Mid-Winter Break
👍 or 👎? Plus activities for your sanity.
I find myself a bit torn when it comes to extended school holidays, like this upcoming Mid-Winter break. On the one hand, our family gets to do something fun or relaxing or be somewhere different than where our routines normally place us. On the other hand, these one-week breaks pull us away from our own adult productivity, even if it’s a non-vacation and you’re technically still working. If you’re employed by a company, this may mean you’re less efficient, multi-tasking with children at home or managing a make-shift schedule that requires more effort to enforce. If you have your own business, it means you’re not hustling, getting shit done, building revenue. For me, I use productivity — as measured by number of tasks completed, content written, or what have you — as my own made-up metric for success.
But I think my chosen metric isn’t right. I have this ongoing tension between 1) defining myself as my work and 2) opting to be more present for and supportive of my child. If I change the metric to align better with the second — maybe it’s the number of hours of 1:1 time together or magical moments witnessed, like skiing her first blue trail — then the activities we do and the role I play on breaks would be very different.
In reality, I think my metric is some kind of weighted combination of both. But it’s an interesting exercise for recalibrating what’s most meaningful to me and how my activities should follow.
With that long side-note, I have some ideas on what kids can do this Mid-Winter Break in NYC!
Big LEGO Sets
Ava has liked LEGOs for awhile, and we’ve worked on a few small kits together. Now, she can more independently build sets for a meaningful length of time, without getting too easily frustrated. We recently got the LEGO Downtown Streetcar and Station, and it kept her mostly busy for the first half of the Superbowl, save for several hollers of “can somebody help me please?” and occasional mistakes I had to help her reverse and correct.
We love LEGOs. We have magna-tiles too, but it’s not quite the same, especially when they get to be about 4-5 years old. Maybe a little too simple?
There’s something about the way LEGOs are packaged, with mini-kits and instructions for each module. I think the milestone of completing a mini-kit gives my child a sense of accomplishment, and then makes her want to immediately open up the next one to complete it.
Also, here’s a chart that shows the pricing per piece by set. Jurassic Park and Minions are the most expensive followed by the Disney/Marvel/Star Wars franchises.
![r/dataisbeautiful - [OC] Average Price per Piece for Lego sets from 2021-2022](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4zmH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F395fcd21-f6ec-42cf-a73d-d2ca8a433080_640x362.png "r/dataisbeautiful - [OC] Average Price per Piece for Lego sets from 2021-2022")
Osmo is Back!
Osmo is a learning game that bridges digital with physical play. It uses a special reflector that attaches to an iPad. The system can then visually scan the physical space in front of the tablet, like drawings, numbers, or other game objects, and integrates them into the on-screen experience. My brother gifted us the Detective Agency and Monster apps when she was 3-4 years old, and she loved those. But then drama…
BYJU, the unicorn edtech startup that had acquired Osmo’s parent company a few years ago, went bankrupt in February 2024. (They were once valued at $22B but made a series of costly investments, like spending $3B on acquisitions and $40M to sponsor FIFA.) The website was down for a good nine months, and the games were totally useless during this time — accounts were inaccessible, so each time you played, you had to start all over.
THANKFULLY, the Osmo apps are now functioning again as they should, as of December 2024. We just bought the Pizza Co app for $50, where our daughter must manage a pizza shop: make pizza according what the customer orders, receive payment, give correct change, plus decide on things like reinvesting in decor and equipment. The longer you play, the faster the customers come and the larger the dollar amounts you must calculate.
Osmo also has coding, math, literacy and puzzle apps for ages 3-10, although there are a couple of apps for kids up to 12 years old. Note though that you should get a starter kit which includes the reflector attachment if you do not already have one, or you will not be able to use with your tablet.
For NYC Families
If you live in NYC, here are a few activities that I would take my daughter too:
Space Club: New Fort Greene Location
Space Club is an immersive playspace designed by CJ Hendry, a hyperrealist artist from Australia and mom to two kids. The first location opened up a couple of years ago in Greenpoint, where we had a playdate at over the holidays. It’s a very well designed space — minimalist, clean design and high quality materials.
In December, they opened up an even larger location in Fort Greene that is 36,000 sq ft. We will be checking it out in a couple of weeks with three other families.
Just not sure if they have wifi, which would make it perfect for parents to get a little work done while the little ones have free play in a safe space. Will find out!
Luna Luna at The Shed
Luna Luna is a long-lost 1980s art carnival that has been revived and is now on display at The Shed. Originally conceived by 32 artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, and Salvador Dalí, the carnival/art installation/music fest pop-up launched in the summer of 1987 in Hamburg Germany.
The exhibit was packed into 22 containers with plans for a global road show. Sadly though, the next 17 years were marked by contract disputes and ongoing litigation. Somehow, in 2007 the containers ended up in Texas of all places, and in 2022, rapper Drake and LiveNation co-funded ($100M) the revival of the carnival. Some pieces were damaged beyond restoration, but many were in very good condition or salvageable.
While you can no longer ride the rides, the exhibit is still an impressive collection of 17 pieces with interactive performances and good music alongside the works.
There was a Wedding Chapel that invited anyone to get married (a not-yet-legal act in the 1980s), a booty-shaking elephant that eats a carrot and then poops it out, and a play room with stackable foam art.
Tickets are $54 for adults and $25 for kids, but this President’s Day, kids are free!
Nuttin' But a Word at The New Victory Theater
I haven’t seen this specific show, but I’ve been to this theater many times. The productions are high-quality; the shows are typically an hour long and easier to manage with young children; and ticket prices are very reasonable.
"Nuttin' but a Word" is an electrifying dance performance by Rennie Harris' Puremovement American Street Dance Theater. The show celebrates hip-hop's roots while pushing the art form to new heights, featuring dynamic choreography that tells compelling stories through rhythm and movement.
Every show at The New Victory Theater offers:
Supports like fidgets, earplugs, assisted listening devices, wheelchairs and more.
Pre- and post-show activities, plus a chance to grab a photo with performers after many shows
A quiet Cozy Zone and a live feed of the performance with sensory sensitivities or anyone who needs a break from the theater.
Kids Week & Free Skate Lessons at Bryant Park
During Kids Week, Bryant Park transforms into a winter wonderland with free ice skating lessons taught by professionals, interactive performances, and engaging hands-on activities. Also on deck are arts and crafts, science experiments, and live entertainment:
Tuesday, February 18: Itty Bitty City
Children can build model skyscrapers, navigate a scooter board course, and meet NYPD Transit Bureau K-9 Unit dogs.
Wednesday, February 19: Stars and Space
Activities include building balloon rockets, creating galaxy-themed crafts, and participating in a solar system stroll led by an astronomer.
Thursday, February 20: Operation B.P.
Young participants can embark on a scavenger hunt throughout the park, gathering information about notable figures and landmarks.
Friday, February 21: That Summer Feeling
The final day features games with a giant parachute, hula hoops, hopscotch, and scooter board activities.
Morning ice skating sessions run from 9:30 a.m. to noon, accompanied by family-friendly music. Free 30-minute group skate lessons are available during this time, though skate rentals are not included. Most programs are designed for children aged 4 to 6, but all ages are welcome.
*Kids must be able to stand on their own on the ice for the free skate lesson
Family Festival at The MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is hosting the "Family Festival: Another World" from Feb 15 to 19m. Children of all ages can participate in artist-created environments, hands-on workshops, film screenings, and creative gallery activities. Highlights include "Deep Field" by Tin&Ed, where children can co-create a vibrant digital ecosystem, and "A Soft Place to Land" by Lexy Ho-Tai, an ever-changing squishy world made from upcycled textiles. Tickets are $35 for adults and $5 for children aged 2–17; children under 2 can attend for free. Each ticket provides a one-day pass with full access to the festival activities and museum exhibitions on the selected date.
Kids Week at The Intrepid
What child isnt’ in awe of The Intrepid? Even if it’s not Kids Week, it’s a cool place to visit. For Kids Week, there’s even more. Explore engaging NASA displays and exhibits, witness captivating live animal shows, participate in hands-on workshops, enjoy performances by special guests, including astronaut meet-and-greets, and experience interactive demonstrations designed to educate and ignite curiosity. Here are the daily themes
Feb 15-17 is NASA Day
Feb 18-19: Arts & Culture
Feb 20-22: Nature & STEM
Signing off for the break. Good luck mamas, you got this!
Jenn & Kim