The options for finding fun family activities in New York City are limitless. Below we've compiled the best of today's events. Whether your family prefers music and museums or theater and libraries, check out today's family activities in Manhattan. Making plans for next weekend? Take a glance at the NY Metro Parents' calendar!
Want to see what's going on next weekend or when you have those few days off? Check out the NY Metro Parents' calendar!
Fidelty FutureStage Playwriting Contest -
Through March 15, 2010 -
Fidelity FutureStage, the producers of Billy Elliot the Musical, and Elton John invite public school students in the New York Tri-State Region to participate in the 2010 Fidelity FutureStage Playwriting Contest, presented by Billy Elliot the Musical.
Preparing for High School - Joan and and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island
March 11, 2010 - Staten Island
Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc. presents a training session, hosted by Mariko Sakita, for families who need programs and services for children with disabilities.
Veggie Central - Grand Central Station
March 11, 2010 - Manhattan
See interactive displays, including a vegetable forest, ranch fountains, kid and parent-friendly games and much more. Kids will also have the opportunity to participate in hands-on vegetable gardening demonstrations with The Organic Gardener, Jeanne Pinsof Nolan. Plus, try the new Hidden Valley dressing, play fun and education games, and take home recipes to try at home with your family.
Mom & Toddler Yoga - City Treehouse
March 11, 2010 - Manhattan
Partner with your toddler in simple animated poses, games, art, music and breathing exercises that help to strengthen coordination and build body awareness. Presented by Karma Kids.
Free Demonstration Class Presented by Eastside Westside Music Together - Center for Family Music
March 11, 2010 - Manhattan
oin Eastside Westside Music Together for a free demonstration class to learn about the educational research that supports the program and to experience first hand the joy of family music. Pre-registration is required.
Free Demonstration Class Presented by Eastside Westside Music Together - Central Presbyterian Church
March 11, 2010 - Manhattan
Learn about the educational research that supports the program and experience first hand the joy of family music. Pre-registration is required.
Bounce-A-Round Playgroup - Christ Church New York City
March 11, 2010 - Manhattan
Children play with toys, make crafts, sing songs and learn nursery rhymes while adults enjoy meet other parents and enjoy refreshments.
St. Patrick's Day Crafts - Chess & Checkers House, Central Park
March 11, 2010 - Manhattan
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the staff and color pictures, make decorations, and more. Limited space; no strollers inside the building.
WHAT'S OUT THERE AND HOW TO GET IT - Joan and and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island
March 11, 2010 - Staten Island
Parents of special needs children learn how to prepare for high school.
Tokens of Love Exhibit - Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden
Through March 14, 2010 - Manhattan
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, this exhibit explores 19th-century traditions of courtship and the ways in which sweethearts could express their feelings. Plus, make your own “token of love,” a heart-shaped pin cushion.
New York International Children's Film Festival - Various Theatres Around the City
Through March 21, 2010 - Manhattan
The festival will present over 100 films from around the world with most making their US, east coast or world premieres. Plus, the festival will present opening and closing galas, filmmaker Q&As, workshops, panels, hands-on filmaking intensive workshops, a 50-year French animation retrospective, plus audience voting and an awards ceremony.
New York Internatiuonal Children's Film Festival - Various Theaters
Through March 21, 2010 - Manhattan
See ground-breaking, exciting and thought-provoking new films and events at North America’s largest festival of film for kids.
FDR's Brain Trust and the Beginning of the New Deal - New York Historical Society
Through March 25, 2010 - Manhattan
Learn how the "Brain Trust" became the central component of the New Deal.
John Brown: The Abolitionist And His Legacy - New York Historical Society
Through March 25, 2010 - Manhattan
Learn how Brown, an ardent abolitionist who believed in racial equality, embraced violence as a means to end slavery.
Lincoln and New York - New York Historical Society
Through March 25, 2010 - Manhattan
The exhibition traces the crucial relationship between America's greatest President and its greatest city.
Winter Playtime - The Art Farm in the City
Through March 30, 2010 - Manhattan
Participate in arts and crafts activities, animal time and interactive play at the only indoor petting zoo in NYC.
The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower - The New York Botanical Garden
Through April 11, 2010 - Bronx
Experience the tropical beauty of Old Havana in bloom featuring thousands of orchids and native plants. Exotic floral displays through architectural scenes transport visitors to the romantic intrigue of Cuba.
The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower - The New York Botanical Garden
Through April 11, 2010 - Bronx
Experience the tropical beauty of Old Havana in bloom featuring thousands of orchids and native plants in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Exotic floral displays through architectural scenes transport visitors to the romantic intrigue of Cuba. Chocolate and Vanilla Adventures in the Everett Children's Adventure Garden give families an interactive look at the vanilla orchid and the cacao tree. Open Tuesday-Sunday through April 11.
The Drawings of Bronzino - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Through April 18, 2010 -
This exhibition is the first ever dedicated to Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572), and will present nearly all the known drawings by, or attributed to, this leading Italian Mannerist artist, who was active primarily in Florence.
The Velveteen Rabbit - Manhattan Children's Theatre
Through April 18, 2010 - Manhattan
Margery Williams' beloved tale of a stuffed rabbit's longing to be something more than sawdust and velveteen comes to life in this original adaptation by Manhattan Children's Theatre Managing Director Chris Alonzo.
Snoopy As the World War I Flying Ace - Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum
Through April 30, 2010 - Manhattan
The exhibit showcases Snoopy's imaginary journeys through the skies of Europe in his transformed doghouse—now a Sopwith Camel airplane—from the time he faced a deadly bout of influenza to sparring with the Flying Ace's archenemy, the Red Baron. Digital prints from the original drawings done by Schulz will be on display alongside a photograph of the artist.
Projects 92: Yin Xiuzhen - MoMA
Through May 04, 2010 - Manhattan
A leading figure in contemporary Chinese art, Yin Xiuzhen works primarily in site-specific installation and sculpture. This exhibition features a cozy refuge complete with low stools and soft pop music.
Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Through May 09, 2010 - Manhattan
See photocollage compositions Victorian women made with photographs and watercolors. They are whimsical and fantastical, combining human heads and animal bodies, placing people into imaginary landscapes, and morphing faces into common household objects.
William Kentridge: Five Themes - MoMA
Through May 17, 2010 - Manhattan
This major exhibition includes works related to Kentridge's staging and design of Shostakovich's The Nose at the Met Opera.
From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Objects - MoMA
Through May 23, 2010 - Manhattan
A program specially designed for four-year-old visitors, families look, listen, and share ideas as they explore the world of modern and contemporary art. Interactive gallery activities and discussions give everyone the chance to participate.
The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Through May 23, 2010 -
See the alabaster mourner figures from the tomb of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife, Margaret of Bavaria. The installation will be supplemented by related works from the Museum's collection, including the monumental Enthroned Virgin from the convent at Poligny (established by John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria) that was carved by Claus de Werve.
Banana Shpeel - Beacon Theatre
Through May 30, 2010 - Manhattan
World premiere of the new show by Cirque du Soleil, which combines classic Vaudeville with modern theatre. Banana Shpeel blends comedy with tap, hip hop, eccentric dance, and slapstick, all linked by the hilarious story of Schmelky and his dancers, singers, and sidekicks.
The Lion King - Minskoff Theatre
Through May 30, 2010 - Manhattan
See the Tony-award winning show based on Disney's classic story.
Mary Poppins - New Amsterdam Theatre
Through May 30, 2010 - Manhattan
See the magical Broadway version of the classic film.
Pinkalicious, The Musical - The Bleecker Street Theatre
Through May 31, 2010 - Manhattan
Follow along the adventures of Pinkalicious as her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor's office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toe - a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast.
Interactive Space: Space Lab - MoMA
Through June 14, 2010 - Manhattan
Explore and make discoveries about shape and art. Experiment, build, draw, read, and create with a variety of kid-friendly materials and activities.
City Parks Foundation presents "Three" - Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre
Through June 25, 2010 - Manhattan
See an adventurous retelling of the classic children’s fairytales “The Three Pigs,” “Three Billy Goats Gruff,” and “The Three Bears.” Reservations are required.
“Mission to Mars” - Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Through June 30, 2010 - Manhattan
The exhibition presents a timeline of the American space program from President John F. Kennedy’s race to the moon speech to the current Rovers on Mars, and introduces the next Mars probe, Curiosity, which will launch in March 2011.
Last Day of the Myrtle Avenue El: Photographs by Theresa King - New York Transit Museum
Through July 31, 2010 - Brooklyn
A personal exhibition by photographer Theresa King that captures a nostalgic moment in time and the essence of riding on wood-elevated cars.
Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World - American Museum of Natural History
Through August 16, 2010 -
Watch live silkworms spinning cocoons, wander through a replica of a lively night market, encounter life-sized camel models, explore the ancient skills of papermaking and metalwork, and track the stars using a working model of an Arab astrolabe. Plus, kids collect special stamps in Silk Road passports issued to them at the exhibition entrance.
Highway of An Empire: The Great Inca Road - American Museum of Natural History
Through September 01, 2010 -
Learn about the vast Inca Empire and it's extensive and intricate network of roads.
LIZARDS and SNAKES: ALIVE! - American Museum of Natural History
Through September 06, 2010 -
See more than 60 live lizards and snakes from five continents in exquisitely prepared habitats. In addition to the live animals, the exhibit uses interactive stations, significant fossils, and an award-winning video to acquaint visitors with the world of the Squamata, the group that includes lizards and snakes.
