kidding around at symphony space

There are many joys (and some frustrations) to raising kids in NYC, but the variety and abundance of cultural activities for children definitely falls into the first category. Just Kidding at Symphony Space is a perfect example, and we are just loving their event series this season.

photo credit: www.nycgo.com

The program, which takes place on Saturday mornings (from October to April), is a great way to kick off your weekend activities. Performances encompass everything from family-friendly music to puppetry, dance and theater. We've had the pleasure of seeing two shows recently -- Charlie Hope (such a beautiful voice & so great with the littles set!) and "Hatched", performed by The Treehouse Shakers.

The girls were completely enthralled with "Hatched," especially when the life-sized puppets came on stage and were available for petting and to help feed a bottle. Such a cute story about life on the farm, and so well-executed by the puppeteers and musicians on stage.

photo credit: Baby Meets City

Darren Critz, Director of Performing Arts Programs at Symphony Space, believes in keeping audiences surprised by what they'll see each week:

"I’m always looking to bring great stuff in from all around the country, and we really cover a lot of ground with our program. This year alone we have  artists from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington, Illinois, California, South Carolina, Louisiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and even Canada and the U.K. are represented. It’s great to be able to have artists who have made such big impacts in their own corners of the world share their amazing talent with us here in New York City."

A list of upcoming Just Kidding events can be found HERE, and you also have the option to order a subscription (which offers deep discounts) or become a family member for special rates and incentives.

Speaking of which, we are SUPER excited about the Elizabeth Mitchell concert coming up on December 14th. Joining her will be Natalie Merchant (my 1st cd purchase ever!) and it's sure to be a really special show. I thank Elizabeth Mitchell on an almost daily basis... it is so nice to listen to music with the girls that isn't Old McDonald. I'm excited about Elizabeth's new Christmas album, too (though I have a strict no-Christmas-music-until-after-Thanksgiving policy... them's da rules).

photo credit: www.parents.com

I encourage you to check out Just Kidding at Symphony Space -- a truly family-friendly cultural experience taking place on the Upper West Side.