Battery Park City Parks Conservancy
2 South End Avenue, 212-267-9700, www.bpcparks.org
BPCPC is featuring special youth programming thru October. Check here weekly for upcoming events.
weekly programs
Below is a list of regular weekly programs. Activities meet at indicated day and time. No programs will be held Sun., Sept. 4, Oct. 9 and Mon., 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. Sept/Oct $70.
Gardening – 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. Call extension 348 to register.
Wednesdays in Wagner Park – 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.
Drumming Circle on the Hudson
Djembe and conga drums, bells, shakers and sticks await you at this sunset drumming circle led by master drummers Pamela Patrick, Maguette Camara and Mary Knysh. The evening begins with the teaching of traditional drumming patterns and later individuals contribute their own rhythmic patterns as part of call and response chanting and drumming. Fri., Aug. 26. 6:30-8:30pm. Wagner Park. Free.
Stories and Songs
A program of participatory music and stories for infants, toddlers and preschoolers and accompanying adults. The program introduces and integrates musical performance and creative storytelling into children’s lives while developing their enjoyment of active listening, socializing and cultural literacy. Wednesdays, Sept. 14 – Dec. 14. Four 40-minute sessions: 1) 9:30 – 10:10am for children 6-12 months old. 2) 10:20 – 11am for kids 1-2 years & siblings. 3) 1:10 – 11:50am for kids 1-2 years old. 4) Noon – 12:40pm for kids 2+. Community Room at The Regatta, 21 South End Ave. $168 for 14 sessions. Registration required. 212-267-9700.
For middle and high school students wanting to attend specialized art high schools and colleges. Working with BPCPC artist/educators Miki Iwamura and Larry Dobens, students will develop a body of work to present with their application. They will develop and strengthen skills by drawing from observation (still lifes, landscapes, cityscapes, clothed figure drawing and portraiture) as well as exploring abstraction and drawing from memory and imagination. Outside work will be assigned including museum visits and maintaining a sketchbook. Saturdays, Sept. 10, 17, 24 & Oct. 1, 15, 22 and 29. $210 plus $30 for materials. 10am – 1pm. BPCPC Office, 2 South End Ave., access W. Thames St.
Photography for Kids
Children in grades 2-5 are invited to learn the art and science of photography using a pinhole camera that they make themselves. Additional activities include constructing a camera obscura, creating solargraphs and making cardboard zoom lenses. Mondays Sept. 12 – Oct. 31, will not meet Oct. 10. 3:30-5:00pm. Rockefeller Park. $35 plus $10 materials fee. 212-267-9700. Enrollment is limited. Registration required.
Fix your Own Bike
Learn the fundamentals of bicycle maintenance, how to make basic repairs and tips on safe cycling from Bicycle Habitat’s Martin Nichols. Tools and cleaning supplies will be provided. Sat., Sept. 17 from 10am – Noon. Wagner Park. Free, donations encouraged. Bring your own bike. Tricycles and scooters also welcome.
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. 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. Rockefeller Park, Chambers St. $5 per class.
Chelsea piers
23rd Street and the Hudson River, www.chelseapiers.com
Free Summer Skating
Enjoy free roller skating and ice skating this summer at the Roller Rinks and Sky Rink. The Roller Rinks will be free on Saturdays from 1pm – 5pm. Sky Rink will be free on Sundays from 12pm – 3:50pm. Thru Aug. Skate rental extra at each location. 212-336-6200 (Roller Rinks). 212-336-6100 (Sky Rink).
Fraunces Tavern Museum
54 Pearl Street, 212-425-1778, www.FrauncesTavernMuseum.org
Sign of the Times
Tavern signs were like early billboards designed to catch the eye of a possible customer. Come and paint your own tavern sign. Sat., Sept. 3 from 11am – 4pm. Free with museum admission.
Manhattan Children’s Theatre
52 White St., bet Broadway & Church Sts., 212-352-3101, www.theatermania.com
Sideways Stories from Wayside School Adapted from the book by Louis Sachar, the award-winning author of Holes, the story tells the unusual tale of the kids and teachers of room 30. But in a school that was accidently built 30 stories high, “unusual” take on a whole new meaning. Sept. 24 – Nov. 6, Sat. & Sun. at 12 and 2pm. $15. Ages 5+.
Manhattan youth
212-766-1104, www.manhattanyouth.org
Programs for Children
Manhattan Youth provides the children and families of Downtown with quality programs during non-school hours. Programs offer children opportunities to participate in theater and summer camp and families can participate in Family Renewal Workshops. Check below for details on other current events. All programs require pre-registration. Most activities are free, fees apply to comprehensive child care programs.
The Youth Council – Year-round meetings and community service placements for students. Call for more information.
Swimming Lessons – Offered on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school. Classes are taught by experienced, certified and friendly instructors under the supervision of the Swim Director at the Downtown Day Camp. Lessons are 40 minutes long. Children must be in kindergarten or above. Lessons offered year round.
Pier 25
Current Happenings
This is probably the last season for Manhattan Youth at Pier 25 so come by and have a burger, do some art and play some ping pong. Check below for other upcoming activities.
RiverFlicks – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Rated PG. Fri., Aug. 26 at 8:30pm. Pier 25.
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.
Miss Frizzle goes to China
Join Miss Frizzle as she whisks back in time to ancient China. Bring a camera and explore with everyone’s favorite teacher. Sat., Aug, 27 at 3pm. Ages 6+.
Clifford’s BacK to School Bash Clifford stops by for one final hurrah before school starts again. Bring your camera to capture a shot with everyone’s favorite canine. Sat., Sept. 3 at 3pm. All ages.
South street seaport museum
New Beginnings
Begin the new school year with a new journal to capture your upcoming adventures and memories. Come for a book making workshop. Bring swatches of fabric to personalize your journal. Sat., Aug. 27 from 1-4pm. Museum, 12 Fulton St. Free with museum admission. 212-748-8758.
Children’s Poetry Series
Learn about the poem “I Tramp a Perpetual Journey” by Walt Whitman. Visit the Living Harbor Wet Lab aboard the tall ship Peking and let the Lower Manhattan and East River scenery inspire an artistic masterpiece of your own. Sun., Aug. 28 from 1-4pm . Animal feeding time is 3pm. Museum, 12 Fulton St. 212-748-8758.
Soca Seaport Fete!
Celebrate West India Day by designing your own mask and making a hand-made instrument to dance the afternoon away. Sat., Sept. 3 from 1-4pm. Museum, 12 Fulton St. Free with museum admission. 212-748-8758.
Explore Marine Ecology
Help raise sail before setting off on an afternoon aboard the 1885 schooner Pioneer. Learn about the fascinating creatures that inhabit the local ecosystem. Sat., Sept. 3 from 4-6pm. Visitors Center, Pier 16. $35 adults, $30 students & seniors, $25 kids. Call 212-748-8786 for reservations.
Fish Tales
Listen as a museum educator reads classic fish tales while you learn about the creatures of the East River. Look through the lens of a microscope. Create your own aquatic work of art. This week’s featured reading is “Swimmy” by Leo Lionni. Sun., Sept. 4 from 1-4pm. Animal feeding time is 3pm. Museum, 12 Fulton St.
Stuyvesant High School
345 Chambers St., 646-358-6880, www.ccshs.org
Reasonably priced family and youth memberships are available to the Community Center at Stuyvesant High School. Special programming is offered thru Battery Park City Parks Conservancy.
Family Pool Party
Enjoy buried treasure hunts, water basketball and more. Every Fri., thru Aug. 26 from 5:30 – 7:30pm. Free for members.
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 three weeks prior to the event.
google_ad_client = “pub-6226499064891091”;
google_ad_width = 468;
google_ad_height = 60;
google_ad_format = “468x60_as”;
google_ad_channel =”0606561524″;
google_color_border = “336699”;
google_color_bg = “FFFFFF”;
google_color_link = “0000FF”;
google_color_url = “008000”;
google_color_text = “000000”;
//–>
src=”https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js”>
WWW Downtown Express
