Queens

A Mars day trip, shadow dancing (unrelated to Andy Gibbs), tap dancing, MLK Day activities and Jerry Stiller. Serenity now!

Go
“Mission to Mars” on the Intrepid
Saturday an exhibit spotlighting the red planet opens at the Intrepid. Front and center: a full-scale model of a Mars Rover. On weekends, museum educators will hold interactive, multimedia demos where you get to touch Rover artifacts, a piece of solar panel and parachute material. FYI … the USS Intrepid acted as a space capsule recovery ship for Mercury 7 and Gemini 3 NASA missions.
When: Runs 1/16-6/30. Hours: M-F, 10am-5pm, Sat. & Sun. 10am-6pm. Free with admission.
Where: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86, (46th St and 12th Ave.) intrepidmuseum.org.

Do
ShadowPLAY
New York Hall of Science
Experiment with colorful lights, crystal-themed shadow puppets, colored gels and tubes in this new interactive exhibition. Dancing encouraged.
When: Sat. 1/16 and Sun. 1/17, 10am-5:45pm. Free with admission. Check nysci.org for additional dates.
Where: New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 718-699-0005.

Create
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Diversity Craft
Head to Central Park to partake in a community art project led by the staff of Belvedere Castle.
When: Sat. 1/16 (rain or shine), noon-3pm; free.
Where: Belvedere Castle, Central Park, mid-Park at 79th St. 212-772-0210, centralparknyc.org.

Make-a-Wish Balloons for MLK Day
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Kids can decorate make-a-wish birthday balloons to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. The projects will then be displayed in the museum’s lobby window.
When: Sat. 1/16 and Sun. 1/17 at 1:30pm; free with museum admission. (All ages)
Where: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave., Brooklyn, 718-735-4400, brooklynkids.org.

Dance
American Tap Dance Foundation’s Open House
Tap dancing. Gregory Hines, Gene Kelly and Savion Glover made/make it look so easy. Saturday kids can sample a class to see if they’re able to master the fancy footwork that provides such an aural and visual feast for audiences.
When: Sat. 1/16, noon-1pm; free. (Ages 3.5-18)
Where: American Tap Dance Ctr., 154 Christopher St. (bet. Greenwich and Washington Sts.)#2B, atdf.org.

Heads-up
Jerry Stiller Book Reading
Next Wednesday, funnyman Jerry Stiller reads from two selections from The PJ Library Collection to launch the PJ Library program in NYC. PJ sends out Jewish-themed books and CDs to children free of charge if the kids live in a PJ region. A fee-based subscription is available for families living outside PJ regions.
When: Wed. 1/20, 3pm; free. (All ages)
Where: JCC in Manhattan, 344 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th St., 646-505-5708.

A big homecoming of sorts on the art scene. Yogis go big in the name of peace. Plus livestock in NYC. Just a typical weekend here.

See
Kandinsky
Few artists are more closely associated with the Guggenheim than the Russian-born Vasily Kandinsky; his art has been collected by the museum since its inception. So it’s fitting that the Guggenheim is mounting an exhibition of the works of this abstract art pioneer to coincide with its 50th anniversary. This exhibit represents the first full-scale retrospective of Kandinsky’s oeuvre in the U.S. since 1985.
When: Opens 9/18 and runs through 1/13/10; museum admission is $18/adults, $15/seniors and students with valid ID and free for kids under 12. The museum has pay-as-you-wish admission set-up on Saturday evenings from 5:45-7:45pm.
Where: Solomon R.Gugenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th St., guggenheim.org.

Do
Global Mala - Yoga for Peace
Om Shanti! Karma Kids Yoga is organizing a special children’s area for this event in Battery Park. Participants complete 108 Sun Salutations, or “mala” in Sanskrit. Yogis around the world - think Croatia, Italy and Argentina - will also be doing their 108 SSs. The purpose of the event is to demonstrate how a group can bring peace in unison through yoga.
When: Sun. 9/20, noon-3pm; suggested donation of $20 in advance, $25 the day of. Register at yoga-for-peace.org. (All ages)
When: Battery Park, Center Lawn.

Visit
27th Annual Queens County Farm
Farm in the city. Check out this traditional county fair at the Queens County Farm Museum, which boasts the “largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland” (47 acres) in NYC and is the “only working historical farm in the city.” Carnival rides, hayrides, a petting zoo, Big Apple Circus Variety acts and the Amazing Maize Maze are all part of the festivities. Other activities include competitions in livestock, produce and home crafts.
When: Sat. 9/19 and Sun. 9/20, 10am - 6pm; $7/adults and $4/kids under 12. Additional charges apply for some activities.
Where: Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, 718-347-3276, queensfarm.org.
Accessible by subway and bus.

Watch
Peter Pan & Adventures in Never Land
A fresh re-telling of J.M. Barrie’s classic about the boy in green tights and his BFFs at the Swedish Marionette Theatre in Central Park. This version is set in NYC.
When: Through 9/27, Saturdays and Sundays at 1pm (plus performances from 10/6 - 11/8); $8/adults, $5/children, reservations required. Call 212-988-9093.
cityparksfoundation.org.
Where: The Swedish Cottage, Central Park at 79th St. and West Drive just South of the Delacorte Theater.

Photo credit: Vasily Kandinsky, Improvisation 28 (second version) (Improvisation 28 [zweite Fassung]), 1912
Oil on Canvas, 43 7/8 x 63 7/8 inches (111.4 x 162.1 cm)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, By gift. 37.239

Go
19th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in NY
A visual and aural feast to celebrate the “Year of the Ox.” Crews in colorful, custom-made teak dragon boats from Hong Kong compete in various races. The weekend festivities also include a presentation by the Dragon Dancing Team, a martial arts display, various multicultural musical performances and traditional Chinese craft-making. Plus Nick Jr.’s Kai-lan will put in an appearance.
When: Sat. 8/8 and Sun. 8/9, 9am-5pm; free.
Where: Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, hkdbf-ny.org.

Watch
Stone Soup
A musical version of the classic fable of two lost soldiers who stumble upon a village in search of food. After being rejected, the soldiers whip up a bowl of stone soup and bring the whole community together. Audience members are encouraged to bring canned goods to place in a soup pot for City Harvest. Kids can make their own clay soup bowls in a free pre-show workshop.
When: Sat. 8/8 and Sun. 8/9 at 11am. Pre-show workshop at 10am; show tickets $25-$40 (ages 3 and up).
Where: The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal St., (bet. 3rd and Bleecker), tix available at ovationtix.com.

Do
Beat Street
Bring in da noise, bring in da funk at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s Target Free Family Jams series. Tap dancing phenom Michela Marino Lerman will lead tap dancers in a tap dance “explosion.” Start the evening with the films Strega Nona and Stone Soup (yes, more Stone Soup).
When: Fri. 8/7, movies at 5pm and tap dancing at 6:30pm; free (all ages).
Where: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn (at St. Marks Ave.), 718-735-4400, brooklynkids.org.

Hear
Putumayo Kids’ Picnic Playground Tour
Putumayo Kids’ artist Jay Mankita will share songs from the latest album, Picnic Playground, which celebrates food from around the globe.
When: Sat. 8/8 at 4pm and Sun. 8/9 at 1pm; free.
Where: 8/8 - Carroll Park, Brooklyn (bet. Smith and Court Sts. and Carroll and President Sts.). 8/9 - Central Park’s Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade inside the park at 106th St. Enter park at CPW and 106th St.

Shop
Nicole Richie & “A Pea in the Pod”
Style maven Nicole Richie brings her boho-chic fashion sense to a new line for “A Pea in the Pod.” Check out the collection as it is unveiled at Destination Maternity. Enter for a chance to win Nicole’s entire collection plus a $2,500 shopping spree.
When: Fri., 8/7, 10am-8pm.
Where: Destination Maternity, 28 E. 57th St. (at Mad.), 212-588-0220, destinationmaternity.com.

Who says kids and opera don’t mix?

This Saturday, New York City Opera and Target present a special family performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City. The one-hour presentation introduces kids to the music, characters and storytelling that make up this opera classic. Also included in the day is a 45-minute interactive workshop for participants to learn an aria, see how artists get into character and better understand the plot and music.

In order to introduce kids to the arts, the performance is offering a special deal: Each adult ticket entitles up to four children to attend the performance for free. Now that’s magic.

When: Sat., 4/4, 1pm; Ages 6-14; $20/Adults, Kids free.
Where: LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, LaGuardia Community College, Queens, 212-721-6500, nycopera.com.

Your daughter loves tennis primarily for the cute outfits. Mommy loves it primarily for Roger Federer. But this Saturday presents a chance for both of you to focus on your serves and spend quality time on the court.

The annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day opens the U.S. Open tomorrow. Hop a subway to Queens, and hit up the free festival on the grounds where the Open takes place. Catch demos by the biggest names on the court, try new techniques at clinics, test your skill in games, and enjoy standard summer-festival fare like face-painting and hair-braiding (a sure favorite among future Venuses and Serenas). Stars of their caliber are even known to hold court during Kids’ Day, signing autographs and posing for photos.

Later in the afternoon, stick around to watch pros practice, or head inside to catch the giant, televised stadium show. This year’s lineup features tween favorites like Demi Lovato and Menudo (yes, they still exist); it’ll sell out fast, so buy tickets in advance at ticketmaster.com. And the big names in the tennis game will make appearances.

Better bust out your cutest tennis outfit.

When: Sat., 8/23, 9:30am-4pm (activities until 1pm); $10-$20 General Admission, Activities free.
Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Grounds, Flushing Meadows, Queens, usopen.org.

Mondays used to mean packing your tot off to preschool and enjoying a few precious hours of free time. Now that it’s summer, Monday means scrounging to line up another week’s worth of activities to keep him entertained. July 4th just ended, and you’re already at a loss. (Sure, Petland is kind of like an air-conditioned zoo/aquarium, but the cashiers are starting to give you dirty looks.)

Thankfully, this particular Monday brings sweet relief for kiddies spending summer in the city. The Police Athletic League has opened more than 100 safe-play sites throughout the five boroughs, closing off streets to create open spaces where children can enjoy outdoor games, make new friends from the neighborhood, and splash around in the open fire hydrants. There’s also a supervised day camp program, so you can take off for errands or just a little “me” time.

Unlike the water park or the museum, the play sites are free (aside from a nominal sign-up fee), so you can go up to five days a week. An array of classic street games and other activities keep the days from feeling redundant: double-dutch, hopscotch, music and dance, street hockey, basketball, and arts and crafts projects. There’s even a mobile library where kids can borrow books.

Sign up by visiting your local PAL summer play street. And save the next Petland excursion for Saturday.

Visit palnyc.org.