We love our children, and we want the best for them. We also get overwhelmed at times, especially during school breaks when we have to juggle work life and parenting.
Luckily, Queens is here. The world’s most diverse borough hosts a wide array of enrichment programs for youths this Mid-Winter Recess. More information follows.
Queens Botanical Garden (43-50 Main St., Flushing) offers a drop-off program for pre-k to fifth grade students from Tuesday, Feb. 20, through Friday, Feb. 23.
To take place indoors and outdoors, participants practice science skills, create art with botanical materials, plant vegetables in a greenhouse, and make friends during this adventure, which runs from 9 am to 3 pm each day.
To celebrate Black History Month, instructors emphasize the work of African-American scientists, gardeners, environmentalists, and food justice advocates. They also explore themes of sustainability, botanical arts, food preservation, hibernation, composting, the many powers of herbs, winter gardening, wildlife resiliency, and bug anatomy.
The price is $400 for the whole program or $110 for a single day. Lunch is not provided.
In the borough’s northeast corner, Alley Pond Environmental Center (229-10 Northern Blvd.) is set to run four programs.
Into the Wild on Feb. 20 from 12:30 pm to 2 pm, ages six to eight, drop off, $30. Youngsters explore the forest, meet live animals, and study the layers of this special habitat.
Winter Story Walk on Feb. 21 from 10:30 am to noon, ages six to eight, drop off, $30. With Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick as a guide, youngsters take a multi-stop walk along the trail. They gain a deeper knowledge of forest critters and how they adapt to the cold weather. Then, they explore the animals inside the center’s mini zoo.
Vet Tech 101: Anatomy on Feb. 21 from 10 am to noon, ages nine to 12, drop off, $34. Students learn about skeletal structures and how to identify parts of animal bodies. They also learn how to examine animals for healthy bones and mobility.
Furry Friends on Feb. 22 from 9:30 am to 10:30 am, ages two to three with an adult, $22. Learn about forest mammals and how their fur helps them survive cold weather. Listen to a silly story and see what happens when animals try wearing clothing. Hang out with a fluffy rabbit and furry chinchilla.
Over in Long Island City, the New York Irish Center (10-40 Jackson Ave.) stages Mid-Winter Children’s Festival on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 from 10 am to 4 pm.
Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District) facilitates a Tech Kids Game Lab Takeover from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18.
This temporary installation consists of video games about climate change created by autistic designers from Tech Kids Unlimited. It’s free with the $10-$20 admission price.
Then on Feb. 25, Queens Museum, which is located inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park, hosts Family Day with movies, tours, and art-making from 1 pm to 4 pm.
In honor of Black History Month, the two films have African-American protagonists.
Soul screens at 1 pm. The animated family movie tells the story of Joe Gardner (Jaime Foxx), a middle school band teacher who finally gets the chance to play jazz with the world’s best musicians. However, he ends up in The Great Before, where new souls are sent to get personalities. This sends Joe and his new friend, Soul 22, on a journey as both end up realizing that life has a lot more to offer than they thought, and maybe he actually was at the right place all along.
Hidden Figures goes on at 3 pm. Based on a true story, three female mathematicians at NASA make significant contributions to the Space Race despite prejudice.
Queens Museum also offers drop-in art workshops inspired by Afrofuturism from 1 pm to 4 pm. Plus, an educator leads 30-minute Bilingual (Spanish-English) museum tours at 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm.
The New York Hall of Science (47-01 111th St., Corona) is open on Presidents Day, Feb. 19, and the rest of that week, which is when NYC public schools are closed for break.
Images: Alley Pond Environmental Center