Our mission was to find “kid” friendly museums in Queens. The following institutions are dedicated to entertaining and educating our children (and some parents too). These are places where smiles abound and the dreaded words “Don't Touch That” are never heard. Many of these museums in fact have touchy-feely exhibits for children to experience. So read on and make plans to take your whole family to visit these borough gems.
Queens Museum of Art
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
718-597-9700
www.queensmuseum.org
The Queens Museum of Art has many ways children can learn about the art world as well as get actively involved in it. There are programs for children of all ages and the museum is fully equipped to meet the needs of special education students, having to two art therapists on staff.
Every Sunday, the museum has studio art workshops open to children between the ages of five and 12 and their parents that runs from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is also the “Art Zone,” where children are able to do hands-on activities that change depending on current exhibitions and artists. In order to help parents and their children get more familiar with the museum, there is also a scavenger hunt they can participate in.
According to the museum's director of education, Lauren Brandt Schloss, each year the museum serves between 25,000 and 30,000 students who come for field trips, with one of the most popular attractions being the New York City panorama, and through partnerships with various schools.
There are also many programs that target teens. Each year, about 30 teens participate in the Queens Teens Program, which is a museum studies program. At the end of it, the teens are able to provide support to staff members and assist with museum events. The museum also has a partnership with 7 Arts, which is a Saturday art and writing program and the Queens Council on the Arts, providing portfolio development.
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street, Corona
718-699-0005,
www.nyscience.org
Year-round, the New York Hall of Science offers many ways for children to get interested in science and explore it. It has more than 400 hands-on exhibitions highlighting areas such as biology, chemistry and physics.
During the summer, the Hall of Science is taking the popular television show “CSI” and turning it into a learning opportunity for children with “CSI: Crime Scene Insects,” which focuses on forensic entomology and how insects can be used for crime-solving.
Throughout the summer, there are plenty of programs being held to give children a better understanding of insects as part of “Bugged Out Science.” They include crafts, puppet shows, theatre presentations and story times.
Queens County Farm Museum
73-50 Little Neck Parkway,
Floral Park
718-347-FARM,www.queensfarm.org
The Queens County Farm Museum is 47-acres of farmland where children can learn and have fun.
From July 5 to August 11, that Farm Museum is having its Children's Summer Program, which is recommended for children between the ages of six and 10. Events take place Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The activities will educate children about farm chores and farm animals and will include arts and crafts.
During the school year, there are several options available for class trips. From October 1 to November 15, students can participate in Pumpkin Program, which shows them how to grow pumpkins and includes a guided tour, hayride and picking a pumpkin. Other educational programs include an apple pressing workshop, colonial cooking, a farmyard tour and a greenhouse workshop, among others.
P.S. 1 Contemporary Arts Center
22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City
718-784-2084,
www.ps1.org
On Sunday, July 30, P.S. 1 will hold its Summer Celebration 2006 from noon to 6 p.m. The free event includes hands-on workshops and musical performances. Throughout the school year, the P.S. 1 Contemporary Arts Center holds educational tours for students at the elementary, middle school and high school levels. Such tours teach students about themes, techniques and imagery.
Museum of Moving Image
35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria
718-784-0077,
www.movingimage.us
Every Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m., the Museum of Moving Image holds family programs as part of “Behind the Scenes.” During the sessions, there are 30-minute hands-on workshops.
Also, museum educators hold daily demonstrations as part of “Behind the Scenes.” They show both children and parents the ins and outs of making, marketing and exhibiting movies, television programs and video games.
SculptureCenter
44-19 Purves Street, Long Island City
718-786-9336
www.sculpture-center.org
Located in Long Island City, the SculptureCenter was founded in 1928 and is “dedicated to experimental and innovative developments in contemporary sculpture.”
On Sunday, July 30, SculptureCenter will hold a family day 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will feature the performance group, The Black Factory, and will give children a chance to create original pieces of art with artist Nicole Cherubini.
King Manor Museum
153rd Street & Jamaica Ave., Jamaica
718-206-0545,
www.kingmanor.org
The former home of founding father Rufus King, the King Manor Museum now gives people a chance to see what life in the 1800s was like.
Along with providing tours of King Manor, the museum also has several other school programs. Grades one through three can take part in “Life at King Manor,” which shows what life was like in the 1800s and even allows children to handle some of the artifacts. For grade four and up, there is “Discovering Rufus King,” which explains about his life and contributions. Other programs include historic fun and games, and artifact discovery.
The Noguchi Museum
9-01 33rd Road at Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City
718-204-7088,
www.noguchi.org
Throughout the summer, The Noguchi Museum is holding summer workshops. Art for Families, which is for children between the ages of five and 11, combines interactive conversations with hands-on art-making activities. The remaining Saturday sessions, which run from 10:30a.m. to 12:30p.m., are “Green Scenes, Collaborative Collages” on August 5 and “Push-Pull, Wire Works” on August 19.
For children between the ages of 2 and 4, there is Art for Tots. The remaining workshops for this series are “Nature's Marks, Texture Rubbings” on Saturday, July 29 and “Bits and Pieces, Wood Sculptures” on Saturday, August 12. They run from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Louis Armstrong House Museum
34-56 107th Street, Corona
(718) 478-8274,
www.satchmo.net
Children can learn about jazz legend Louis Armstrong by going on a tour of his former house in Corona. Tours can be tailored for children and their families. Also, many students get a chance to visit the Armstrong House during school trips.
There is an area on the grounds, inspired by Japanese gardens, where children can sit and eat lunch with families.
