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AccessibilitySchool Break: Spring Recess
New York City schools are out but there are plenty of fun and educational activities for kids at NYC Parks! From birding to games to lessons about wildlife, there are tons of great ways to keep young students amused and informed over the break.
Our Urban Park Rangers will transform our parks into natural classrooms with free nature-related programs for kids.
Discover fun ways kids can learn about wildlife from home through fun games and trivia by our Wildlife Team!
Kids can play, learn, and create at our rec centers citywide. Memberships for kids, teens, and young adults under 25 are free!
School Break: Spring Recess Events
Monday, February 16, 2026
Kids Week: Kindness Rocks!!
at Blue Heron Nature Center (in Blue Heron Park), Staten Island 
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers as we learn more about local geology while we participate in the Kindness Rocks Project.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Gather Around the Campfire
at Chapin Parkway and 85th Avenue (in Captain Tilly Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers and hear tales of NYC’s urban wildlife while enjoying the warmth of a campfire.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Meet the Critters
at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
From stick bugs to snakes, meet the animals that call the center their home.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Nature Puppet Show
at Crotona Nature Center (in Crotona Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
The Urban Park Rangers welcome you for some nature themed puppet shows! Learn more about animals that can be found in our local parks.
Free!
Kids
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Kids Week: Year of the Horse...Of Course
at Ocean Breeze Pier, Seaview Avenue and Father Capodanno Boulevard (in Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers and Parks Enforcement Patrol Mounted Unit as they celebrate Lunar New Year. It is the year of the horse.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Campfire Story Time
at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers for a cozy campfire and story telling session. Rangers will read books and use puppets paired with visual props.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Nature Detective Mystery Adventure
at Central Lawn (in Sunset Park), Brooklyn
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Learn the basics of animal tracking and lend the Urban Park Rangers a paw in solving some critter crime scenes! Can you find the culprit?
Free!
Kids Week: Winter Birding for Kids
at West 90th Street and Central Park West (in Central Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Bird watching can be fun, especially during the winter season. Learn all about different ways to identify birds in our parks.
Free!
Kids
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Kids Week: Build a Nature Birdfeeder
at Bowling Green Cottage (in Parade Ground), Brooklyn
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Learn about winter birds in your neighborhood and what they like to eat. Build your very own bird feeder from recycled materials.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Knot Tying
at Crotona Nature Center (in Crotona Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join us in a workshop on a few key knots and learn to make and take home your own handmade paracord bracelet that is as fashionable as it is functional.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Wigwam Gathering and Campfire
at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Explore and enter our recently restored Lenape wigwam and enjoy an afternoon by a warm campfire. Learn how to use a bow drill and other methods to start a fire.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Winter Wonderland Bingo
at Prospect Avenue and Brentwood Avenue (in Allison Pond Park), Staten Island
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers as we search to fill our bingo cards with sights and sounds of the season! We will use our senses to explore the local flora and fauna.
Free!
Kids
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Kids Week: Ranger Games
at Forest Avenue and Silver Lake Park Road (in Silver Lake Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Spend an afternoon of fun with the Urban Park Rangers playing and learning new and exciting nature games.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Eco Improv
at Multi-Use Room A (in Red Hook Recreation Center), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Create creature characters and acting out ecosystem and habitat interactions
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Nature Exploration for Kids
at Entrance - West 100 Street and Central Park West (in Central Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Learn all the nature that surrounds us on this walk through Central Park.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Nature Scavenger Hunt
at Pelham Bay Nature Center (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a fun nature scavenger hunt!
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Nature Scavenger Hunt
at Fort Totten Park Visitors Center (in Fort Totten Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a fun nature scavenger hunt!
Free!
Kids
Friday, February 20, 2026
Kids Week: Hibernation Staycation
at Fort Greene Park Visitor Center (in Fort Greene Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Animals are going to sleep for the winter--- gather around the fire and hear their stories. Where do they go? How do they stay warm? Bring your curiosity and find out
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Nature Sketching
at Outdoors at Faber Park Recreation Center (in Faber Park Recreation Center), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Find your artistic inspiration with the Rangers as we delve into the sights and sounds of nature!Join us for a stroll around the park, stopping along the way to sketch what speaks to us
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Shelter Building
at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Rangers will teach you different methods of shelter building using natural materials.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Urban Wildlife
at Lawn Area (in Gorman Playground), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
With programs led by our Urban Park Rangers, kids will get to experience nature in a hands-on and fun way. Learn about the diverse wildlife found in New York City’s parks.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Winter Nature Crafts
at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Let the winter season inspire you as we create crafts from things found in nature.
Free!
Kids
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Metaverse Scavenger Hunt
at Playground (in Bloomingdale Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers for a nature scavenger hunt inspired by the popular mobile game application "Pokemon Go". See how many of these can be found where the metaverse meets nature
Free!
Kids
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