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Black History Month encourages us to consider the many achievements of African-Americans throughout history. The commemoration dates back to a week-long event pioneered by scholar Carter G. Woodson, which transformed into a month-long celebration in 1970. If you feel comfortable wearing a mask, we encourage you to check out the Brooklyn Children Museum’s Black Future Festival this weekend. Otherwise, there are plenty of convenient and unique ways to dive into cultural history online, without leaving your home.

Black History Month at the New York Public Library (NYPL)

NYPL offers a treasure trove of Black History Month activities for families, including:

Picture Books Reading List – Request a physical copy or e-book, or access online instantly, using Digital Books or Bookshare accounts. Featured books cover famous personalities like Martin Luther King Jr and Duke Ellington, but also everyday experiences like running a bookstore, coping with the grief of loss, and working cotton fields as a young child in California.
Be sure to check out the Schomberg Center’s curated list of “Black Liberation List for Young Readers,”accommodating physical copy requests and free checkout of e-books on Overdrive.
Watch NYPL Story Time – Librarians read their favorite books featuring black characters or written by African-American authors about the black experience. Stories include “Sulwe,” “Black Girl Magic,” and “My Rainy Day Rocket Ship.”
Black History Month Kids Events – Every day features different virtual events, from a chat and draw for ages 8-12 with black cartoonists and Black History Month Jeopardy, to read-aloud craft-alongs and book discussions.

Poe Park Visitor Center’s Black History Month Exposition

Poe Park Visitor Center is a community hub of art, literature, fitness, and community events in the Bronx. All exhibits have been moved online this year due to the ongoing pandemic:

Documentary photography: Michael Young; Trevon Blondet.
Mixed-media: Terrenceo Hammonds; Betty J. Murray; Gloria Zapata; Gregorio Velez.
Paintings: James Deliard; Josipa Kecman.
Wood prints: Joan Barnes.
Digital collage: Patrice J. Payne.

The New Museum’s Jordan Casteel Exhibit, “Within Reach”

Painter Jordan Casteel seeks to tell the stories of the overlooked people of color who bring the city to life, from Harlem street musicians and a little boy on a lap, to art students at Rutgers University and merch sellers. The virtual tour features 40 colorful, oversized portraits.

New York Botanical Garden’s Black History Month at Home

You’ll be missing the sweet smells of the blooms this year, but you can expect the same high-quality, family-friendly programming, such as:

A welcome message from NY State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey.
A performance, “Let Us Pull Together,” by the Harambee Dance Company.
A “Tree Time” read-aloud, education segment, and activity for children ages 4-8.

National Portrait Gallery’s Portraits of African-Americans

This comprehensive collection of famous faces is a national treasure, featuring brief bios and photographs, sketches, and paintings of everyone from Frederick Douglas and Jackie Robinson, to Shirley Chisholm and former President Barack Obama.

View the portraits on Google Arts & Culture.
Take a Black History Month virtual field trip at US museums on Google Arts & Culture.

National Museum of African-American History & Culture’s Joyful Fridays

Though the NMAAHC is closed during the pandemic, they’re offering webinar-style Zoom classes featuring literature, discussion, and art, geared toward kids ages 4-8, taking inspiration from the Joyful ABC Activity Book series. On the 26^th, they’ll be creating protest word paintings. Past activities include hat-making, portrait art, and sculpting from recycled materials.

Register for the live class, Fridays 11-11:45 – it’s free.
OR collect your resources and watch the videos on-demand.

We celebrate Black History Month as part of embracing a multicultural world and an important step in raising children who are wiser and kinder. If you liked this list, be sure to check out Shine’s “How To Raise a Culturally Sensitive Kid.” You will find a diverse and inclusive atmosphere at any of our upcoming classes, camps, parties, and workshops. We are open and operating under all the CDC and local COVID-19 protocols.

What Is Cardiorespiratory Fitness?

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) refers to the circulatory and respiratory systems’ ability to supply oxygen to muscles during sustained physical activity. Kids with optimal cardiorespiratory fitness have healthier heart and blood vessels, perform better in school, thin more clearly, and enjoy higher levels of self-worth and overall life satisfaction. Further, good CRF reduces the risk of lung cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The best way to measure CRF is with a cardiopulmonary exercise test on a treadmill. While most pediatricians do not test for cardiorespiratory fitness, there are ways to promote cardiorespiratory fitness if you’re unsure where your child stands.

5 Best Activities for Your Child’s Heart Health

The “best activity” is tailored to your child’s interests, but here are a few options:

Running and Power Walking – Getting outside as a family, setting goals, and jogging together is the best way to encourage your child to pick up the sport. Relay races can be fun, especially if you have the “leader” call out the type of movement – whether it’s running, galloping, skipping, or jumping. You can also work in shorter bursts of running throughout the day with Level Up, Sonic the Hedgehog, or video game workouts on YouTube.

Swimming – Normally, the NYC Parks Department runs a lotto in early March for free swimming lesson sessions and hosts plenty of venues for swimming outdoors all summer long. COVID-19 concerns have put the squeeze on these programs for now, but you can still swim at Roosevelt Island FREE of charge on a first-come first-served basis, and also at paid lesson sites like Imagine Swimming!, Aqua Skills, and Physique Swimming.

Dancing – It doesn’t take anything more than the right music to throw a family dance party. Try this kid-friendly dance party playlist if you need the inspiration. The Just Dance video game is a blast if you own a Nintendo Switch, Wii, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or Xbox 360. There are plenty of places to find free virtual dance classes, too – ABTots, and the National Dance Institute, to name a few.

Jumping Rope – Once you’ve purchased a jump rope, it will take some time for your child to build their skills and learn the basic technique. In no time, your child will be learning jump rope songs and trying out Double Dutch. After a while, older kids can test their abilities with the Star Wars Jump Rope Challenge and learn a few tricks to impress their friends.

High Intensity Sports like Basketball & Soccer – It doesn’t cost much to pick up a soccer ball or basketball and play with your child. If you prefer formal instruction and group activities, kids as young as 3 can join the Dribbl program or Chelsea Piers’ youth basketball. NYC Basketball Kids also offers summer and holiday break camps for kids 5 and up. Soccer Shots is an amazing program that teaches kids traditional values like self-esteem and respect, while combining basic soccer skills and fun imaginative games for kids as young as two. The City Parks Foundation also has a free summer program if you’d like to test out the waters to see if soccer is something your child would like.

Shine NYC would like to wish you and your family a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Here are a few crafting projects and DIY valentine recommendations to enjoy after all that physical activity. Check out these picture books if you’re staying in, or consider going out to one of the children’s museums.

Virtual Exhibits for Black History Month