Things for Kids and Families to Do in New York City - November 13 & 14, 2010: Houdini, Live Music, Museums and Harry Potter

11/11/10 - By Stephanie Ogozalek

The weekend is once again upon us. Have you planned yours yet?  There is plenty of fun to be had in New York City no matter what you are looking to do, but, if your family is into museums this is the weekend for you!  Choose from Family Day at the Guggenheim, Houdini Family Day at the Jewish Museum or the Russian Children's Day Art Festival at the Children’s Museum of Arts.  Some other don’t-miss events are the Native American storytelling program by LuAnn Adams, the Latino storytelling program by David Gonzalez and the Indo-American Film Festival.

You could also get a jump on your holiday photo cards, hit an awesome new playground in Tribeca, celebrate the new Harry Potter movie and catch great live music or some scenes from the campy nutcracker, Hard Nut.  Not enough choice for you? There is a lot more fun to be had in our events calendar (like the Chocolate Show.)

Read on to plan your weekend, and we hope it is a great one.

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Saturday, November 13, 2010

How the Beaver got it’s Sharp Teeth and Other Native American Tales – Staten Island
Join storyteller extraordinaire, LuAnn Adams, for her performance of Native American classics.  FREE

Mark Morris’ Nutcracker – The Hard Nut – Brooklyn
Catch a preview of the Hard Nut, a ballet based on the original story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.  This, set in modern day dance, is kind of campy and has most of the scary bits left in.  Learn moves from the ballet and hear the original story too. FREE

Gryffindor or Hufflepuff? – SoHo
Kids can celebrate the release of the new Harry Potter movie at the Scholastic Store by showing off their encyclopedic knowledge of the book series through Harry Potter trivia. Then find out if they would be sorted into the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff house (hopefully not Slytherin!)  and try to win some cool Harry Potter prizes. FREE

Tenth Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival Children’s Screenings
– Chelsea

During Children’s Afternoon, kids are treated to two special Indian films.  The first is the NY premiere of The White Elephant, where a village’s sacred Elephant chooses a new keeper. The second, Ramayana, the first 3D animated film from India, retells the classic Indian story of two brothers fighting evil. Both movies have English subtitles.  $15 a movie.

Stack em High – Battery Park City
Kids ages 4 through 8 years old can have fun building their favorite NYC skyscrapers with stacking blocks. Registration for the program needs to be done the Friday before. $5.

Free Saturdays at the JCC – Upper West Side

Drop in between 2:00 and 5:00 pm to join in the fun at the JCC.  Scheduled for this Saturday is a visit from Mario the Magician (and a magic workshop), hula hooping, art projects, playing inside or on the open rooftop playground, stories and more.  Moms and dads can enjoy the live acapella music performance or some relaxing yoga. FREE


Sunday, November 14, 2010


Astrograss for Kids Performance – East Village
Check out NYC’s favorite bluegrass band! Their special blend of folksy American standards and original tunes will have the whole family up and out of your seat begging for more. $15 for adults, $12 for kids,

Houdini Family Day – Upper East Side

Magic is the theme of the day at the Jewish Museum this Sunday, check out the exhibit on the legendary Harry Houdini through fun gallery hunts, learn the tricks of the trade in magic workshops with Ryan Oakes, partake in magic-themed art projects or catch the live music and shadow puppetry from Jukebox Radio.  FREE with museum admission.

David Gonzalez presents Cuentos: Tales from the Latino World
–Queens

Acclaimed master storyteller, who is sometimes called the Puerto Rican Bill Cosby, will be presenting tales from his Cuban and Puerto Rican background with a smattering of his Bronx childhood thrown in, via dance, mime, speech and sound. $12 for adults $8 for children.

Russian Children's Day Art Festival –SoHo
In addition to the many cool hands-on activities at the Children’s Museum of Arts, on Sunday they will also be hosting a day devoted to Russian culture.  The Golden Rooster Dance Troupe will be there with traditional Russian dances, storytelling and music.  The museum's teaching artists will also be running traditional Russian art workshops for the kids.  $10 per person.

Brett Band Concert – East Village
Families with kids aged 6 years old and younger can boogie with Brett at the 14th Street Y at this high energy fun for the whole family concert.  $30 per family.

Fall Family Day at the Guggenheim – Upper East Side

Families can view the sculptures, paintings, photographs and decorative arts that make up the exhibit Chaos and Classicism and then explore the characters in the pieces through discussion, dress up and of course, making some art.  A scavenger hunt, performances, and storytelling round out this enriching museum experience.  $15 per family.


Outside of NYC:


If you are New Jersey bound this weekend, check out the Mammoths and Mastodons exhibit at the Liberty Science Center or check out the cool green Geo Caching event in Stillwater, where you geo cache for trash (and more.) FREE.


Kids can get cooking out on Long Island in one of the many holiday-themed cooking classes or head out to Smithtown to learn about the nocturnal animals at the Sweet Briar Nature Center. $6

 

 

Check out the Mommy Poppins Calendar of Events.

If you are planning an event, don’t forget to let us know.  Enter it into our calendar.

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