Story time, arts and crafts and family yoga are just some of the activities Queens families will be able to participate in at the Long Island City waterfront this summer.
For the second year in a row, the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy (HPCC) and Gantry Parent Association (GPA) is organizing “Summer Kids,” a six-week free programming series. The events will take place at LIC Landing, an outdoor cafe near Gantry Plaza State Park.
“Last year’s series exceeding all expectations and we recognized the need to grow this program,” said Rob Basch, president of HPPC. “I am very excited about all the new additions for this year. The number of young families in our community continues to surge and we want to give them a reason to stay in Long Island City and make this their home.”
The series will start on July 10 with McManus Irish Dance, a local company that offers traditional Irish dance classes to children as young as 2. Starting at 10 a.m., instructors will teach toddlers the basics with their “Jiggy Tots” class. The next day, children will get up close and personal with a live animal show at 3:30 p.m.
Music with Mr. Andy and Suzanna will be a reoccurring event, where the Long Island City-based musicians will perform for kids twice a week.
Every Friday at 10 a.m., children ages 20 months to 6 years old will do “Art with Leonie.” Puppetsburg will host puppet shows for infants to 3-year-olds and the Friends of Court Square Library will host Story Time on Wednesdays at 2 p.m.
“There will be a wide range of children’s activities and events for many different age groups,” said Dana Aussenberg, education and resource chair of GPA. “We hope to provide fun and engaging developmental experiences for the children in Long Island City and also hope that Summer Kids will provide a way for families to mingle, meet one another and grow roots in our community.”
Bricks 4 Kidz is a new addition to the program where children will play with LEGOs to learn the fundamentals of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
The series will close out with a kid-friendly production put on by The Secret Theatre. All events are free but are first-come, first-served.
To view the schedule, visit HPCC’s website or Facebook page.
