‘Archaeology Zone: Discovering Treasures From Playgrounds to Palaces’

Children will step into the shoes of an explorer like Indiana Jones in this permanent exhibition at the Jewish Museum, but the adventures will be purely scholarly. Still, there is plenty of excitement in analyzing artifacts like a jar handle, a clay jug and a bangle and figuring out the purpose behind ancient pieces like a Greek helmet and a bull-shaped vessel. This interactive show, for ages 3 to 10, also includes a recreated room from the Ottoman period (about 1900), where young archaeologists can dress in costume. 

Piper Theater Summer Youth Performances

The charlatan Harold Hill, the rebellious mental patient Randle Patrick McMurphy and a host of other colorful characters are arriving in Brooklyn this weekend. They will be there courtesy of the Piper Theater, which is offering free performances by the 7- to 17-year-olds taking part in its summer youth programs. In addition to “The Music Man Jr.” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” the young participants are presenting works that include student films, an adaptation of a Romanian fairy tale and “The Immigration Project,” which they developed from the real stories of immigrant New Yorkers.

Piper Theater Summer Youth Performances

The charlatan Harold Hill, the rebellious mental patient Randle Patrick McMurphy and a host of other colorful characters are arriving in Brooklyn this weekend. They will be there courtesy of the Piper Theater, which is offering free performances by the 7- to 17-year-olds taking part in its summer youth programs. In addition to “The Music Man Jr.” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” the young participants are presenting works that include student films, an adaptation of a Romanian fairy tale and “The Immigration Project,” which they developed from the real stories of immigrant New Yorkers.

‘News to Me’

Current events aren’t often something to sing about. But the incidents that make headlines are also helping to make music in this revue, a production by and for teenagers. The performers are the students taking part in Prospect Theater Company’s Summer Intensive Program, and the writers are company alumni. Each creative contributor was asked to write a song based on a recent news article.

Camp Kids ‘N Comedy Graduation Shows

The children who attend this summer camp haven’t been busy paddling canoes and hiking trails; they’ve been studying stand-up with professional New York comics and experienced teenage mentors from the Kids ‘N Comedy regular shows. Now the organization is opening its final camp performances to the public, in which participants ages 10 through 17 present their own routines. Profanity and vulgarity are not allowed, but cutting-edge humor is expected.

Children’s Potions & Planting Tea Parties

If children haven’t received their invitations yet to study at Hogwarts, this may be the next-best thing. Gallow Green, the rooftop restaurant at the McKittrick Hotel, is reviving this series, welcoming children ages 6 through 11 to learn all about herbal potions and plantings and to pot some greenery to take home. An English tea — with pink lemonade for young guests — will be served, and each participant may bring a favorite stuffed animal or doll. (Each adult attending must be accompanied by at least one and no more than three children; each child should bring a recyclable bottle for concoctions.)

Prospect Park Audubon Center Nature Programs

Spring is blooming all over, and so are related activities sponsored by the Prospect Park Audubon Center, which has expanded its open hours; it has also increased its Pop-Up Audubon programs, weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., to include two tents with themed nature investigations in different parts of the park. At the Eastwood tent, whose April theme is “Leaf Litter Critters,” children can learn about soil, fungus and decomposition; at the Peninsula tent, whose theme is “Animal Clues,” they can explore the lives of indigenous creatures. Both tents feature nature walks, bird-watching and opportunities to help the environment. At the Audubon Center itself, the fun includes nature games, bird identification and, on Thursdays and Fridays, an animal encounter. Another new feature: discovery packs, kits for self-guided exploration with activities like playing habitat bingo and designing a home for one of the park’s wild residents.

Sunset Eco-Cruises to the Harbor Heron Islands

Herons, egrets and ibises are New Yorkers, too, and about 3,000 reside on the islands around the city harbor. This series of Sunday cruises from New York City Audubon visits the birds’ lairs and provides binoculars for close-up viewing. Gabriel Willow, a naturalist and storyteller, narrates the adventures, conducted via New York Water Taxi. This weekend’s trip heads to Hoffman and Swinburne Islands, where you can expect to see black-crowned night herons, glossy ibises, double-crested cormorants and other species.

‘No Longer Bored Family Day: Building Our Future’

It seems fitting that an event called “No Longer Bored” would be presented by an organization called No Longer Empty. That group, an arts nonprofit, is dedicated to using art to repurpose and revitalize underused spaces. Its site this time is the Old Bronx Courthouse, a Beaux-Arts landmark that has been closed for 37 years. At this free family workshop, presented with the Fine Arts Federation of New York, children (the ideal age is 5 and older) will be invited to explore the contemporary-art exhibition that No Longer Empty has installed in the building through Sunday. Titled “When You Cut Into the Present, the Future Leaks Out,”  the show reflects on the landmark’s significance over time. Children will be encouraged to do the same through activities like scavenger hunts, storytelling, block play and art projects that imagine new roles for the courthouse.

Pier 2 Family Field Day Celebrating Accessibility

On so many occasions, outdoor fun seems suited only to the able-bodied. This special Field Day in Brooklyn Bridge Park is open to all children, regardless of abilities. The free activities will include sports and games for the blind, the autistic, and those who use wheelchairs or have other disabilities. The offerings will include fitness classes, ball pits, oversize blocks, obstacle courses and bicycle rides geared to the visually impaired.

‘Fantastic French Horn With the Cleveland Orchestra’

The French horn was Richard Strauss’s favorite instrument, and it might also become that of the young listeners who attend this introduction at Lincoln Center. Part of the LC Kids program, and held in conjunction with the Cleveland Orchestra’s concert performance of Strauss’s opera “Daphne” at the Lincoln Center Festival, this event features a 30-minute horn performance by Hans Clebsch of the ensemble. Afterward, children — the recommended age is at least 6 — can try out not just the French horn, but string, woodwind and other brass instruments, too.

‘LC Kids Dance!’

The “Mad Hot Ballroom” tradition continues in Lincoln Center’s own mad, hot ballroom without walls, otherwise known as Damrosch Park. In this free children’s program at Midsummer Night Swing, Rodney Lopez, a teacher from Dancing Classrooms, the organization featured in the 2005 “Mad Hot Ballroom” documentary about bringing dance lessons to public schools, will teach young people the basics of styles like ballroom, tango, salsa, meringue and swing.

Pier Kids: Play Date

Who says punk rockers can’t be wholesome? Greg Attonito, lead vocalist of the punk band Bouncing Souls, has a side project doing children’s music with his wife, the singer and songwriter Shanti Wintergate. Together they make up Play Date, a high-energy duo about to release a new album, “We All Shine.” They will visit Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend as part of the free series Pier Kids, which also includes art activities and a pop-up reading room.

‘The Hunger Games: The Exhibition’

What enterprising 12- or 13-year-old wouldn’t like to foment a little rebellion? Such a visitor can do so vicariously at this new attraction, stepping into the role of Katniss Everdeen, the teenage heroine of “The Hunger Games” and the ultimate leader of the resistance against her nation’s totalitarian government. Based on the Lionsgate film adaptations of Suzanne Collins’s novels, the show includes costumes and artifacts from the movies, as well as re-creations of Katniss’s journey and interactive, role-playing elements like a gamesmaker’s table and a chance to learn and practice stunt choreography.

‘Soar With Reading’

Shark Week comes annually to television, but at the New York Aquarium, it’s pretty much Shark Week year round. These creatures are getting top billing at this event, presented by the aquarium and Jet Blue Airways to promote reading. At 3 and 4:30 p.m., during sea lion shows in the Aquatheater, Mary Pope Osborne will read from “Shadow of the Shark,” the latest book in her “The Magic Treehouse” series; she’ll also stamp copies for young fans at 4. (Books will be given out after the readings, while supplies last.) Young actors costumed as the books’ heroes, Jack and Annie, will visit as well. Other activities will include chatting about sharks with aquarium educators, making marine-themed crafts and visiting tables displaying shark artifacts, like teeth.

‘Princess Phooey’

What if Sleeping Beauty’s court were a lot like middle school — with the beauty as one of the mean girls? That’s the clever conceit of this musical by Lisa Diana Shapiro and Eric Rockwell, which Tada! Youth Theater has wisely decided to revive. The title character is actually Princess Ermengarde, the younger sister of the royal who has just awakened from a century of sleep. Ermengarde doesn’t care for satin gowns, glittery jewels or princes (charming or otherwise), and doesn’t fit in at all. But if this production is even half as good as the 2008 original, the audience will be rooting for her.

Family Art Project: ‘Friendly Vegetables and Microbes’

Vegetables are as cool to examine as they are to eat. That’s the message behind this program at Wave Hill, the public garden in the Bronx. Working with the visiting sculptor S.E. Nash, children will visit edible plants on the grounds, then use a microscope to look at the interior structures of fresh and fermented vegetables. The investigation ends with using these inspirations to make a mixed-media collage with burlap, cardboard and recycled materials.

Sunset Eco-Cruises to the Harbor Heron Islands

Herons, egrets and ibises are New Yorkers, too, and about 3,000 reside on the islands around the city harbor. This series of Sunday cruises from New York City Audubon visits the birds’ lairs and provides binoculars for close-up viewing. Gabriel Willow, a naturalist and storyteller, narrates the adventures, conducted via New York Water Taxi. This weekend’s edition heads to the Brother Islands, where you can expect to see black-crowned night herons, double-crested cormorants, egret colonies and much more.

‘A Taste of Magic’

Would you like a side of sleight of hand with that burger? This show, developed by Magnets, a collective of local magicians, brings wizardry to the dinner table. Taking place at various restaurants, the presentation includes acts like mind reading and card tricks, which professionals perform close-up for guests in between courses; there’s also a cabaret-style show. And the admission price includes a full meal.

‘A Voyage Through Jewish History’

This journey involves not just miles, but years. In this permanent interactive exhibition at the Jewish Children’s Museum, young visitors can travel from Abraham and Sarah’s tent to the Western Wall in contemporary Jerusalem and beyond. Activities along the way include giving water to Rebecca’s camels, playing the strings on David’s harp (a high-tech version with beams of light that emit sounds when struck) and taking part in the exodus from Egypt. The museum has also begun “Summer Safety 3,” an installation through Sept. 3 that uses a special course to teach children how to avoid pedestrian dangers.

‘Pattern Wizardry’

You don’t have to enroll at Hogwarts to experience the fun of being a sorcerer’s apprentice. These days the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is providing the flowing capes and lots of instruction. Best of all, the magic is real. It’s at “Pattern Wizardry,” an exhibition that teaches that the complex universe isn’t really random. The world is based on patterns, and the show invites children to investigate examples from nature, science, culture and art.

‘Eagle as Icon’

Children can fly like an eagle, or at least pretend that they do, in this free Fourth of July celebration at the Audubon Center in Prospect Park. This program explores the bird’s role as an American symbol, while crafts projects will allow children to get into the aviary (and patriotic) spirit. Other afternoon activities include “Nature’s Helpers,” at 2 p.m., which will teach how trees depend on one another and will involve spreading wood chips around them; “Nature on the Go,” at 3 p.m., a walk near the center to discover flora and fauna and a chance to take part in a science project; and “Animal Encounter,” at 4 p.m., in which children will learn about the creatures in the center’s collection and help feed them.

‘Happy Birthday, Frida Kahlo!’

The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-54) was devoted to an art form that also appeals to many young people: the self-portrait. In this program at the Children’s Museum of the Arts, which honors Kahlo’s birthday (July 6), visitors will explore her work while creating their own. They can make  self-portraits in the Fine Arts Studio or in a special photo booth; turn elements of Kahlo’s paintings into sculptures at the museum’s Clay Bar; and remix Mexican music or record diary entries inspired by her in the Sound Booth.

‘Summer Dance!’

Hoops are powerful symbols in Native American culture, signifying unity and regeneration. In these free interactive performances at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Ty Defoe, of the Oneida and Ojibwe nations, will dance with four hoops of different colors, representing human diversity as well as the four seasons and four points of the compass. The hoop dance presentations will include storytelling and discussion.

Independence Day Weekend at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan

The founding fathers put their vision of what the country should be on paper, and this weekend, children will be doing the same on cloth. At 2, 3 and 4 p.m., visitors 5 and older at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan are invited to contribute to the American Dream Quilt, a continuing project. Each participant will write or draw a hope for the future on an individual fabric square. (Sign-up is required.) Younger museumgoers can take part in drop-in workshops to create a fireworks mural, using red, white and blue paint mixed with glitter. (The schedule is on the website.) And on Sunday only, from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m., the Super Sprowtz, vegetable characters that try to dance their way into children’s hearts (and stomachs), will give performances about nutritious eating and good health.

‘Jack & the Beanstalk’

All kinds of greenery are sprouting at this time of year, and onstage that  includes more than one beanstalk. While the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater is doing its production in Manhattan, Puppetworks in Brooklyn is offering this version of the fairy tale, adapted by Nicolas Coppola, the company’s artistic director. It includes hand-carved marionettes, a score based on old British folk melodies, a black-light sequence with dancing beans and another giant of appropriate scale: an adult actor.

Fourth of July Celebration

Children can discover the meaning of Independence Day in this program at the New-York Historical Society, but first they’re going to have to look for it. The main event will be a scavenger hunt that will send them through the galleries seeking a fragment from King George III’s statue, a model of George Washington’s New York City home and other symbols of the Revolutionary period. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Hudson River Ramblers — the storytellers Jonathan Kruk and Rich Bala — will be back with music and narratives of the past, including the tale of the girl who outrode Paul Revere. From noon to 4 p.m., young visitors can enjoy a particularly sweet program: “The History of Ice Cream, ” in which they’ll make the dessert with old-style recipes and equipment.

Pier Kids:Jacqueline Schmidt

Winnie-the-Pooh and Paddington are memorable storybook bears, and now there’s Patchwork, the hero of “Patchwork Helps a Friend,” a tale for ages 3 through 7 written by Gail Greiner and illustrated by Jacqueline Schmidt (powerHouse Books). Ms. Schmidt will be the guest this weekend at Pier Kids, a free series at Brooklyn Bridge Park that combines entertainment and art making. She’ll help children unleash their imaginations; the organization Private Picassos will lead the art activities at the event, which also includes a pop-up reading room.