Weekend Events in Brooklyn & NYC: April 8th-10th

Hi everyone! April showers bring May flowers. It might be rainy today but looks like the weekend weather will be great for fun family events in NYC.

This weekend head out and enjoy The Wizard of Oz at Central Brooklyn Public Library, Goldilocks & the 3 Bears at Puppetworks, Spring Has Sprung in Prospect Park, First Discoveries at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Con Edison’s Family Science at Greenbelt Nature Center, Fort Tryon Park Parade & Spring Celebration, Spring Family Day at Carnegie Hall, Green Meadows Farm Easter Egg Hunt at Aviator Sports and Events Center, ShirLaLa for Passover at The Jewish Museum, Barnyard Egg Hunt at Queens County Farm Museum, Little New-Yorkers at New-York Historical Society Museum & Library, Historic New York: Ridgewood Reservoir in Highland Park, Eggstravaganzoo at Staten Island Zoo and Mother Goose Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers at Hunters Point Queens Public Library.

Also check out long running events like the 1885 Tall Ship Wavertree Free Tour at South Street Seaport, Wake Up Daisy! at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Farm Exploration Days in Randall’s Island Park and The Yard: Adventure Playground on Governor’s Island.

These are just some of this weekend events so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also like us on Facebook for updates.

Have a blast with the family!

~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)

Friday April 8th

Mother Goose Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers at Hunters Point Queens Public Library
Fridays 1015-11a in April. Free. Register here. Songs, simple stories, finger plays, and bouncing rhymes for babies who are not yet walking (birth to approximately 12 months) and their parents/caregivers. Babies will sit on adult laps throughout the session. Online registration required–registration is open the day before each session only. Each child attending needs to be registered; adults do not. Doors close at 1025a.

First Discoveries at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Fridays & Wednesdays 1030a-1230p until May 27th. Free with Garden admission. This is a drop-in program for families with children ages 0–5. Calling all explorers (and their caregivers)! Learn about winter plants and nature in the Discovery Garden. Touch and smell plants, read a story, pot up a plant, or create a nature craft to take home. Activities rotate weekly. All programs are outdoors and canceled in inclement weather.

Wake Up, Daisy! at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Fridays-Sundays 11-1145 (doors 1030a) & 1-145p (doors 1230p) until 12/31/22. Tickets: $12 adult, $8 child. Purchase tickets here. Location: 79th Street and West Drive Central Park. Wake Up, Daisy! tells the story of Daisy, a lively little girl living in the heart of New York City in an apartment overlooking Central Park. At Daisy’s much-anticipated birthday party, she encounters three special guests, known as her “Squad-parents”, from Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx who grant her the gifts of courage, knowledge, and a second chance. When an unwelcome guest shows up and casts a curse on her, Daisy’s life is forever changed. But through the support of her friends and an adventure throughout the city, Daisy’s strong self-determination and vivid imagination may be all she needs to break the curse.

Little New-Yorkers at New-York Historical Society Museum & Library (UWS)
Fridays 330p until April 22nd. Free with Museum admission. For ages 3-6y. Join us every Friday in person at the Museum for story time and crafts! Each class includes a special Little New-Yorkers hello song, silly dances and games, a story book reading, and a related craft. This April, read books featured in our new exhibition Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Children’s Books. April 8th: All Because You Matter: In this beautiful book, Tami Charles writes and Bryan Collier illustrates a message of affirmation, hope, and love to black and brown children. Charles hopes her book can be a way for all families to talk about racial tensions in our country today, and to remind all children that they matter! After the story, take inspiration from Brian Collier’s illustrations to create our own colorful collages. Capacity limits and mask requirements apply. All visitors ages 5 and older are required to show proof of full vaccination.

See all the Friday events here.

Saturday April 9th

Fort Tryon Park Parade & Spring Celebration
Saturday April 9th 930a-2p. Free. All ages welcome. Location: Margaret Corbin Circle. The Fort Tryon Park Trust presents a kickoff to spring! Bring your family and friends to a parade through Fort Tryon Park’s Heather Garden on Saturday! Bring your instruments – drums, kazoos, tambourines, etc. – to join in festive merrymaking with a bagpipe player leading this musical celebration of spring. Then, at 1p join us for Fort Tryon Kids: Endangered Species program at Fort Tryon Park’s Subway Terrace at Fort Washington Avenue and 190th Street, near the A Train entrance.

Green Meadows Farm Easter Egg Hunt at Aviator Sports and Events Center
Saturday-Sunday April 9th-10th 10a-4p also Friday-Monday April 15th-18th, Saturday-Sundays April 23rd-22nd. Admission: $14 per person age two and above. Register here. Brooklyn’s favorite Easter Egg Hunt is on! Join Green Meadows Farm for a fun-filled day with Whiskers, the Easter Bunny, and all his friends at the farm! And are you ready to enjoy GMF outdoor Annual Easter Egg Hunt? The smiles you will see on your children’s faces as they search for colorful eggs filled with treasures. Plus your excitement will continue as you explore the Bunny House, discover the farm playground, and so much more! Paid admission include: Easter Egg Hunt, photo with Easter Bunny, visit the bunny barn, happy hayrides, Visit Alpacas, Llamas, Sheep, Goats, Pigs, Rabbits, Chickens, and Ponies, Sit on Ten Different Tractors, Fun Roller Slides, Operate our Bulldozer, Milk “Katie” the Cow, huge Farm Playground and Open Areas for Picnics. Extra charges apply for: Animal Feed, baskets.

Barnyard Egg Hunt at Queens County Farm Museum
Saturdays 11a-4p until April 16th. General Admission: $12 (all ages). Tickets required for children (ages 2 & up) as well as accompanying adults; Free for ages 0-1 years old. Online Tickets Only. Advance tickets recommended. Tickets to egg hunt area are timed. Please be careful when placing order to select your preferred time slot, as tickets cannot be transferred. Hop over to the most celebrated egg hunt in Queens! Kids and their grown-ups will enjoy the thrill of this springtime tradition. Whiskers the Bunny will be ready for family photo ops and children can enjoy Bunny Hop dancing and outdoor kids’ games. Enjoy a farm-wide scavenger hunt and egg-cellent local food vendors. Visit with the farm’s animals and enjoy a hayride to top off your day. BYOB (bring your own basket) is encouraged.

Spring Has Sprung in Prospect Park
Saturday April 9th 1-4p. Free. Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse. Kick off the spring season with fun nature activities at the Prospect Park Audubon Center. Families and children can learn about bird migration through interactive games, join Prospect Park Alliance’s teen naturalists for a story hour, and stay to see a screening of The Lorax. Limited seatin
g is available for the movie on a first-come, first-served basis.

Events for Youth and Families: The Wizard of Oz at Central Brooklyn Public Library
Saturday April 9th 1-2p. Free. Location: Dweck Center. Set on a Kansas prairie, young Dorothy Gale runs away from home when a busybody neighbor tries to take her precious dog Toto away. A sudden tornado transports Dorothy and Toto to the Wonderful Land of Oz, where she is greeted by Glinda the Good Witch of the North and proclaimed the National Heroine of Munchkinland for inadvertently killing the Wicked Witch of the East. The Wicked Witch of the West descends to retrieve her sister’s ruby slippers – but Glinda has already slipped them onto Dorothy’s feet. The Wicked Witch departs, vowing eternal vengeance. Presented by Plaza Theatrical Productions.

See all the Saturday events here.

Sunday April 10th

Historic New York: Ridgewood Reservoir in Highland Park
Sunday April 10th 10-1130a. Free. Location: Vermont Place Parking Lot. Join NYC’s Urban Park Rangers for a walk at the Ridgewood Reservoir highlighting the history, ecology and engineering of this cultural treasure. The Ridgewood Reservoir in Highland Park is a 50+ acre natural oasis that straddles the border of Brooklyn and Queens.

ShirLaLa for Passover at The Jewish Museum (UES)
Sunday April 10th 1030-1130a. For ages 3 and up. Tickets: $18 Adult, $12 Senior, $8 Student, free for children 18 and under and Jewish Museum members. Concert includes General Admission. Advance program tickets required for each child and adult. Enjoy captivating songs and stories from kid rocker ShirLaLa—live in concert for the Passover holiday. Hear ShirLaLa’s spirited melodies as she takes you on a musical journey with delightful twists to holiday favorites. Jump like a frog, ask the four questions, dance with tambourines, and set yourself free in this special in-person opportunity to celebrate Passover together as a family at the Museum. Joining ShirLaLa will be an exciting group of guest musicans and artists including: Shirazette Tinnin of Urban Bush Women, guitarist Alex Nolan of Cyndi Lauper fame, and live illustration projected by Charrow Illustration. After the concert, pick up a bag with materials and embark on a self-guided experience in the galleries exploring holiday objects and other striking works of art in the Jewish Museum’s collection.

Spring Family Day at Carnegie Hall
Sunday April 10th 12n. Free. Register here. Carnegie Hall’s Spring Family Day is a daylong open house that invites children and their adults to explore the idea of Afrofuturism. In a fitting nod to the boundless imagination of Afrofuturism, families enjoy an array of social experiences, arts activities, music making, concerts, and more. Design your own comic-book hero and super-powered instruments for harmony and justice, and participate in a group songwriting session. Sing and dance to soulful funk music, build your own instruments from recycled materials, and more! This very special part of Carnegie Hall’s Afrofuturism festival lets you create and learn alongside other families throughout the Resnick Education Wing.

Eggstravaganzoo at Staten Island Zoo
Sunday April 10th 12n-3p. Free with Zoo admission. Hop into Spring with us at the Zoo and participate in our contactless egg hunt! Eggs will be hidden around the Zoo in the form of QR Codes. Scan our hidden eggs to hatch fun activities and animal trivia facts to learn more about our egg laying residents. Keeper talks will be scheduled throughout the event. Please note: There will be no physical eggs hidden at the Zoo.

Con Edison’s Family Science at Greenbelt Nature Center (Staten Island)
Sunday April 10th 2-330p. Free. Register here. Join us at the Greenbelt Nature Center for our Con Edison Family Science program. This program is a series of free monthly sessions featuring science topics and experiments designed for children and parents to accomplish as a team. A few short, self-guided activities will start families thinking together.

See all the Sunday events here.

All Weekend

Goldilocks & the 3 Bears at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Saturdays-Sunday April 9th-10th 1230p & 230p. Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each. Suggested for 2 and up. Adapted for Hand Puppets by Nicolas Coppola. Call for Reservations (recommended): 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: [email protected] Under 5 year olds are welcome; 2 and up require Masks.

The Yard: Adventure Playground on Governor’s Island
Saturdays-Sundays 12n-4p. Free admission but fees for ferries. See website for details. Wel­come back to The Yard, New York City’s only adven­ture play­ground! The Yard offers free week­end play from 12 – 4pm. The Yard is a kids-only space stew­ard­ed by trained play­work­ers. The main play area is rec­om­mend­ed for young peo­ple ages 6 to 12 and the fam­i­ly play area wel­comes chil­dren under 5. The Yard sup­plies young peo­ple with loose parts mate­ri­als for build­ing, explor­ing, imag­in­ing and destroy­ing. In addi­tion to free week­ends, The Yard also offers sum­mer camp, school field trips, birth­day par­ties and spe­cial pro­grams, all with adher­ence to CDC guidelines. See the website for all the details.

Farm Exploration Days in Randall’s Island Park
Saturdays-Sundays 10a-4p starting April 2nd until October 8th. Free. Location: Urban Farm. Explore the Urban Farm’s variety of crops, rice paddies, and fragrant herbs, and meet the chickens too! All ages welcome!

1885 Tall Ship Wavertree Free Tour at South Street Seaport
Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p until April 30th. Free. The permanently-moored 1885 tall ship Wavertree is open to the public for FREE on Saturdays and Sundays, with timed entry, at Pier 16 (Fulton and South Streets). Guided tours depart hourly and last approximately 30 minutes. Advance reservations are recommended. Guided tours include access to the main deck and quarter deck. Learn how people worked and lived aboard a 19th century cargo sailing vessel, from the captain to the ship’s officers, cooks, and crew. Then visit the cargo hold and stand atop the viewing platform where you can take in the massive main cargo area. Proof of vaccine required for all guests over age 5. Masks required.

Sharks at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Museum hours Wednesday-Sunday 10a-530p. Included in General Admission+One. See website for all the details.The new exhibition Sharks features dozens of life-sized models ranging from 33 feet to 5.5 inches long, fossils from the Museum’s collections, touch-free interactive exhibits that challenge visitors to hunt like a hammerhead, and more for visitors of all ages. Older than dinosaurs—and more threatened than threatening—sharks are spectacular, surprising, and often misunderstood. Discover the incredible diversi
ty of this ancient and fascinating group of fishes. Note: The Museum continues to require vaccinations against COVID-19 and facial coverings.

See the calendar for all the events