MANHATTAN

The Big Draw 2009
Sat, July 18, various locations and times
(see website)
FREE

On Saturday, Lower Manhattan is literally your canvas. One of our favorite events,The Big Draw, is back and guarantees it'll change how you think about drawing. Pick up a free sketchbook, and head to these artist-led activities that require imagination only: The Bosque In Battery Park, where river water, recycled bottles, and blue pigment are used to bring out the island's natural landscape; The Museum of the American Indian, where you explore sound and movement captured through mark, gesture and line (and live dance performaces); and The World Financial Center Winter Garden, where you create drawings out of outdated and recylced music scores, that are immediately performed in ongoing improvisations by the renowned American string group, Flux Quartet.

City of Water Day Festival
Sat, July 18, 10AM-4PM
Govenors Island (and the ocean!)
FREE

There's already so much to do on Govenors Island, from free bike rentals to the sustainable farm, but this weekend there's a ton to do, in celebration of the potential of our waterfront. Help revitalize the waterfront while floating, touring, rowing and splashing around this family festival. Festival highlights include more than a dozen free boat tours, including bird-watching eco tours and tours of the working harbor; and a slew of kid-centric activities, from fishing to rides, scavenger hunts, a touch tank and lots of crafts; and local bands, along with the city's best street vendors. There's too much to list here, so be sure to visit the site. Some activities require pre-registration, so sign up quick.

BROOKLYN

Macy's Fishing Contest
Sun, July 19, 10AM-4PM
Prospect Park, Audobon Center
FREE

Though the name of the game is catch-and-release, Macy's Fishing Contest attracts thousands of kids every year who cast their lines in the hopes of reeling in something big. The event is open to kids 15 years old or under and equipment is provided free of charge (or you can BYO). It is held lakeside near the Prospect Park Audubon Center at the Boathouse.

BoCoCa Arts Festival
Acting/Playwrighting Workshop
Sat, July 18, Noon-2PM, 3PM-6PM
The Micro Museum
FREE

Annie Keating (Artistic Director of the festival) will guide kids through fun, movement, music, and improvisation to create their own scenes based on whatever's on their minds. Sign up in advance on the website. The first session is for 8-12 year-olds, from Noon-2; the second sessions is for 13-17 year-olds, from 3-6pm.

Hamlet
Sat, July 18, 8PM
The Old Stone House
FREE

Piper Theater Company does Hamlet and you can enjoy it for free without waiting on line for six hours alà Shakespeare in the Park. Seating is on the lawn, so don't forget chairs or a blanket.

QUEENS

Musical Saw Festival
Sat, July 18, 2PM
Trinity Church (Astoria)
$10

Watch in awe as saws transform from cutting machines to ensemble instruments in contemporary, jazz, pop and world-music/new-age music. They'll be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for "Largest Musical Saw Ensemble," since they'll be joined by a string quartet, soprano singer, percussion, bass and a handbell choir. There will also be a musical saw exhibit and workshop. Ages 5 and up. 

Summer Family Day
Sat, July 18, 10AM-6PM
The Noguchi Museum
Free with museum admission

Families with children between the ages of 2 and 12 are invited to explore the Museum's galleries and garden, participate in art making activities, enjoy live music, and more. Call 718.204.7088 for more information.

Colombian Independence Day Festival
Sun, July 19, 10AM-6PM
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
FREE

Experience the foods, sights, sounds and other various aspects of Colombian culture at this celebration. This event will take place on the special event field located south of the Unisphere and west of the New York State Pavilion.

STATEN ISLAND

Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz
Fri, July 17, 10:30AM
Tappen Park
FREE

Saxophone player Hayes Greenfield and his trio take you on an interactive journey through jazz that includes scat singing, call and response, rhythmic exploration, and improvisation.

Paint Like...Degas
Sat, July 18 & Sun, July 19 at 1PM, 2PM and 3PM
Staten Island Children's Museum
Free with museum admission

Introduce your aspiring Degas to impressionist style, in celebration of Degas' birthday. Kids will learn how to show movement with paints and pastels. Messy, but way fun. Call 718.273.2060 for more information.

THE BRONX

Family Art Project: Roomful of River
Sun, July 19, 1PM-4PM
Wave Hill
Free with admission to the grounds

Keeping with the messy but fun theme...bring the Hudson inside by furnishing a miniature room or small-scale dwelling with an artful installation of river imagery and natural materials. You can also shape a river-dwelling inhabitant using modeling clay.

Vegetables and Kids: Herbal Delights
Fri July 17, Sat July 18, Sun July 19, 1PM-5:30PM
New York Botanical Garden
Free with garden admission

Discover and learn with all five senses (well, maybe not sound) about the 40+ herbs that grow in the garden, and make healthy (and yummy) snacks. Also, you can take your own potted plant to look after at home.

Photo Credit: Eden Pictures