Weekend Events for NYC Kids: Free Brooklyn Festival, Games, Astronomy, Kid-Friendly Opera and More

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The kids are heading back to school on Monday, but there is plenty of only-in-New-York fun to be had before then. This weekend there are so many cool Purim events, like a Hamentaschen Workshop and Family Concert, plus you could use the weekend to go on a no-car ski-filled day trip. There's also what sounds like it will be an awesome Brooklyn Inventgenuity Festival (complete with Kids World Record Day, a major Washington's Birthday celebration, a free kid-friendly Magic Flute performance, Olympic medal making and games, plays, movies and more, and, of course, this weekend hosts the big Lunar New Year Celebrations in Manhattan and Queens. 
 

Holi, Nokour and Purim in NYC: Multicultural Spring Celebrations

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It may still be a bit chilly and windy, but Spring really is on its way. Lent always kind of marks the coming of better weather for me, but here in New York City there are three more holidays to ring in the upcoming season. You may know Purim--some people call it the Jewish Halloween--but what about celebrating Holi (Paghwah) or Norouz? Get ready for Purim Carnivals, Holi Parades, and a Norouz Family Day extravaganza--all in celebration of Spring and a wonderful way to celebrate the great diversity of our city.

Calling All Campers! The Tops in NJ-Area Day Camps

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With snow swirling and ice storms blowing, summer seems eons away, but before you know it, the end of the school year appears and the panic sets in: “What the heck am I going to do with the kids for the summer??” We’ve got you covered with the best of New Jersey-area summer camps!  These camps take fun seriously—so much so that they plan the whole year round for the 8 weeks of summer when their sites are transformed into oases of fun and team spirit. Many camps listed have had entire generations of families pass through, and although some camps we mention are large, they offer great counselor to camper ratios, with additional support from adults supervising younger staff. So, although you may still be bundled up, soon it’ll be time to break out the sunscreen. Plan now, then you and your family can enjoy a welcome break from the grueling school year—you deserve it!

Free Winter Fun with a Park Ranger in Queens

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The Urban Park Rangers’ mission is to help our cooped up city kids discover New York City outdoors. Rangers teach kids to care for their environment and wildlife as well as keep children in touch with nature. Your local Urban Park Ranger can be found at Ranger Stations and Nature Centers throughout the city. What comes to mind when I imagine a Park Ranger has very little to do with Winter or NYC but believe it or not they do exist here in our fine city and are having some great early Spring events going on now.

Culture for Kids: Slash - Paper Under the Knife Exhibit at Museum of Art and Design

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Whereas folded paper origami is pretty much a household word nowadays with those delicate little animals and boats taking center stage at craft shows and kiddie cultural events, cut paper arts have never quite made it into the spotlight. Until now. For  luckily cut paper's the new star of the Museum of Art and Design's (MAD) latest show, Slash: Paper Under the Knife. 

With giant cardboard sculptures, intricate cut paper designs, amazing pop-ups, and other unique paper creations, both children and adults will marvel at the many ingenious paper works and wonder that something as simple as paper can be used in so many different ways to create such different works. It's a very cool show even for little kids so don't let the somewhat surgical and slightly ominous title dissuade you from taking your gang.

Read on for highlights of the show and activity ideas:
 

Mary Poppins on Broadway: Win a VIP Experience Package

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Being the cynical New Yorker that I am, I am not an immediate fan of all things Disney. But while the plastic-y toys and princess cartoons may leave me cold, I'm learning that there are some things that Disney does better than anyone else: creating magical experiences for kids and families.

NJ Weekend Events Feb. 13-15: Free Fun for Valentines' Day, President's Day, Chinese New Year and Mardi Gras: Phew!

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Wow! President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year’s celebrations: a big ol’ batch of holidays rolled into one long weekend!  Enjoy everything from sweet chocolate festivals, colonial candy making and a “Voices and Hearts for Haiti” concert for V-Day, and on President’s day engage in presidential events and crafts at the Newark and Morris Museums. Say ‘Gung Hay Fat Choy” at a teahouse celebreation, then make Mardi Gras crafts to prep for “Fat Tuesday.” Feeling anti-holiday?  Burn the paper hearts and head out maple sugaring or birdwatching; deal in some live animal demonstrations and a dinosaur weekend; or think thespian at the State Theater of NJ where kids can enjoy 29 different performances, workshops, and events.

 

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