Hi everyone! May is flying by and the weather looks beautiful for a fun family weekend in NYC!
This weekend check out Eid at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Spring Fling with Brooklyn Public Library Outdoors in Prospect Park, Birding: Spring Migration in Fort Greene Park, Harlem Moves with Limón Dance Company in West Harlem Piers, NYPL Little Learners Live: Mandarin Seeds, Birding: Hawk Watch in in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Sing-Along with Louie, City Point Cirque, Madison Square Math at MoMath, Glam Gardener Planting & Sustainability Workshop at Staten Island Children’s Museum, Birding: Spring Migrants in Riverside Park, Reading into History @ Home: “Prairie Lotus” and Open Studios Residency at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Also check out long running events like Green Meadows Farm: Friendly Farm Animals at Aviator Sports and Events Center, Roller Skating at Lakeside in Prospect Park, The Wizard of Oz at Puppetworks, Dynamic H2O at Children’s Museum of Manhattan, The Nature of Color Exhibit and Worlds Beyond Earth at the American Museum of Natural History, Urban Farm Exploration Days! in Randall’s Island Park and Free Bike Mornings and The Yard – Adventure Playground on Governors Island.
There are more events this weekend so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also like us on Facebook for last minute events and updates.
Have a wonderful weekend with the family!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday May 14th
City Point Cirque (Downtown Brooklyn)
Friday May 14th & 21st 11a-12n for 3-6y and 5-6p for 7-13y. Ticket Price: Pay-What-You-Can (Suggested Donation: 25 / Adult and 15 / Kids). Advanced Reservations Required: info@anverentertainment.com. A Family Friendly Variety Show featuring Aerialists! Hula Hoopers! Contortionists! And More!
NYPL Little Learners Live: Mandarin Seeds (virtual)
Friday May 14th 1130a-12n. Free. Register here. Join us for a virtual bilingual music and movement storytime with Mandarin Seeds! Families will learn all about transportation in Mandarin Chinese through stories and music. Mandarin Seeds’ original songs make story time more fun! Little Learners is a program for parents/caregivers and their children. Both the parent/caregiver and the child must be present during the entire program: unaccompanied adults or children will be asked to leave the program. When registering for this program, parents/caregivers should use their name and information—you don’t need a library card to participate! This event will take place over Google Meet.
Sing-Along with Louie (virtual)
Friday May 14th 330-415p. Free. Louie Miranda has been dazzling the hearts of children, parents & teachers everywhere he goes. He is unique, original & loved by an ever-growing population across the country! He has played with numerous ensembles performing music in a wide variety of styles. This pre-recorded program will air on the Pacific Library Facebook page and remain there for 48 hours, then will be taken down.
Summer on the Hudson: Harlem Moves with Limón Dance Company in West Harlem Piers
Friday May 14th 6-7p and 2nd Friday of every month until August 13th. Free. Pre-registration for the event is required. Management reserves the right to cap participation in accordance with current COVID-19 outdoor safety guidelines. Please register online. Join the world-renowned Limón Company Dancers as they teach the energetic and ease-filled Limón Technique, accompanied by live music. No experience necessary. Class is open to all levels. Additionally, we encourage participants to bring their own hand sanitizer to our programs.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday May 15th
Eid at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Saturday May 15th 10a-1p & 2-5p. Tickets: $13/per person (children under 1 free). Book your timed entry ticket here. The Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and people celebrate by gathering with family and friends, exchanging gifts, and greeting each other. In partnership with the Turkish Cultural Center and the Arab-American Family Support Center, join us to learn the story of Eid al-Fitr and celebrate with dance, music, food, and art activities including traditional water marbling and more.
Spring Fling with Brooklyn Public Library Outdoors in Prospect Park
Saturday May 15th 11a-4p. Free. Location: Carousel/Children’s CornerSpring into Spring with Brooklyn Public Library at Prospect Park! BPL’s Flatbush Region Libraries and Department of Government and Community Relations are partnering with Prospect Park Alliance and local partners to host a day of family fun with library programs, entertainment and civic engagment!Socially-distanced activities will include: Ranked-Choice Voting Workshop, Voter Registration Table, Play and Go with Pop-up Lefferts, House and Pop-Up Audubon, Music and Art programs, Bubble Making, Grab & Go Kits for Children, Storytimes with Special Guests, Steel Pan Performance and plus library card signup and FREE printing services with the Bookmobile!
Birding: Hawk Watch in Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Saturday May 15th 11a-12n. Free. Location: Unisphere. New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. We offer birding programs throughout the year. Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome. To enhance your experience we recommend bringing binoculars. Please see the website for information on the Covid-19 protocols.
Green Meadows Farm: Friendly Farm Animals at Aviator Sports and Events Center
Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p until May 30th & Monday May 31st 11a-5p. Admission: $12 per person age two and above. Register here. Come meet us! Celebrate spring by getting outside and enjoying our animals PLUS our playgrounds. This FRIENDLY event with your paid admission includes: 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.
Glam Gardener Planting & Sustainability Workshop at Staten Island Children’s Museum
Saturday May 15th 12n-1p. Free. Join us at this free outdoor event to learn about plants, pollinators, and re-purposing. You will leave with an understanding of natural and non-natural materials, compost, and pollinator-attracting plants. Attendees will take home a upcycled planter made from materials that would otherwise go in the garbage, filled with a locally sourced milkweed seed that will grow to attract butterflies as they migrate through Staten Island.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday May 16th
Birding: Spring Migration in Fort Greene Park
Sunday May 16th 9-10a. Free. Location: Fort Greene Park Visitor Center. Registration required. To register, visit the Urban Park Rangers registration page here. Registration closes May 14th. New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. To enhance your experience we encourage you to bring binoculars and field guides.
Open Studios Residency at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sunday May 16th 10a-2p. Free. Location: Pier 3 Plaza. 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 (on May 16th event will be on Pier 3 Plaza) 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.
Madison Square Math at MoMath (NoMad)
Sunday May 16th 10a-4p and Saturday June 5th 10a-4p. The event is free and open to the public. No registration is needed. Join MoMath for a day of math on East 26th Street, right in front of the Museum, as part of the NYC Open Culture initiative. Guests of all ages can enjoy socially distanced math activities, including four different human-scale mazes, a street-sized trip along MoMath’s iconic number line, a large scale version of Connect 4, and your opportunity to take a uniquely mathematical kaleidoscopic selfie! This outdoor event takes place just steps from the Museum, on East 26th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue.
Birding: Spring Migrants in Riverside Park (UWS)
Sunday May 16th 11a-12n. Free. Location: 116 Street and Riverside Drive. New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. To enhance your experience we encourage you to bring binoculars and field guides. Please see the website for information on Covid-19 protocols.
Reading into History @ Home: “Prairie Lotus” (virtual)
Sunday May 16th 2-3p. Free. For ages 9-12y. Register here. Meet Hanna, a half-white, half-Chinese girl in Linda Sue Park’s deeply empathetic, award-winning novel, Prairie Lotus. And join us to discuss Hanna’s world in 1880’s midwest America—her education, her attempts at making friends, and her work in her father’s shop. Explore the history of the time period through related objects and documents, including ones focused on the anti-Chinese laws that impact Hanna and her family. Curator and exhibition designer Cynthia Lee will help us understand the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and what Chinese American lives would have been like during this time in the west.
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
The Wizard of Oz at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Ongoing Saturdays-Sundays 1230p & 230p until August 1st. Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each. Suggested for 3 and up. The Wizard of Oz, L Frank Baum’s American classic with an original song score adapted for marionettes by Nicolas Coppola. Call for reservations(recommended, due to the 33% capacity): 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: puppetworksinfo@gmail.com. Masks Required.
The Carousel in Prospect Park
Thursdays-Sundays 12n-5p. Tickets are $2.50 or book of 5 for $11.50. The Prospect Park Carousel + Pony Express Snack Bar open on April 29! COVID-19 Update: The Prospect Park Carousel is open with COVID-19 protocols in place, including social distancing, enhanced cleaning and reduced capacity on the ride. Tickets are first come, first served.
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 Yard – Adventure Playground on Governors Island
Saturdays-Sundays 12n-4p. Free. Welcome back to The Yard, New York City’s only adventure playground! The Yard offers free weekend play with Covid safety protocols in place. The Yard is a kids-only space recommended for young people ages 6 to 18, stewarded by trained playworkers. The Yard supplies young people with loose parts materials for building, exploring, imagining and destroying. Rules and more information: No more than 35 children at a time will be allowed in The Yard. Children must be over 5 years old. Masks are required. Shoes: Closed-toe shoes are required. play:groundNYC has a limited selection of loaner shoes on site. See the website for the waiver.
Roller Skating at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Mondays-Thursdays 11a-7p, Fridays 11a-630p, Saturdays 12n-8p & Sundays 12n-6p until May 28th. Admission: $6 weekdays, $10 weekends. Skate Rentals: $7 everyday. There will be Timed 90-Minute Public Skating Sessions. COVID-19 Safety Note: A safe experience for all our Guests and Staff is our foremost priority. Strict COVID regulations and cleaning protocols are in place including regular scheduled cleaning and sanitizing of the facility. Due to COVID restrictions, maximum skating capacity will be limited and strictly enforced to meet city and state mandated safety requirements. Masks and face coverings are required at all times. Please practice safe social distancing. Purchase timed entry tickets here. Bikes and boats are also open. See the website for the information.
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!
Dynamic H2O at Children’s Museum of Manhattan (UWS)
Now open Wednesday-Sunday. Tickets: $15 adult/child (children under 1 free). 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.