Weekend Planner: August 2-4

pirateschool — "Pirate School!" at the Waterfront Museum

As we head into the end of summer, we’ve dreamed up an awesome bucket list of 11 warm-weather city must-dos. Jump in! Otherwise, check out all the other exciting offerings families have access to this weekend, including exciting sports in the streets, a sail along the New York Harbor, and the chance to be a rocket scientist. Enjoy!

STARTING FRIDAY

Muggles, are you ready for a magic-filled evening? Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks to the Intrepid Museum for a free “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” screening. In 3, 2, 1… (Friday)

At the Aguilar Library, kids can use NXT Lego pieces and NXT Mindstorm software to design, construct, and program their very own interactive robots. Great for ages 8-12. How cool is that? (Friday)

Celebrate the art of crafting at the New York Hall of Science’s Little Makers workshop, all about birds’ clever nesting techniques and recycled material construction. Get creative! (Friday & Sunday)

STARTING SATURDAY

For three Saturdays, Park Avenue closes from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge for Summer Streets, a day of running, biking, rollerblading, and rock climbing, not to mention food and crafts and classes. Wowza! (Saturday)

The Dragon Boat Family Festival at the Museum of Chinese in America means rowing history, drum making, musical storytelling, and paper dragon crafts. Ready to get cultured? (Saturday)

Be a rocket scientist at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s 3-2-1 Blast Off! workshop, where ages 4-6 create their own rockets and test their aerodynamics with a pneumatic device. Rock on! (Saturday)

Plover Appreciation Day may seem a little obscure, but it’s the perfect excuse to get out to the revitalized Rockaways and show some love for local wildlife via games and crafts. Dive in! (Saturday)

Want to be an engineer? The NY Transit Museum’s Transportation Inventions workshop lets you plan and make blueprints, make models, and do what real vehicle designers do. Get creative! (Saturday & Sunday)

Kids Rule Weekend means outdoor magic shows, live theater performances, and water slides and pony rides galore at Lehman Stages in the Bronx. Say “hello” the the sun. (Saturday & Sunday)

SUNDAY ONLY

Sail the New York Harbor with popular website Mommy Poppins on their Stories and Songs of the sea voyage, where nautical learning (think: knot-tying) abounds. Pier 17 ho! (Sunday)

How do you become a good pirate? Find out at “Pirate School!”, the Waterfront Museum’s interactive show that teaches responsibility and courage with cannons and skulls. Arrrr you ready? (Sunday)

Instituto Cervantes

Children and teenagers learn to understand and express themselves in Spanish, while improving their communication skills through a dynamic immersion program taught by NATIVE TEACHERS that combines CLASSES, ARTISTIC WORKSHOPS and FUN ACTIVITIES! All of our high-qualified teachers are native Spanish speakers who adapt the structure of the class to the needs and levels of each group while conducting the classes entirely in Spanish. We offer both Spanish Summer Camps and Regular Courses for children along the year to foster language learning and multicultural understanding.

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

Adventuring Portal

<a name="m_-1473885667065203258__Hlk72147528"></a>Adventuring Portal runs Dungeons and Dragons (D&amp;D) games for kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We have created a safe online space for tweens and teens to learn and play D&amp;D. Our D&amp;D Summer Camp session are a one-week experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Monday &ndash; Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each day will be 3 hours of gaming (with 2 breaks build in).&nbsp;&nbsp;15 total gaming hours for $180.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you have played with us before, you are entitled to 10% off.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Need your kids, nieces or nephews, grand kids or neighbor&rsquo;s kids to be occupied for a bit so you can get work done &amp; take care of your to-do list? Maybe your tween or teen is still a bit isolated and craves connection with their peers? Whether your teen/tween has played D&amp;D before or is brand-new to the experience, this safe space brings players together to have fun and solve problems as a team in ways few other online opportunities do. All our games focus on experiential learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Our players leave knowing all the basic game play as well as experiencing: teamwork, bravery, compassion, generosity, negotiation, improvisation, gamer etiquette, strategy, critical thinking, problem solving, cartography and probability - all through online D&amp;D adventuring! We are an inclusive organization and welcome gamers who are LGBTQIA+ and those on any spectrum.&nbsp; All girls&rsquo; groups available.&nbsp; I am a parent, a certified elementary school and middle school math teacher and last summer in the midst of the mess started&nbsp;Adventuring Portal, an&nbsp;online Dungeons &amp; Dragons&nbsp;business&nbsp;for kids. There are so many benefits to playing D&amp;D and I hope you will consider us as a great way for your child to safely socialize, grow as people and have a great time.