Events great for kids, November 11–17

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

     Give your pre-schooler a chance to learn and play with neighborhood friends.

     The library’s pre-literacy program is geared for children 3 to 5 years old.

     Free. Monday mornings at 10:30 at the Fort Washington branch of the public library in Fort George on 179th Street at St. Nicholas Avenue.

     Calling all kids ages 5 to 13!

     Have the acting bug? Here’s your chance to find out what it’s like to perform on stage. Ask for a small role or compete for the lead of the Pied Piper’s final autumn production, Stone Soup.

     Opening night is December 7, and the show will run for two weekends and will be directed by Joe Burby. 

     Monday and Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 8 in the auditorium of the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue.

     Pre-school kids 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 3 to 5 years old.

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

     Does your child love books? Enjoy creative writing? Have an unlimited imagination?

     Uptown Stories offers workshops led by professional writers and master teachers. Students ages 8 to 16 learn the craft of writing, engage their imaginations and join an exciting, supportive community.

     Workshops meet for ten weeks and conclude with a celebratory reading open to family and friends. A list is here.

     Pay-what-you-can tuition. On various days and times at Our Saviour’s Atonement Lutheran Church in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 189th Street.

     A five-part Star Wars screening will take you to a galaxy far, far away, via the 1 or A Trains.

     Take a picnic snack or purchase soda, beer, and popcorn at these family-friendy screenings. Sponsored by Inwood Art Works.

     Starting tonight with Episode IV, the series continues like this:

November 20 The Empire Strikes Back

December 4 Return of the Jedi

December 11 The Force Awakens

December 18 The Last Jedi

     Free. Star Wars, Wednesday night at 7:30, at the Good Shepherd Auditorium in Inwood at 620 Isham Street.

     Vienna meets the Islands when the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra performs WaHi native Valerie Coleman’s “Afro-Cuban Concerto,” and then presents Mozart’s timeless Clarinet Quintet.

     Closing the program is Arnold Schoenberg’s revolutionary Chamber Symphony, which launched his expressionist style and sparked the creation of the second Viennese School of composers.

     After the Saturday performance you can join the the musicians for a reception featuring local food and a group salsa dance lesson.  

     There’s no cost for young listeners!

     $5 (at the door, $7); kids 17 and under free. Friday night at 8 at Our Savior’s Atonement Lutheran Church in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avene at 189th Street, and Saturday afternoon at 3 at the Fort Washington Collegian Church in Hudson Heights on 181st Street at Col. Robt. McGaw Place.

     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.

     Heroes and Heroines is the theme for hands-on gallery activities that bring medieval works of art to life. For families with children ages 3–11.

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

     Literacy Inc. holds its regular bilingual story time, with a crafts activity relating to the book. Co-sponsored by the New York Public Library.

     Free. Wednesday afternoon, November 2o, at 3 at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street.

     Take in holiday decorations at Manhattan’s last remaining farmhouse.

     Cookies and cider will welcome you to the festive evening, with candlelight illuminating the historic home.

     Thursday evening, November 21, from 5:30 to 7 at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street.

     Get your hands dirty and improve a gem of a park at the same time.

     Know anyone who likes to draw?

     Help your kids get inspired by artists and original works of art when they experience the Met Cloisters collection through creative drawing challenges in the galleries.

     The drop-in drawing session is open to visitors of all ages. Artist-led demonstrations repeat every 30 min. Ask at the admission desk for location.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday, November 23, from noon to 2 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

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

     Join in guided tours and art activities led in Spanish and English. For families with children ages 3–11.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday afternoon, November 23, at 1 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Get your teens involved in a program promoting health & wellness, education, employment readiness, and creativity.

     Once you’ve signed them up, your kids can attend Uptown Hub programs at the Y. For those 14–24 years old who live, work, or go to school in Washington Heights or Inwood.

     Not sure if it’s for your family? Visit during program hours to learn more, or to contact Karina with questions at kmunoz@ywashhts.org or (212) 569-6200, x239.

     Free. Monday through Thursday nights from December 3 through June from 6 to 9 at the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue.

     The sky and the Urban Park Rangers are ready to help you have a fun night with the stars. 

     The Rangers will be your guides to the solar system, discussing the science, history, and folklore of the universe. Astronomy programs feature the use of telescopes and binoculars to observe specific astronomical events. 

     All equipment is provided. Dress for the weather.

     Free. Friday evening, December 6, from 6 to 7:30 on the Water Tower Terrace of Highbridge Park in Lower WaHi; enter from Amsterdam Avenue at 172nd Street.

     Highbridge teens and officers from NYPD’s 33rd Precinct face off in a basketball showdown to prove who’s got the better moves.

     Free. Friday evening, December 6, at 6 at the Highbridge Recreation Center in Lower WaHi, in Highbridge Park on Amsterdam Avenue at 173rd 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, December 6, 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.

     Pass some time with the delightlfully silly play Stone Soup, presented by Pied Piper and staged by kids from the neighborhood.

     Adapted for the stage and directed by Joe Burby. 

     $20; students and seniors, $10. Saturday, December 7, at 3 and 7, and Sunday, December 8, at 3, at the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue. Also on December 14 and 15.

     Get ready for the holidays by letting your kids make ornaments with crafts available to children in the eighteenth century.

     It’s part of the month family program in the museum’s Colonial Kitchen.

     Saturday, December 8, at noon at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace.

     This holiday season, the performers Jeffries Thaiss and Eric Scott Anthony  present a fast-paced and imaginative adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

      Suitable for the whole family, this performance combines Dickens' brilliant original text with both traditional and unexpected Christmas music. The performance is roughly 75 minutes long.

     $20 to $30. Thursday through Saturday nights. December 12 through 14, at 8 at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace.

     When Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) realizes he’s not like the other elves, he journeys to New York to find his roots, satisfy his sweet tooth, and bring joy to the world. A 2003 comedy, Elf also stars Zooey Deschanel.

     Arrive early for a meet and greet with Santa Claus and other festive surprises.

     $15; children 12 and under. students and seniors, $8. Sunday afternoon, December 15, at 4:30 to meet Santa with the screening at 5 at the United Palace Theatre in Lower WaHi on Broadway at 175th Street.

     Lace up your spikes for the Marine Corps Holiday Classic track meet.

     Open to high school students, with awards going winning freshmen through varsity runners.

     Registration on Saturday afternoon, December 27, from 1 to 2, with competition on Sunday, December 28, from 9 to 6 at the Armory in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 168th Street.

     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.

     The hurdles, dashes, pole vault and long jump are on the schedule for the New York Road Runners’ Night at the Races.

     Monday night, December 30, from 7 to 10 at the Armory Track in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 168th Street.

     Do some digging, then get in some riding with your BMX buds.

      Meet up for a day of work and play in the woods and learn what it takes to build, maintain, and ride the most progressive urban bike park in America, with the help of the New York City Mountain Bike Association.

     There will be light trail maintenance tasks for all ages in the morning. Every volunteer receives a free 20-minute clinic and, in the afternoon, a guided ride throughout the trails from 12:30 to 3. Even better, bikes and helmets are provided, so you don’t need your own.  

     Uptown is the home of the city's first mountain biking course, a 3 miles of trails of varying difficulty and a free-ride trail that includes drops, steeps, and berms. The park also features a dirt jump park and pump track, making it a good place to develop different skills at all levels.

     Free. Saturday, January 12, from 10 to 3 in Fort George at the BMX trailhead in Highbridge Park, on Fort George Avenue, just northwest of the Buxzek Ballfield. Monthly on the second Sunday.

     Celebrate Alexander Hamilton's birthday!

     You don’t need Broadway tickets for this party, marking a Founding Father’s 262nd birthday (or 264th—no one’s really certain).

     Families will get to participate in fun activities including cupcake decorating.

     Free with museum admission. Sunday, January 12, at noon at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Roger Morris Park.

     Student filmmakers from Marble Hill to Lower WaHi are invited to submit their entries in the Inwood Film Festival. This year the geographical area is expanding to include Riverdale and Knightsbridge, so expect plenty of competition.

     Films about or made by current students attending school in one of the eligible neighborhoods are eligible to be included and win cash prizes.

     More information is here. The festival takes place March 12 through 14.

     Your deadline is Wednesday, January 15.

     Be inspired by artists and original works of art when you experience The Met Cloisters collection through creative drawing in the galleries.

     Open to visitors of all ages. Artist-led demonstrations repeat every 30 min. Ask at the admission desk for location.

     Take your own supplies.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday, February 22, from noon to 2 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Music is the theme of the Washington Heights Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K.
     The route is Fort Washington Avenue from Lower WaHi to the Cloisters and back, so prepare for a busy street. In 2015 more than 6,000 runners finished the 3.2-mile race. It’s one that qualifies for entry in the New York City Marathon, in November.
     Fee varies by age and classification. Usually the first Sunday morning in March, starting at J. Hood Wright Park in Lower WaHi.

     Make plans to watch the student entries in the fifth annual Inwood Film Festival, whose entrants are filmmakers who reside in and around Upper Manhattan.

     The films take place in Uptown and the Bronx, so you’re going to see your home in any of the screenings.

     Thursday through Saturday, March 12 through 14, with locations and times to be announced later.

     Will the princess notice the pea?

     Find out in Pied Piper’s production of Once Upon a Matress, staged by Uptown kids. 

      $20; students and seniors, $10. Friday night, March 27, at 7, Saturday, March 28, at 3 and 7, and Sunday afternoon, March 29, at 3 at the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue. Also on April 3–5.

     Life’s not always a whirl of fun for The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

     Staged by Uptown kids, the play is presented by the Pied Piper Children’s Theatre and is adapted for the stage and directed by
Colleen Hawks-Pierce.

           $20; students and seniors, $10. Saturday, May 9, at 3 and 7, and Sunday afternoon, May 10, at 3 at the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue. Also on May 16 and 17.
 

     The annual Drums Along the Hudson began in 2002 as a traditional Pow Wow to celebrate Native American heritage and culture, and also to commemorate the Lenape people who first inhabited Inwood Hill Park, or Shorakapok (“edge of the water”).

     The event features dancers and drummers from around the world, combining Native American heritage, culture and art with the diversity of New York City. Activities include a Tree of Peace planting, international cuisine, Native American storytelling, a Pow Wow and crafts.
     The event has attracted a growing audience, numbering from 400 in the first year to over 8,000 in recent years.
     Free. A Sunday in June in Inwood Hill Park at Indian Road and 218th Street.

The Medieval Festival is the most famous event in the Heights, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the neighborhood.

     Lords, ladies, knights and commoners bring to life the customs and spirit of the middle ages, transforming a slice of Upper Manhattan into a medieval market town decorated with bright banners and processional flags. Visitors are greeted by period music, dance, magic, and minstrels, as well as jugglers and jesters. The day concludes with a joust among four knights on horseback.

     Free. A Sunday in late September from 11:30 to 6 in Fort Tryon Park.