Weekend Planner: Fun Family Activities in NYC (February 14-16)

GustaferYellowgold — Gustafer Yellowgold

Take shelter from the wintry weather with the help of our roundup of special children’s theater around the city right now; along with our roundup of the 10 best museum exhibits currently on display. If the snow gets less slushy, here’s our picks for the top places to sled! And inspired by Presidents’ Day we’ve put together a fun activity guide–everything from arts & crafts to presidential-themed events around the city. Finally, here’s our look at the best ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day, including a special Saturday party featuring Gustafer Yellowgold at Symphony Space. And read on for the best this weekend has to offer!

Please note: we also have a great giveaway! “Elmo Makes Music” lands at

Madison Square Garden. The theatrical show is filled with singing, dancing, and everyone’s beloved Sesame Street characters. Welcome Elmo! (Thursday-Feb. 23)

* For a giveaway of 10 tickets (2 tickets each for 5 families) for next weekend, click here to connect to our Facebook page.

* For a 1/2 price discount to any show, click here and use the code: ELMO50.

STARTING WEDNESDAY

Presented by Australian-based Sally Chance Dance, This [Baby] Life at New Victory Theater is a contemporary dance piece that encourages your little one to mirror, interact and react to simple dance choreography. Dance time! (Wednesday-Feb. 23)

STARTING FRIDAY

The Museum of the Moving Image is hosting the IndieCade East 2014, the country’s premier festival for independent video games. Expect it to be jam-packed with games, workshops, panels, and more. Get gaming! (Friday-Sunday)

The Harlem Globetrotters, America’s favorite trick team, take over the Barclays Center as part of their “Fans Rule” world tour. Then they head to Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Play ball! (Friday)

Queens Theatre joins with Aquila Theatre to present a contemporary adaptation of “Twelfth Night”—the perfect introduction for children to the timeless works of Shakespeare. Take a seat! (Friday-Sunday)

STARTING SATURDAY

Kids Week 2014 is taking over the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum with nine themed days built around topics like superheroes and science fiction. A week to remember! (Saturday-Feb. 23)

Celebrate Carnaval, a Latin American and Caribbean festival, with El Museo del Barrio. Peruse the exhibitions, make a colorful mask, and hear traditional stories. (Saturday) Party time!

To honor Black History Month, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan is teaching kids all about Coretta Scott King, the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a civil rights leader in her own right. Respect a great! (Saturday-Sunday)

STARTING SUNDAY

Literally Alive Children’s Theatre presents the classic fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” Kids are allowed on stage after to make their own sea creature to bring home. Head under the sea! (Sunday-April 27)

Kids will have a chance to learn about and recreate 3-D replicas of their favorite desert plants at Wave Hill thanks to visiting artists. Get creative! (Sunday)

It’s Washington’s Birthday—pay tribute with a party at the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum, where guests will learn traditional 19^th-century dances and be treated to a special presidential-themed scavenger hunt. Happy birthday! (Sunday)

Elena Moon Park and Friends will perform a rocking concert presented by Carnegie Hall at the Bronx Library Center. Traditional Japanese and Korean songs take on new meaning. Listen along! (Sunday)

Yuletide Factory

Fill your hearts with circus cheer&mdash;the merry daredevils of Cirque Mechanics (Zephyr, 2023) are back with an industrial-strength spectacular for you and your kin. Sparkling with holiday spirit, the ever energetic ensemble of acrobats transforms a drab assembly plant into a holly jolly Yuletide Factory! From the wonder of the German wheel to festive flips from the trampoline wall, they dash and dance through a pageant of powerhouse stunts with grins and goodwill. It&rsquo;s high-flying fun, comfort and joy for the whole family!

Penguin Coding School

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Penguin Coding School believes that <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">anyone can code<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The most compelling motivation for learning to code is that it enables building something kids can call their own. What makes this approach "worth it" for the kids is that at the end of the road, they see that their code actually does things in the real world. Not in some playpen, but in the real Internet where anyone can access it.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Programs:<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Penguin Coding School <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">provides comprehensive coding education to kids ages 5-18. In-person &amp; Online classes are available in Scratch, Minecraft, Roblox, Python, Javascript, Java, Robotics, and Mobile Apps. Their small class size, award winning teachers and age-appropriate curriculum ensure every child will learn coding with a smile. Penguin Coding has in-person classes and summer camps in Cobble Hill and Park Slope, as well as three Massachusetts locations. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Free Trial Classes:&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for our award-winning<a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://penguincodingschool.com/freetrial?utm_campaign=FreeTrials&amp;utm_source=NYF&amp;utm_medium=Directory"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; -webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">free trial classes</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. They offer a 60 minute free trial class in Scratch, Python, Roblox, Java, Robotics and much more! Appropriate for absolute beginners as well as those with some experience (trial classes are used to place students in the right level).

Once Upon A Mattress

Bring your kids. Bring your parents. Bring your favorite pajamas! Once Upon a Mattress is back on Broadway, and it&rsquo;s &ldquo;pure let&rsquo;s-be-kids entertainment&rdquo; (New Yorker) fit for ages 7 to 107! Two-time Tony&reg; winner Sutton Foster stars as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone, alongside royalty of stage and screen Michael Urie and Queen of Comedy Ana Gasteyer. Adapted for a new generation by Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), this uproarious retelling of The Princess and the Pea introduces the unapologetically eccentric Winnifred to an uptight kingdom, where she charms, delights, and dances her way to the top&hellip; of a stack of mattresses. So give the babysitter the night off and your kids a night on the town &ndash; you'll all live happily ever laughter! Get tickets at&nbsp;<a href="https://onceuponamattressnyc.com/">https://onceuponamattressnyc.com/</a>