What to do when the kids have a week off of school? Our calendar editors picked the top events during winter break, February 16-21, in Brooklyn. Children can investigate plant life, be an astronaut for a day, learn about animals, and more!
AGES: 5-12
WHERE: New York Transit Museum, Corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights
WHEN: Feb. 14-15 and 21-22, 1:30pm
WHAT: A giant-size model of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is being built in the museum’s Education Center. Learn about the towers, anchorages, cables, and deck that make this suspension bridge an engineering marvel.
WANT TO GO? $7; $5 children ages 2-17. 718-694-1600. mta.info/museum.
AGES: All
WHERE: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Ave., Crown Heights
WHEN: Feb. 16-18, 11am-1pm
WHAT: Kids use their senses to investigate plants and objects firsthand and find out how plants survive in environments from deserts to rainforests. Explore the conservatories on scavenger hunts, listen to stories, and pot up a plant to bring home.
WANT TO GO? FREE. 718-623-7200. bbg.org.
AGES: All
WHERE: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86 on the Hudson River, West 46th Street at Twelfth Avenue, Manhattan
WHEN: Feb. 16-21, 10am-5pm
WHAT: Where else would birds of prey, astronauts, and Rube Goldberg Machines come together? A week of fun for your budding aviators, engineers, astronomers, and astronauts.
WANT TO GO? Free with museum admission: $24; $20 seniors and college students; $19 ages 7-17; $17 veterans; $12 children ages 3-6; free for children younger than 3. 212-245-0072. intrepidmuseum.org.
AGES: 6-12
WHERE: Brooklyn Public Library, Central branch, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Heights
WHEN: Feb. 17, 2:30-3:30pm
WHAT: Kids learn about space and become astronauts for a day.
WANT TO GO? FREE. 718-230-2100. bklynlibrary.org.
AGES: All
WHERE: Staten Island Zoo, 614 Broadway, Staten Island
WHEN: Feb. 17-18, 12-3pm
WHAT: Visit the zoo for activities, fun crafts, zoo bingo, and animal presentations.
WANT TO GO? $8; $5 children ages 3-14. 718-442-3101. statenislandzoo.org.
AGES: All
WHERE: Salt Marsh Nature Center, East 33rd Street and Avenue U, Marine Park
WHEN: Feb. 17-20, 1pm
WHAT: Get outside! Bring kids to the park to enjoy a variety of nature-related programs and activities with the Urban Park Rangers.
WANT TO GO? FREE. 718-421-2021. nycgovparks.org.
AGES: All
WHERE: New York Transit Museum, Corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights
WHEN: Feb. 17-20, 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, and 2pm
WHAT: Discover the secrets of how current travels along the third rail to power the NYC subway in these learn-out-loud interactive demonstrations.
WANT TO GO? $7; $5 children ages 2-17. 718-694-1600. mta.info/museum.
AGES: All
WHERE: New York Transit Museum, Corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights
WHEN: Feb. 17-20, 11am-12pm, 1-2pm
WHAT: Look at some of NYC’s most graceful arcs and consider the importance of curves in transportation designs. Experiment with whirled and twirled materials to get a lesson in curvilinearity.
WANT TO GO? $7; $5 children ages 2-17. 718-694-1600. mta.info/museum.
AGES: 9-17
WHERE: New York Transit Museum, Boerum Place at Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights
WHEN: Saturdays in February, 2-4pm
WHAT: Drop by the Computer Lab to take control of a NYC subway car and operate it over virtual miles of track, using the realistic OpenBVE software.
WANT TO GO? $7; $5 children ages 2-17. 718-694-1792. mta.info/museum.
