May Dancing, Magic and Mother's Day Treats At The Staten Island Children's Museum

The Staten Island Children's Museum is celebrating a number of special occasions this month, including Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Mother's Day, Armed Forces Day, and a Free Admission Day presented in partnership with the Staten Island Alliance to promote Pre-K for All.

In honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, on Sunday, May 1 at 1pm in a free outdoor event, representatives from the New York Chinese Cultural Center will share the history of their center and perform a celebratory Fan & Ribbon dance along with an energetic Kung Fu demonstration. Also, each day in the Walk in! Workshop, visitors will learn about the art of kite-making that originated in China nearly 2,500 years ago while building and decorating their own miniature kite.

Bring your moms to a special ShopRite Kidz Cook on Mother's Day, Sunday May 8, when visitors will work together to create yogurt parfaits with fresh fruit in sessions throughout the day.

Continuing the recognition of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the delightful and iconic art of Yayoi Kusama will serve as an inspiration for a printmaking workshop led by Makerspace NYC on Saturday, May 14 at 4pm.

Sunday, May 15 at 1pm, Binx the Magician will perform a wacky and mystifying magic show in a free outdoor performance that will include a dance party.

Beginning on Armed Forces Day, Sunday May 21, and continuing through Labor Day, September 5, the Museum will offer free admission to the families of actively serving military members in collaboration with the Blue Star Museums program. More information about this and other museums that are participating can be found at https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/blue-star-museums.

Also on Saturday, May 21, to help promote Free Pre-K for All, the Museum is partnering with the Staten Island Alliance to offer a free day at the Museum with special hours 12pm to 5pm. Advance registration is required to enter the Museum. The free tickets are available at https://www.sichildrensmuseum.org/tickets or by calling (718) 273-2060 x137. There will be representatives from local Pre-Ks on site to answer questions about the experience for children and enrollment, as well as fun Zumba classes, story times, and crafts. "I want to encourage all caregivers of children born in 2018 to visit us on the Free PreK for all day. The educational representatives are a great resource for families and can help make a sometimes confusing process much more accessible." said Dina Rosenthal, Executive Director.

Additionally on this day, Bilingual Birdies returns to the Museum to provide a light-hearted, musical Spanish Class for kids. The class will be a free outdoor event from 1:00pm to 1:45pm.

On Sunday, May 22 in sessions throughout the day, Ms. Becky returns with ShopRite Kidz Cook. Young chefs will be making Orange Chicken with Broccoli and Air Fried Chicken Egg Rolls.

Broadway Stages, Con Edison, Empire State Bank, NYC Ferry, Northfield Bank, and Richmond County Savings Bank are the generous sponsors of Weekend Wonders, a free outdoor event series at the Museum.

Sessions can be sold out. The Museum recommends that you book your tickets online via their website to ensure entry. Tickets are available at https://sichildrensmuseum.org/tickets. Also, some Museum events are weather dependent and subject to change. Their website calendar is a helpful resource for updates.