5 Fun Family Arts Activities for Winter Break
When the kids are home from school for Winter Break things can get a little stir-crazy, so it’s always good to have plans prepared for when they need an excursion to get out of the house.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is coming to the White Plains Performing Arts Center for its winter season. Follow the story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town taken captive by the Beast, who is a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated film, this musical will include sing-along favorites like “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Children in the audience will learn to value the beauty that is within them and their neighbors rather than physical and exterior characteristics.
Wrapped in their signature paper and cardboard costumes and sets, The Paper Bag Players return to the Emelin Theatre. This family-friendly hour of entertainment, which is celebrating their 60th anniversary, is brimming with lively music and dance, raucous audience participation, larger-than-life characters, sing-along songs and hilarious stories.
Drop into the Learning Center at the Katonah Museum of Art on school vacation days to enjoy unique artist-led projects. Inspired by the extraordinary jewelry on view in the Museum’s current exhibition, Outrageous Ornament: Extreme Jewelry in the 21st Century, each workshop explores design, decoration and wearable art. With programs like Bedazzle Mania, Down to Earth Jewelry and Upcycled Body Ornaments, kids engage in a unique method of artistic creation that they get to bring home with them.
During the holiday week, students on school break are invited to take part in a variety of complimentary programs with admission at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers. While kids participate in an assortment of art and science workshops, gallery activities and face painting sessions, parents can explore the museum’s selection of ongoing exhibitions. There will also be tours of Glenview (the Museum’s historic Gilded Age home), demonstrations in Hudson Riverama (a hands-on, interactive teaching gallery) and free planetarium shows.
Jim McClenahan provides family entertainment with a unique magical twist, bringing fun and side-splitting laughter with high levels of energy and excitement. Each performance induces giggles from children and adults all from McClenahan’s wacky antics and zany comedy. The show will be held in the Ossie Davis Theater in the New Rochelle Public Library and is free on a first-come, first-serve basis.
William Bermingham, a student at Purchase College, is studying Arts Management. He is currently interning at ArtsWestchster and helps out in the Communications Department.
