With Presidents Day Monday and New York City public schools out for mid-winter break, some families are fleeing the icy weather this week for warmer climes. But for those staying local, there are plenty of family-friendly activities to get into. Some museums, like the Intrepid and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, have special programming to help keep kids busy while school’s out. The break also overlaps with Black History Month and ongoing Lunar New Year celebrations, adding to the range of offerings.
The ticket prices for some of these activities can add up, but before paying full freight, be sure to check Culture Pass. Anyone with a public library card can sign up and get free entry to museums, performance venues and even Central Park’s Wollman Rink — although skate rentals aren’t covered.
Here are a few ideas for your family staycation.
Black Future Festival at Brooklyn Children’s Museum
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum holds its Black Future Festival during mid-winter break each year so kids can take advantage of all the activities the museum has to offer. This year’s program includes dance performances, hip hop classes, poetry and music workshops, mask-making, and more. Kids can even make their own Afrofuturist comic book covers in the style of author and illustrator John Jennings.
“Even though it’s at the Children’s Museum, we definitely wanted to make it intergenerational with everything that we did because everybody can gain something from it,” said Kendra Bostock, the dancer and teaching artist who curated this year’s event.
Bostock said she was inspired by the annual summer festival she helps organize in Bedford-Stuyvesant with the group Stoops, which also seeks to expose kids to a range of different art forms.
Activities are free with admission.
Feb. 18-25. Tickets and schedule here.
Kids Week at the Intrepid Museum
The Intrepid, a museum situated inside an aircraft carrier on the Hudson River, is already kid-friendly with its interactive…
Read the full article here