Your Awesome New York Kids Weekend: June 28-30

All visitors — small and large — are invited to explore the Museum of Moving Images before the crowds roll in. Tour the exhibits and participate in themed art projects with museum educators. Take advantage of all the MoMI has to offer while also enjoying a light breakfast of refreshments with your own little artist. $5, 9 am – 10:30 am, Feb. 23, March 30, April 27, May 25, June 29. Museum of Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, Queens, New York, NY 11106, movingimage.us

The Brooklyn Historical Society presents Story Telling! This is an event where kids of all ages have the opportunity to listen to a featured reading by an author, one of BHS’s educators, or a professional storyteller. Following the reading children get to design and make their own book as well as interact with the various activities at the Waterfront exhibit. Free, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm, Feb. 23, March 30, April 27, May 25, June 29. Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn, New York, NY 11201, eventbrite.com

Trying to make healthier choices as a family? Then Wellness Wednesdays are for you! Although the bulk of the programming is on Wednesdays, you can still learn more about garden-to-table cooking on Saturdays and Sundays with Fresh from the Garden Tastings. Each week, adults and kids alike can learn a new recipe and have a hands-on cooking (and tasting!) experience with seasonal fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden. These cooking demonstrations are held in the Edible Academy facility. Prices vary, 2 pm – 2:30 pm and 4 pm – 4:30 pm, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, through Nov. 3. New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, New York, NY 10458, nybg.org

“The Wizard of Oz: A Jazz Musical for All Ages” is a magical experience for young (and young-at-heart) audiences. The production is based on MGM’s classic motion picture, with its timeless score and eternal allegories, and is enhanced by jazzy arrangements. It follows John Kane’s adaptation for the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is based on the book by L. Frank Baum, with brilliant songs by lyricist E.Y. (“Yip”) Harburg and composer Harold Arlen. The cast is multi-racial and features Latino, Black and Asian actors, fulfilling Yip Harburg’s vision of a multicultural universe. Presented by Harlem Repertory Theater and Yip Harburg Foundation, directed by Keith Lee Grant. $10 general admission; $20 premium seating, 3 pm – 4  pm, June 29, Aug. 24, Sept. 7, Sept. 21, Oct. 5, Oct. 19, Nov. 9, Nov. 23, Dec. 7, 2020: Jan. 11. Harlem Repertory Theatre, 240 E. 123rd St., New York, NY 10035, wizardofozjazzmusical.com

Pip’s Island returns to New York City early 2019 as a custom-built flagship attraction in the heart of Manhattan. In a spot that combines immersive sets, original narrative, exploratory spaces and stimulating audiovisual content, audiences will be guided through an hour-long inspirational “hero’s journey” by live performers, puppets, interactive set-pieces and animated characters. They will navigate a series of challenges and one-of-a-kind games to save the Island from darkness and restore harmony to the land. Along the way, they will collect signature achievement badges, called “sparks” on Pip’s Island, which parallel many elements of the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) curriculum. This is designed for ages 4-10. $59, 60-minute show, Daily, through June 30. 400 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036, pipsisland.com

State Fair Meadowlands returns to MetLife Stadium from June 20 to July 7 and is bigger than ever before. New Jersey’s Great Escape boasts an amazing lineup of free entertainment including the all-new Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show and Jurassic Kingdom along with returning favorites such as the Racing Pigs, Cycle Circus Live, Jungle Island High Dive and explosive Fireworks Nights on July 3 and 4! Everyone is invited to feast on mouthwatering food and drinks and experience fun-filled rides for all ages. Admission tickets can be purchased at the MetLife Stadium Box Office for $12 and children 34″ and shorter get in for free. Parking is free on weekdays and costs $5 on weekends. Plus there will be a huge lineup of Bargain Nights. $12 admission and free for children 34″ and shorter, Weeknights from 6 pm to 12 am, Fridays from 6 pm to 1 am, Saturdays from 2 pm to 1 am and Sundays from 2 pm to 12 am, Daily, June 20 – July 7, njfair.com 

Machines are ultimately practical and used to increase utility— but what if they weren’t? In this exhibit regard machines made by artists to stir up dreams, evoke feelings, and prompt critical thinking. These works of art of machines are not machines of utility. Does that make them useless? Examine this idea and consider the utility of art and whether machines of dreaming, thinking, or seeing are truly useless. Free with museum admission, 11 am – 6 pm, Daily, through Aug. 4. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York, NY 10456, bronxmuseum.org

Organized by guest curator Petrushka Bazin Larsen, Favela’s murals take visitors on a phantasmagoric adventure, rending the Mexican landscape in piñata-cute tissue paper. From the imagery found in Jose Maria Velasco’s expansive 19th-century canvases, to Walt Disney’s 1944 live-action animation film The Three Caballeros and 2017 Pixar animated film Coco, Favela covers over 1,000 square feet of the Museum in a full array of chromatic hues. The result is a larger-than-life immersive environment that recalls some of Favela’s memories of driving through Mexico’s countryside during his visits as a child, as well as contemporary cinematic references that were created for both Latin-American and non-Latin-American audiences to celebrate and exoticize Mexican culture. Prices vary, All day, Daily, through Sept. 8. Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling, 898 St. Nicholas Ave., New York, NY 10032, sugarhillmuseum.org

Get to know the man, the myth, and the legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson! In this intimate portrait, you and your children will get access to never before seen footage of this sports icon. The first African American to swing a bat on a Major League Baseball team, the exhibition features rare footage of Robinson’s family as well as Robinson’s baseball career. Now, discover the unseen side of one of the greatest Major League players to ever step on the field! Prices vary, 10 am – 6 pm, Daily, through Sept. 10. Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10029, mcny.org

Are you ready to experience the New York Botanical Garden’s biggest botanical exhibition yet? “Brazil Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx” is all about Brazilian modernist landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. Besides the garden-wide exhibition of lush gardens, it also features Burle Marx’s paintings and drawings, a performing arts series of Brazilian music and dance that influenced him and much more. Kids and adults alike will enjoy getting lost in the immersive gardens, dancing to the live music and examining the artifacts of the landscape architect’s life. Admission to the exhibition is included in the price of an All-Garden Pass ticket. Prices vary, All day, Daily, through Sept. 29. New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, New York, NY 10458, nybg.org