Looking for fun and free/low-cost things to do with kids in Suffolk County, Long Island this May? Check out our top picks, including the Long Island Fleece and Fiber Fair, Imagination Movers on tour, and Mother’s Day events.
May 6
The Imagination Movers, a group of four dads-turned-rockstars who have their own musical-comedy show on Disney Junior, will perform dance-friendly tunes from their new CD/DVD Rock-o-Matic during a tour stop at NYCB Theatre at Westbury. Be ready for an eclectic pop mix of songs about everything from healthy snacks to conquering bedtime fears.
May 6
Lyn Dillies uses the power of illusion and persuasion with an added dose of charisma to capture her audience’s imagination in Magic of Lyn at the Staller Center for the Arts in Stony Brook.
May 8-13
Suffolk County has a soft spot for mothers (and grandmothers)—it’s easy to see with all the great Mother’s Day events happening this month. Free admission, tasty treats, and a little karaoke will help mom feel the love on her special day. Check out the full roundup of events here.
Opens May 16
The Tony Award-winning play Cats may have left Broadway 12 years ago, but not to fear. You can still catch the Jellical Cats at the Gateway Playhouse as they display their talents and good deeds while singing such familiar Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes as “Memory.”
May 19-20
We often take for granted that our wool sweaters and socks come from the coats of such four-legged friends as sheep, llamas, alpacas, and rabbits. Show your appreciation for their generosity at the Long Island Fleece and Fiber Fair, where you can observe shearing, wool-dying, spinning, and sheepherding demonstrations and attend workshops throughout the day.
May 20
According to the National Park Service, bugs outnumber people by 200,000,000 to one. Kids can get to know their prolific ‘neighbors’ at the Long Island Children’s Museum’s Bug Bonanza, where they’ll learn all about insects, spiders, and other crawly creatures, participate in crafts and activities, and dare to taste a treat made with edible insects.
May 26
Decorate a kite with names, wishes, and messages in Kites for a Cure, an annual event that benefits the Uniting Against Lung Cancer’s national lung cancer research grant program. With a little luck and a strong breeze, your kite will be flying high over Coopers Beach.
May 26-27
Military, civilian, and historical planes show off their speed and acrobatic chops at the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh.
Ongoing, Mondays and Wednesdays
Amy Vail offers Learn to Draw with Art Teacher Amy, a class in which she gives kids step-by-step instruction on how to draw everything from animals to anime characters using oil pastels, chalk, markers, colored pencils, and watercolor paints.
Weekends through October
In honor of National Preservation Month, step back in time to 1751 and take a Historic Stony Brook Grist Mill Tour. See the National Historic Site in action, as demonstrated by Marianne, the only female “miller” in the U.S.
Search for more fun family activities in Suffolk and the NYC area in our full calendar of events
