 In the month of August, Brooklyn is an especially quiet and sleepy place, with many folks out of town. Although the amount of special events happening is less than usual, there are definitely fun things going on…you just might have to look a bit harder and get more creative! Let’s explore some of them here, in this month’s roundup of fun family events in and around Brooklyn!
* World Elephant Day (Prospect Park Zoo): On August 12th (World Elephant Day), let’s trample the current Guinness World Records title and create 35,000 origami elephants to honor those lost each year for their ivory. http://prospectparkzoo.com/events/95 * North Slope Summer Strolls (Between Dean and Bergen on 5th Ave): On August 13th and 20th from 5-9pm, come out and play in the North Slope. There will be a rock wall, bouncy house, jugglers, face painting, music, hula hoops, vintage cars and more! http://parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/events/nsss1 * PJ Party at NY Kids Club (125 5th Ave): August is a great time to get out for that special dinner (maybe you’ll actually get a seat at your favorite restaurant)! And NY Kids Club has PJ Parties for our kids every Friday from 6-8pm so you can do just that. For kids 2.5 – 8YO, these parties feature gym exploration, art, story, games, relays and more. All parties include a disco dance party and dinner is provided! $36 per child. http://achildgrows.com/thecalendar/pj-party-ny-kids-club-park-slope-3/2016-08-06/ * Kids to the Rescue (Jewish Children’s Museum, 792 Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights): Mon-Thurs 10am-5pm and Sundays 10am-5:30pm until September 1st. Free with Museum admission. This is your child’s opportunity to engage with an age-appropriate emergency scene and discover the dynamic police, ambulance and fire departments. Climb aboard life size emergency vehicles for imaginative play. Children will also learn to be prepared for emergencies with things like interactive dispatcher phones and “stop, drop and roll” drills. Real life NYPD police & FDNY firefighters will be there to talk to and take photos with. http://www.jcm.museum/page.asp?dept=2005&Article=500 * BK Block Party: Mario the Magician (Corner of Fulton & Bond): On August 13th let the kids party it up while you shop for fresh foods and hand-made gifts from Brooklyn vendors. From 10am-12pm, this features Mario “the magician” Marchese, an artist and inventor who creates his own props with a clever and refreshing integration of DIY electronics and robotics in to his performance. http://downtownbrooklyn.com/events/family-community * Family Fun with Suzi Shelton (Jalopy Theatre, 315 Columbia Street in Carroll Gardens): On August 28th from 11am-12pm, join award winning NYC family performer Suzi Shelton and various guests as she returns to her favorite venue in Brooklyn for a family show! Sip on a coffee or Bloody Mary while your little one delights in the music, then head next door to Jalopy Tavern for lunch. Kids: $5, Adults: $10, Family: $25. http://www.suzishelton.com/shows/ * Seaglass Carousel (Battery Park, Manhattan): Ready for an adventure and want to do something awesome and unique with your kids? Take the R just a few stops over the river to the new Sea Glass Carousel. Open 7 days a week from 10am-10pm, in this “underwater carousel” the rider sits within iridescent fish that glide around on 4 turntables. With color-changing LED light fixtures and integrated audio systems, “each fish is designed to recall the bioluminescence found deep in the ocean”. $5 per ticket. http://seaglasscarousel.nyc/ And for those super hot days, when you want to be INDOORS….SkipKid put together this great list of playspaces: http://skipkid.com/beat-the-heat-5-indoor-playspaces-that-will-keep-you-cool/#disqus_thread
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 written by Jen #supermom
Here is a list of FUN things to enjoy with your families this summer, from a SUPER fundraiser party to a Hindu lamp ceremony, to a Coney Island sand sculpting contest. There is something (SUPER) for everyone!!! * Jonah’s Just Begun “Heroes Among Us” Fundraiser (LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Prospect Park): Want to be a true superhero??? Come out and support the event that South Slope Pediatrics is helping host for our little friend, Jonah, on July 23rd from 12-2pm. Your kids will have a blast having their face painted, talking to a costume superhero character and playing in the splash pad while you bid on must-have auction items….all while supporting a truly SUPER cause. Oh, and a full lunch is included! http://bit.ly/JJBHeroes * Pier Kids Performance Series (Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy): The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s eight week children’s series encompasses culture, science, and literature. The program draws on a wealth of family musicians and cultural groups like the Central Park Zoo’s Wildlife Theater and the Puppetmobile, as well as notable Brooklyn children’s authors to create entertaining and educational events. Activities vary each week and are accompanied by arts and crafts and an outdoor pop-up reading room. Family-friendly activities with the Uni Project and Private Picassos from 11 am – noon. Performances from noon – 1 pm. Repeats Sunday every week through August 7th. For under 10 YO, FREE! http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/event-series/pier-kids-1 * First Discovery for Toddlers (Brooklyn Botanical Gardens): Calling all explorers 2–4 years old (and their caregivers)! Plant a carrot seed, touch a wriggly worm, nestle into a meadow nook to read a story, or create a unique nature craft at special Discovery Garden activity stations designed for toddlers. Activities rotate seasonally. Repeats every Tuesday through August 23rd from 9:30-10:30am (and the garden is FREE on Tuesdays this summer)!!! Ages 2-4. http://www.bbg.org/visit/event/first_discoveries_for_toddlers_summer * Environmental Education Center Open Hours (Brooklyn Bridge Park): Get to know Brooklyn Bridge Park by visiting the Environmental Education Center’s 250-gallon aquarium filled with critters from the East River, a 10’-scale model of Brooklyn Bridge Park, crafts, a reading corner, and much more! FREE. Repeating every week Tuesdays & Thursdays through November 22nd from 3-5pm. http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/activities/classroom * Coney Island Friday Night Fireworks (Coney Island Boardwalk): Can’t make the 4th of July fireworks this year? No problem! You can see them every Friday night from 9:30-10pm through September 3rd. For the best seating, locate yourself on the boardwalk or beach between West 10th Street and West 15th Street. http://www.coneyislandfunguide.com/Events/Coney-Island-Friday-Night-Fireworks_6_17_2016-4651.htm * Youth Summer Programs (BAM): For kids 6-16 years old, the youth summer programs at BAM engage kids with a passion for creativity. Includes musical drama and dance, digital art, creative writing and animation sessions. Weeklong and 2-week programs offer extraordinary opportunities to build skills in a dynamic environment while making new friends. Runs weekly from July 5th – 29th. http://www.bam.org/programs/2016/summer * Hindu Lamp Ceremony (Pebble Beach, Dumbo): Help bring peace and harmony to our shoreline. Aeilushi Mistry performs the traditional Hindu Aarti ceremony at the park and enjoy a dance performance by a guest artist. Saturday, August 6th from 4-8pm. FREE. http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/events/hindu-lamp-ceremony-1 * Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest (Coney Island Beach): On Saturday, August 20th, this FREE family event is open to amateurs and semi-professional sand sculpting artists of all ages competing prizes and bragging rights. More details forthcoming at: https://www.facebook.com/ConeyIslandSandSculpting/  Photo: Courtesy of the Artist and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
written by Jen #supermom People who don’t live in NYC often wonder how we city folk survive without grass, trees or a yard for our kids to play in. Prospect Park IS this for us! And there is always so much going on in the park that we can enjoy with our families. Here are a few ways we can take advantage of this gorgeous place we’re so lucky to call our backyard this summer. Nothing beats listening to great music with your family at an outdoor concert. Watching our little ones really FEEL the music, dancing so freely in the summer breeze…while picnicking in the park with friends! It’s the best. On June 11th at 4pm Dan Zanes will be performing at the Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at the Bandshell. If you are not already familiar, this guy has been playing music for decades, including a performance on Sesame Street (YouTube “Jump Up”, it’s a favorite), and has a Grammy among many other awards to show for it. For this concert, he’ll be honoring author Ezra Jack Keats along with the Tada! Youth Theater. You won’t find more fun family music, and bonus: it’s free!http://www.bricartsmedia.org/events-performances/bric-celebrate-brooklyn-festival/dan-zanes-lead-belly-project-tada-youth-theater Looking for a fun way to spend time together and perhaps include a bit of exercise? How about a family bike ride? You can rent from an array of bikes, from traditional 2-wheels to a 4-wheeled, 6-person Double Surrey at LeFrak. You can rent them hourly or for the day. What an amazing way to spend the day with your family…exploring the park on bike paths – perhaps see something in the park you have never noticed before (that STILL happens to me after 8 years living in Park Slope)! http://lakesidebrooklyn.com/activities/biking/ Also at LeFrak Center at Lakeside, one cannot forget the splash pad. Over 20 water jets pumping at once while you groove to fun pop music. Another bonus to the splash pad is that there is a great cafe on site to replenish all the energy you burned chasing your little one around in the water. The Bluestone Cafe has very decent food and picnic benches to enjoy it on. Stuffed Avocado salad, Mediterranean tuna wraps and chicken tenders are a few of the popular menu options. Cannot think of a better way to cool off and have fun on a hot summer day! http://lakesidebrooklyn.com/activities/splash-pad/ And last but absolutely not least, there’s the ridiculously tasty array of food available every Sunday at the Smorgasburg!!! Through October 23rd from 11am to 6pm, enjoy food from over 100 different vendors: http://brooklynflea.com/markets/prospect-park-smorgasburg/ Few of the favorites include: a homemade Nutella “Ring-Ding” from Duane Park Patisserie, a pile of sticky rice from Bamboo Bites in mango, chicken satay or coconut ….to maple bacon on a stick. Buzzfeed compiled a list of must-eats here, so you can plan out your next pig-out session (helpful when surrounded by so many choices)! https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/smorg-2016?utm_term=.apY3jdX10#.pcOqNeGXd In addition, we cannot forget the ever-fun carousel, the Prospect Park Zoo…and of course those wide open fields and hills for Sunday picnics and playing ball with our children. Happy Summer Everyone!!!  written by Jen #supermom
It’s May and summer is just around the corner (woohoo)!!! The weather is finally going to stay warm, mangos and pineapples are in season, trees and flowers are in full bloom and there are plenty of indoor and outdoor activities for our families to enjoy in Brooklyn. Here are a few of the local events for both the teeniest and the biggest “kids”, aka the parents! * Mini-Matisse Bring Your Own Art Weekend (Private Picasso’s Art Studio, 237 5th Ave): Ground Floor Gallery has teamed up with the dynamic art studio for kids, Private Picassos, for this year’s Mini Matisse Weekend! Drop by Private Picassos to have your child make their one-of-a-kind masterpiece and then BYOA (Bring Your Own Artwork) to Ground Floor Gallery, a few blocks away, to hang it on the gallery wall, snap a photo and leave with a mini-Matisse goodie bag! May 7th and 8th, 10am-6pm. From $5 – $20, depending on the medium. http://www.privatepicassos.com/public-classes-events/2016/5/7/mini-matisse-bring-your-own-art-weekend * Book Event: The Secret Subway (NY Transit Museum, Brooklyn Heights): Science meets art meets New York City History in The Secret Subway! Step back in time and discover the amazing, true story of NYC’s very first subway with creators Shana Corey and Red Nose Studio. Participate in interactive, hands-on pneumatic power demonstrations, see how the book’s three dimensional art was made, and more! May 13th, 1:30-2:15pm. Ages 5+. http://web.mta.info/mta/museum/pdf/Children_Family_Programs.pdf * “Tree/ Boom/ Umthi” (BAM, Fisher Hillman Studio): South African physical theater company Magnet Theatre uses image, song, and the body to tell the story of a human relationship with a tree – and the changing of the seasons. intended especially for young viewers, this delicate, inventive work is performed in three different languages. May 14th – 22nd, tickets $12. Ages 2-5. http://www.bam.org/kids/2016/tree-boom-umthi * Touch-a-Truck at PS 295 (18th St between 6th and 7th Ave): Touch-a-Truck, NYC’s favorite family street fair, is returning to PS 295! At this unique street fair, NYC kids and their families will get up close and personal with a wide variety of emergency vehicles, construction equipment, vintage vehicles, and other cool rigs. Food trucks, bouncy houses, music, crafts, free activities, and more round out the day – including a South Slope Pediatrics Babyspace!!! Touch-a-Truck Brooklyn is a fundraiser to support academic, arts, and enrichment programs at PS 295. May 14th from 12-5pm. $8 per person. http://www.ps295.org/pta/touch-a-truck-2016./ * The Fabulous 5th Avenue Fair (5th Ave between Sterling and 12th St): Music, local food and drink from your favorite 5th Ave restaurants and bars, art, local shopping, rides, vintage cards and more. May 15th from 12-6pm. http://allaboutfifth.blogspot.com/ * Spring Into Stories: Brooklyn Public Library Children’s Author and Illustrator Festival (Central Library, Dweck Center): Meet an all-star line-up of Brooklyn children’s book authors and illustrators, and enjoy hands-on art, lively presentations, music from BPL house band Lost in the Stacks, and more. May 21st from 11am-4pm. http://www.bklynlibrary.org/central/spring-into-stories * The Wizard of Oz (Puppetworks): L. Frank Baum’s American classic with an original song score. Adapted for marionettes by Nicolas Coppola. Suggested for ages 3+. May 7th – Aug. 21st on Saturdays & Sundays @ 12:30 and 2:30pm. $9 per child, $10 per adult. http://www.puppetworks.org/ * Family Bowl (Brooklyn Bowl, Williamsburgh): Looking for something to do with the family on a rainy day? Whether you’re a pro or your ball tends to spend most of its time in the gutter, all skills and ages are welcome! Enjoy delicious food by Blue Ribbon and some local brews while you’re there. Every Saturday and Sunday 11am-5pm. $25/lane for 1/2 hour. http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event/1079923-saturday-family-bowl-brooklyn/ * Fleece Festival (Prospect Park Zoo): At the zoo, a master sheep shearer will help their sheep lose their winter coats in preparation for summer. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on 5/21 and 5/22 they’ll have wool working demonstrations, crafts, music and, of course, sheep! And it’s all free with zoo admission. http://prospectparkzoo.com/events/14 * Families First Annual Spring Carnival for Kids and Tots (Baltic St. between Court and Clinton): Sponsored by Families First, the day is a celebration of family and community for families of toddlers to kindergarten-aged children. The Carnival features the kids’ favorites: pony rides, two bouncy houses, face painting, tattoos, mini-carousel, carnival games, arts & crafts, a bake sale and balloons. There will also be a book sale. May 21st from 10am – 2pm. http://mommypoppins.com/event/families-firsts-annual-spring-carnival-for-kids-and-tots  By our very own Jen #supermom
The sprinklers have been turned on at the water parks (WOHOO)! Watermelon has never tasted sweeter. The school year is coming to a close. SUMMER IS HERE!!! We have several very special events going on in Brooklyn this season; here is a list of musical and fun-filled events we can enjoy as a family: * JULY 18th at 12PM – Luau at Lakeside: A Fundraiser for Jonah’s Just Begun (Lefrak Center @ Lakeside, Prospect Park): On July 18th from 12-2pm South Slope Pediatrics and Jonah’s Just Begun are hosting a very special event to raise much needed funds to support a cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare disease that our Park Slope friend and neighbor, Jonah, suffers from. The event includes a full luncheon, rollerskating, hula dancing, face painting and a silent auction. Tickets are $40 for adults and $35 for kids 5 and up (under 5 are free): http://bit.ly/Luau4JJB * Summer Kick-off Party with Hip Tot (Lefrak Center @ Lakeside, Prospect Park): Every second Sunday from June – September (starting June 14th at 11am) there will be live music performances for kids, craft activities, giveaways and other special surprises. On June 14th Grammy winner Father Goose and his dancehall boogie music will set the mood for a fun and exciting day! http://hiptot.com/hip-events/ * Pete Sinjin’s “House of Song” Album Release Party (Greenwood Park – 7th Ave, between 19th and 20th St): Presented by Hootenanny Art House, Pete Sinjin will be performing with his band on Saturday, June 20th at 10am, celebrating the release of his new album! $10 tickets in advance (free for 9 months and under), includes all food. There will also be door prizes and art activities. http://www.petesinjin.com/ * SummerStage Family Day: Laurie Berkner, Something Positive and Brooklyn Marching Band (Herbert Von King Park, Lafayette Ave and Tompkins Ave): On Sunday June 21st come be entertained by these artists, including the super popular Laurie Berkner who is known to be the power behind the “kindie rock” movement! Free. 4-7pm. http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/event/summerstage-laurie-berkner-something-positive-brooklyn-united-marching-band/ * Puppetry Arts Festival of Brooklyn (Old Stone House Park, 4th St & 5th Ave): On June 27th from 11am-3pm, there will be puppet crafts, snacks, bounce house, t-shirt designing, Star Wars characters and puppet shows all day! Free admission. http://www.puppetryarts.org/Festivals.html * Orion and the Dark Storytime (Barnes and Noble, 267 7th Ave): On June 27th at 11am, join Orion and the Dark on their mischievous fun nighttime adventure in this special storytime! http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/4853248 * They Might be Giants Concert (Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N. 6th St): Super child-friendly and silly, They Might Be Giants will put on a family show June 28th at 12:30pm for kids and adults of all ages (the venue even has stroller parking)! Show lasts just under an hour. Tickets are $25 in advance or a family 4-pack for $90: http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/event/850657-they-might-be-giants-brooklyn * Independence Day Events (Audobon Center, Lefferts House & Carousel in Prospect Park): On July 4th there will be plenty of family friendly events taking place at Prospect Park. From 12-5pm at the Audobon Center, learn how the bald eagle became America’s symbol of independence (with fun activities and crafts)! At Lefferts Historic House from 2-5pm, celebrate America’s birthday by making yourself a plumed hat and signing a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence! And don’t forget to celebrate afterwards on the 1912 Carousel. https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/events/2015/7/4 * Seining the River Wild (Brooklyn Bridge Park, Empire Fulton Ferry): On July 11th from 10:30am-12pm, learn about the remarkable creatures of the East River as scientists use a 20 foot seining net to humanely catch and release these unique critters. All ages: http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/events/seining-1 Whether it’s learning about fish, jamming out to your favorite family music, learning about puppetry, celebrating the birth of America or attending a very important Luau Fundraiser, this next month is full of fun activities here in Brooklyn. Enjoy!!! Posted on June 12th, 2015 Posted by Matteo |
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