! Check out free kids activities including arts & crafts, planting, dancing & drumming, virtual reality, soccer, balloon twisting and more! All visitors 2 years and up must wear face coverings and follow social-distancing rules.
Play:ground Free Pop-up Play Day at Commodore Barry Park (Fort Greene)
Saturdays April 17th 12n-3p. Please join Play:ground at an outdoors pop up series if weather permitting. They will take place at the small basketball court adjacent to the playground at Commodore Barry Park, Flushing Avenue. These events provide young people with the opportunity to use their imaginations to build and create through self-directed, loose parts play, and to make their own decisions on how to use materials, space, and time. Our pop-ups utilize found and recycled materials, including cardboard boxes, fabric, markers, string, tape, and more. play:groundNYC encourage collaborative playing, problem solving, building, drawing, folding, shaping, stacking, laughing, creating and destroying. Come join the fun! Please note, we will be following Covid protocols and the Parks Department’s safety plan. Masks are required.
The 3 Wishes & 3 Little Lambs at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Starting Saturday April 17th 1230p & 230p and ongoing Saturdays-Sundays until May 2nd. Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each. Suggested for 2 and up. The 3 Wishes a double-feature with 3 Little Lambs (a reimagining of The 3 Little Pigs) adapted for Hand Puppets by Nicolas Coppola. Call for reservations(recommended, due to our 33% capacity): 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: puppetworksinfo@gmail.com. Masks Required.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday April 18th
Open Studios Residency at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Starting Sunday April 18th 10a-2p and occurs every other Sunday until July 11th. Free. Location: Harbor View Lawn. The Conservancy is proud to welcome its first two Open Studios Artists-in-Residence: Fogo Azul NYC and Oyu Oro Experimental Afro-Cuban Dance Ensemble. Open-air working rehearsals by both groups take place at Harbor View Lawn every other Sunday, beginning April 18 and culminating on July 11 performances of their original work developed during their residency. The public is welcome to stop by at any point throughout the series to get a unique window inside the creative process and enjoy live performing arts activating Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Karma Kids Yoga: American Girl® Doll Yoga on Zoom!
Sunday April 18th 10-1045a. $15 per child. For ages 6 and up. Register at the bottom of the website. Bring your favorite American Girl® doll along for this special yoga class!We’ll explore pint-sized poses, mini-mudras, bitsy balances, and teensy twists as we help our American Girl® dolls into yoga poses, partner poses and challenging poses. Meet other American Girl® dolls through playing fun yoga games!
Welcome Spring Scavenger Hunt + Seed Swap at Old Stone House (Park Slope)
April 18th 11a-1p. Free to attend. Come down to the Park to participate in family friendly Springtime fun! Join our scavenger hunt, explore the OSH gardens to find all of the hidden pictures and claim your prize- take home a DIY tulip craft and seasonal sticker. OSH Director of Gardens Sam Lewis will facilitate a neighborhood seed swap, diversify your home garden by bringing seeds or cuttings from your favorite plants to trade for something new to you. While you’re here, pick up a grow-kit from local textile artist Iviva Olenick to get you started on growing your own cotton, indigo, or flax.
Flower Patch at Queens Botanical Garden
Sundays 11a-530p until May 9th. Timed entry tickets every 30 min. Tickets: $15 per Adult ,$12 per Child (ages 4-12), Students, & Seniors. Free for Children 3 and under (pot of flowers not included). Free for Members (pot of flowers not included). Visit Queens Botanical Garden Flower Patch on the Farm for an intimate experience among spring flowers on Sundays. Unique floral and garden creature installations transform the QBG Farm into a fantastic flower spectacle creating an immersive environment and stunning backdrop for photos. Take home your own pot of flowers and a floral themed grab-and-go craft activity kit! Fee includes general Garden admission and entry to the Patch. Note: $10 parking rate in effect. Please arrive within an hour of the start time of your ticket. Purchase tickets here.
Sugar Hill Museum: Folktales from Around the World (virtual)
Sunday April 18th 1-145p. Free. Register here. Bill Gordh returns to Sugar Hill with banjo in hand to offer another program of interactive folktales from around the world. Once you have registered, please check your email for registration confirmation and zoom meeting link. See all the event details on the website.
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
Urban Farm Exploration Days! in Randall’s Island Park
Saturdays-Sundays 10a-4p until October 17th. Free. Explore the Randall’s Island Urban Farm’s variety of crops, rice paddies, fragrant herbs, and meet the chickens too! All ages welcome!
Urban Farm Volunteers at Randall’s Island Park
Saturdays-Sundays 10a-1p until April 24th. Free. Location: Urban Farm, 11 Wards Meadow Loop. Advance registration required through Eventbrite. Help us keep our urban farm running in tip-top shape! Volunteer with our Urban Farm Crew! Opportunities to help with the day to day operations may include: Weeding, Planting, Mulching & Composting and similar farm tasks! Volunteers of all backgrounds and experience are welcome to join us. No farming-skills are necessary! Staff will provide volunteers with task overview and tools. Note: Minors (14-17) years of age must also have a parent or guardian-signed Liability and Photo Consent Form. See website for all the details.
Dynamic H2O at Children’s Museum of Manhattan (UWS)
Starting Saturday April 17th and open weekends only. Reserve tickets for 11a, 1p & 230p here. Come play, learn and splash in CMOM’s seasonal outdoor exhibit Dynamic H20 (all ages)! Learn more about NYC’s amazing water cycle as you play on our new expanded 22-foot-long water table, located in CMOM’s Sussman Environmental Center. *Please be advised this exhibit may close due to inclement weather. All tickets are non-refundable, however we will be happy to reschedule your visit. On this 75-minute tour, families can: Interact with the table’s waterfalls, spinners, and spouts. Build bridges and direct water flow. Pretend to fish! Construct a city by the water’s edge!
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.
The Nature of Color Exhibit at American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Museum is open Wednesdays-Sundays with timed entry tickets are available 10a-4p (museum closes 530p). Exhibit is open until August 8, 2021. Select a General Admission + One or General Admission + All ticket, choose date and time of entry to the Museum, then select The Nature of Color. Reserve tickets here. Our world is awash in color. Color makes the world feel vibrant and alive. But that’s not all. Color helps us make sense of the world. It contains vast amounts of information—about the natural world, and the human world. Come and explore the world of color in this immersive exhibition. Worlds Beyond Earth at the Hayden Planetarium Space Theater is now open with limited seating to maintain health and safety. See all the details here.
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.