Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm isn’t just one of those cheesy animal farms for kids, It's a real working farm that dates back to the 1760s and is on the National Historic Register. The farm is about an hour and half away from midtown Manhattan just over the Delaware River near the town of Stroudsburg and makes a great day trip from New York City any time, but around Memorial Day Weekend you have extra reason to visit for their Annual Farm Animal Frolic at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, a day of old fashioned fun for kids and adults and something we love to go to every year.  

I knew this was going to be a cool show before we checked it out in person, but we were truly unprepared for the total awesomeness of the entire exhibit which has a WOW factor that’s off the charts.  The basic premise of the show is about taking recycled “dead” plant and animal matter and making it newly “alive” as art.  Take, for instance, Billie Grace Lynn’s freakin’ fantastic working “Mad Cow Motorcycle” made up of the bones of an entire cow. Then there’s Fabian Pena’s anatomical art that’s pretty swell in and of itself but will knock your socks off when closer inspection reveals it’s entirely fabricated from cockroach wings. And talking about the eeeewwww factor, you’ve got Alastair Mackie’s fabric woven from mouse fur recovered from owl poop.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg! Read on to get the goods on this exciting exhibition.
 

Lots of good tidbits for you this week. We're co-hosting a Hebrew National Picnic this weekend and you're invited. Learn more about that, how to get a free Juno Baby DVD, and lots of interesting news about NYC public schools. Plus, i put together a little slideshow from this past weekend's Taste of Tribeca school fundraiser. It was a great event this year with delicious food, fun activities and great weather. If you'd like to see what it's like, watch the video and then don't miss it next year!

Photo of the week: Brendan Fraser came to the hospital to premier his new movie, Furry Vengeance with the kids at the Cornell pediatrics unit. He actually sat through the whole thing with them, which was really quite an act of charity considering how sick he must be of seeing his butt getting kicked by animals over and over...and over...again. Good man!

Here's what you might have missed on the blog this week:

It is time to start planning your weekend and you have come to the right place,  we have the scoop on a ton of free and inexpensive events and activities going on in every corner of the city. Families can hit the annual Ninth Avenue Food Festival or one of the many other street festivals taking place this weekend. Or get crafty with enriching art projects at The Armory, The Jewish Museum, Flushing Town Hall or The Center for Architecture.  

You can also get outside this weekend, May is Bike Month here in New York City and there are lots of rides, events and even "how to ride" classes planned for kids and adults. The parks rangers are also offering some organized fishing, hiking and birding events in the parks.  Or take your kids to a fun field day on Randall's Island at the NY Road Runners Youth Jamboree.

If you are looking for a deal, Saturday is Super Science Day at New York Hall of Science with extra special programming like games and prizes, but, best of all – kids get in free with an adult admission. 

Read on and get planning. Have a great weekend no matter what you decide to do.

It's no secret that pirates are fond of dapper duds—frilly shirts, satin sashes, gold hoop earrings. And when it comes to playing dress up, the Striking Viking Story Pirates have the best stash in town. Rastafarian headdress, smoking jackets, leopard loin cloths and more are tucked away backstage, making each show feel like a great big game of pretend all hopped up on apple juice and pixie sticks.