Note: Drifting in Daylight only takes place on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 6pm!

While the works in Drifting in Daylight can be experienced in any order, I suggest families start at the Harlem Meer. Three of the eight pieces are right there, including the one with free ice cream. You can pick up a map at the Dana Discovery Center on the Meer, where you'll also find bathrooms and a playground, or at any of the artworks.

A brass sextet plays soothing classical music aboard the S.S. Hangover

Ducks and geese frequently float across the Harlem Meer, but it's rare to see a boat. Ragnar Kjartansson's replica of a 1930s Icelandic fishing vessel sails in a circle as a brass sextet serenades onlookers. As you can hear in the video, the music is sweet and unobtrusive, and echoes throughout the area. The name of the boat, the S.S. Hangover, should give grown-ups a chuckle, but then you'll have to explain to your kid why you're laughing.

"Here and Now/Glacier, Shard, Rock" mixes pieces of the past and present

"Here and Now/Glacier, Shard, Rock," on the southeastern side of the Meer, was my favorite piece. Artist Karyn Oliver created a holographic billboard (technically it's a lenticular print) that shows three different images, depending on where you stand. The first is of a glacier, which represents Central Park's distant past. The second is a broken shard of pottery from Seneca Village, a 19th-century African-American community that was razed to make way for the park. The final image is a photograph of the grass right behind the frame, so if you stand at the right angle the entire work of art seems to disappear into the background. The past becomes the present, and you're reminded that Central Park may be filled with nature, but it hasn't always been here; it's man-made. Of course, kids probably won't get all this, but they should enjoy running back and forth in front of it to see the pictures change.

Everyone screams for free ice cream

"Sunset (Central Park)," a solar-powered truck doling out free, colorful soft-serve ice cream, is the hands-down kid favorite... aside from the line, which can get pretty long. The truck is parked just inside the entrance at 106th Street and Fifth Avenue. Artist Spencer Finch wants the scoops to evoke the colors of the sunset. Since the truck doesn't have refrigeration, the soft serve is actually made from a Frostline mix and water. I won't lie, it's not the best I've ever tasted but you can't beat the price, and kids looking for a cool sugar fix won't complain.

David Levine's "Private Moment" recreates famous scenes from movies shot in Central Park in their exact locales. Honestly, you might not even notice if you're not looking for them, since they just seem like conversations. You can catch a scene from Bullets Over Broadway in the Conservatory Garden and one from The Royal Tenenbaums in the Pool's North Pathway, plus others further south in the park. But I wouldn't go out of my way for these as kids may not really appreciate them. "And all directions, i come to you," a six-hour movement piece, also probably won't mean much to kids (or frankly, many adults), but it's a great excuse to explore the rustic North Woods, especially if you've never been. With not a building in sight, you'll swear you're in the Adirondacks as you hike on dirt paths surrounded by rocks, trees, a stream, waterfalls and birds.

At "Cartas al Cielo," kids can mail postcards to the sky

Just south of the Conservatory Garden, a shiny metal globe serves as a mailbox to the beyond in Alicia Framis' "Cartas al Cielo," which translates as "Letters to the Sky." Kids can take a blank postcard from the rack, write or draw pictures to those who no longer have an "earthly address," and slip them in the mail slot. For children old enough to understand, it's a nice way to remember a deceased loved one. Tots too young to grasp the concept should enjoy "mailing" their pictures. Note: The artist keeps all submissions for her private archive; they won't be shared publicly.

"Black Joy in the Hour of Chaos" is the most politically charged piece

One piece that definitely doesn't blend into the background is Marc Bamuthi Joseph's "Black Joy in the Hour of Chaos" on the Great Hill. A performance that incorporates spoken word, dance and music, it's often jubilant and fun to watch, but also touches on racial problems in our country, including the killing of unarmed black men by police officers. Younger kids will enjoy clapping along during the upbeat parts (and there are many). For tweens and teens, it's a great opportunity to talk about race and prejudice. In fact, after the show, audiences are encouraged to sit with the performers under a tree and share their thoughts.

Are those nests bird- or man-made?

You have to look up to see Nina Katchadourian's installations of man-made nests, which hang off three lampposts on West Drive. "The Lamppost Weavers" wonders what if birds decided to incorporate sneakers and sports balls into their homes. Apparently a lot of people have been mistaking these for real nests, so it's hard to tell where nature ends and art begins, which is exactly what Drifting in Daylight is all about.

Drifting in Daylight takes place throughout the northern section of Central Park on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 6pm through June 20, 2015. All art, entertainment and even the ice cream is FREE.

Want more free culture? Check out our roundup of current public art installations.