Staten Island Children's Museum Announces Eight Free Family Events

Staten Island Children's Museum is your go-to destination for safe family fun for fall weekends.

Fall kicks off with the annual Free Family Emergency Preparedness Festival on Sunday, September 26 from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. (There will be no morning session at the Museum on this day) This event is sponsored by the NYC Department of Emergency Management and brings together a number of first responder and community support organizations to share their information and guidance with our visitors. Access to the museum is included with online registration: https://sichildrensmuseum.org/event/family-emergency-preparedness-festival/

Saturday, October 2nd is a big day at the Children's Museum. The Cartoon Network is hosting a pop up event to promote their new preschool programming Cartoonito which just launched on the Cartoon Network for each morning and is streaming on HBO Max. A Cartoonito Mobile Tour vehicle will be distributing free backpacks with creative toolkits and providing an arts and craft activity for preschool aged children in front of the Children's Museum from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. You can sign up for free at cartn.co/cnitotour to be a recipient and participant in this exciting event.

The Weekend Wonders series of free outdoor performances and workshops, sponsored by Con Edison and NYC Ferry continues with a variety of captivating events held outside in front of the Children's Museum between the morning and afternoon sessions each weekend.

On the same day as the Cartoon Network event, Saturday, October 2nd from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, the New York Children's Theater will hold their delightful 25th Anniversary Storybook Cabaret under the solar tent also in front of the Children's Museum. The show features songs from their hit productions Wanda's Monster, Interstellar Cinderella, and Fantasmagory.

The next weekend on Saturday, October 9th, the Staten Island Children's Museum welcomes back Drag Queen Story Hour from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Angel Elektra is returning to read a children's story of acceptance and understanding. Through storytelling and creativity, Drag Queen Story Hour teaches children about gender diversity and all forms of difference to build empathy and give kids the confidence to express themselves however they feel comfortable.

April Armstrong, an actress, singer, and storyteller, will appear on Saturday, October 16 from 1pm to 2pm to guide children in a storytelling workshop. Children will be inspired by fables and folktales to create a story through movement, gesture, character and dialogue.

Freshkills Park will bring their scientific explorations to the Children's Museum on Sunday, October 17 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Participants will explore native and invasive plants and create their own field notebooks using paper made from plants found at the largest landfill-to-park transformation project in the world. Then they will use their handmade recycled notebook to journal their observations of the natural world with tools such as microscopes and more!

Makerspace returns to the Children's Museum on Saturday, October 23 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm to guide visitors in creating wearable electronics. Participants can choose from several mask templates made on our laser cutters, to decorate and illuminate using LEDs and coin cell batteries.

Sunday, October 24, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm the Glam Gardner will show us how to avoid spooky poisonous plants and make an immune-boosting health potion in preparation for the cold season.