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6 Things To Do With Your Kids This Weekend

By Daniel Jumpertz | September 10, 2015 10:10am | Updated on September 11, 2015 7:41pm
 Late summer is the perfect time to get back to nature in the big city!
Things To Do With Your Kids This Weekend
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Saturday September 12

The Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History
Where?
Central Park West and 79th St., Upper West Side
When? Now through to May 29, 2016
How Much? Adult $22, Children Ages 2-12 $16 includes entry to the museum and one special exhibition, IMAX or 3D film, or Hayden Planetarium Space Show.
The Butterfly Conservatory, one of the American Museum of Natural History’s most popular annual seasonal exhibitions, has just opened and this weekend, as part of NYC Honey Week, we’re also celebrating our local bees — the amazing pollinators who brighten the five boroughs.

Prospect Park Audubon Center Nature Exploration
Where? Prospect Park Boathouse
When? 10 a.m. to 1 p.m
How Much? Free
In America’s first Audubon Center in an urban park, enjoy a day of nature activities include an introduction to bird watching and an exploration of how climate change and environmental impacts affect the Prospect Park’s ecosystems.

Join the Prospect Park Alliance for expanded bird and nature programs every Saturday and Sunday through to December. Two Pop-Up Audubon tents are focused on the Park's woodland and aquatic habitats. Don’t forget to grab your free Discovery Packs: ready-to-go kits filled with nature activities for families. Check the full program here

NYC Honey Fest in Rockaway
Where? 97th Street Concessions, Rockaway Beach, Queens
When? From 11 a.m. until Sunset.
How Much? Free
Returning to the Rockaway Boardwalk for its fifth year, NYC Honey Fest is a free, daylong festival featuring art, food, music, film, kids’ arts and crafts, and a bee-product marketplace. BeeGirl will be on hand with lots of honey and bee education activities, view bees & pollen up close with microscopes and check out the observation hive provided by BeeKind Farms.

Feast of San Gennaro
Where?
Beginning at the intersection of Canal and Mulberry Streets, Little Italy. 
When? From 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
How Much? Free
Also today: Little Italy's Feast of San Gennaro is a long-running celebration by New York City’s Italian community. The patron saint of Naples is honored in the Grand Parade today with floats, marching bands, musical entertainers and the Statue of San Gennaro through the streets of Little Italy.


Sunday September 13

Explore Governors Island
When?
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
How Much? Free
Although it’s only 800 yards from Lower Manhattan (and even closer to Brooklyn), Governors Island feels like it’s a world away from the bustling big city. Time is running out for your Governors Island getaway. On September 27, the Island will close to the public, reopening again in May 2016.

Ferries run from Lower Manhattan all seven days and run from Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 on Saturdays and Sundays. The East River Ferry goes to and from Governors Island on Saturdays and Sundays for $6.

Accessible by ferry from Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the East River, explore the thirty new acres of park and public spaces, including 5 miles of bike paths, ballfields and a hammock grove, which opened to the public for the first time in 2014. There are dozens of activities for kids of all ages. 

  • Bikes, quadracycles and tandems can be rented on Governors Island from Blazing Saddles. There’s a Citi Bike docking station too.
  • Chill out in one of 50 red hammocks while enjoying great views of the Statue of Liberty. 
  • Take the kids to the 8,000 sq ft Teaching Garden (home to NYC’s largest solar cooker) and Compost Learning Center. 
  • Cool off in the sprinklers (between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.)
  • Putt at the artist-designed minigolf course

On the Island on Sunday check out the African Film Festival Family Day Celebration which includes story-telling, double-dutch, dance and drum, needlepoint and short films — all celebrating Africa and the diaspora. Take a look at the full schedule here. Free.