Your Quarantine New York Kids Weekend: June 12-14

Like many fashions born from necessity and practicality, the Shibori method of tie-dye has endured the test of time. From Chinese origins to feudal Japan to the runways of Ulla Johnson, Prada and the like, Shibori is here to stay. While tie-dye has seen many a resurgence throughout the decades, the fun colorful styles reminiscent of the flower power era are not for the faint of heart. For those who prefer cool blues, tonal looks, and easy-to-wear styles, there is Shibori, a traditional Japanese method of indigo dyeing that packs major style and makes a great summer activity for the whole family.

For directions and techniques on Shibori Tie-Dye, check out How to Do Shibori Tie-Dye at Home With the Family

Music is an artistic way to improve your children’s mood and productivity while stuck at home. It’s also a great creative outlet and a way to express themselves. Take a moment to explore these online music classes with your children, learn new skills, and have an awesome time with the family.

Music Classes for Kids: 

343 Labs

343 Labs classes are taught in real-time via video conferencing calls by the same great instructors that teach at their New York location. This means classes are fully interactive, you can ask questions just like you would in an in-person class, and you will get feedback from your instructor right there on the spot. All classes are recorded in case you want to go back or if you missed a class. 

Amadeus

Amadeus offers virtual private and group lessons in all instruments and voice for both children and adults. If you have a little one that is already showing an interest in music, sign them up for their Virtual Early Childhood classes that consist of singing, rhythmic play, dancing, percussion and introduction to orchestra instruments. These classes are for ages 2-5. You can also sign them up for their Beauty and the Beast Virtual Summer Camp where kids will get instruction with two instruments, acting, singing, dancing, and performance. June 29 – July 17, 9 -12 pm, ages 3-6 & 6-12.

BayRidge School of Music

Music teachers are dedicated to your child’s musical goals and finding a way for them to achieve these goals. BayRidge School expert instructors cover all instruments so that your child’s needs are met. It’s a challenge to engage children age 7 and above and for a whole lesson, but by integrating technology such as GarageBand, and ProTools, BayRidge is providing a cutting-edge lesson experience.

For a complete list of music classes, check out Online Music Classes and Sing-Alongs for Children and Families

If your child with special needs is struggling while remote learning, these apps can help them gain independence, build important skills and grow their confidence from home.

Apps for Kids With Special Needs While Remote Learning

Vizzle

Vizzle is an online learning platform and app for students with special needs. Its library of 15,000+ lessons includes games and activities that collect your child’s data and instantly personalize their curriculum of concepts and skills. Vizzle’s highly-visual and game-like interface encourages lesson play and independent learning. One year of access usually costs $75, but due to COVID-19, your child can use Vizzle for free through August 1, 2020 to continue learning and reinforcing new skills from home.

Proloquo2Go

Proloquo2Go is a widely-used communication app for those who don’t speak or have trouble being understood. The app can be useful for individuals with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Angelman syndrome and other speech difficulties. The AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) tool is easy to use and contains a vocabulary of over 10,000 words and images. Although expensive at $249.99, Proloquo2Go is often recognized by teachers, parents and therapists as the gold standard in AAC solutions.

Speech Blubs: Language Therapy

Speech Blubs is a language therapy app for kids with special needs ages 1 to 8. The voice-controlled app uses over 1,500 activities designed to help your child learn new sounds and words and practice speaking. Speech Blubs’ scientifically-proven techniques trigger sound and word production in toddlers and late talkers as well as children with apraxia of speech, autism, Down syndrome, ADHD and sensory processing disorder. The app offers a 7-day free trial, after which the monthly subscription costs as low as $4.99 per month.

To see all 22 apps, check out The Best Apps for Kids with Special Needs While Remote Learning

While zoos, aquariums, museums and other cultural institutions have obviously been impacted by COVID-19 and can no longer physically welcome guests, there are still options for entertaining field trips to take your family on right through your computer screen.

Coney Island

On this super fun virtual field trip to Coney Island and Luna Park, you can now take a ride on the famous and always-enjoyable Coney Island Cyclone! It doesn’t stop there — you can ride many of Luna Park’s thrilling attractions in 360-VR. The park’s website offers fully-interactive videos through which you can explore and decide which rides you’d like to try, and the program is even compatible with VR headsets for those who may own them. Keep your volume up and enlarge your screen so you can get the very best virtual coaster experience! If you’re not a rollercoaster-lover, you can just check in to see what’s happening in the park’s live stream.

Queens County Farm Museum

The historic site which opened back in 1697 is made up of 47 acres, making it the longest continuously farmed site in all of New York state. It is home to an herb garden, live animals, fun farm vehicles, historic farm buildings, planting fields, and a greenhouse. You can venture on a virtual field trip to this beautiful, cool and calm environment and see it all on their #BARNCAM at 4 pm each day right from their website.

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

CMOM at Home is a virtual field trip experience that brings the resources from the museum into your home to keep the kids engaged and learning in a fun manner. You can visit athome.cmom.org to learn more about the activities being offered, and sign up to receive direct email updates when more events are announced. Every day of the week the activities are centered around a different theme, and the events are all interactive, so your kids will surely be kept busy with games, sing-alongs, videos and much more!

To see our full list of virtual field trips, check out Virtual Field Trips for NYC Kids: Fun and Educational 

Puzzles are the perfect fit for your stay-at-home family activity, educational engagement, and a boredom buster. Here are some family-friendly and challenging puzzles to keep your quarantine puzzle game strong piece by piece.

The 3D Statue of Liberty Puzzle for Kids and Adults by Ravensburger lets your family build its own replica of the world-famous landmark of freedom and independence. Parents will love that it features 108 plastic puzzle pieces, including curved and hinged pieces that interlock to create a colorful, 15-inch copy of this famous American landmark. Kids will love that they can proudly display the completed model or build Lady Liberty again and again. $29.99

Llamas on the Farm is a 100 piece jigsaw puzzle by Sunsout and is a “llama” fun. Kids will love that the llamas and butterflies are oh so cute and colorful. Parents will love that it is 100% made in the USA with eco-friendly, soy-based inks on recycled boards.  $8.99

This Land Is Your Land United States Map by eeBoo is a perfect trifecta of map, teaching tool, and puzzle. Kids will love the images that help identify products, industries, and famous features of all 50 states. Parents will love that the visual association of recognizable images help children to memorize state locations and bordering neighbors. You can also make it a fun game using the included stickers to mark important places, family, and friends! $18.99

For more puzzles, check out Family-Friendly Puzzles to Do in Quarantine

Rowling is publishing the fairytale online for free “so children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times, can read it or have it read to them,” she says. She’ll be posting a new chapter (or two or three) every day until July 10th. The first two chapters are available here. They introduce readers to King Fred the Fearless, a monarch with curly blonde hair (who looks “magnificent in his tight breeches”), and the Ickabog himself, a mysterious monster who lives in the marsh. Rowling says the book is designed to be read aloud but is also suitable for 7- to 9-year-olds to read themselves.