Events great for kids, July 22–28

     A Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math Institute will engage children ages 8 to 11 in a variety of  investigations in a fun and historic outdoor setting.

      The young participants will explore architecture, engineering, natural and native history, foods of the Dyckman family, awe of nature and more. 

     A nutritious lunch will be provided by the museum every afternoon.

     Monday through Thursday from 10 to 2 at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street.

     Kids will learn American Sign Language through song and play at this summer-long workshop. With other parents, educators, and children close to your child’s age, kids will go home each week with new vocabulary and tunes to enhance communication with you.

     Whether you intend to incorporate sign language in your life for the long term or simply during this pre-verbal/developing verbal time, watch in awe as your child discovers the world of language.

     The Baby Fingers programs incorporate the research supporting the benefits of sign language at all ages and stages, for children with and without special needs.

     Free. Tuesday evenings from 6 to 7:30 on Pat’s Lawn in Inwood Hill Park; enter from 218th and Indian Road. Through August 27.

     Kids ages 11 to 15 are invited to join local teacher and tutor Gabriell Gaiter for (Lit) Literacy, a three-day program promoting literacy during the summer.

     With a focus on vocabulary building, comprehension, and guided reading exercises of culturally relevant texts, Gabriell will make sure the only summer slide kids experience is at the playground. Registration required.

     Free. Wednesday through Friday afternoons at Word Up Community Bookshop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Video games, laptops, music, film, arts & crafts … science, book discussions, and more await teens at this weekly meet-up.

     Different things to do: every week, something new.

     Free. Wednesday afternoons from 4 5o 5:30 at the Fort Washington Branch of the public library on 179th Street in Fort George.

     The early math program returns this summer so you can help your youngster get a start on one of the most common stumbling blocks kids face. Best for children ages 2–5.

     Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10 to noon starting Thursday at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street. Through August 22.

     Learn the arts of ABADÁ-Capoeira Bronx, a growing community-based organization with the mission to preserve, share and expand the art of capoeira within diverse communities and families. 

     The classes use capoeira to build and empower communities, help youth and inspire people to reach their maximum potential. 

     Free. Thursday evening at 6:30 in Sherman Creek Park.

     Is your child interested in stories? If she wants to write her own, Uptown Stories may be the inspiration she needs.

     Each week, workshop students and teachers come together to share their creativity with Uptown youth aged 8–14. See uptownstories.org for more information.

     Free. Friday afternoons from 12:30 to 1:30 at Word Up Community Bookshop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street. Through August 23.

     Get your kids out of the apartment and into the wilds of the city this summer.

     Nature Center Adventures connect New Yorkers of all ages to nature through experiential learning. The nature programs include scavenger hunts, nature crafts and games, and getting up close and personal with animals that don’t count as pets.

     Free. Thursday through Sunday afternoons at 2 at the Payson Center in Inwood Hill Park at the corner of Dyckman Street and Payson Avenue. Through August 18.

     Introduce your child to yoga with Christina Shablak, a certified children's instructor. All children are welcome with a parent or caregiver. 
     Please arrive early, and bring a towel or yoga mat. Register here.
     Be aware that the ground is sloped and there are uneven spots. Rain or wet ground cancels the event. 

     Free. Saturday morning at 9 on Abby’s Lawn in Fort Tryon Park. Through September 28.

     Take your kids to a community book shop to hear their favorite stories read out loud by experienced, trained readers. Just like their teachers in the classroom, but with new faces and new friends.

     Free. Saturday mornings at 11 at the Word Up Community Book Shop/Librería Comunitaria, in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Get a higher perspective on the Hudson River when you climb to the top of the Little Red Lighthouse.

     Properly named the Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse, the 30-foot-tall structure was erected in 1880 and moved to its current site in 1921. It’s become widely known through the children's literary landmark The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge.

     The line to enter grows long quickly, so arrive early.   

     Free. Saturday afternoon at 1 on Jeffrey’s Hook in Fort Washington Park.

     Toddlers and their parents or caregivers can enjoy interactive stories, action songs, fingerplays and spend time with other growing kids in the neighborhood at the branch library.

     For children from 18 months to 3 years old.

     Free. Story time at Wednesday mornings at 10:30, followed by social play at 11 at the Fort Washington branch of the public library in Fort George on 179th Street at St. Nicholas Avenue.

     Toto (voiced by Bruno Bichir) was born the runt of the litter. But when a rancher threatens to destroy his home and his family, Toto must go from a timid young chicken to a brave and scrappy rooster.

     Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos (Little Rooster's Egg-cellent Adventure) will be screened outdoors in Spanish with English subtitles.

     Take a blanket and a snack. Pre-show dance class and performance by Rumbamena Dance Company at 6:30. Rated PG.

     Free. Monday evening, July 29, at dusk on the Gaelic Field in Inwood Hill Park; enter from Indian Road and 218th Street.

     The Literacy Inc. readings continue with summer with a bilingual read-aloud story and the help of the New York Public Library.

      Free. Wednesday afternoon, July 31, at 3 at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street.

     Bessie the cow dreams of joining the circus. But can she lift more than Ziegfried, the strongest man in the world? Fly on the trapeze high above the crowd?

     Come root Bessie on in this variety show as she attempts the impossible and searches for her special talents in this production by the Swedish Cottage puppet theater.

     Free. Saturday morning, August 2, at 10:30 in in J. Hood Wright Park in Lowe WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street.

     The Washington Heights Music Fest in collaboration with W.H.A.M. hosts a monthly open mic for artists, poets, singers, writers and performers. Refreshments will be provided.

     All ages are welcome, so the acts should be appropriate for everyone. 

     The first monthly musical open mic will be followed by session on the first Friday of the month. Hosted by Jason Rosario.

     $5. Friday night, August 2, from 6 to 9 at the Word Up Community Book Shop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street. On the first Friday of the month.

     Share ideas and enjoy hands-on gallery activities that bring medieval works of art to life. This month's theme is Humorous Hues.

     For families with children ages 3–11.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday afternoon, August 3, at 1 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Row New York has taught summer rowing camps to rising 7th graders through high school students, beginners and competitors alike.

     Our two and three-week camps are designed for beginners and novices. Coaches focus on the fundamentals of the sport and building a foundation for rowing in the future. Rowing camps are a great way to spend time outdoors, discover an exciting new sport, and make friends, all in the heart of WaHi.

     One camp is still open:

     August 5–22 Monday through Thursday mornings from 9 to noon. $1,600.

     At the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse in Sherman Creek.

     Garden Camp is a week of exciting exploration, instruction, and discovery. The local arts and environmental educator Sally Fisher will lead the group of young plant enthusiasts through activity-based lessons about planting, pollinators, composting, and everything in between.

     The camp will also be staffed by a bilingual educator. Campers must commit to attending at last four days of the five-day program.

     $5. Monday through Friday, August 5–9 (this session is full!), from 10 to 1 at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Roger Morris Park in Lower WaHi. Also on August 12–16.

     An indoor & outdoor discoveries workshop is for children with learning or developmental disabilities and their accompanying friends and family members.

     It includes a gallery tour and an art activity.

     Reservations are required. Call (212) 650-2010 or send an email to access@metmuseum.org.

     Free. Sunday morning, August 11, at 11 for for 5- to 17-year-olds, and in the afternoon at 2 for 18-year-olds and older. At the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Little Lions Camp is Columbia’s kid-centered, fun-based day camp with the focus on keeping kids physically and creatively active.

     Programming features an ever-changing combination of classic P.E. games, backyard favorites, sports, arts and crafts, and special surprises to keep kids happy, active, and engaged.

     A highly trained, eclectic staff who utilizes physical education teachers, athletes, camp veterans, creative types and child care specialists, ensures that games are always changing and that counselors can tailor programming to fit children’s needs and likes.

     The camps run one week at a time. For kids ages 6 to 12. After care and swim lessons are available too.

     $485 (discount of $25 if registered by May 1). Monday through Friday, August 5 through 9, is Superhero Week; August 12 through 15 is Game Show Week. At the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood on 281th Street.

     Welcome Shabbat with ukelele music, performed live by ukeleleans!

     All families are welcome to this fun event, geared for babies and toddlers with their grown-up and older siblings. Come for the music, and stay to play with friends in the park.

     Free. Friday morning, August 9, at 10:30 in Fort Tryon Park on the Café Lawn. If the weather is rainy, the shabbat begins thirty minutes earlier, at 10, at the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood, in Fort George on Nagle Avenue between Broadway and Ellwood Street.

     Family Day at the Morris-Jumel Mansion offers arts, crafts and sometimes even snacks to kids and their parents who want to learn a little more about life when New York was a Colonial outpost of the British empire.

     This month, the activity is making your own ice cream.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday morning, August 10, with bilingual tours at 11 and the craft activity at noon at the mansion in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace.

     Based on Marvel Comics’ character Miles Morales, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse follows him as he crosses paths with five counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities. Rated PG.

     Take a blanket and a snack. Pre-show performance of Comic Book: Live! by Jenny Hann and Christina Stone at 7.

     Free. Monday night, August 12, at dusk on Gaelic Field in Inwood Hill Park; enter from Indian Road and 218th Street.

     The epic action of Edge of Tomorrow unfolds in a near future when an alien race hits the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

     Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Rated PG-13.

     $15; children, students and seniors, $8. Sunday afternoon, August 18, at 5 at the United Palace Theatre in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street.

     Have you ever wanted to travel back in time?

     This summer you have the chance to learn about Colonial life in New York City, the history and importance of the American Revolution and many of the important roles that helped in the formation of our country.

     Children will also learn about early settlers here, including the lives and roles of the indigenous people who were first here on Manhattan.

     Activities at the History Camp are designed with New York State 4th grade curriculum standards and are appropriate for children ages 6–11. Campers must commit to a minimum of four days of this five-day program.

     $150. Monday through Friday, August 19–23, from 10 to 1 at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Lower WaHi.

     In 1890, the third Polo Grounds rose within the gaze of Jumel Terrace and would serve as home to the New York Giants baseball team from 1891 to 1957, the New York Highlanders (who would become the Yankees) in 1913–22, the New York Giants in 1925–55.

     The exact spot of home place, seen at right in 1906, is now marked by a bronze plaque in a courtyard of the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. A lot has change since then, and history buggs and baseball fans will find the nuances and transformations in a new show.

     The exhibition explores the teams that made the stadium a New York icon and the associated personalities that became local and national heroes.

     Free. Opening night falls on Thursday, August 22, at 7 at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Roger Morris Park. Light refreshments will be served. Advanced registration is required. Open through January 5.

    Hugh Jackman leads an all-star cast in an  original musical filled with showstopping performances.

     Inspired by the story of P. T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman follows the visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

     Take a blanket and a snack for this outdoor screening.

     Free. Friday night, August 23, at 8 in Roger Morris Park in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace.

     Free. Saturday, August 24, from 11 to 2 at the 172nd Street Beach in Fort Washington Park. 

     Join in guided tours and art activities led in Spanish and English.

     La experiencia medieval: Talleres bilingües y educativos para la familia.

     For families with children ages 3–11.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday afternoon, August 24, at 1 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Come swim the mighty Hudson! 

     The Spuyten Duyvil 10K is an event hosted by New York Open Water. It starts at Yonkers and finishes in Inwood, with the current assisting the intrepid souls  through tumultuous and storied Spuyten Duyvil, where the Harlem River meets the Hudson.

     The route, which actually covers 6.5 miles despite the name, offers scenic views of Yonkers, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyval Bridge, and the George Washington Bridge.

     Sign up here. If you’re a land lubber, you can watch the finish in Uptown.

     A Sunday in September, with the course’s end at La Marina in Inwood where Dyckman Street meets the Hudson.

     Pied Piper Children’s Theatre is looking for middle school and high school actors for roles in The Tempest, Shakespeare’s story of castaways.

     Over two evenings in early September. Dates and times are yet to be announced.

     Row New York’s Row Program is a nine-month-long adventure that teaches students in 7th through 12th grades to be dynamic rowers, entrepreneurs, and community members.

     The idea is to use the skills that rowing instills—discipline and teamwork—to build strength and confidence. The curriculum pairs rowing with an entrepreneurship program which will culminate in participants’ developing an actionable business plan, which they will present in a Shark Tank-style competition.

     Row New York will deliver a rigorous and engaging learning experience, both from a fitness as well as an academic perspective. It meets three times per week for a total of nine hours: two days of rowing and workshops/speakers (an hour and a half each), and one full day of entrepreneurship training (3 hours).

     The program starts in September and meets three days a week through June. More information is available from Denise Aquino at daquino@rownewyork.org.

     Celebrate Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse with readings of the eponymous children’s book, fishing clinics, live music, food and art vendors, Urban Park Ranger presentations, and activities for all ages.

     Tours of the lighthouse are available but on a first-come, first-served basis. The 30-foot climb to the top is popular, so get in line early.

     Free. Saturday, October 5, from noon to 4 on Jeffrey’s Hood in Fort Washington Park; enter from north of Lafayette Plaza on Riverside Drive in Hudson Heights.

     Wear blue and you can’t go wrong as you enjoy the festivities and special promotions on Northern Manhattan Neighbors Appreciation Day.

      You don’t have to be a Lion to enjoy college football, especially when Columbia hosts the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State.

     Saturday afternoon, October 12, at 1 at Wien Stadium at the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood on 218th Street.

     The scariest—and silliest—dogs of Uptown turn out for the Fort Dog Halloween contest and parade.

     Prizes go to costumes in a variety of categories.

     A Sunday morning in late October at Sir Williams’ Dog Run in Fort Tryon Park.

     What if you bought for your true love everything mentioned in a famous carol? The CPI — Christmas Price Index — has your answer.

     In 2018 the price of the gifts mentioned in The Twelve Days of Christmas increased only 1.2 percent over 2017 prices, despite the surge in cost of geese-a-laying (up 8.3 percent), which were offset by a drop in gold rings (down 9.1 percent).

     Total cost: $34,094.93.

     Prices for drummers and golden rings go up and down. Here’s where to find the prices for 2018.