Events: Top Kid-Friendly Activities For The Week

The Bronx Zoo's Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Week will begin this Friday. Photo via bronxzoo.com — The Bronx Zoo’s Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Week will begin this Friday. Photo via bronxzoo.com

During this busy week leading up to Christmas, take some time to make merry memories at one of these holiday-themed events. There’s something for everyone, from ice carving to classical music favorites. Have a holly, jolly Christmas, bright final days of Chanukah, and a wonderful Kwanzaa!!

Beginning Friday, December 26

Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Week
The Bronx Zoo
10am-4:30pm
Beginning this Friday, chill out at the Bronx Zoo! During Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Week, families can watch pro ice sculptors carve Amazonian rainforest animal sculptures out of massive blocks of ice. Other not-to-be-missed activities include a Tropical Ice Amazon River Playground, a 25-ft. ice slide, photo ops on an ice throne, holiday caroling, crafts, and much more. Plus, watch as the animals open their holiday gifts, and perhaps donate a new, unwrapped toy to the zoo’s Holiday Toy Drive. Donated toys will benefit local veterans and active duty military personnel. Ice Carving Week runs through Wednesday, December 31. This event is free with zoo admission.

Holiday Open House
Queens County Farm Museum
12pm-4pm
This weekend, join the Queens County Farm Museum for its annual Holiday Open House. Visitors can sip freshly brewed hot cider and take a tour of the Adriance Farmhouse. There will also be arts and crafts for children. Free

The Steadfast Tin Soldier and Nutcracker Sweets
Puppetworks, Inc.
Various times
Ages 3 and up are invited to attend a double-feature puppet show at Puppetworks, Inc. in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” and Tchaikovsky’s “Land of Sweets” dances from The Nutcracker will be performed during this one-hour marionette masterpiece. Tickets are $9 for adults and $8 for children. Runs through Tuesday, December 30.

Saturday, December 27

The Little Orchestra Society: Peter and the Wolf
Peter Jay Sharp Building at BAM
11am & 1pm
Part of The Little Orchestra Society’s three-concert series, Prokofiev’s 1936 orchestral piece Peter and the Wolf will be performed this Saturday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Peter Jay Sharp Building. This winter-set production will also feature music from other Russian composers such as Kabalevsky, Shostakovich, and Stravinsky. Tickets start at $18.

Kwanzaa 2014: Our Brightest Lights
American Museum of Natural History
12pm-4pm
Savion Glover, the renowned tap dancer who debuted on Broadway at age 10 and performed on Sesame Street for four years, will be make his museum debut at the American Museum of Natural History this December for the museum’s 36th annual Kwanzaa celebration. Come watch “The Tap Dance Kid” at this family-friendly Kwanzaa celebration. Plus, catch an exciting film screening introduced by a special representative of the United Nations. Free with museum admission.

The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center

The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center offers year-round, community-based dance and music programming in a fully inclusive and nurturing environment, located in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District. The School&rsquo;s diverse and professional faculty provides progressive and non-competitive instruction with all of our classes accompanied by live music. Though we are a non-recital school, there are opportunities for students to perform and for parents to see their dancers in action.

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.

Asphalt Green

Asphalt Green&rsquo;s high-quality sports programs start at 4 months old. Two beautiful facilities in vibrant Manhattan neighborhoods provide the optimal space for children to learn the fundamentals, play for leisure, or compete at the highest level. As the leading sports and fitness facility in Manhattan, Asphalt Green&rsquo;s never-before- seen training methods focus on improving your mental and physical game. Whether participating in swim, soccer, flag football, martial arts, basketball, baseball, tennis, or volleyball, coaches instill values that set athletes up for success in life and bring out their full potential in sports.