Preparing for Your Kid’s Costume Party

Kids love to be in costumes, even though they probably would not tell you that. Dressing up is just exciting for them. Wearing tutus, feather boas, and superman or giraffe costumes just makes them feel happy. They like being looked and cheered at. There are several occasions in which wearing special costumes are appropriate. Examples are birthday and Halloween parties. Costume parties should come with a theme. You don’t just organize a costume party without making some rules.

1. Ask your child who he or she wants to invite to the party. Before sending out invitations, make sure your child knows who you will be inviting. He or she would probably just want to invite their friends and not the kids that they don’t know or haven’t played with before. You can either do the sending of the invitations or you can let your child hand them to friends or classmates.

If your child doesn’t want to invite anyone to the party, ask him or her why.

2. Inform kids that it is a costume party. When you write invitations, include what kind of party you are having. If you want them to wear specific costumes, inform them. If you want to have a certain theme in your party, mention that in the invitation.

3. Send invitations in advance. Send them a few months ahead, around 1 or 2 months before, so that your guests will have plenty of time to prepare for their costumes. Every kid wants to look great in costume parties. So make sure you give their parents enough time to make preparations. Costumes can either be bought or sewn.

4. Have a theme. Children’s parties do have themes. The theme binds the occasion and directs the flow of events.

Of course, kids are oblivious to these details, because they will just have fun. But you, as a parent and organizer, should make sure that things are set. How the party runs depends on the theme, which depends on the gender of your child. Girls may have a Barbie or fairytale theme, while boys may have superhero ones.

5. Plan the games. What kind of games should be included in the party? You could search online or purchase books regarding children’s games for resources. Kids love games because obviously, they are fun. Kids want to jump, run around, and move a lot. Hardly any children’s party involves kids just sitting by the tables and doing nothing. If you are having games, make sure you have prizes. Kids expect prizes when they win, and prizes are their motivation to participate in the other games.

6. Tell parents you will have a “best costume” contest. This will add more interest and excitement to the party. Any kid will want to win, so he or she will want to look their best and by informing their parents on the contest, they can prepare their children ahead of time for it with hopes of winning.
During the party, parents should be there to watch over their kids and not to interfere too much on the fun that they’re having unless it’s time to go home. Kids want to be left on their own most of the time. If parents get in the way frequently, they could spoil the party for their children and may even upset them. Let your kids have fun. Supervise the turn of events. Make sure no one gets hurt when they are having fun.

Princess Event Provides Dress Ups for all Children Attending

Little Dress Up Parties to host “Brunch with Rapunzel” on March 24th. All of the children attending will choose a dress up costume to be provided for them for the duration of the event. “Our events are all about giving children the experience rather than just observing an appearance,” said company co-owner Lindsay Bills, “We want them to not just watch a princess, but BE a princess.” 

Little Dress Up Parties serves families, businesses and communities throughout Utah and Salt Lake Counties. They have selected Millennial Falls in Draper to host “Brunch with Rapunzel” on March 24th. All of the children attending will choose a dress up costume to be provided for them for the duration of the event.
“Our events are all about giving children the experience rather than just observing an appearance,” said company co-owner Lindsay Bills, “We want them to not just watch a princess, but BE a princess.” For “Brunch with Rapunzel”, Little Dress Up Parties has allowed for each child to reserve a princess gown, prince costume, or dragon costume of their choice upon purchasing tickets. These will be ready at the event for the children to don in the royal dressing room.
Along with Rapunzel, several of her princess friends will be in attendance to engage the families and play with the children. A number of local professionals and companies including Paul Mitchell Schools will also be participating in the event to provide hair up-dos, photography, and crafts which are all included in the purchase price.
Families attending “Brunch with Rapunzel” will welcome an event where each child is provided everything necessary to make a memory that will last forever after. To reserve tickets and costumes, parents should visit http://www.BrunchWithRapunzel.com or call 1-800-928-9412.

 

100 Costume Dresses For Children

More than a hundred dresses recently took center stage in New York, paraded down the runways for Fashion Week. But however striking those designs might have been, they couldn’t have the resonant power of those now evoked on a real Manhattan stage. 

At the Peter Norton Space, Atlantic for Kids, part of the Atlantic Theater Company, has opened “The Hundred Dresses,” an adaptation of Eleanor Estes’s novel of the same title. Published in 1944, the book is in some ways a period piece. What school today would countenance an art contest stipulating that girls draw dresses and boys motorboats? But Estes’s work has remained in print for a reason: Some things don’t change with the times. 

The musical, like the book, centers on Maddie (Stephanie Hsu), an insecure grade-school girl who orbits the class favorite, Peggy (Jeanna Phillips), like one of Jupiter’s lesser moons. Wanda Petronski (Rebecca Schoffer, above at right, with Ms. Hsu), a new classmate who recently immigrated from Poland, impulsively tells the girls that she has a hundred beautiful dresses at home. Contemptuous of Wanda and her obvious lie — Wanda wears just one faded outfit every day — Peggy enlists Maddie in “the dresses game.” They wait for Wanda before and after school, when Peggy interrogates Wanda sarcastically about her wardrobe.

Bullies in skirts aren’t news, but the story’s freshness lies in its focus on Maddie, who can’t find the courage to halt the cruelty. I won’t reveal the plot twist, except to say that Wanda’s assertion has a glimmer of truth.

Written by G. Riley Mills (book) and Ralph Covert (music and lyrics), “The Hundred Dresses” offers comedy too. Mr. Mills has expanded the roles of two minor male characters in the novel, making them humorous foils. In a scene at a school pageant David Bernstein and Kim Fischer, as the boys, hilariously perform an excerpt from “A Christmas Carol.” 

Alison Beatty, the director and choreographer, has made the most of her talented actors, who have the pleasure of singing the score by Mr. Covert, best known to children for his band Ralph’s World. No two numbers sound alike, whether they’re poignant ballads or rollicking pop. During one, when Maddie is comforted with “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she responds with a lyric that’s simple but devastating: “I didn’t do anything right.”

(Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 a.m., through March 11, at 555 West 42nd Street, Clinton, 212-279-4200, atlantictheater.org; $20; $10 for 12 and under.) LAUREL GRAEBER

For Children

 

‘The African Drum’ (Tuesday through Thursday) Shadow Box Theater’s multimedia presentation of traditional African tales features characters that include a talking leopard, a wise loon and a turtle who is just as resourceful as the hero of ’‘The Tortoise and the Hare.” All are shadow puppets, manipulated behind a lighted screen so that the colorful animals appear to be frolicking in the grasslands, along with Kijana, the young heroine. (Through March 8 at various sites.) Tuesday and Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.; Thursday at 10 and 11:30 a.m.; P.S. 3, the Bedford Village School, 50 Jefferson Avenue, between Bedford and Franklin Avenues, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn (entrance at the back of the school, on Hancock Street)., (212) 724-0677, shadowboxtheatre.org; $10 in advance; $15 at the door; $7.50 for groups. 

‘Alice in Wonderland’ (Saturday and Sunday) Literally Alive Theater, which adapts books into children’s productions, has followed the White Rabbit to Greenwich Village, where it’s mounting a new musical based on Alice’s adventures. Written by Michael Sgouros and Brenda Bell, the show is preceded by a workshop in which young theatergoers learn about Lewis Carroll’s work and make a story-related craft to take home. (Through May 20.) Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Sundays at 11 a.m.; workshop one hour before the performance. Players Theater, 115 Macdougal Street, at Minetta Lane, (212) 352-3101, aliceinthevillage.com; $25 to $40. 

‘The Amazing Max and the Box of Interesting Things’ (Saturday) Max Darwin, a k a the Amazing Max, promises not only interesting things, but also some interesting phenomena: levitation, strange appearances and disappearances, props that seem to move on their own. They’re part of this 50-minute magic performance, which includes audience participation and has been extended through June 30. At 4:30 p.m., Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street, (212) 239-6200, theamazingmax.com; $29.50 and $49.50.

‘Angelina Ballerina the Musical’ (Saturday and Sunday) That winsome white mouse who does all her scurrying in toeshoes has returned to the McGinn/Cazale Theater. Vital Theater Company’s musical adaptation draws on the books by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig and the PBS series “Angelina Ballerina the Next Steps.” The show, by Susan DiLallo and Ben Morss, features Angelina and her fellow students doing modern dance, the Irish jig and hip-hop, as well as ballet. (Through April 22.) At 3:30 p.m., 2162 Broadway, at 76th Street, fourth floor, (212) 579-0528, vitaltheatre.org; $29.50; $49.50 for premium tickets; $25 lap seats for children under 1 available at the box office on the day of performance only. 

‘Archaeology Zone: Discovering Treasures From Playgrounds to Palaces’ (Friday; Sunday through Tuesday; and Thursday) 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. From 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; until 8 p.m. on Thursdays; until 4 p.m. on Fridays; 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, (212) 423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org; free with admission: $12; $10 for 65+; $7.50 for students; free for under 12 and members. 

Baby Got Bach (Sunday) The pianist Orli Shaham, a mother of twins, draws on her musical and her maternal talents as host and artistic director of this concert series at Le Poisson Rouge, intended to introduce children 3 to 6 to live chamber performances. One big draw: little ones won’t just hear instruments played; they will also play with them during a preshow exploration. This concert, “String ’Stravaganza,” features Ms. Shaham and others playing animal-themed pieces, including Bruce Adolphe’s “Farmony” and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” (in costume). At 11 a.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 505-3474, babygotbach.org; $20; $60 for a family (two adults and up to two children).

Backstage Tours at ‘The Fantasticks’ (Monday through Wednesday, and Friday through Sunday) The producers of “The Fantasticks” think it’s time to introduce the next generation of theatergoers to their show, the longest-running musical in the world. They have initiated a program for young audiences that will take them behind the scenes after performances, where they can tour the backstage area, meet cast members (Aaron Carter has returned to his starring role), learn how the show is put on and take pictures. And, of course, have their first experience with Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s fable about love. Performances are Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Wednesday at 2 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 3 and 7:30 p.m.; Jerry Orbach Theater, Snapple Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street, Manhattan, (212) 921-7862, fantasticksonbroadway.com. Free with the purchase of tickets: $51.50 to $76.50; $160 for a family four-pack. Tour reservations are required and should be made through the box office. 

‘The Berenstain Bears Live! In Family Matters, the Musical’ (Saturday and Sunday) The most famous bears since the three in the Goldilocks story are now onstage in an open-ended run of this adaptation of three of the titles in the long-running children’s book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. The show, by Michael Borton and Michael Slade, offers a pleasant hour for small theatergoers, with a pop-flavored score and actors who inhabit their fuzzy roles enthusiastically. But like the books, it’s rather tame and tidy; after this many years of a formula, even the Berenstain cubs are starting to show their age. Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. (this weekend’s shows are sold out), Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, 10 West 64th Street, Manhattan, (866) 811-4111, berenstainbearslive.com; $34.95 to $59.95. (The most expensive tickets include wearable bear ears and foot-of-the-stage seating.) 

‘Brazil! Brazil!’ (Friday through Sunday) This may be the winter’s cheapest way to spend an hour in Rio. With 15 performers from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, this show at the New Victory Theater, closing this weekend, combines capoeira, acrobatics, samba and soccer-inspired street dance in a high-energy celebration of South American culture. Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.; Sunday at noon (sold out) and 5 p.m.; 209 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, (646) 223-3010, newvictory.org; $14 to $38; $9 to $25 for members. Tickets are limited. 

‘The Bully’ (Saturday and Sunday) This is the last weekend to catch Vital Theater Company’s revival of this ever-topical musical, by John Gregor and David L. Williams, which refreshingly avoids the trap of bullying its own audiences with heavy moralizing. Instead, the many pitfalls of the typical middle school relationship of victimizer and victim are revealed through wit, humor and a killer of a sly twist. At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Vital Theater, 2162 Broadway, at 76th Street, fourth floor, (212) 579-0528, vitaltheatre.org; $25 and $30. 

‘Cenicienta/Cinderella’ (Saturday) The heroine could easily lose her glass slipper dancing the tango in this Latin-flavored musical from Teatro SEA, which specializes in Latino theater for children. Presented in an easily understood combination of English and Spanish, the production, closing this weekend, also features surprises: a dwarf who narrates and an unexpected character who fills in for the ill fairy godmother. At 3 p.m., Los Kabayitos Puppet and Children’s Theater, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk Street, at Rivington Street, second floor, Lower East Side, (212) 529-1545, teatrosea.org; $18; $15 for children. 

‘Freckleface the Musical’ (Saturday and Sunday) Based on the actress Julianne Moore’s picture book “Freckleface Strawberry,” about a 7-year-old redhead who earns that nickname from her teasing friends, this delightful production has come back onstage at a new theater and with a new cast. The musical transcends the usual themes about celebrating the differences that make us special with a winning score and inventive comedy, as well as an acknowledgment of the unfunny aspects of its young heroine’s situation. (The run is open-ended.) At 1 and 3 p.m., Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street, (212) 239-6200, frecklefacethemusical.com; $45 to $85. 

‘Funky, Family Purim Celebration’ (Sunday) Her stage name may sound as if it belonged on a jar of pasta sauce, but Mama Doni is an indisputably Jewish performer. Doni Zasloff Thomas in real life, she specializes in putting a Jewish spin on all kinds of musical styles. For this concert by the Mama Doni Band, devoted to the holiday of Purim, young visitors are invited to take part in a costume parade. They can also make crafts to use in the interactive show. Concert at 2:30 p.m.; crafts from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, (646) 437-4202, mjhnyc.org; $10; $7 for 10 and under; $7 and $5 for museum members. Crafts are free with the purchase of a concert ticket. 

‘Gazillion Bubble Show: The Next Generation’ (Saturday and Sunday) Children love bubbles, and this interactive show promises not just a gazillion but also some of the largest ever blown, along with light effects and lasers. The stars are the members of the Yang family: Fan and Ana Yang and their son Deni and others, who rotate as M.C.’s for the production. Audience members may even find themselves in bubbles of their own. Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 and 4:30 p.m.; Sunday at noon and 3 p.m.; New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, gazillionbubbleshow.com; $44.50 to $89.50; lap seats for ages 2 and under are $20, at the box office only. 

‘Glow Play: Sculpting With Light’ (Saturday) Dan Flavin didn’t draw with just pencils and pens; he also drew with light, turning fluorescent tubes into vibrant lines. In this program at the Morgan Library & Museum, children will see examples of both types of his work in the exhibition “Dan Flavin: Drawing.” After seeking inspiration in the show, they will make their own colorful sketches and glowing sculptures. From 2 to 4 p.m., Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, (212) 685-0008, Ext. 560, themorgan.org; $6; $4 for members; $2 for children 12 and under (includes museum admission). 

History Days Presidents’ Vacation Week (Friday through Sunday) What better way to end the week of Presidents’ Day than by having fun involving presidents? The DiMenna Children’s History Museum at the New-York Historical Society will immerse young visitors in America’s past, with a presidential history quiz (2 p.m.); a presidential scavenger hunt (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and presidential crafts like posters and election buttons (1 to 4 p.m.) On Saturday and Sunday only, Revolutionary War re-enactors will also visit. These guys are representing the other side: British and Hessian troops. New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, (212) 485-9293, nyhistory.org; free with museum admission: $15; $12 for educators and 65+; $10 for students; $5 for ages 7 through 13: free for under 7 and members. 

‘The House’ (Friday through Sunday) And what a house it is. The setting for this puppet production, part of the series StartHere: Innovative Theater for Young People, happens to be a funeral home, where a murder plot is afoot, secrets are brewing, and all kinds of characters — including a smart dog — play roles. Presented by the Sofie Krog Teater of Denmark, this is not preschool puppetry, but sophisticated fare for children 10 and older. Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.; Here, 145 Avenue of the Americas, at Dominick Street, South Village, (212) 352-3101, here.org; $20; $15 for ages 10 through 18. 

‘Jim Henson’s Fantastic World’ (Friday through Sunday, and Tuesday through Thursday) The man behind the Muppets — and so many other feats of puppetry, film and imagination — is being celebrated in this exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image, which has been extended through March 4. Containing over 120 artifacts, the show includes Kermit the Frog and Bert and Ernie Muppets; excerpts from Henson’s experimental films and his Muppet movies; and animations, storyboards, props and photographs spanning his career, from the 1950s television show “Sam and Friends” to “Sesame Street” and beyond. On Saturdays and Sundays, guided tours of the exhibition are at 2 p.m. This Friday at 1 and 3 p.m. the museum will show “The Muppets Go to the Movies,” an hour of inimitable film spoofs hosted by Kermit. On Sunday, in honor of the Oscars, the museum will feature a movie marathon, with “The Muppet Movie” (1 p.m.), “The Great Muppet Caper” (2:30 p.m.) and “Muppets Take Manhattan” (5 p.m.). 35th Avenue at 37th Street, Astoria, Queens, (718) 777-6888, movingimage.us. Museum hours: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; until 8 p.m. on Fridays; until 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Free with admission: $12; $9 for 65+ and college students; $6 for ages 3 to 17; free for under 3; free to all on Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. 

Kids’ Mind Power Seminar (Saturday) Ever see the television series “The Mentalist”? Marc Salem bills himself as its hero’s real-life counterpart. In this special children’s workshop, which precedes the regular evening performance of Mr. Salem’s show “Marc Salem: Mind Over Manhattan,” he will cover brain-enhancing topics of particular interest to the young: developing an extraordinary memory, sharpening study skills, finding misplaced objects, increasing creativity. (No word on whether outwitting parents is included.) At 6:30 p.m., Concert Hall at the Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street, Manhattan, (800) 745-3000, ticketmaster.com; marcsalem.com. Free with a ticket to the 8 p.m. performance of “Mind Over Manhattan”: $30 to $60. 

Kids Week (Friday through Sunday) The U.S.S. Intrepid, the aircraft carrier turned museum, celebrates much more than military history over the public school winter break. Birthday Party Day, on Friday, offers child-friendly tours, balloon artists and performances by bands. Safari Weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, will bring some unusual visitors on board: live reptiles and a penguin. The Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium will also offer interactive displays, and the Central Park Theater Company will perform. Schedules on the Web site; open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; until 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays; Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86, 46th Street and 12th Avenue, Clinton, (877) 957-7447, intrepidmuseum.org. Free with museum admission: $24; $20 for ages 65+ and college students; $19 for 7 through 17; $12 for 3 through 6; $17 for veterans; free for active and retired military and children under 3. General admission tickets bought online are $2 off. 

Kids ’N Comedy: ‘The Did You Know Show’ (Sunday) The class clown gets applause, not detention, at this series, in which comics 12 to 21 perform stand-up. At this show the comic theme is trivia, or what experts in the field would prefer to think of as fascinating facts, like the fluorescence of cat urine and Einstein’s predilection for going sockless. The material is recommended for children 9 and older, but there’s no need to worry about appropriateness (profanity is banned). Reservations required. At 1 p.m., Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, (212) 877-6115, kidsncomedy.com; $15, with a one-item (soda or food) minimum. 

‘Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical’ (Saturday and Sunday) How do you turn a book into a rousing musical when its main character speaks only gibberish? The author and illustrator Mo Willems has taken on the challenge with this semiautobiographical show, based on his best-selling picture book ’‘Knuffle Bunny.” Manhattan Children’s Theater is presenting the musical, which has a score by Michael Silversher and book and lyrics by Mr. Willems. It relates the fateful day when Trixie, a toddler, goes to the coin laundry with her daddy, and her favorite stuffed animal gets mixed up with the wash. Trixie realizes what has happened, but how can she tell the grown-ups? (Through March 25.) At noon and 2 p.m., Manhattan Children’s Theater, 380 Broadway, at White Street, fourth floor, TriBeCa, (212) 352-3101, mctny.org. In advance, $18, and $16 for children; at the door, $20. 

‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ (Saturday) If the children of the Pevensie family could travel to the magical land of Narnia through something as simple as a wardrobe, why shouldn’t two hard-working actors be able to play them and all the characters found there? That’s what Erin Layton and Andrew Fortman attempt in Off Broadway Family Theater’s first production, le Clanché du Rand’s adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s classic novel. (The run is open-ended.) Saturdays at 11 a.m., St. Luke’s Theater, 308 West 46th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, narniaoffbroadway.com; $35. 

‘Little Miss Muffet’s Monster-Sitting Service’ (Friday through Sunday, and Tuesday through Thursday) This Little Miss Muffet, Molly, a descendant of the original, is certainly a lot braver: not only does she not fear spiders, but she’s also willing to go into business with the very one that sat down beside her ancestor. In this production from the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater in Central Park, by Doug Strich and Emily Fellner, Molly and Al, the spider, start a baby-sitting service for infant monsters just as a huge winter storm is heading their way. (Through Aug. 26.) Friday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and noon; 79th Street and the West Drive, Central Park, (212) 988-9093, cityparksfoundation.org/swedish_cottage.html; $8, or $5 for under 12. Reservations required. 

Material Lab at the Museum of Modern Art (Friday through Monday, and Wednesday and Thursday) No matter how much talent artists have, they need the right materials to create their work. This new interactive space at MoMA invites families to explore a wide range of mediums that are reflected in the museum’s collection. The stations in the Material Lab include a drawing table; a collage table; Discovery Boxes, with surprise materials within; Cornell Boxes, filled with found objects, in the spirit of the work of Joseph Cornell; and a digital painting experience using new technology from Microsoft. (Through June.) Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building, (212) 708-9400, moma.org. Free with museum admission: $25; $18 for 65+; $14 for students; free for members and for ages 16 and under (and free on the first Thursday of every month); also free on Friday evenings from 4 to 8. 

‘Monkey King: A Story From China’ (Friday through Sunday, and Tuesday through Thursday) The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has welcomed back a mischievous hero: Monkey King, the star of this exhibition, which has traveled many miles for years, just like the character it centers on. The interactive show, inspired by the Chinese epic “The Journey to the West,” recreates many of the Monkey’s adventures, like fighting the Bull Demon at a station that resembles a video game. Much of the fun teaches Chinese values: cooperation, perseverance, bravery and self-sacrifice. (Through May 2013.) Hours: daily except Mondays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; to 7 p.m. on Saturdays; the Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, (212) 721-1223, cmom.org. Free with admission: $11; free for under 1 and members. 

‘Pinkalicious, the Musical’ (Saturday and Sunday) In Elizabeth and Victoria Kann’s adaptation of their children’s book, the pink-obsessed title character, a little girl, finds out that sometimes being in the pink can be too much of a good thing — especially when eating too many pink cupcakes has turned her pink from head to toe. John Gregor wrote the score and some of the lyrics. (The run is open-ended.) At 11 a.m., Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street, (212) 579-0528, pinkaliciousthemusical.com; $29.50; $49.50 for premium tickets.

‘Preservation Detectives’ (Sunday) The Eldridge Street Synagogue, the landmark 1887 building where many Jewish immigrants worshiped, offers its “Preservation Detectives” tours almost every Sunday, when children 5 to 10 can view artifacts, investigate neighborhood lore and sleuth their way into the past. This month the theme is “Patterns and Paint,” offering young participants a chance to learn about the building’s décor and to use it as inspiration for their own artwork. At 11 a.m., 12 Eldridge Street, between Canal and Division Streets, Lower East Side, (212) 219-0302, eldridgestreet.org; $15 a family. 

‘Puss in Boots’ (Friday through Sunday) Cats are smart. But you knew that, and they certainly do. Puppetworks is now celebrating the archetypal clever cat — the hero of “Puss in Boots” — in this production, adapted for marionettes by Adam Kilgour. It has 1700s-style costumes, an original score and a living, breathing ogre: a grown-up. Through April 7. At 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., 338 Sixth Avenue, at Fourth Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 965-3391, puppetworks.org; $8; $7 for children; $6 for groups. 

‘Sesame Street Live: 1-2-3 Imagine! With Elmo & Friends’ (Friday through Sunday) For all its down-home familiarity, ’‘Sesame Street” has always been a global, multicultural neighborhood, and it becomes even more so in this revival of one of its live, touring stage shows, which takes the Muppets (actually actors in costume) to places like Mexico, Hawaii, the African jungle and summer camp. The conceit of the show, which closes this weekend, is that you can go anywhere in your imagination, and the fuzzy critters do, singing and dancing all the way. Friday at 11 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 2 and 5:30 p.m.; the Theater at Madison Square Garden, (866) 858-0008, ticketmaster.com; sesamestreetlive.com; $15 to $50; premium packages for $75 and $145. 

Sword Swallowing Shows (Saturday) Try saying that three times fast. And if you think that’s hard, imagine how much more difficult it is to slide a long steel blade down your throat. On Saturday, in honor of World Sword Swallower’s Day (who knew?), Keith Nelson will headline an outdoor demonstration and discussion of this ancient art in front of an appropriate place: Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium in Times Square. Also in honor of the date — 2/25/12 — Mr. Nelson and his colleagues at Odditoriums worldwide will conclude their presentations by swallowing swords at exactly 2:25:12 p.m. At 1:30 p.m., 234 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, ripleysnewyork.com; free. 

‘Twinkle Twonkle’ (Friday and Saturday) How do you mix astronomy with Mother Goose? Well, when you think about it, the cow did jump over the moon. Tall Stories, a British children’s theater company, manages to combine those sources in this 50-minute show, created in collaboration with the National Academy of Science in England. Its heroine, Stella, and her little brother, Ryan, traverse the galaxy with the help of nursery rhymes. At 1 and 3 p.m., Long Island Children’s Museum, 11 Davis Avenue, at Railroad Avenue, Garden City, N.Y., (516) 224-5801, licm.org; $10 for theater only; if purchased in conjunction with museum admission, $6; $4 for members. Museum admission: $11; $10 for 65+ free for members and under 1. LAUREL GRAEBER