Volume 17, Number 49 | April 29 — May 05, 2005
Youth Activities
It’s spring time again and BPCPC will be starting their special youth programming on Sun., May 1. Check here weekly for upcoming events.
weekly programs
Below is a list of regular weekly programs. Activities meet at indicated day and time. Continues thru Oct. No programs will be held Sun., May 29, July 3, Sept. 4, Oct. 9 and Mon., May 30, July 4, Sept. 5 & Oct. 10.
Preschool
Family Play – Join other families with toddlers for interactive play with imaginative toys. Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 10am – noon. Also Sundays from 2-4pm. Wagner Park, access Battery Place.
Art – Enjoy simple art projects with paper, clay, wood, paint and mixed media for young artists. Dress for a mess! Thursdays from 10:30am – noon. Rockefeller Park, access Chambers St. $5 per child.
Kids
Basketball – Play with adjustable height hoops for kids of all sizes. Mondays, 3:30-4:30pm: 5-6 year olds & 4:30-5:30pm: 7 years old and up. Rockefeller Park, Chambers St.
Chess – Chess Master Alex Rasic teaches the popular strategy game to participants ages 5-16 years. Mondays from 3:45-6pm. Rockefeller Park, Chambers St. May/June $80. July/Aug $80. Sept/Oct $70.
Gardening – A new session of kids’ gardening for 2nd thru 5th graders. The group meets on Tuesdays from 3:45-5pm at The Children’s Garden, Rockefeller Park. $5 per session or $130 for the whole season. Call extension 348 to register.
Soccer – Learn to pass, shoot and dribble. Tuesdays, 2:30-3:15pm: 4 year olds; 3:30-4:15pm: 5-8 year olds; 4:30-5:30pm: 9-12 year olds. Rockefeller Park, Chambers St.
Wednesdays in Wagner – Elementary school kids are invited to participate in fun group games and art projects using clay, plaster, wood and fabric. Ages 5+. Wednesdays from 3:30-5:30pm. Wagner Park, Battery Place.
Art & Games – School-aged kids, ages 5 and up, are invited to participate in a variety of art projects including clay, jewelry making, 3-D collage, instrument making and more. Group games will also take place. Thursdays from 3:30-5:30pm. Rockefeller Park, Chambers St.
early spring kids’ gardening
An after school gardening program that introduces the joys of gardening to 2nd thru 5th graders. Participate in garden-related art activities such as pressing flowers. Tuesdays, thru April 26 from 3:45-5:30pm. The Children’s Garden, Rockefeller Park. $5 per session. Registration required. Call extension 348.
Amateur naturalists Club
First, second and third graders who enjoy the outdoors and are interested in learning about plants, animals and the environment are invited to join. Mon., May 2, 9, 16, 23 and June 6, 13, 20 and 27 from 3:30-5pm. Nelson A. Rockefeller Park. $40. Registration and pre-payment required. Call ext. 348.
bird watching
Novice and experienced bird watchers of all ages are invited to join Sarah Elliott and Dave Taft to observe some of the 80 species of birds that migrate through and inhabit the parks. Help expand the Conservancy’s list of species identified. Binoculars and field guides are available to borrow. Thurs., May 5 & 19 from 9:30-11am. Thurs., May 12 & 26 from noon – 1:30pm. Sat., May 14 & 21 from 10:30am-noon. The Pavilions at Wagner Park. Free.
Sunset singing circle
Join singer and guitarist Terre Roche for an evening of songs and chants. All ages welcome. Fridays, May 6, 13, & 20 and June 3, 10 & 17 from 7-8:30pm. Wagner Park. Free.
weekly programs continued
Teens
Chess – Chess Master Alex Rasic teaches the popular strategy game to participants ages 5-16 years old. Mondays from 3:45-6pm. Rockefeller Park, Chambers St. May/June $80. July/Aug $80. Sept/Oct $70.
Tai Chi – Learn the ancient martial art with master, Alex Hing. No experience necessary. Thursdays from 4-5pm. Also Fridays from 8:30-9:30am, except 7/1. Rockefeller Park, Chambers St. $5 per class.
Drumming – Drop in for a drumming circle led by master drummer Maguette Camara from Senegal. Sessions begin with a lesson on West African drumming patterns and proceeds to call and response playing and chanting. Later drummers create their own sounds. Drums provided. Tuesdays from 4-5:30pm. Begins May 17. 13-18 year olds. Rockefeller Park, Chambers St.
Battery Park City Neighbors association
212-945-1030, www.bpcnpa.com
annual springfest
Scheduled activities include pottery by Tribeca Clay Works, hair spraying, tattoos, stamping, yoga by Naga Yoga, painting & clay by Wet Paint Art Studio, art by ColorMe Art Spa, Plant-a-seed by BPCPC, food by Miette Culinary School, dance by Soho Dance Studio and the New American Youth Ballet, bike registration by BPC Cares Youth Committee and the NYPD (bring your bike), photos by Angelface Photography (bring your camera) and music by Music Together. Free for members of the association. $5 suggested donation per child for all others. Sun., May 1 from 11am – 2pm. South Lawn of Rockefeller Park.
Chelsea piers
23rd Street and the Hudson River, www.chelseapiers.com
new general skating prices
Celebrate Chelsea Piers 10th Anniversary with reduced rates for general ice skating at Sky Rink. $7.50 kids, $10 adults. Mon. – Sat. from 11:30 – 5pm and Sun. from 1-4pm. 212-336-6100.
golf fest
The second annual Golf Fest is introducing Kids Corner where kids are invited to enjoy minigolf, arts & crafts, balloons, face painting, make your own sundaes and golf instruction while parents try out new clubs and get golf pointers. Sat., April 30 from noon – 6pm and Sun., May 1 from noon – 4pm. $10 adults, $5 kids.
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
OF THE ARTS
182 Lafayette Street, 212-274-0986
$6 per person, kids and adults. All events are free with admission.
Wee drop in
Children 10-42 months experience and explore a variety of age appropriate projects and materials including play-dough, paint, glue, chalk, and stickers. Sessions include music, stories, and time in the ball pond. Show up at 10:45 am to join in the fun. Wed, Thurs, and Fri. from 10:45am-noon. $17 per family (group of 3.)
After school art program
Classes run thru May 9 from 4-5:30pm. There will be supervised free time between 3:30-4pm and 5:30-6pm also available. Mondays, children 7-10 can attend “Cartooning;” Tuesdays, “Beginning Drawing and Painting” for ages 7-9; Wednesdays, “Intermediate Drawing and Painting” for ages 10-12; and Thursdays, “Fine Art Fun” for ages 5-6. Call for more info or to register.
Lucille Lortel Theatre
121 Christopher Street, bet. Hudson & Bleecker, www.insidebroadway.org, Purchase tickets thru Ticket Central by calling 212-279-4200
on the town
Come see Inside Broadway’s new 50-minute version of Leonard Bernstein’s musical “On the Town” for kids and families. Enjoy the crazy adventures the three heroic sailors encounter when they visit New York City for the first time. Saturdays, April 16 & 23 and May 7 at 10:30am. $15.
Manhattan children’s theatre
380 Broadway (4th Floor) in Tribeca
212-226-4085, www.mctny.org
rapunzel In this twist on the classic Brother’s Grimm fairy tale, Rapunzel is snatched from her parents on the night of her birth by the evil witch who lives next door and is raised in a tower for sixteen years. The beautiful young woman finds her prince, but he turns out to be quite different than she expected – he is her twin brother! Together, they defeat the witch and are reunited with their true parents. Thru May 22. Saturdays and Sundays at 12 & 2pm. $15 adults; $10/kids 2-16 years. 212-352-3101. Ages 4+.
Manhattan youth
212-766-1104, www.manhattanyouth.org
weekend basketball
Saturday basketball at Stuyvesant High School. Open play and games. Girls, grades 4-8 at 1pm; boys, grades 4 & 5 at 2:30 and middle school boys at 4pm.
touch football
It is touch football season again for grades 6-10 in two divisions. Sundays at 11am at Pier 40 on the top level of the parking lot. Call (ext. 0) or go online to register.
THE SCHOLASTIC STORE
557 Broadway, between Prince and Spring in SoHo, Stroller entrance: 130 Mercer St., Event hotline: 212-343-6166
Enjoy stories read by the Scholastic Story Teller every Sunday and Tuesday at 2pm. All ages. Free.
meet geronimo stilton
Stop by and say hello to Geronimo Stilton, everyone’s favorite reporter from Mouse Island, as he reads from his newest adventure “The Island of Haunted Treasure.” Sat., April 23 at 3pm. Ages 6+.
south street seaport museum
212-748-8758
archaeology
Be an amateur archaeologist for the day! Come to the Seaport’s urban archaeology center, New York Unearthed, for a 5-week series that explores New York’s history through archaeological remains recovered from beneath the city streets. Craft activities included. This week’s theme is Recycled Art. Sat., April 23 from 1-4pm. 17 State St. $5.
harlem is… a storybook series
Listen to tales of Harlem and let the words and images inspire you to create an artistic masterpiece of your own. This week’s featured story is “The Sweet and Sour Animal Book” by Langston Hughes and The Harlem School of the Arts. Sun., April 24 from 1-4pm. Museum, 12 Fulton St.
spring break at the seaport
Come and learn what life was like for kids growing up a hundred years ago. Learn about a different 19th century game or toy each day and make your own souvenir. Mon., April 25 – Fri., April 29 from 1-4pm. Mon: Boats, Tues: Puzzles, Wed: Baseball, Thurs: Street games, Fri: Buildings. Free with paid admission.
child’s play exhibition
Exhibition showcases toys, dolls and games manufactured from the mid 19th century thru the early 20th century. Highlights include a wooden Brooklyn Bridge from 1881, a metal elephant from Coney Island, wooden and metal firehouses, Erector set vehicles, school books, windup toys and two large doll houses furnished and decorated in 19th century styles. Schermerhorn Row Galleries, 12 Fulton St.
Stuyvesant high school
345 Chambers St., 212-267-9700 ext. 342, www.ccshs.com
Pre-school family play
Programming provided by BPCPC. Sundays from 3-4:30pm. $5 per family.
Synagogue for the arts
49 White St, 212-966-7141
ShabbaTot
Children 8 months to 8 years and their parents are invited for songs, games, & stories. Sat, May 7 at 10:30am.
tribeca performing arts center
199 Chambers Street at West Street, Borough of Manhattan Community College, 212-220-1460, www.tribecapac.org
rainbow fish
As the final production in the Family Folk Fairy Tales series, the Artspower National TouringTheatre will present a stage adaptation of the classic tale, “Rainbow Fish,” focussing on the transformation of the vain Rainbow Fish into a caring being concerned with unselfish friendship. Ages 3-10. Sat., May 14 at 1:30pm. $14 adults; $9 kids.
Listings requests for the “Downtown Express” can be e-mailed to casey@downtownexpress.com. Please be sure to include the date, time, location, price and description of the event. Information must be received two to three weeks prior to the event.
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