Free Family Events This Weekend! (January 12-14)

The 6th Annual Black Comic Book Festival will take place this weekend at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture! Photo via eventbrite.com.

Have an amazing weekend without opening your wallet! For even more activity inspiration, check out our Weekend Planner.

Friday, January 12

Chartreuse String Trio: By the Water
7-9pm
Bloomingdale School of Music
All Ages
Join the Bloomingdale School of Music for an evening of live music performed by the Chartreuse String Trio. The group’s musical selection will feature women composers whose work explores various forms of water and other natural elements. This wonderful event is part of the school’s free concert series.

Friday, January 12-Saturday, January 13

6th Annual Black Comic Book Festival
Friday: 10am-8pm; Saturday: 10am-7pm
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
All Ages
Learn all about the rich history of black comic book artists and their work at the 6th Annual Black Comic Book Festival at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This fest will feature film screenings, panel discussions, arts and crafts workshops for kids, and much more. Expect an action-packed day! Pre-registration is required.

Saturday, January 13

Family Art Project: Freedom Quilting Bee
10am-1pm
Wave Hill
All Ages
Join Wave Hill this Saturday for its Freedom Quilting Bee! In honor of Martin Luther King, who established the first Freedom Quilting Bee in 1966 in rural Alabama, families can create their own quilts using squares of donated fabric. Please note: Admission to the garden is free until noon only.

Read-to-Skate StoryTime
12-1pm
Bryant Park
All Ages
Listen to riveting stories while earning free skate rentals at The Rink during Read-to-Skate StoryTime in Bryant Park! Kids will receive a stamped StoryTime card. Visitors who attend two StoryTime programs and also attend one program at the NYPL’s Children Center (or read one library book there) will be awarded a free skate rental for The Rink in Bryant Park. Participants can also score free books courtesy of Penguin Random House. While supplies last.

Sunday, January 14

“Breaking Ice: The Battle of the Carmens”
2:30pm
Denny Ferrell Riverbank State Park Skating Complex
All Ages
This Sunday, Alice Hall Moran will present a new vocal work featuring the Ice Theatre of New York. Part of PROTOTYPE’s Out of Bounds installment, a series of free performances of new works in public spaces, this piece takes place on the ice and is inspired by the artist’s childhood and the 1988 Winter Olympics. Please note: Skaters are encouraged to watch the performance while on the ice. In order to do so, please arrive 20 minutes prior to show time.

Manhattan Mandarin

Manhattan Mandarin runs the Mandarin after-school programs at over 40 schools nationwide, including St. Bernard's, Chapin, Allen-Stevenson, and Buckley. Whether in schools, students' homes, in the office, online, or on our beloved China trips, our teachers and tutors have helped hundreds of students of all ages master the Mandarin language on their own unique paths to fluency. Our philosophy has always been to make private lessons and classes perfectly tailored for each individual student. We look forward to working with you. - Jamie Keyte, Founder

The Tutorverse

Join The Tutorverse for the highest quality in academic enrichment and test preparation! Whether your student is gearing up for the&nbsp;state exams, ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, or SAT/ACT, our team of&nbsp;experienced and local professional educators&nbsp;can help. Have your student join a&nbsp;small-group class&nbsp;at our downtown or Upper East Side locations. Or, they can meet with a&nbsp;private tutor when and where it&rsquo;s most convenient for your family. Does your student need help building study skills or improving grades? Whether your middle or high schooler needs help with&nbsp;STEM or humanities, our patient and affirming tutors will teach them how to build&nbsp;confidence and content mastery.&nbsp;<a style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;" href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Send us an email</a> or give us a call&mdash;we'd love to hear more about how we can help!

New York Society of Play Summer Camp and Classes

Summer Game Camp There are many who do not feel safe sending their children back out into the world with summer camp, this year. To serve those parents and keep the children connected and stimulated during this challenging time, we are offering NYSP Digital Summer Camp. The name of the game with NYSP Summer Camp is community. We have made a large effort to make our camp feel like a living space, with features including &ndash; - Role-Playing games familiar and new, led by our master storytellers! - Enriching electives such as Chess, World Building, Character Acting, Crafts, Drawing, and more! - Discussion and media screening rooms during lunch! - A digital campus! - Moderated chat hours! &nbsp; Join us for a summer of games, friends, and more! Mon - Fri 10am - 2:30pm &nbsp; Roleplay Expeditions: Dungeons &amp; Dragons No experience is required to join one of our Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our game masters have pre-made character sheets, so you'll be able to start playing the game right away! We adapt the rules of traditional Dungeons &amp; Dragons to make them more approachable to children of various ages. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop!&nbsp; &nbsp; Public games meet once per week, with different groups every time. Private games meet 1 to 2 times per week with the same group of kids. Since the players and the storyteller in the group are consistent, this enables us to tell epic tales of adventure together! &nbsp; Dungeons &amp; Dragons Junior No experience is required to join one of our drop-in Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our Dungeons &amp; Dragons Jr. game provides a D&amp;D storytelling experience without character sheets. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop! A great way to introduce young children to D&amp;D so they can eventually move onto the main game.