Events: Top Kid-Friendly Activities For The Week

Join Carnegie Hall this weekend for its World of Jazz Fall Family Day! Photo courtesy of Carnegie Hall.

Fall officially begins on Thursday, and we’re sure you’re going to fall(!) for our awesome lineup of event picks for this week. We’ve selected three outdoor festivals plus events for Roald Dahl devotees, county fair fans, and jazz aficionados. Happy fall!

Saturday, September 24

Submerge: NYC Marine Science Festival
Pier 26 in Hudson River Park
11am-4pm
This Saturday head over to Hudson River Park for a splash of science in the city at the Submerge: NYC Marine Science Festival! Families can enjoy a whole day of educational fun with hands-on activities, arts and crafts, interactive demonstrations, live music, catch-and-release fishing, scuba diving shows, kayaking, and more! Noted experts will also be giving a variety of talks on relevant topics. Food will be available for purchase from food trucks such as Gorilla Cheese, Melt, and Yaki Taco. This event is free.

Little Red Lighthouse Festival
Fort Washington Park
12-4pm
Bring your family to the Little Red Lighthouse Festival in Fort Washington Park to enjoy food, music, and storytelling. The festival celebrates Manhattan’s only lighthouse which has inspired two children’s books. Children can also attend a fishing clinic, go on a tour of the lighthouse with the Urban Park Rangers, and enjoy a host of other activities. This event is free.

Saturday, September 24-Sunday, September 25

Roald Dahl Weekend
Wave Hill
10am-4pm
Celebrate the centennial birthday of the iconic children’s book author Roald Dahl, this weekend at Wave Hill. The garden will host Family Art Project during which families with kids of all ages can create a handmade pop-up book inspired by James and the Giant Peach. In the afternoon ages 6 and up can go on a Giant Insect Encounter with entomologist Lawrence Forcella to learn about the real-life versions of James’ bug buddies. Free with garden admission. Admission is free until noon.

34th Annual Queens County Fair
Queens County Farm Museum
11am-6pm
A traditional county fair in NYC? That’s right! Visit the Queens County Farm Museum this weekend for the 34th Annual Queens County Fair. Don’t miss the pig races, hayrides, carnival rides, and midway games, or the pie-eating and corn-husking contests. There will be entertainment for kids of all ages, live music and dancing at the Bavarian Garden, and for an additional fee you can explore the Amazing Maize Maze—the farm’s three-acre corn maze! Admission is $10 per day for adults and $5 per day for kids 12 and under; admission does not include the Amazing Maize Maze, carnival rides, midway games, and other various activities.

The World of Jazz Fall Family Day
Carnegie Hall
12-4pm
Bring the kids to Carnegie Hall’s Fall Family Day to explore the world of jazz, with free interactive musical performances and activities! The day will serve as a great introduction to this musical genre and inspire young Charlie Parkers and Louis Armstrongs. Festivities include a Family Dance Party, an Instrument Making Zone, a Songwriting Lounge, a photo booth, a performance from jazz vocalist Brianna Thomas, and more. Plus be sure to mark your calendar for Spring Family Days on April 1-2, 2017 which will focus on classical music. Recommended for ages 3 and up. This event is free.

Sunday, September 25

23rd Annual Bus Festival
New York Transit Museum
11am-6pm
An annual NYC classic, the New York Transit Museum’s Bus Festival provides the perfect opportunity to introduce children to vintage city buses. This day-long fest will feature more than a dozen vehicles including “Betsy,” a double decker bus from the 1930s, 1958’s Bus 9098, which was the first bus in the city equipped with sliding windows, and the Tunnel Wrecker, an emergency vehicle designed to remove disabled buses and cars out of tunnels. Remember, admission to the Transit Museum is only $1 (per person) all day! Festival admission is free.

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.

Young Actors at Strasberg

Young Actors at Strasberg&nbsp;offers a comprehensive array of acting programs for students in grades 2 &ndash;&nbsp;12. Classes provide kids and teens with a foundation in Lee Strasberg's Method Acting and the tools to succeed in the professional industry &ndash;&nbsp;all while maintaining a fun and playful environment. Programs are tailored to encompass students at all levels, from those just beginning their acting journey to Broadway veterans and professional child actors. Young Actors at Strasberg alumni include Lady Gaga, Sophia Lillis, Angelina Jolie, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Rosario Dawson! Young Actors&nbsp;Programs are available online and in-person at our New York Campus, located in Union Square. Saturday, After-School and Online classes are offered during the traditional school year (Fall, Winter, and Spring) and Monday through Friday day camps and intensives are held in&nbsp;July and August. About The Lee Strasberg Theatre &amp; Film Institute: Founded in 1969 by Lee and Anna Strasberg, The Lee Strasberg Theatre &amp; Film Institute is the only school that teaches Lee Strasberg's work in its complete and authentic form. The Institute's goal is to provide students with a craft that will help them create a reality and respond truthfully in imaginary circumstances, regardless of the style or form of material being used. LSTFI is proud to have award-winning alumni from around the world working as writers, directors, and actors in all mediums.

Play On! Studios

Play On! Studios offers theater day camps and after-school classes on the UWS that are guaranteed to give kids a summer full of acting, music, and fun they won't soon forget! Young actors will rehearse and perform in a full production, work with professional NYC actors/teaching artists, build up their skills in a nurturing, non-competitive environment and play lots of drama games! Creative Drama Camps are perfect for kids entering grades K-4. Campers will work each week to put on a brand-new show! Each session, they will receive a script, rehearse a production, make a set and costumes, and perform their play. Kids will also play drama games, play outside (weather permitting), and have tons of fun! Musical Theater Camps are aimed at kids entering grades 4-9. In Musical Theater Performance Camp, campers put on a complete musical production in a professional NYC theater! Campers will stretch their skills with drama exercises and games, vocal coaching, field trips, and building a professional set. Our incredible teaching artists and campers come together to put on a truly remarkable show! During the school year, classes are great for beginners or more experienced actors - sing, dance, and put on a play! Whether your child is just starting out, or ready for Broadway, we&rsquo;ve got the class for them. Classes are available for grades PreK-8, after school or on Saturdays! Come play with us. &nbsp;