5 Great Ways To “Edutain” The Kids in NYC

Tim McKiernan, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,
The New Victory Theater (photo: Eric Woolsey)

By Jacquelin Carnegie 

In New York City, the options to keep kids occupied are endless. Here are some that expose your children to a range of cultural activities while helping them learn to appreciate the offerings:
Song & Dance (& Juggling) on Broadway

The New Victory Theater

209 West 42nd St.; Tel: 646/223-3010; www.newvictory.org
The New Victory Theater puts on shows that thrill children and delight adults. Hands-down the best entertainment for kids (and their parents) in New York City. The performances are geared to different ages from lively acrobatics for the wee ones to musicals and serious dramas for teens and pre-teens. The New Vic also offers workshops in juggling and other fun activities your little sprout will get a kick out of learning.

Classical Music Made Easy
The Little Orchestra Society
Tel: 212-971-9500; www.littleorchestra.org
(Geared to ages 3-12) 

The Little Orchestra Society, Lolli-Pops concert
(photo: Noah Stern Weber)

If you’ve ever wondered how to get a youngster interested in classical music, here’s the answer. At these concerts, music is not just played, it’s explained. In a fun, entertaining way, the orchestra conductor introduces the young audience members to all the different instruments (and the sounds they make). The kids learn some background about the composer and the piece of music they’ll hear. Then, when the concert starts, an imaginative dramatization with actors, dancers, and life-size puppets accompanies the music. The kids are completely engrossed and blissfully happy as they learn to appreciate the joys of classical music.

Sleep with the Fishes & Dinosaurs!
A Night at the Museum - AMNH
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th St.; Tel: 212/769-5570; http://bit.ly/MYJmeN (Cost: $225 per person; Members: Discounts; 

Sleepover with the Whales (photo: ©AMNH/R.Mickens)

Open to: 6-12 year olds)
This is a child’s dream come true—staying in the museum overnight to go exploring by flashlight! Knowledgeable guides help the kids explore the live-animal exhibits and lead them on fun “museum quests.” After snacks, and checking out the dinosaurs, kids get to bed down on cots set up under the famous blue whale, next to African elephants, or at the base of a volcanic formation. By morning light, there are sure to be some future anthropologists and paleontologists among the sleepyheads. (Back after a 5-year hiatus!)

Bilingual Entertainment
Society of the Educational Arts (SEA)
Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center
107 Suffolk St.; Tel: 212/529-1545; www.teatrosea.org

Goldilocks (Ricitos y Los Tres Ositos), SEA

In our globalized world, it’s important for children to learn other languages. Today, Spanish is one of the most important. Here’s a way to expose kids with a spoonful of azúcar. Teatro SEA presents marvelous, bilingual musicals--versions of famous fairy tales such as Cinderella (Cenicienta) and Goldilocks (Ricitos y Los Tres Ositos)--and plays as well as Hispanic folk tales and elaborate puppet shows. ¡Vámonos!

A Museum Just for Kids!

CMOM, EatSleepPlay

Children's Museum of Manhattan
212 West 83rd St.; Tel: 212/721-1223; www.cmom.org
The interactive exhibits here combine play and learning. They are geared to teaching children about: creativity and analytical thinking, healthy lifestyles, and the world’s diverse cultures. In addition to the fun, hands-on exhibitions, every week CMOM offers tons of kid-friendly workshops, classes and performances, many free with admission.

New York Theater Buzz: Child's Play, March 2016

FLY (photo: Jim Cox)

By Jacquelin Carnegie
For Kids & Adults
FLY
New Victory Theater (209 West 42nd St) Until March 27, 2016; For ages 10 & up
     Children's theater often doesn't get the recognition it deserves but, for the past 20 years, The New Vic has consistently presented outstanding work. FLY is better than the last three shows I've seen on Broadway. In fact, it's downright fantastic. A talented ensemble cast, great staging, and an imaginative set create a you-are-there immersion experience.
     FLY is the story of World War II pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American, Army Air Corp fighters. Their pilot training began in 1941 at a segregated army airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama. (Prior to 1941, blacks weren't even allowed to fly for the U.S. military.) Denigrated and underestimated just because of the color of their skin, these chosen few had to prove their value and valor on the ground and in the air. Also called "Red Tails" for their P-51 Mustang fighters, the Tuskegee Airmen never lost an escorted plane to the enemy during the course of World War II.
     Their bravery and commitment was astonishing considering they were fighting for freedom and rights they themselves were still denied. It took over 60 years for the men to be officially recognized for their extraordinary combat record.
     In this Pasadena Playhouse/Crossroads Theatre Company production of FLY, four terrific actors represent a microcosm of the 994 actual Tuskegee Airmen: W.W. (Brooks Brantly), a cool cat from Chicago; Oscar (Terrell Wheeler), a country boy "race man;" J. Allen (Damian Thompson), an erudite gent from the British West Indies; and Chet (Desmond Newson), an underage flying enthusiast from Harlem. Written by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan (who also directs), FLY will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you care. As the character Chet says, "history is the river we stand in." But, since we are still wading in the waters of racism, prejudice, and intolerance, this tale of Tuskegee Airmen is as relevant today as it was in the 1940s.
Editor's Note: The New Vic run is over, but you can see FLY April 7-17, 2016 at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ. (There's lots of great theater beyond NYC!)