One of my favorite things about being a stay-at-home mom is the flexibility of my job. The thought of paying for a class and having to be there at a certain time and make sure my kids are involved and happy happy happy bums me out. That's why I was stoked when one of my friends emailed me details about
Central Park's free summer classes. Free classes=who cares if i'm late, not show up at all, or if one of my kids runs around screaming the whole time! It's great on so many levels. Classes are offered everyday and rotate from different playgrounds within Central Park. There's three types: music, story time and (on the day we went) dance and rhythm. It was a hit!
The teachers were so nice and carefree. I especially liked the drummer
Michael Wimberly. He worked the crowd and got all the kids into the music. If one kid started to cry, he found an instrument to make the kid happy. He was great!
I can't wait to try the other classes. Do you know about any other free classes in the city? LINKS please! I'll meet you there. :)
I am a mom on the UWS (my kids are teenagers now) and I have been loving your blog. There are also free classes for young children in Riverside Park South -- soccer, basketball, and performances. Here's the link: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/riversideparksouth/events
ReplyDeleteAnd, I forgot -- the best free classes for kids are at the Musuem of Modern Art (MOMA) on weekend mornings. They have "tours for fours" and "a closer look for kids" (ages 5-10), as well as workshops where you look at a certain type of art (say, sculpture, or portraits) and then make your own in a secret classroom. I think it's mostly on hiatus for the summer and will resume in the fall. Here's a link, but you should also sign up for their mailing list: http://www.moma.org/learn/kids_families/gallery_talks
ReplyDeleteOne last thing -- check the New York Public Library's website for events at branches near you. In addition to weekly story times, you can often find performances or other events for kids. For example, here's a link to the calendar for the Bloomingdale Branch (on West 100th Street), where they have pre-school story and craft time coming up tomorrow afternoon: http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/11/calendar
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are great! And free classes...what a great idea!
ReplyDeletethat is awesome! and the pics remind me of my camp counselor days.
ReplyDeletethis looks like so much fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!
ReplyDelete@Karen: Thanks for all the suggestions!