Schools out for Summer…can anyone say that line without thinking of the famous Alice Cooper song?! Or is it just me? Well, we made it to the end of the school year. Is it bittersweet for you? Probably not if you’re a teacher J Undoubtedly you’re ready for your well deserved break. Huge congratulations to all our graduates and students moving up to the next school and next grade! Many kids are heading to sleepaway camp this weekend. Another bittersweet moment for sure! Summer’s officially here so let’s enjoy the weather, the fabulous summer options available to us and get ready for the fireworks and July 4th celebrations next weekend! Happy Summer and if you have time, check out these fun weekend activities to enjoy!
Rye Library
On Saturday, June 27th from 11-12, children ages 3.5 and older can come to the library with their caregiver to “listen to age-appropriate stories and participate in fun games, rhymes and other activities to develop pre-literacy skills and an interest in books and reading. Felt boards and other props are sometimes used to enhance stories and model future classroom experience. A fun craft project is designed around the Story Time's theme or a seasonal topic. Parents and caregivers are asked to assist younger children using scissors, glue and other art materials. 60 minutes.”
Also Saturday from 3-4pm, kids in Grades 2 & 3 can join in “Rockin’ Readers.” Don’t miss this “snack-and-chat” each month about a fun book. This month’s selection is “The Chicken Squad:The First Misadventure by Doreen Cronin.
They're darling. They're daring. They know their shapes! They're chicks on a mission-and on this, their first (mis)adventure, the Chicken Squad launches a galactic backyard expedition. Meet the Chicken Squad: Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie. These chicks are not your typical barnyard puffs of fluff, and they are not about to spend their days pecking chicken feed and chasing bugs. No sir, they're too busy solving mysteries and fighting crime.
Sign up online via: www.ryelibrary.org Go to Programs & Events, Choose the event date and click on the Register Button. Then pick up your copy of The Chicken Squad in the Children's Room. Rye Rockin' Readers Book Chat meets every 4th Saturday of the month.”
Click here to learn more
Click here to learn more about any of the Rye Library’s programs.
Fireman’s Carnival
My favorite carnival growing up was always the Fireman’s Carnival, put on every year around the July 4th holiday, and the tradition continues! The Village of Mamaroneck Fire Department's Carnival will run from Friday, June 26th through Sunday, July 5th (starting @ 7:00 PM). The carnival takes place at Harbor Island Park (Boston Post Rd & Mamaroneck Ave) and has yummy food, fun games and lots of exciting rides! Entrance to the carnival is free, however participants pay per ride
American Girl Baking Event at Williams Sonoma
Tomorrow, Saturday, June 27th, from 10-11:30am, fans of American Girl doll won’t want to miss “Baking with Grace!” This hands on baking class will have students learning how to make American Girl doll’s 2015 Girl of the Year’s favorite French Madeleines as well as sugar cookies. Each child gets to take home and American Girl goodie bag. Cost for the class and goodies is $30 and class is limited to 12 kids so sign up ASAP by calling your local Williams Sonoma! Most appropriate for kids 8-12.
Big Apple Circus - Live On Stage!
The Big Apple Circus comes to the Tarrytown Music Hall, tomorrow, Saturday, June 27th at 3pm and 6:30pm. “Big Apple Circus is proud to present an All-New stage show. In this amazing spectacular you will witness jugglers flipping fancies with abandon, clowns dishing out laughter and ear–to–ear smiles. Aerialists and acrobats serve gasps of astonishment with swirling, soaring style, and an awesome hand–balancer, perches and poses with precision and pizazz! Your unrivaled guide, the peerless Ringmaster, presents acts unimaginable even in your wildest dreams.” Get your tickets here!
A Night on Fire
Are you or the kids into fiery acrobatics? If so, you wont want to miss this show of breathtaking stunts and family friendly humor as the audience witnesses fire jugglers at the Philipsburg Manor. Showtimes are Friday at 8:30pm, Saturday at 8 and 9:30pm and Sunday at 8pm. Ticket prices are $22 for adults and $16 for children 17 and under. “Fire juggling and comedy troupe extraordinaire A Different Spin, provided by Boston Circus Guild, to Sleepy Hollow for a fully choreographed, live display of fire arts features flame-wielding, fire-eating performers twisting and turning, juggling and dancing, spinning and sword fighting, and much more. Perfect for audiences of all ages, A Night on Fire features jaw-dropping stunts, knee-slapping humor, and just enough danger to create a spectacle guaranteed to have you talking about it long after the fire’s extinguished.
Very limited availability! Tickets must be purchased in advance.”
Playland
Always a fun activity for the whole family, Playland in Rye NY is open for the summer! This amusement park offers rides, food, entertainment and an arcade! What more could a kid want?! This weekend’s hours are as follows, Friday, June 27th from 12pm-12am, Saturday, 12pm-12am and Sunday, 12-10pm.
Westchester Children’s Museum
While you’re at or near Playland, why not check out the all new children’s museum! Admission price this summer is “Pay-What-You-Wish.” “The Westchester Children’s Museum, located on the Boardwalk at Playland in Rye, is open for the season. The museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Mondays and Tuesdays are reserved for by-appointment groups.
Among the exhibits this year are:
- “Build Your Own Roller Coaster” - an interactive, hands-on experience that involves the creation of your own roller coaster from design phase to testing phase. Visitors will have a chance to make discoveries about force, energy, friction, and stability - all while having a great time. Sponsored by Con Edison.
- KEVA planks - an interactive experience comprised of thousands of small, uniform building planks yielding endless creation possibilities. Incorporating elements of art and architecture, the exhibit will challenge children, fuel creativity, and allow for collaborative interaction.
Make things fly - The fun begins when junior inventors use odd materials to create a flying object and then experiment with it in the museum’s fantastic wind tunnel.”
For more info, visit their website.
Seussical at the Sandbox Theater
In the mood for some theater? Don’t miss Seussical with the Solla Solew Caston June 27th-28th at the Sandbox Theater in Mamaroneck! Performances are scheduled for June 27th at 2pm and 7pm and Sunday June 28th @ 1pm and 5pm.
SAME DAY TICKETS ARE NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE.
SAME DAY TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE BOX OFFICE ONE HALF HOUR BEFORE THE SHOW. Tickets are priced at $15.
Pleasantville Farmer’s Market
From Saturday, May 23rd (8:30-1) through December 5, the Pleasantville Farmer’s Market is open for all to enjoy in Memorial Plaza, next to the train station. There will be “farm-fresh foods, prepared foods created with regionally sourced ingredients, as well as many other unique offerings. It's a great way to support local agriculture and eat healthy year-round.”
This Saturday the kids will love singing and dancing to “Rockin' with Miss Patti” as she performs from 9:30-11.
Bruce Museum
A hidden gem just up the road from us is the Bruce Museum in nearby Greenwich, CT. Check out the museums’ special events going on this weekend and then head across the street to a super fun playground the kids are sure to love!
This weekend’s activities include:
-Marine Tank Animal Feeding- Today, Friday, June 26th from 2:30-2:45.
-Citizen Science Day- On Saturday, June 27th from 1:00pm - 4:00pm, join in on “presentations and activities about new Bruce Museum Citizen Science initiatives – Cat Tracker, Connecticut Turtle Atlas and School of Ants. Follow along with a visiting ant researcher as we investigate the numerous species on the Museum grounds. Get up close and personal with live turtles and find out how you can help map turtles throughout the state. Free with admission. No reservations required. For information, contact Tim Walsh, Citizen Science Coordinator, at twalsh@brucemuseum.org or (203) 413-6767.”
West Side Story at Westchester Broadway Theatre
From now until July 5, 2015, West Side story comes to the Westchester Broadway Theatre. This could definitely be one of the greatest musicals ever made with fabulous music, lyrics and choreography, as well as a plot that’s relevant today!
“A modern version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set on the mean streets of New York during the turbulent fifties. Caught between two warring street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, Tony and Maria attempt to create a life together. This brilliant collaboration by Broadway greats Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim combines music, lyrics and dance into a timeless tribute to young love. "Something's Coming", "Maria", "America", "Somewhere", "Tonight", "I Feel Pretty.”
For tickets and showtime information, click here.
Michael’s
Most Saturdays, from 10-12pm, Michael’s offers a fun crafting opportunity for kids to participate in while their parents shop! This Saturday’s project gets ready for July 4th by making a “Pie Tick-Tac-Toe Game.” For just $2, kids can spend 30 minutes at this drop-in program, have fun, express their creativity, and take home a completed project. Supplies include. For more information click here.
Crafts at Lakeshore
Lakeshore will also be holding a fun, free crafting workshop this Saturday from 11-3pm. Their project is creating a “Storybook Cottage.” It will be so much fun!! Click here to learn more.
Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones museum is an amazing place for the kids. Located about 20 minutes north of Rye Brook, in Norwalk, CT, it’s perfect for the whole family! Check them out here, then head on over for a fun filled day of learning and hands-on activities the kids will adore!
Check out, Mega Making, Stepping Stone’s newest exhibit experience, which was “designed by Stepping Stones to celebrate creativity in our children! They will be the future engineers, designers, inventors, artists, teachers, scientists and the ones shaping the world - maybe in as little as 10 years from now!”
“The Mega Making exhibit experience is organized into five main areas: Art, Textiles, Construction/Woodworking, Tinkering and Book Nook/Future Ideas. Using real materials and real tools, young makers can explore art, textiles, construction and woodworking, tinkering and gadgets and a variety of materials, techniques and projects!” There will be staff members to help get kids started, “whether it’s working a needle and thread for the first time, practicing using wrenches and screwdrivers, tinkering with batteries and buzzers or picking out the perfect artist medium. Something for all ages, best for 5 and older. Children and their adults will surely enjoy a unique experience together!”
Stamford Nature Center
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The Stamford Nature Center is another fabulous destination just up the Merritt! There are a couple of fun activities going on this weekend: On Saturdays check out “WILD! Feeding” from 12:30-1pm. “Ever wonder what lizards like for lunch? Discover the many things our animals like to eat by helping to feed them. Help prepare salads for the tortoises, lizards, and the other fruit and veggie-loving friends in Heckscher WILD! Space for this program is limited to 20 children, ages 5 and up. Interested participants can sign up for a space, as available, in Heckscher WILD! any time after 10 AM each Saturday. Space is first-come, first served. Members: Free | Non-Members: Free with gate admission.” On Saturdays from June 20th- Saturday August 30th, “Escape the summer heat in this cool, colorful, and interactive exhibition that stimulates numerical thinking, builds math skills, and promotes a positive attitude towards math through play with math concepts in nature. Four themes: Repeating Patterns, Basic Shapes and Structures, Designs in Nature, and Nature's Puzzles make it fun to learn about math in the natural world. Concept-driven content is designed to introduce, explain, or reinforce concepts and skills for visitors from preschool through middle school. Games, puzzles, and live animals make it fun for everyone!” Exhibits from the Natural History Collections of the Stamford Museum & Nature Center will reinforce math skills including counting, ordering, patterning, measurements, and classification. Insects, reptiles, birds, plants, shells, crystals, and fossils will enhance the accessible math learning experience that is Nature's Numbers!” Also on Sunday from 10-2pm, don’t miss the Sunday Farmers Market! There will be SNC’s own farm-fresh eggs from the chickens on Heckscher Farm, maple syrup made in the SNC’s own Maple Sugar House, and wool from their sheep. There will be weekly farm-related family activities with the "Market Madness" program led by one of the environmental educators. *SM&NC Sunday Market Admission Only: FREE. Please note free entry to the Farm Market does not include: Galleries, Heckscher Farm, Nature's Playground, hiking trails or participation in the Market Madness program.
And finally, if you don’t mind getting a little dirty, check out “Marvelous Mud Day” on Sunday June 28th from 11am-2pm. “Celebrate "International Mud Day" as we embrace all things mud and dirt! Visit the SM&NC Farm Market to learn about the foods we eat that grow in dirt, plant some of your own seeds to take home, visit with our mud-loving pigs, discover the decomposers that help to make new dirt, and give our new portable zip line a try. We'll also have a kid-friendly mud pit on the meadow for stomping in, a chance to paint with mud, and at 1:30 pm, we'll have a special celebration with "Dirt Cake" being served. Members:Free | Non-Members: Free with gate admission.” |
Palisade’s Fair at Palisades Mall
Just across the Tappan Zee bridge in Rockland, is the Palisades Mall. Weekends from June 19th- July 5th, check out the huge carnival going on! There will be yummy food, fun games and FREE live entertainment and shows “including The Fearless Flores Thrill Show (as seen on America's Got Talent), Lance Gifford’s Magic & Illusion Show, Las Vegas Hypnotist Show” and a huge FREE petting Zoo and much more. Parking is free too!
Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT.
There is always SO much going on at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT.
On Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-3pm, check out the Toy Boat-Making Workshop for a fund 20 minute boat-building project! “Build and decorate a toy sailboat to take home as a special keepsake of your Maritime Aquarium visit. Cost: $5 per child (in addition to Aquarium admission).”
Ongoing exhibits worth checking out include the butterflies in the Flutter Zone, the Dragon exhibit, the always curious and adorable Meerkats and the Jiggle A Jelly Jellyfish exhibition.
The aquarium is definitely worth a trip up the Merritt or 95!
Click here to learn more about Maritime.
Clay Arts Center
The Clay Arts Center in neighboring Port Chester offers kids and adults a fun option for Saturdays, their popular Saturday drop-in classes. But don’t delay, the Arts Center will be taking a break from running their classes this summer so this and next Saturday are your last chances until September! This Saturday, July 27th from 2 - 4 pm is the last one until the Fall. A great way to relax and channel that creative juice!
Westmoreland Sanctuary’s Bluebird Nest Monitoring
At 10:30am, Sunday, June 28th teen and adult volunteers are needed to help monitor the Bluebird’s nests.
“Interested in conservation work, science research, or just love birds? Steve, our Director of Conservation, is looking for volunteers to assist him with the on-going monitoring of the Sanctuary’s many Eastern Bluebird houses. Participants will gain valuable experience with bird and nest identification and nest monitoring techniques.
*Interested participants should call or e-mail Steve at sricker@westmorelandsanctuary.org by June 26th.”
Bicycle Sundays
This Sunday the Bronx River Parkway is closed in some portions to cars so that bicyclists, joggers, walkers and scooters can enjoy the fresh air and exercise.
“One of Westchester’s longest-running and beloved recreational programs – Bicycle Sundays – rolls on on select Sundays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., despite roadway construction on the Bronx River Parkway…The course runs from the Westchester County Center in White Plains, south to Scarsdale Road in Yonkers, a round-trip of 13.1 miles. There are many points of entry and exit along the way. Parking is available at the County Center lot in White Plains for a fee of $7.
Remaining Bicycle Sundays for 2015 are:
June 28
September 13, 20 & 27
For more info, including the rules and regulations, click here!
Weekends at Stone Barns Center
Weekends at Stone Barns Center are wonderful! Experience what's happening on the farm, meet the farmers and greet the season. On a Saturday or Sunday visit Stone Barns to participate in a variety of seasonal, hands-on activities and even better, now drop-in tours are included with your one-day admission ticket! Tickets sell out so be sure to get yours ahead of time!
Prices are as follows; adult (ages 16+) $20, youth (ages 2-15) $10. Children under 2 & members: FREE. Click here to become a member and learn more! Or here to purchase tickets.
Greenburgh Nature Center
The GNC always has a fun array of activities for families to enjoy each weekend!
June 27-Aug 2 from 10-3 don’t miss the Annual Butterfly Exhibit. “ Located in our new plant meadow, this exhibit provides a natural setting for people and pollinators. Learn about native plants and butterflies, and how they rely on one another. Exhibit appropriate for all ages. Members FREE, Non-members $11 adults, $10 seniors/students, $9 children ages 2-12, under 2 FREE. Includes admission to Manor House. NOTE: All visitors must see receptionist in Manor House to receive a stamp prior to entering the butterfly exhibit.”
On Saturday, June 27th and Sunday June 28th at 11:30am, check out “Teaching Trails-A Guided Trail Experience through our woodland forest. Discover who left that track, which tree makes the best animal home, or who uses that fallen tree for protection. Program runs approximately 45 minutes. FREE!”
Also on Sunday, at 1pm, don’t miss the “Story Walk Kickoff- join us for our annual Story Walk. Naturalist John Mancuso leads you along our woodland trail to enjoy a favorite children's storybook, entitled Red Fox at Hickory Lane by Kathleen M. Hollenbeck. California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) is on hand with food and drinks to sample, bookmarks good for one free CPK kid's meal, activity sheets, and a raffle for a $20 CPK gift certificate. Recommended for children ages 8 and younger. FREE.”
Hudson River Museum
The Hudson River Museum, in Yonkers, boasts an amazing Planetarium, six galleries, and mansion!
In addition, this weekend HRM has Art Projects on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm for the kids to participate in and Science Projects on Saturday from 1-4pm. For more info, click here.
And on Sunday from 12-5pm, don’t’ miss Family Day! There will be performances, gallery tours, fairy face painting, costume making and fairy house building! Looks like so much fun!
Click here to learn more.
Muscoot Farm
Muscoot farm has a few fun educational activities for the family this weekend!
On Saturday, June 27th, the Art Show will be going on from 12-4pm in the Main House, featuring artist Robert Uricchio.
On Sunday, check out the yummy and fresh farmer’s market from 10-3pm. “With over 20 vendors our market has it all. From honey to cheese and fresh vegetables to meats you will surely leave with something tasty. Most vendors accept cash only.”
All summer long, Rye hosts a great farmer’s market in the back parking lot behind Encore, Chase bank and Blue Mercury on Sundays from 8:30-2pm.
Movies
With a forecast that looks cool and rainy you may need to head indoors this weekend and what better place to do so than the movie theater!?New this weekend to the big screen in regular and 3-D versions, “Inside Out”, an animated movie about dealing with all those emotions in our bodies represented by voices you’re sure to recognize!. “The Avengers: Age of Ultron,” from Walt Disney is also still in theaters, although I’m not sure how appropriate it is for the littlest superhero fans though, as it has a PG-13 rating. It’s out in 3D, Imax 3D and regular format. In 3-D and regular format. Also still out, Tomorrowland in regular and IMAX version, rated PG.
Check out showtimes here!
Other good weekend ideas include baseball games!! Check out the Met's and Yankee's schedules! Or stay more local and check out the Rockland Boulders! They have a home game Sunday at 1:05pm!
Or maybe the Bronx Zoo?
The NY Botanical Gardens is a beautiful nearby destination!
And Bowlmor bowling alley is now open in White Plains!
The beaches in Rye and Greenwich are a close, easy option that the whole family will love!
Finally, a fun activity to cool down on the hot summer days that lie ahead, sprinkler park! There’s a great one located in Mamaroneck, at Harbor Island Park. And while you’re there, you can check out the beach, the playground and all the yummy restaurants on Mamaroneck Ave!
Remember, it’s always a good idea to call ahead to ensure a scheduled activity is still running. Email me at ryebrook@hamlethub.com and let me know if we missed any super fun, family friendly events and/or if you would like to advertise with us!
Photo Credit: Kelly Schwark