For information on ways to assist Hurricane Sandy relief efforts on the Jersey Shore, vIsit Monmouth County, Ocean County, Atlantic County and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey websites for specific donation lists, drop-off locations and volunteer opportunities. Monetary contributions can be made to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, Red Cross, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the borough of Belmar, SeaBrightRising.org and through secure networks on other official town government websites.
New events and listings received after publication for the Kids Guide Calendar are listed below. Refer to the site index at left to look for upcoming activities by category and use the convenient links to access the most up-to-date information on exhibitions, events and activities. Email entries for HOT PICKS to kids@kidsguide.com or submit event using the form on the top menu bar.
recent openings
Open
9 May-Aug 14
PUNK: Chaos to Couture
Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, 1000 Fifth Ave., New York, 212-535-7710. Original punk garments from the mid-1970s will be juxtaposed with recent, directional fashion to illustrate how haute couture and ready-to-wear have borrowed punk's visual symbols, with paillettes being replaced with safety pins, feathers with razor blades, and bugle beads with studs. Focusing on the relationship between the punk concept of 'do-it-yourself' and the couture concept of 'made-to-measure,' the exhibition will be organized around the materials, techniques, and embellishments associated with the anti-establishment style. Presented as an immersive multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes will be animated with period music videos and soundscaping audio techniques.
18 May-Jan 5
Frogs: A Chorus of Colors
The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park W. at 79th St., 212-769-5100. Exhibition explores the diverse world of these complex amphibians by introducing visitors to their biology and evolution, their importance to ecosystems, and the threats they face in the wild through interactive stations and re-creations of natural habitats. Representing approximately 25 species from around the world, the frogs on display range in size from the tiny phantasmal dart-poison frog (which is less than an inch long) to the enormous African bullfrog (which can be as big as 8 inches in length).
Thru May 27
The Butterfly Conservatory: Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter
The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park W. at 79th St., 212-769-5100. Visitors mingle with up to 500 fluttering, iridescent butterflies among blooming tropical flowers and lush green vegetation inside a 1,200-square-foot vivarium.
Thru Aug 11
Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture
The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park W. at 79th St., 212-769-5100. Exhibition explores the complex and intricate food system that brings what we eat from farm to fork. With opportunities to taste seasonal treats in the working kitchen, cook a virtual meal, view rare artifacts from the Museum's collections, and peek into the dining rooms of famous figures throughout history, visitors will experience the intersection of food, nature, culture, health, and history—and consider some of the most challenging issues of our time.
Thru Jan 5, 2014
Whales: Giants of the Deep
The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park W. at 79th St., 212-769-5100. On loan from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, which houses one of the largest whale collections in the world, this exhibition explores the latest in international research on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and examines whale biology and the history of whaling in New Zealand. Rare specimens, life-size and scale models of whales common in the South Pacific, and ancient and contemporary whale bone treasures are on display. In the Whale Lab, visitors can listen to whale sounds, discover how scientist and amateur trackers identify individual whales on their migration through the Pacific Ocean, crawl through a life-size replica of the heart of the blue whale—the largest living animal—and experience a re-creation of a sperm whale on the hunt for a giant squid. Videos examine the relationship between the people of the South Pacific and whales.
new events
24 May
Veggiecation Kids Cooking Class-Salad Smoothie & Super Snap Pea Salad
Whole Foods Market, 905 River Rd., Edgewater, 201-694-2375. 4-5pm. Free. Kids will prepare two recipes with a Veggiecation instructor and receive coloring pages as well as recipes to take home. Veggiecation's mission is to promote and educate communities on the health benefits of vegetables. Monthly healthy cooking classes are held at select Whole Foods Markets.
25-26 May
Fit and Fun Family Festival
Camden Children's Garden, 3 Riverside Dr., Camden, 856-365-8733. 1-4pm. Festival highlights easy and fun ideas for a healthy lifestyle, with a focus on simple physical activities and nutritious eating. Crafts, a veggie make-n-take planting activity and educational activities support healthy living.
25 May
Fairy Gardens
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, 11 Hardscrabble Rd., Bernardsville, 908-766-5787. 10-11:30am. $16, $10 per basket for members. Make fairy-sized gardens filled with fairy decorations and accessories made with natural materials. You can make a flower fairy, too. Ideas will be presented to get you started, then let your imagination do the rest. Please bring your own 12 to 15 inch diameter basket or container filled with potting soil, a glue gun if you have one, and any fairy garden accessories you would like to add to your garden. Scherman Hoffman will supply the plants, natural materials, and examples of fairy decorations to make. Pre-registration required by May 21, limited to 24 baskets.
Civil War Remembrance
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, Morris Twp., 973-326-7645. 1-3:30pm. Commemorate the Civil War's 150th anniversary with historian and actor Williamm R. Chemerka portrays General Joseph Warren Revere and recounts his costly decision at the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville. Debbie Chemerka shares a woman's perspective as Mrs. Rosanna Revere. Civil War artifacts owned by the author will be on display.
Dress Like A Pirate Day
Blackbeards Cave, 136 Rt. 9, Bayville, 732-914-1896. 12pm-10pm. Free. Cannon and sword fighting demonstrations, food and music. The first 300 children will receive a replica gold doubloon and sign on to Blackbeard's crew.
Stream Stomping
Plainsboro Preserve, 80 Scotts Corner Rd., Cranbury, 609-897-9400. 3:30-5pm. $5, $3 members. Bring your boots and prepare to get wet and learn about the importance of water in an ecosystem on a hike in and along Devil's Brook.
Governors Island Alliance Familiy Festival 2013
Nolan Park, Governors Island, New York. 12-4pm. Free. Arts and crafts activities, live music, theatrical performances, and innovative educational games about the ecology and history of New York-New Jersey harbor. Check website for a detailed schedule of activities.
28 May
Family Science Night: Mud Flat Marsh Adventure
Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza (east end of Valley Brook Rd.), Lyndhurst, 201-460-8300. 6-8pm. $5/$4. Join the Environment Center staff at low tide to catch shrimp, fish and other critters in the marsh. Dress for mess. Program is geared toward ages 6-12, but families are welcome to bring children of all ages.
Veggiecation Kids Cooking Class-Salad Smoothie & Super Snap Pea Salad
Whole Foods Market, 222 Main St., Madison, 201-694-2375; Whole Foods Market, 235 Prospect Ave., West Orange, 201-694-2375. 4-5pm. Free. Kids will prepare two recipes with a Veggiecation instructor and receive coloring pages as well as recipes to take home. Veggiecation's mission is to promote and educate communities on the health benefits of vegetables. Monthly healthy cooking classes are held at select Whole Foods Markets.
Golf Night at BlueClaws Stadium
BlueClaws Stadium 2 Stadium Way, Lakewood Twp., 732-465-1212. 4:30-6:35pm. Hosted by the NJ Golf Foundation, families and golf-lovers are encouraged to come out and enjoy interactive activities and contests and experience a free 10-minute mini lesson with a PGA Professional before watching the baseball game. Attendees will receive a variety of prizes and giveaways, including discount coupons to area golf courses and logoed sponge golf balls for the kids.
31 May
Club MAC Luau Party
Middletown Arts Center, 36 Church St., Middletown, 732-706-4100. 6-9pm. $25, pre-registration required. Children ages 5 and older are invited to join Miss Maria and friends for fun crafts, limbo and games. Pizza, snacks and drinks are included.
1 Jun
National Trails Day
Union County Trailside Nature & Science Center, 452 New Providence Rd., Mountainside, 908-789-3683. 8:30am-1pm. Free, pre-registration required. Trail users across the country will be celebrating National trails Day. Take a guided nature walk along a hiking trail and/or work on a trail maintenance or repair project. Continental breakfast and beverage will be provided.
Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival
Appel Farm Arts & Music Center, 457 Shirley Rd., Elmer, 856-358-2472. 11:30am-8pm. $35-$50, ages 3-12 $5, under 3 free. Exceptional music, crafts fair, and children's activities including puppets, magic and storytelling. Headliners include Brandi Carlile, Delta Spirit, Colin Hay, Delta Rae and more.
BIrd Nest Box Survey
Plainsboro Preserve, 80 Scotts Corner Rd., Cranbury, 609-897-9400. 3:30-5pm. $5, $3 members. Join Naturalist Greg Hartman for a look at bird nest boxes and the birds that nest in them. Learn to differentiate species nest types. Nesting season will be well under way, and participants should get a look at the birds, their nests, and young.
TREE-mendous Geocache Adventure
Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Reserve, 31 Titus Mill Rd., Pennington, 609-737-7592. 9:30-12pm. $5 per person. Explore trees on the Watershed Reserve through the hobby of geocaching. This scavenger hunt in the wild is appropriate for beginners and experienced cachers. Participants must provide their own GPS unit. Registration requested, adults and families welcome. Light refreshments provided.
2 Jun
2nd Annual Kidsbridge Walk2Stop Bullying
The College of New Jersey, 200 Pennington Rd. 9am-noon. Free. Help educate and inspire more positive action to end bullying and make our schools and communities safer and more tolerant places to live. Kids, families, educators, youth & service groups and members of the community all walk together. The event features a two-mile family walk on the campus, kids' activities and an open house in the Kidsbridge Tolerance Museum.
6 Jun
Elle Fashion Fundraiser
Mister East, 2401 Wood Ave., Roselle, 201-704-8662. 7-10pm. Adults $40, children $20. Dinner, dancing, vendor shopping, fashion show, raffle prizes and more benefit the Elle Foundation of Bridgewater, who grants second wishes to children battling cancer.
6-8 Jun
St. Anthony's Italian Feast
113 Chiego Place, Roselle Park, 908-245-1107. Visit website for daily hours. Free entry and entertainment. Four days of fun, family, friends and faith packed full of delicious homemade cooking, an Italian style cafe, food vendors, non-stop entertainment and music, amusements and games.
8 Jun
Spring Fling 2013
Primrose School of Warren, 117 Mt. Bethel Rd., Warren, 908-822-9900. 10:30am-1:30pm. Suggested entrance donation: $5 per child. Fundraiser event features carnival games, DJ entertainment, food, sport activities, pony rides (11am-1pm), martial arts demos, special appearance by a Somerset Patriots player and mascot, Sparkee, raffles, 50/50 and more. All proceeds benefit Special Olympics New Jersey and Primrose Children's Foundation.
ongoing events, advance tickets, open for registration
Ongoing
Scherman-Hoffman Sanctuaries Little Naturalists Program
11 Hardscrabble Rd., Bernardsville, 908-766-5787. Nature-based program features a story, mini-hike, outdoor activity and craft. For children ages 2-4 yrs.; children must be accompanied by their parent or caregiver. 9:30-10:30am. $7 per child, $5 per child member NJ Audubon.
May 23
Amazing Ants.
May 26
Turtles, meet the turtles that live at the Center and find ones outside.
May 30
RIver Explore.
25 May
Fairy Gardens
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, 11 Hardscrabble Rd., Bernardsville, 908-766-5787. 10-11:30am. $16, $10 per basket for members. Make fairy-sized gardens filled with fairy decorations and accessories made with natural materials. You can make a flower fairy, too. Ideas will be presented to get you started, then let your imagination do the rest. Please bring your own 12 to 15 inch diameter basket or container filled with potting soil, a glue gun if you have one, and any fairy garden accessories you would like to add to your garden. Scherman Hoffman will supply the plants, natural materials, and examples of fairy decorations to make. Pre-registration required by May 21, limited to 24 baskets.
15 Jun
Freckleface Strawberry the Musical
Alexander Kasser Theater, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave., Montclair. 11am & 2pm. $18-$25. Based on the beloved book by celebrated actress Julianne Moore, this new musical makes its New Jersey premiere and brings audiences inside the book's pages with an inspiring story, contemporary score, and energetic choreography. For all ages.
16 Jun
Kelly Miller Circus
River Rd. Park, Bedminster, 908-234-2666. 2 & 5pm. Advance tickets adults $10, kids $6. One day circus for the whole family. Elephants, tigers, acrobats and clowns thrill the crowd. Camel and pony rides. Proceeds benefit Far Hils-Bedminster First Aid Squad.
23 Jun
Fairy Day
Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 E. Hanover Rd., Morristown, 973-326-7603. 1-3pm. $30. Families are invited to celebrate the 7th Fairy Day and build a home for these visiting wee folk. Greet the fairies with music and fairy snacks, and learn which plants and trees attract them. All supplies, such as bark, branches, lichens, mosses, feathers, stones and leaves are provided, or bring your own as long as it's natural. Fairies shun man-made materials. All the fairy houses will be on display through the end of July. To see photos of previous Fairy Houses or to get ideas for your own house, visit website. Rain date June 30.
26 Jun
Autism-friendly performance of Disney's The Little Mermaid
Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn, 973-376-4343; 973-379-3636. 4pm. Paper Mill Playhouse will alter the theater environment to provide a sensory-friendly, comfortable and judgment-free space for all families at this special show of their main stage production of Disney's The Little Mermaid.
2013-2014 season announcements
See the Music & Dance and Theatre categories for selected children, family and adult events and use the convenient links to access complete season calendars and find newly added events. 2013-14 season announcements will be posted below as new seasons are released over summer 2013.
Carnegie Hall, 154 W. 57th St., New York, 212-903-9600.
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Newark, New Brunswick, Princeton, Morristown, Englewood, Red Bank, 800-ALLEGRO.
Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Dr., Millburn, 973-376-4343.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, 36 Madison Ave., Madison, 973-408-5600.
