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8 Things to Do With Kids in Brooklyn This Winter Recess

Finding activities to keep kids busy during the school break is almost as high a priority as finding the gifts that will keep them happy come Christmas Day

Finding activities to keep kids busy during the school break is almost as high a priority as finding the gifts that will keep them happy come Christmas Day. And with the year Brooklyn's youngest have had, navigating the ever-changing pandemic landscape, they deserve some of that Christmas sparkle.

To keep your little ones â€" and you â€" entertained this December, BK Reader has rounded up some of the activities going down in our neighborhoods. Although a number of the events are outdoors, with the rise in Omicron COVID-19 cases, it's best to keep checking in on each event's websites for COVID-19 restriction updates.

Black Girls Sew sewing camp

Dec. 26-Dec. 31

Bed-Stuy sewing organization Black Girls Sew is holding a holiday sewing camp for those aged 7 and older. Beginners are welcome to the camp, which will see students complete one project a day and go on one field trip.

The camp is $500 and includes lessons on threading, seams, hems and proper ironing, elastics and drawstrings, gathers and pleats and zippers. The camp is limited to six masked students.

Hekima Hapa of Harriets by Hekima, with her two oldest daughters, Stuyvesant Indi Bazaar
Hekima Hapa of Harriets by Hekima, who runs Black Girls Sew, with her two oldest daughters. Photo: Layla Amatullah Barrayn

Brooklyn Children's Museum Kwanzaa workshops

Dec. 26-Dec. 30

Join Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation as the organizations mark their 14th annual Kwanzaa celebration together at the largest family Kwanzaa event in New York City.

Explore Kwanzaa’s seven principles throughout the week with vibrant performances, workshops, art projects, and celebratory cuisine each day.

Photo: Brooklyn Children's Museum

Brooklyn Children's Museum Art Rink

Grab your winter coat and warmest pair of socks and get ready for the museum's new large-scale winter installation on the rooftop! ArtRink is a 3,200 square foot outdoor eco-friendly skating rink and art exhibition showcasing the work of sixteen local artists. Together with a number of winter-themed activations, ArtRink is a one-of-a-kind art & play experience for families and kids this holiday season.

ArtRink is open to all BCM visitors during regular Museum hours from 2pmâ€"5pm. Skate & Play Sessions include 60-minutes of skate time and are $23 for the general public (includes general admission to the Museum) and $8 for BCM Members. Capacity is limited and visitors are highly encouraged to book tickets online.

Photo: Brooklyn Children's Museum

Lightscape at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Through Jan. 9. Tickets required.

This holiday season, explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden like never before at the after-dark, illuminated spectacular Lightscape. Join with family and friends to celebrate the beauty of nature in winter on this enchanting trail animated by a curated soundtrack and over one million dazzling lights.

Discover international showstoppers like the Winter Cathedral tunnel, Fire Garden, and Sea of Light, as well as new works by local artists, including a series of poems by celebrated author Jacqueline Woodson written in light.

Photo: Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Aviator Sports and Events Center School Break Camp

Dec. 27-Dec.30

Aviator Camps have a range of activities for your kids that allow them to be introduced to new sports and activities including ice skating, gymnastics, rock climbing and arts and crafts. You can drop your kids off on the way to work knowing they'll have a day jam packed with activity, and pick them up on your way home. Costs start at $100/day or $350 for 4 days.

Photo: Pexels

Created by Kids Pop Art Adventure Camp 

Dec. 27-Dec. 31

During Winter Break Camp, campers will have the adventure of a lifetime when they travel around the world to explore the next generation of Pop Artists. The team will create projects using a variety of mediums - clay, textiles, printmaking, painting - and "visit" a different country each day, studying new artists, mediums, and more. The camp is Created by Kids 9th year of Holiday camps and this year’s theme is Pop Art Adventure. Rates start at $130/day or $595 for the week, and early drop off/extended day is available.

World Explorers School Break Camp

Various dates and times subject to availability

School Break Camp takes kids on exciting excursions throughout all five boroughs, experiencing NYC the best way possible - as a kid.

Tuition includes child-care coverage from 8:00am-3:00pm, as well as breakfast, lunch, snack and excursion fees. After Camp care is available from 3:00pm-6:00pm for additional price. Camp starts at $110/day per child with 5-day and 10-day packs available as well. Families can also apply for scholarships. 

Photo: Pexels

Visit the New York Transit Museum

Fridays through Sundays, 11:00am to 4:00pm. Closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1

Join the New York Transit Museum for special hours during Winter Recess. museum will be open from 11:00am to 4:00pm on Dec. 29, Dec. 30 and Dec. 31.

Founded in 1976, the New York Transit Museum is dedicated to telling and preserving the stories of mass transportation â€" extraordinary engineering feats, workers who labored in the tunnels over 100 years ago, communities that were drastically transformed, and the ever-evolving technology, design, and ridership of a system that runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Housed underground in an authentic 1936 subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, the Transit Museum’s working platform level spans a full city block, and is home to a rotating selection of twenty vintage subway and elevated cars dating back to 1907. Visitors can board the vintage cars, sit at the wheel of a city bus, step through a time tunnel of turnstiles, and explore changing exhibits that highlight the cultural, social and technological history â€" and future â€" of mass transit.




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