Columbia Athletics hosts Little Lions Camp, a kid-centered, fun-based day camp that keeps kids physically and creatively active.

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

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

     Two sessions: Mondays through Fridays through August 14 at the Baker Athletic Complex on 218th Street in Inwood.

     City Sail is a week-long sailing summer camp for kids to escape the heat and noise of the city and enjoy the Hudson River while sailing on it. The camp is operated by Hudson River Community Sailing.

     Students learn new skills, make friends, build sailing skills, and have fun on the water. Students work in small groups no larger than five per boat.

     For kids in 5th through 10th grades (9–16 years old).  No boating or swimming experience is required.

     Participants may sign up for one or more of the four weekly sessions.

     $595 per week (additional weeks, $550). Mondays through Fridays through August 14, at the Dyckman Street Marina in Inwood.

     Row New York is limiting each class to 10 kids. They will train on rowing machines outside (spaced a safe distance apart), with on-water training in single sculling shells.

     Get off the island and on the water!

     Row New York offers a great way for kids with less than a year of rowing experience to sharpen their skills and build their fitness.

     This camp is beginner-friendly. Rowers will receive individual attention in a low-pressure environment that will aim to turn weaknesses into strengths.

     Rowers ages 12–18 will learn in wide, stable barges before graduating into racing shells, and they will build strength and stamina by cross-training, doing rowing drills, and rowing in steady-state and race-pace.

     $2,000. Monday through Friday mornings through August 14 from 9 to noon at the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River in Swindler’s Cove.

     Row New York is limiting each class to 10 kids. They will train on rowing machines outside (spaced a safe distance apart), with on-water training in single sculling shells.

     Experienced rowers can build on their abilities and compete in their first competition.

     Row New York’s extended summer camp is geared for those with over a year of rowing experience to get faster and stronger. Skills in this camp range from new varsity (over one year of experience) to advanced varsity (seven years’ experience).

     This camp is limited to grades 9–12.

     Racing is on the schedule for those who want to compete. Lineups are up to each coach’s discretion and based on rowers’ attendance, competency, and competitiveness. Races, with an extra fee, are The Philly Youth Regatta (Philadelphia) and Overpeck Summer Sprints (in Leonia).

     $3,600 or $650 per week. Monday through Friday mornings through August 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River in Swinder’s Cove.

     You’ve never seen the Wimpy Kid World like this before. From the imagination of Rowley Jefferson comes an adventure of epic proportions — and a copy of book signed by Jeff Kinney when you meet him.

     Join Roland and his best friend, Garg the Barbarian, as they leave the safety of their village and embark on a quest to save Roland’s mom from the White Warlock. Will our heroes survive?

     Find out in Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure.

     $16 for one child and one adult and one copy of Awesome Friendly Adventure and a photo with Jeff. Monday afternoon from 4 to 6 at Word Up Bookstore in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Musical Storytimes are short children’s tales sung by the delightful Stephanie Bell with accompaniment by the tuneful Jonathan Bell and co-starring the handsome Walter Bell. 

     A new story premieres every week.

     Free. Tuesday mornings at 10 on Inwood Art Works’ social media feeds.

     Take a hike with the Urban Park Rangers for live adventures in the park. Last week the webcast came from Inwood Hill Park.

     From scenic hikes to nature exploration activities, these live broadcasts wll entertain the whole family. 

     Free. Tuesday mornings (weather permitting) at 11:30 here online.

     Explore Inwood Hill Park with with themed scavenger hunts.

      Reserve your spot in advance by joining the hunts’ mailing list at margaret.knoerzer@parks.nyc.gov. Limited spots will be available to walk-ups.

     All participants will be required to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

     Tuesday afternoons at 3. Meet at Muscota Marsh on Indian Road at 218th Street. Through September 1.

     Learning doesn’t have to stop when the city’s on pause. The Y is here to help.

     The Family Literacy Program @ Home invites you to join to read stories, explore  feelings, discuss characters and plots, and create poetry. 
     Click here to register with Zoom. Questions?  Contact Katherine Higuera-McCoy, director of elementary programs, at  khiguera@ywashhts.org.

     Free. Tuesday evenings at 5 through the YM & YWHA in Fort George.

     Calling all readers!

     Get together with Uptown book lovers this summer to build your library and chat about books with peers.

     The Lo’Mas Lit Book Club is a reading group, a book club, a discussion zone, and a quarantine-era hangout for readers ages 13 to 25.   

     Weekly book club sessions will be led by Carisa Musialik and Rachel Gorman, Uptown writers, activists, and teachers at Gregorio Luperón High School. The book list includes novels, a short story anthology, a graphic novel, and more.

     Here’s the reading list, and you can register by clicking here.

     Friday evening at 5. Through August 28.

The bookstore is closed until further notice

     The Washington Heights Music Fest in collaboration with Washington Heights Artists’ Movement 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. Hosted by Lethy Liriano.

     $10. Friday evening starting at 5:30 at the Word Up Community Book Shop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street. On the first Friday of the month.

    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.

     Updates on trail work posted are on the New York chapter’s web site. The group’s site appears to be offline and its Instagram account, where they typically confirm trail work days, has not been updated lately.

     Free. Saturday 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 Saturday.

     Join Mariel Escalante and Jerise Fogel for stories, music, and more, in English and Spanish. Word Up’s Saturday story time is at a new time for the summer—and is all virtual.

     Registering once will give you access to all Summer Storytime sessions.

     Saturdays at 4:30. Through August 15.

     La hora de cuentos de los sábados de Word Up se realiza a una nueva hora este verano – y es toda virtual! Únanse a Mariel Escalante y a Jerise Fogel para cuentos, música y más, en inglés y español.

     Registrándose una vez tendrán acceso a todas las sesiones de hora de cuentos de verano.
     Sábados a las 4:30 p.m. Desde agosto 15.

     With kids at home all the time, Patience and Fortitude will get parents only so far!

     The New York Public Library offers ways to keep your family occupied and engaged no matter their age.

     Pre-school: Ideas for playing at home, from music shakers to no-mess finger painting.

     Pre-teens: A range of chapter books that meet the requirement for 30-minute independing reading.

     High school: Curated books and videos for teens who want more than just and assignment to fulfill.

     The NYPL offers free online homework help from one-on-one tutors, daily from 2 to 11 p.m. through a partnership with Brainfuse.
     Available in English and Spanish, for early elementary through high school students, in core subject areas. Explore more from the Library's academic resources 24/7, including its wide array of online learning aids for all ages and teaching resources for educators.

     So you’re stuck doing chares at home when you’d rather be playing in the park.

     How about a little experiment?

     Turn an egg into a rubber ball … make nectar for hummingbirds … maybe figure out how focus binoculars.

     They’re all here, courtesy of the Greenbelt Conservancy, our friends in Staten Island who take care of the parks and open spaces on Richmond.

     Here’s a way to make your next outing with the kids a little different.

     Print out a family scavenger hunt booklet and take a walk through Fort Tryon Park’s historic estate remnants.

     Find, draw, and map natural marvels and constructed treasures while you explore the path network that leads from Billings Lawn to the Palisades Overlook.

     The booklet is provided by the Fort Tryon Park Trust.

     Need something new for the kids to do?

     The Hispanic Society of America offers several coloring pages, each based on one of the most famous paintings in the museum’s collection. Recognize the Duchess of Alba? Download the pdf below.

      For adults, the society has posted several lectures here.

¿Necesita algo nuevo para que hagan los niños?
      La Hispanic Society of America ofrece varias páginas para colorear, cada una basada en una de las pinturas más famosas de la colección del museo. ¿Reconoces a la duquesa de Alba? Descargue el pdf a continuación.
       Para los adultos, la sociedad ha publicado varias conferencias aquí.

     Have someone at home who needs a bigger stage?

     The Pied Piper Children’s Theatre offers a 35-minute musical theater introductory class to take kids through a typical vocal warm-up, stretches, dance warm-up, and even some funny tongue twisters and other facial and speech exercises. The troupe’s artistic director, Colleen Hawks-Pierce, leads, with guest appearances by Uptown teens.

     Free. Watch it here.

     With miles of trails and the best vistas in Manhattan, Uptown is lucky to have amazing parks. Getting out in one can help you relax and excercise at the same time.

     Now that Margaret Corbin Drive in closed to vehicles in Fort Tryon Park, getting out while keeping your social distance is even easier.

     Just be sure to follow these common-sense guidelines:

• Go out in small groups no bigger than three, making sure that everyone remains at least 6 feet from each other at all times. 
• If you go out at night, stay near the street, and go with a friend — and maintain that distance of at least 6 feet. 
• Bike or stroll  on the Greenway along the Hudson or Harlem Rivers. 
• Do not engage in team sports or other group games. 
• Use playgrounds at your own risk. Although playground bathrooms remain open and are disinfected daily, the playground equipment is not disinfected. Avoid using playground equipment, but you do, take wipes to sanitize anything you or your child may touch and play on equipment only if you can remain at least 6 feet apart from anyone not in your household.

     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 through June from 6 to 9 at the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle 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.

The New York Public Library is closed until further notice

     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.

     This month, the children’s musican Ian Hayes leads the group with seasonal favorites.

     For children 3 to 5 years old.

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

     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.

     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. On a Wednesday afternoon at 3 at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street.

     Ready to get back in the dirt?

     Wear long pants and sturdy shoes and join the Friends Committee of the Fort Tryon Park Trust at its monthly beautification days.

     Activities will include some or all of the following: painting, planting preparations, planting, weeding, and more. Tools and gloves will be provided.

     Groups of more than five must register by sending an email to  info@FortTryonParkTrust.org by June 15. Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

     Free. Sunday, August 16, from 10 to 2 at the Heather Garden at the Hudson Heights entrance to Fort Tryon Park.

     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. Sunday, October 4, from 11:30 to 6 in Fort Tryon Park. 

     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.