Events: Top Kid-Friendly Activities For The Week

The Children's Museum of the Arts' Japanese Culture Festival will take place this Sunday! Photo via cmany.org. — The Children’s Museum of the Arts’ Japanese Culture Festival will take place this Sunday! Photo via cmany.org.

As we enter the last stretch of summer, this week we chose the best of the best for you and your family–including an Olympic-themed fest, a three-day homage to pachyderms, a celebration of indie children’s theater, and two stunning Asian fests that will blow you away. Enjoy!

Through Thursday, August 11

Citi Celebrates Team USA: Rio on the Hudson
Pier 26 in Hudson River Park
12pm
Cheer on Team USA this week during Citi’s Rio Olympics celebration at Pier 26 in Hudson River Park. Festivities include face painting, children’s games, music, and arts and crafts, virtual golf swing bays and sprint races. And if those choices aren’t enough, there will also be samba dance performances, photo ops, and visits from former Olympians including Mia Hamm and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. See event website for daily schedules. This event is free.

Friday, August 12-Sunday, August 14

World Elephant Day Weekend
The Bronx Zoo
11am-4pm
Join the Bronx Zoo this weekend for World Elephant Day! To honor the elephants lost each year for their ivory, help the zoo create 35,000 origami elephants for a Guinness World Record. Zoo visitors can also listen to original music created by DJ Ecotone using wild elephant calls and participate in one of three yoga sessions at Astor Court. Free with zoo admission.

Beginning Saturday, August 13

FringeJR Festival
14th Street Y
Various times
Celebrate the New York International Fringe Festival’s 20th anniversary in a kid-friendly way at FringeJR! All FringeJR productions are recommended for families and groups with children ages 5-12. This year’s lineup includes a show that explores Amelia Earhart’s legacy through music, puppetry, and circus arts; a production that transports audiences to a pirate’s magical world, and much more! Be sure to stop by Fort FringeJR, where kids can enjoy free arts and crafts and hang with their favorite characters from the shows! Tickets are $13. Runs through Saturday, August 27.

Saturday, August 13

Dragon Boat Family Festival
Museum of Chinese in America
12pm-4pm
Check out the Museum of Chinese in America this Saturday for a Dragon Boat Family Festival! All ages can enjoy calligraphy workshops, storytelling, arts and crafts, a bug gallery hunt, and zongi (pyramid-shaped rice balls) wrapping and tasting. Tickets are $10; free for children under the age of 2.

Sunday, August 14

Japanese Culture Festival
Children’s Museum of the Arts
12pm-4pm
Head to the Children’s Museum of the Arts on Sunday for its Japanese Culture festival. The Japanese Folk Dance Institute will perform a traditional folk dance and teach fest-goers how to make their own flower hats for the Flower Hat Dance parade. There will also be origami making, Japanese garden designing, and much more! Free with museum admission.

The Wild Center

The Wild Center, nestled within the breathtaking landscape of New York's Adirondack Park, offers an unforgettable journey into the heart of nature. As visitors approach the Center, they are greeted by the Adirondack Mountains towering in the distance, setting the stage for an immersive adventure. Upon entering the 34,000-square-foot exhibit hall, guests are enveloped in a world of wonder and discovery. Interactive exhibits like Planet Adirondack and Climate Solutions invite exploration, allowing visitors to delve into the rich biodiversity of the Adirondack region. The indoor experience also includes an opportunity to soar on Birdly--a one-of-a-kind VR experience. Also, get up close with an animal ambassador during one of many live animal encounters throughout the day. In addition to its indoor exhibits and programs, the Wild Center also boasts 115-acres of extensive outdoor amenities. One of the highlights in the award-winning Wild Walk. Visitors walk up a trail of bridges to the treetops of the Adirondack forest, 40 feet off the ground. Along the way, interactive exhibits provide insights into the flora and fauna that call the Adirondacks home, from songbirds to black bears. The rest of the campus features more ways to explore. Check out Patrick Dougherty&rsquo;s Stickwork sculpture, an all natural installation of woven sticks that will spark your imagination and nostalgia. Immerse yourself in Forest Music, take a naturalist-lead canoe trip, or get your roll on with Raquette River Roll, a brand-new, oversized, all-natural ball run experience opening in June 2024.

Speakitaly NYC

SPEAKITALY NYC offers stimulating and entertaining lessons for children 0 to 16 years through a wide combination of activities based on the communicative approach anchored in the Common European Framework of Reference: active learning (group work, role plays, etc.) and practice exercises aimed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Kids will start speaking and using Italian in a very natural way.&nbsp; Small classes capped at 6 students to make sure each one gets the needed attention and facilitate learners' progress.&nbsp; Our method is driven by a didactic method that is the result of constant updates, professional certifications and more than 10 years of experience in working with non-native speakers from different native languages and levels of knowledge. Our aim is to develop a range of Italian language skills while improving accuracy that will enable the students and participants to interact without stress or feeling rushed. We want to help those in the community really embrace not only the true culture in Italy but the Italian culture within New York City&hellip; Who doesn&rsquo;t love what Italy represents in the kitchen, in history &amp; in the arts? Speakitaly wants to support multilingual families who want to learn a new language or pass along their ancestor&rsquo;s heritage and culture. Raffaella, the founder said: "We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive society. Italian, like all other languages, is an enrichment and a growth in every way. Vi aspettiamo!"

Brooklyn Music School

<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For over a century, we at The Brooklyn Music School have strived to make the joy of music, dance and performance accessible to everyone no matter their age, background, or financial status. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to offering affordable in-person and online private and group music lessons, dance classes, after-school programs, and community outreach, we also provide space for&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brooklyn and NYC artists to perform in our 250-seat Spanish-style theatre. Come by for a night of live music, or join us for a class! <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Visit BrooklynMusicSchool.org to learn more, register for classes, or view our calendar for upcoming events.&nbsp;