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Spring break activities for the whole family in NYC

School’s out for spring.

From April 3-10, it’s spring break for the city’s public school students. Here’s where you can find events catering to the time off at some of the city’s cultural institutions:

 

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

Families can find plenty of activities tied to the museum’s current exhibition, “Hello from Japan!,” which is small-scale representation of a Tokyo streetscape, complete with graphics and products inspired by the “kawaii” (meaning cute) aesthetic, as well as a Shinto shrine park setting. Traditional Japanese puppetry, manga comic drawing and more are planned throughout the break. April 4-12 starting at 10 a.m., admission $11 children and adults, $7 seniors, FREE for children under 12 months; 212 W. 83rd St., 212-721-1223, cmom.org

New-York Historical Society

Throughout the break, visitors can participate in activities tied to the current “Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion” exhibition, including activities for the Qingming Festival, aka Ancestor’s Day (April 5 from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.); kite making (April 5 from 1-3 p.m.); a reading of “Henry and the Kite Dragon” (April 5 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.); and paper making (April 12 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., $20 per person). There will also be a museum-wide scavenger hunt that tells the story of American civil rights history held throughout the week. April 3-12 (closed Mondays), admission $19 adults, $15 seniors, $12 students, $6 children ages 5-13, FREE for kids 4 and under; 170 Central Park W., 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org

Prospect Park

The Prospect Park Alliance will host spring break festivities throughout the week will invite children to make their own nature journal, explore the park grounds, meet the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection and get planting at the Lefferts Historic House. April 3-12 from noon-5 p.m., FREE ($3 suggested donation at Lefferts Historic House); Prospect Park Audubon Center, near the Lincoln Road entrance; Lefferts Historic House, Children’s Corner near the Willink entrance, at Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard, 718-965-8951, prospectpark.org

Queens Botanical Garden

Get close to nature during the Queens Botanical Garden’s special spring break family story time and craft, featuring an afternoon of nature-inspired stories followed by a botanically-themed craft activity. April 7 and 9 from 2-3:30 p.m., free with admission ($4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 students and children over 3); 43-40 Main St., Flushing, 718-886-3800, queensbotanical.org

New York Hall of Science

Living in NYC requires from street smarts, but during the museum’s Innovation Camp: Extreme Science Survivor, children in grades 3-4 can development some wilderness skills while exploring different extreme environments, from tropics to polar regions to deserts to temperate forests. Learn how to test for safe drinking water, which wild plants are safe or harmful and more. Advance registration required. April 6-10, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $350; 47-01 111th St., Corona, 718-699-0005 ext. 314, nysci.org