Tired of the village pool or lugging all of your stuff to the Hamptons for the weekend. Why not chill out? We’ve got some super low-key ideas for what to do with your family this weekend. Hello, dog days of summer.
ps. How about a pretty backyard dinner at sunset? That’s what I’m in the mood for these days.
Watch butterflies flit around the room at a whimsical puppet show about — you guessed it!! — butterflies, at the Greenburgh Nature Center on August 18 at 10:30am. The imaginative play is best for kids ages 2 to 7 years old, since they’ll enjoy dancing, humming and moving around with their newfound flying friends. The show costs $25 per family, or $8 per person. Tickets must be booked in advance. 99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale; tickets can be purchased online.
The Tarrytown Farmers Market is hosting a Pick-Book Picnic on Saturday, August 18. After you’ve shopped for fresh fruits and veggies at the Patriot’s Park market, you can bring the kids to an outdoor story hour and sing-a-long between 11:30am and 12:30pm. It’s the perfect marriage of adult and kiddie time in the same outing. Also, Patriot’s Park has lots of green space for running and a substantial playground. Make a morning of it! Patriot’s Park on N. Broadway (Rt. 9), Tarrytown.
Our friends at the Voracious Reader are hosting a yoga class for 3 to 6 year olds on Saturday, August 18 at 11am. While your little one stretches into downward dog, you can sip the Voracious Reader’s fresh lemonade or shop their wonderful selection of children’s books. Proceeds from the class will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The class costs $5, and reservations are recommended; call 914-630-4581 or send an email to info@thevoraciousreader.com. 1997 Palmer Avenue Larchmont; 914-630-4581.
Last week, I went to the Monet’s Garden exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden; it’s there everyday through October. After tiring my son out at the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, we headed over to the Conservatory to take in all of the beautiful waterlillies modeled on Monet’s idyllic gardens at Giverny in France. Monet once said that the flowers in his garden was the reason he became a painter, and you can see why.
The NYBG’s outdoor pools are full of some of the most vibrant blooms I’ve ever seen; it made me want to paint them. Kids are encouraged to paint what they see in the Children’s Garden, where curators set up a circle of easels in an outdoor courtyard with plenty of watercolors and paper on hand. Bring lots of water. While there are plenty of shaded benches at the exhibit and in the Adventure Garden, you’re bound to get hot. 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx; 718-817-8700
On Sunday, August 19, head to Kensico Dam Plaza for a Jewish Music Festival. Kensico Dam has been hosting ethnic music festivals all summer long: African-American, Polish, Irish. This weekend, you can go listen to traditional Jewish music from 5 to 8pm. Picnicking is encouraged! Tickets are $5 for anyone 14 and over; free for kids under 14. 1 Bronx River Parkway; Valhalla.
