Your Quarantine New York Kids Weekend: May 29-31

Travel virtually with Dolphin Quest to Dolphin Quest Bermuda,  Dolphin Quest Hawaii, or Dolphin Quest Oahu, for your family and friends to interact live with dolphins and Marine Mammal Specialists. There is a free Dolphin Quest LIVE on their Facebook page daily for a fun and informative live interactive broadcast with Marine Mammal Specialists and dolphins. Families can also schedule private dolphin encounters via Zoom for an engaging, interactive visit with Marine Mammal Specialists and their favorite dolphins. Dolphin Quest provides a guided, personalized experience to meet and interact with the dolphins (they dance, leap, and more) from the safety of your home. Participation in the paid virtual program supports the continued professional care of the dolphins while Dolphin Quest’s onsite interactive programs are on pause.

You can make sweet memories at home with Hershey-themed virtual experiences, like takeout dining, recipes, and more by visiting One Sweet Minute: The Stay At Home Edition. There’s a delicious collection of virtual experiences that cover the destination of Hershey, PA, like trivia and coloring pages. Our favorite is to grab the family, take a seat, and get ready to ride front row on your favorite Hersheypark coasters! Take a ride on all 15 mild to wild coasters, including the new and thrilling Candymonium, and pick your favorite. It’s a sweet sensation!

Head to Africa with Wild Earth Kids by hopping in the back of a jeep for a virtual action safari. Kids of all ages will enjoy this free, live, and interactive safari experience as they join safariLIVE and tour some of the famed wildlife areas, interact with experts, and drive through the African wilderness. Lions and tigers and elephants, oh my!

For more virtual trips, visit The Best Virtual Travel Experiences for Families While in Quarantine

It’s almost 70 degrees outside and the summer is just around the corner. With a new season on the horizon and summer-vibes starting soon, it’s time to dive into colorful tie-dye crafts that the whole family can do. So, are you ready for some vibrance this season?

For fun ideas, check out Fun Tie-Dye Crafts for Families to Try This Summer!

With not being able to visit our favorite restaurants, these food chains are releasing some fan-favorite recipes that you can cook at home. It may not be the same as going out to eat, but it’s pretty close given limited food delivery options. Maybe you have been craving your Shake Shack or just want to give a well-known recipe a whirl, whatever it is, you can check out these released recipes to recreate some delicious meals and treats for the family!

Check out these famous recipes here!

If your child is finding it tough to stay active at home and looking for exciting new ways to get moving, New York City gyms for kids are offering online live streams and classes for all ages. Check out the YMCA’s dance parties and jumping jack challenges, Brooklyn Zoo NY’s at-home parkour classes and more online gym classes for kids at home.

Gym Classes for Kids

YMCA

The YMCA is currently offering a series of free workout videos for kids on their Youtube channel, which include cardio options like basketball drills, soccer drills, dance parties and jumping jack challenges as well as yoga classes with breathing and stretching exercises.

14th Street Y

The 14th Street at First Avenue is live-streaming exercise classes for its members, including hour-long family fitness classes, Fit Family with Jacqueline, on Monday mornings and Saturday afternoons; for all 14Y members, log-in instructions can be found in the weekly newsletter. Virtual Youth Classes like ballet, gymnastics, youth sports basketball and youth sports conditioning are mainly for families who are already enrolled, but if you’re new to Youth Programs and want to register your child for a Virtual Youth Class, simply email AfterSchool@14StreetY.org.

Kidville

Kidville is a music, art and dance studio, kids’ gym, playground, pre-school and party place “rolled into one.” Currently, Kidville is offering their content through a digital membership. For a monthly price of $74.99, your child will have unlimited on-demand access to Kidville content. The membership includes over 80 interactive live classes every month and access to the Kidville Video Vault. The Video Vault holds all of Kidville’s previously-aired, full-length gym, dance, art and music classes that can be viewed at any time. If the membership isn’t for you, Kidville’s pay-as-you-go, drop-in options for a la carte classes begin at $14.99.

For more classes, check out Online Gym Classes for Kids

With an incredible variety of creative topics, themes and genres, these podcasts for kids are the perfect way to keep your child engaged and entertained while at home! Listen to Julie Andrews read children’s books, cook with the Mystery Recipe Podcast’s mystery cook-along and learn the answers to big science questions with NPR’s Wow in the World! With episodes that inspire through music-making, storytelling, research, creativity and more, there’s sure to be the perfect podcast for every young listener.

Podcasts for Kids: 

Mystery Recipe Podcast 

Have fun getting excited about cooking and eating with these 20-minute episodes about the fantastical sides of food with America’s Test Kitchen Kids. Each episode focuses on one ingredient and finishes with a mystery recipe cook-along! Mystery Recipe Podcast has 26 “silly and unexpectedly educational” episodes out now; the latest of which are titled “Starch of the Penguins” and “Carb Your Enthusiasm.”

The Music Box

The Music Box, hosted by music educator Faith Murphy, is an interactive podcast that teaches lessons on musical objectives for young learners. Through performing, responding and connecting, kids are encouraged to make music and explore fundamental concepts! The 10-minute episodes can be further supplemented with printable lesson plans on the Music Box website.

Noodle Loaf

Geared toward kids ages 3 to 9, the Noodle Loaf podcast is full of singing, dancing and play! Led by a music education specialist and his goofball kids, each Noodle Loaf episode encourages your family to join in for 10 minutes of creative fun.

For more podcasts, check out The 26 Best Podcasts for Kids

The movie theaters are closed, but that doesn’t mean there’s a halt on new releases. Instead, the best new kids movies to watch in quarantine are already streaming. Even as the lockdown drags on, there’s no shortage of fun, kid-friendly content. (Which is great news for parents who are exhausted after a long week of homeschooling). So hop into the Mystery Machine, belt out your favorite song with some trolls, or set sail with a talking polar bear as your first mate. You might be stuck in your living room for the time being, but these movies will still take you on some wild adventures.

New Kid-Friendly Movies: 

Scoob!

The latest installment in the mystery gang franchise cements one universal truth: Scooby-Doo never gets old. So pull out your Scooby snacks and dive into the gang’s next adventure. This time, they’re investigating a plot to release the evil dog, Cerberus, into the world. On their way, they discover chilling secrets about Scooby’s own legacy. Featuring an all-star voice cast of Zac Efron, Gina Rodriguez and Amanda Seyfried, this film truly has something for everyone.

Available this Friday (5/15)! $24.99 on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu and Google Play. 

The Willoughbys

Based on the book by Lois Lowry, The Willoughbys tells the story of four siblings who decide they’d be better off raising themselves. After their parents set out on a “no kids allowed” vacation, the siblings begin their own adventure. They spin through high-speed car chases, flying spaceships and candy factories, all in pursuit of the family they’ve always dreamed of.

Included with Netflix subscription. 

Trolls World Tour

Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return, bringing the characters of Poppy and Branch to life once again. This time, the trolls are on a mission to protect their kingdom. They have to unite trolls from all six tribes that play all different kinds of music, from funk to country, pop, classical and rock. Ozzy Osbourne and Kelly Clarkson also lend their voices to this colorful musical adventure with an unforgettable soundtrack.

$19.99 on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Vudu and Google Play.

For more movies, check out The Best New Kid-Friendly Movies to Watch in Quarantine 

Private Picassos invite you to a virtual art class. They will introduce your children to the American sculptor Louise Nevelson and her monochromatic assemblages. Then, kids will get to create their own low-relief sculptures using household items. Grab random puzzle pieces, bottle caps, wine corks and cardboard boxes for this fun project! The event is targeted towards children age 4-10. May 29, 10-10:35 am. privatepicassos.com

Join Blue Baloon Songwriting School for their 11th Annual Children’s Songwriting Showcase where kids will perform their own original songs online. Featuring children 3 and up. May 30th (2 pm, 4 pm); May 31st (10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm).