Weekend Family Fun: Birds, Music, Art and More – Baristanet
Another weekend is here! Who’s ready for fun? We’ve rounded up some family-friendly activities everyone can enjoy. Check ’em out!
The Growing Stage (7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong) will present Boogie on Friday at 7:30 PM, Saturday at 4:00 PM, and Sunday at 2:00 PM. Not being able to sleep due to nightmares, Alex attempts to put an end to them once they discover the Boogieman is the cause. However, after meeting this famous monster, Alex learns the truth about fears and that it’s okay to be afraid because fears are just a part of us. Tickets are $28.
Van Vleck House and Gardens (21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair) will host Outdoor Adventures: Birding in the Winter on Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Celebrate the season with your family by learning all about birds in the winter in New Jersey. What do they do to adapt to the cold winter months? What is the best way to help them in winter? You will also learn about the Great Backyard Bird Count and how to participate. This activity is geared toward ages 4 -11, but all are welcome. Cost is $15 per family for non-members. Registration is required by Friday, February 18th.
On Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, catch Guitar Bob’s Spectacular Show at Cedar Beans Coffee Joint (575 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove). Enjoy this free live show for kids and adults.
On Saturday, Newark Museum of Art (49 Washington Street, Newark) will host MakerSPACE from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The MakerSPACE at The Newark Museum of Art comes back on selected Saturdays! Be part of a fun, interactive area where visitors of all ages play, tinker, and create as they make connections between the materials, processes, and concepts of artwork and natural science objects in the Museum’s collections and their own creativity. Look at the artwork in the galleries, learn more about it, then experiment with materials and processes in the MakerSPACE. Register online. This program is included with Museum admission.
Essex County Environmental Center (621-B Eagle Rock Avenue, Roseland) will host Build a Bird House on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. This activity is for adults and children ages 8 and older who are accompanied by an adult. Build a home that encourages breeding birds and other wildlife to take residence. Putting out your bird house now creates a good chance of having a nesting pair of songbirds in your garden by spring. Advanced registration is required. The cost is $10 per child and $12 per adult.
Symphony Space will present a virtual performance, Just Kidding: Sonia De Los Santos, on Saturday at 11:00 AM. Travel to Mexico and beyond with Latin Grammy nominee Sonia De Los Santos in this beautiful bilingual concert of songs about hope, home, and gratitude. This is a free livestream event. Reserve your spot online.
On Saturday, from 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM, Montclair Public Library will host a virtual event, Fyütch Presents: Black History Is Everyone’s History. Children’s performer, Fyütch, performs riveting songs about Black culture and accomplishments and shares facts about lesser-known current and historical Black figures. Fyütch (pronounced like ‘future’ without the ‘err’) is an artist with a mission to educate, entertain and empower children. Registration is required.
Turtle Back Zoo (560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange) will host Wonders of the Wild! Winter Edition on Saturday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. This program offers students an opportunity to participate in supplementary science and nature-themed programs and projects that facilitate scientific literacy and life-long environmental stewardship. Available to students ages 6-12, the program includes a visit to the Zoo or South Mountain Reservation as weather permits. This week’s session is entitled, “Suburban and Urban Farming.” Cost is $30 and you must purchase in advance.
American Dream Mall (1 American Dream Way, East Rutherford) will present a series of Lunar New Year events now through February 20th. This Saturday, from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, enjoy the Lunar New Year celebration: Tiger Dreams of Americas. Then on Sunday, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the Band of Guo Zhao-Shun and Sun Yu-qi will perform for a physically distant event at The Dream Stage in Court A.
Maple Sugaring Demos will be held at Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center (247 Southern Blvd, Chatham Township) on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM and 2:30 PM. Learn how to identify and tap maple trees, collect sap, and make real maple syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. This year, the program will be held entirely outdoors, so dress for the weather. Spiles and syrup will be available for purchase, while supplies last. Cost is $5 per person. You must preregister and select your time slot.
The Frelinghuysen Arboretum (353 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Twp) continues to host the Family Photo Scavenger Hunt. Held daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, bring your camera or phone for this month’s hunt. There’s a new theme every month and the new theme for February is, “Growing Presidential.” Nothing like a month full of presidents to get you thinking about plants. Lots of plants are named in honor of presidents and lots more are just plain presidential. Thomas Jefferson described botany as “among the most useful of the sciences,” so put on your thinking cap and keep your eyes open! Get outside and explore the gardens with this contact-less family photo scavenger hunt. The cost is $10 per family or group of 6 or less. Preregistration is required.
Morris Museum (6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown) hosts Spark!Lab on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 PM to 4:0 PM. Spark!Lab offers any child (ages 5-12 years old and accompanied by an adult), a new informal approach to hands-on learning. Instead of following step-by-step instructions, young inventors will be empowered to problem-solve and overcome real-world obstacles. Spark!Lab offers many unique, project-specific stations, where inventors can engage directly with engineering and design challenges. There is also a newly created space with a train and exploration table filled with unique tools to help spark creativity, thinking, and learning for children ages 1-4). The cost is included in admission, which is $12 for adults, $8 for children 3-17, and free for children under 3.
Montclair Art Museum (3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair) will host Sunday Studio on Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with sessions beginning on the hour. Join in each Sunday for a fun family art-making activity inspired by our current exhibitions. Explore materials, learn new techniques, and meet other community members while enjoying creative time with your family. Each week features a different project designed by MAM Teaching Artists to spark the imagination and encourage conversation in response to artworks on view in museum galleries. This program is aimed at families with children ages 5–12, but all are welcome. Inspired by the exhibition Tenacity & Resilience: The Art of Jerry Pinkney, families this week will create colorful collages using a sneaker template to express their identity. This event is free with admission and registration is required.