When my kids asked us a few weeks ago if we were still going to New York City over Spring Break, my husband and I exchanged some odd glances. Obviously, we both knew the answer was a hard NO, but we all needed something to look forward to. Having lived together in the city “pre-kids”, we’d regaled our tiny humans with tales of this enchanting place – the sights and sounds, the fast pace, the food! With a bit of imagination and a whole lotta technology, I set out to build a memorable, family-friendly virtual jaunt to NYC!
First: Every trip needs a theme song! Jamming out to "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, I got to work!
Dining NYC-Style
- BREAKFAST: Bagels with Lox and Cream Cheese
- LUNCH: Hot Dogs from a street cart (aka Mom’s minivan)
- DINNER: Pizza (takeout from Brooklyn Pizza)
SNACKS:
- Serendipity’s Frozen Hot Chocolate: Find the Recipe HERE
- Levain Bakery’s Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe can be found HEREOR an easier recipe, which we did, can be found HERE
- Soft Pretzels: Baked from a kit; “sold’ out of a street cart (Mom’s minivan) This is the kit we used, purchased at Harris Teeter.
Let’s Take the Subway!
- Watch this video about the NYC Subway for Kids (watching the trains go by)
- Cast of Lion King Sings “Circle of Life” on Subway
- You can find great information for kids HERE about the Subway
- And you can't ride the Subway without a Subway Map
- Using the map as a guide, ask: "If I'm traveling from Times Square and I want to reach the World Trade Center as quickly as possible, which train should I ride? Why?" Repeat the question several times, changing the arrival and departure points each time.
HOW TO: Hail a Taxi
Activity: Kids stand at end of driveway and attempt to hail a cab as Mom drives minivan up and down street. They tried multiple ways including jumping up and down, screaming “pick us uppppp!” a few times before they realized that didn’t work. They finally took Dad’s advice to aggressively take a step forward (not into the street!) while putting their hand up. When I asked where they wanted to go, they didn’t hesitate a bit before saying the toy store 😊
Watch the video here:
Central Park
- Virtual Views with Audio Tour:
- Virtual Tour
- Sea Lion Feeding at Central Park Zoo
- Take a LOOOOOOOOONG walk around the neighborhood, play frisbee in the back yard, have a picnic lunch (hot dogs)
Visit the Statue of Liberty:
- Virtual Tour
- Kid-friendly Video about Statue of Liberty
- Family Guided Drawing of Lady Liberty
Yankee Stadium:
We biked to a local church’s empty baseball field and ran around the bases. My son played the pitcher and pitched imaginary balls while me, my husband and my daughter “hit” the ball from Homeplate. We also brought a football so we played a casual family game in the outfield, too. Of course, we sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
** ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY: Build Empire State Building/NYC Skyline with Legos
Broadway Theatre Experience:
The Shows Must Go On is a great resource for show tunes, backstage access and full performances from some of the best-loved musicals in history!
The Rockettes @ Radio City Music Hall:
- Christmas Spectacular Clip
- Learn some moves
- Also, they have Live Stream Dance and Fitness Classes every Tuesday and Thursday, at 12 pm EST!!
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA):
Considered by many to have the best collections of modern art, the MoMA holds masterpieces such as The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Picasso, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí and Claude Monet’s Water Lilies.
The MoMA is one of the largest museums of modernist and contemporary art and; therefore, it will take you at least two hours to see the whole museum (at a quick pace). If you don’t have enough time or if modern art isn’t what most interests you, then we recommend you visit at least the 4th and 5th floor, where you will find some of history’s most famous paintings.
The collection currently holds almost 200,000 works of art.
- Virtual Tour
- Art Project Ideas
- Slideshow of MOMA Artwork
- GIFT SHOP: (We let the kids pick something out from the online gift shop as a souvenir)
Metropolitan Museum of Art:
American Museum of Natural History:
DINOSAURS:
- FB Live Museum Dino Video
- Supplemental Dino Info
About Marisa Zeibert and KidzArt of South Charlotte
Marisa Zeibert is the owner of KidzArt of South Charlotte, a unique, drawing-based art enrichment program that emphasizes creativity, self-confidence and having fun. Weekly classes for grades K-5 are offered at various schools + community centers throughout Charlotte + Matthews, with no prior experience needed. She is the mother of two amazing kiddos and an incredibly talented artist and baker.
