ONGOING
The Andy Warhol Museum. North Side. 412-237-8300 or www.warhol.org. Ongoing activities for kids include hands-on creative activity in the "Weekend Factory" and more.
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Various locations. Library branches offer activities all summer long, ranging from story hours to Guitar Hero and Wii nights for various age groups. Call your local branch, or check www.carnegielibrary.org for events in your neighborhood.
Citiparks Recreation Centers. Various locations. 412-255-2539 or www.citiparks.net. Nine rec centers are open across the city. Activities range from organized sports and games to dance programs and movie nights. Most centers are open from 3-10 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays. Outdoor city pools also operate throughout the summer, and are open from 1 to 7:45 p.m. on weekdays, 1 to 5:45 p.m. on weekends.
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. North Side. 412-322-5058 or www.pittsburghkids.org. A wide array of interactive hands-on exhibits and art, plus children's art classes and the Toonseum, a museum dedicated to cartooning. Special attractions this summer include the new Bob the Builder exhibit (see below) and workshops focused on radio programming.
Frick Environmental Center. Squirrel Hill. 412-422-6538 or www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/html/the_frick_center.html. Consisting of a 151-acre nature reserve in the East End, the Center offers numerous summer camps for children of all ages. Preschoolers can spend half-day-long camps digging for worms and learning songs; kids in 6th and 7th grade can learn wilderness survival skills.
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Highland Park. 412-655-3640 or www.pittsburghzoo.com. The zoo includes Kids Kingdom, which offers hands-on experiences for kids, as well as classes for various age groups all summer long. Special events are listed below.
May 30
Children's Carousel Tea. Schenley Plaza, Oakland. 412-682-7275, ext. 208 or www.pittsburghparks.org. The Zany Umbrella Circus, puppeteers, and musician Kelsey Friday will be on hand to reopen the Oakland carousel for summer.
June 5
Carnegie Library Wizard Rock. Schenley Plaza, Oakland. www.pittsburghparks.org. Music inspired by the Harry Potter book series, featuring a live performance by the Whomping Willows.
June 6
Leaf Me Alone. Frick Art & Historical Center, Point Breeze. 412-205-2022 or www.frickart.org. A 45-minute program about leaves, for kids age 4-8.
If You Were a Penguin Story Time. Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side. 412-322-5058 or www.pittsburghkids.org. The artist/illustrator team of Florence and Wendell Minor give a 1 p.m. reading of their book, which is Pennsylvania's One Book One Child selection for 2009.
June 6-Sept. 27
Bob the Builder Exhibit. Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side. 412-322-5058 or www.pittsburghkids.org. Based on the popular children's show, this exhibit allows children to operate kid-friendly replicas of construction tools and machinery.
June 7
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Reading Extravaganza. Carnegie Library main branch, Oakland. www.clpgh.org. This event marks the start of the Carnegie Library's summer reading program. Starting at 2 p.m. there will be face-painting, caricature artists, and other entertainment in Schenley Plaza, next door to the library.
June 8-Aug.14
Camp Earth. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Oakland. Kids ages 4-12 explore the museum of natural history in these week-long camps, which are offered in half-day and full-day sessions. Camps focus on topics ranging from Africa to "Dinotopia," from ancient Egypt to "Reptile Rama." Registration required.
June 8-Aug. 21
Summer Science Camps. Carnegie Science Center, North Side. 412-237-1637 or www.carnegiesciencecenter.org. Half- and full-day camps for kids in age groups ranging from 4 to 13. Kids can learn about astronomy, robotics, "medical mysteries," crime-scene investigations and more.
June 8-Aug. 28
Summer Art Camps. Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside. 412-361-0873 or www.pittsburgharts.org. The PCA offers a series of one- and two-week-long half-day art camps to kids from ages 2-3 (with adult) up to age 17. Topics range from digital photography to clay animation, from sketch comedy to T-shirt making.
June 14
Family and Community Day. Mattress Factory, North Side. 412-231-3169 or www.mattress.org. Family event features Garden Party art activities, music and live performances.
June 15-20
Art Workshop for Teens. Mattress Factory, North Side. 412-3231-3169 or www.mattress.org. Weeklong afternoon classes in performance and installation art, taught by performance artist Tavia LaFollete. Participants will work to build a "micro-universe" that "questions the status quo."
June 15-July 24
Summer Camps. Phipps Conservatory, Schenley Park. 412-441-4442 ext. 3925 or phipps.conservatory.org. Educational camps for children 3-12. Learn about insects, tending a kitchen garden, and creating artwork through natural materials at these week-long, half-day camps. There are also nature-themed story hours every Wednesday.
June 15-Aug. 14
Summer Art and Architecture Camps. Carnegie Museum of Art, Oakland. 412-622-3288 or www.cmoa.org/programs/camps_arch.asp. Half- and full-day camps for kids ages 4-13. Courses teach a variety of art forms, including dance, textiles, self-portraiture and architecture. Registration required.
June 16
Carnegie Library Wizard Rock. Schenley Plaza, Oakland. www.pittsburghparks.org. Music inspired by the Harry Potter book series, featuring a live performance by the Remus Lupens.
June 16-Aug. 7
Roving Art Cart. 412-665-3665 or www.citiparks.net. Citiparks' traveling art program visits a different city neighborhood each Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as neighborhood festivals and other events. Activities include painting, sculpting, and other kid-friendly art-making.
June 20
Lift Off to Summer. Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side. 412-322-5058 or www.pittsburghkids.org. A daylong program devoted to exploring aeronautics gives kids the chance to build their own flying machine.
Summer Reading Kickoff Party. Carnegie Library, South Side. 412-431-0505 or www.clpgh.org. Event includes a performance of The Three Billy Goats Gruff Puppet Show.
June 21
The Old-Fashioned Toys of Bill Spoonwood. Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side. 412-322-5058 or www.pittsburghkids.org. Kids learn what kids did in the pre-Colonial days, before there was Wii.
June 20-21
Dragon Renaissance Festival. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Highland Park. 412-655-3640 or www.pittsburghzoo.com. Kids can "get medieval" with the zoo's komodo dragon and other serpents. Programming includes Renaissance-period entertainment like firebreathing, music, and knight battles.
June 21
Father's Day at the Zoo. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Highland Park. 412-655-3640 or www.pittsburghzoo.com. Dads get in free if they come with their children.
June 22-25; Aug. 3-6
Teen Photography Summer Program. Silver Eye Center for Photography, South Side. 412-431-1810 or www.silvereye.org. Kids 14-17 learn technical and compositional aspects of shooting digital photographs.
June 24
Kids Kingdom Day. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Highland Park. 412-655-3640 or www.pittsburghzoo.com. Today's Kids Kingdom activities involve not just special animal presentations, but a chance to see families in their native habitat: There's an inflatable bounce house for children, while parents grab prizes inside the "money machine."
July 11-Aug. 15
Art in the Family. Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside. 412-361-0873 or www.pittsburgharts.org. Saturday-only art classes for parents and kids to enjoy together. Classes include clay-sculpting and digital animation.
July 12
Kids Day at Schenley Plaza. Schenley Plaza, Oakland. www.pittsburghparks.org. Free carousel rides, face-painting, and other family friendly activities at the plaza begin at 2 p.m.
July 17-19
The Big Chill. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Highland Park. 412-655-3640 or www.pittsburghzoo.com. The zoo keeps things cool this weekend with a sprinkler obstacle course, ice carvers and other activities. Also see how animals keep cool.
July 19
Teatime and Teddy Bears. Frick Art & Historical Center, Point Breeze. 412-205-2022 or www.frickart.org. Kids 6-10 (and an older adult) play period lawn games from early 1902, enjoy refreshments and other activities. Bringing a favorite stuffed animal is highly recommended.
July 25-26
Inside/Out Weekend. Frick Art & Historical Center, Point Breeze, 412-205-2022 or www.frickart.org. Plenty of family activities all around the Frick site, including a chance to peek under the hoods of early 20th-century cars and get a look inside Mrs. Frick's medicine cabinet.
July 30
Twilight Party for Teens. Carnegie Library, Carrick branch. 412-882-3897 or www.clpgh.org. A party to celebrate the Twilight book series and movie, for kids grades 6-12.
Aug. 1
Dutch Treat. Frick Art & Historical Center, Point Breeze. 412-205-2022 or www.frickart.org. A tour of the Frick's exhibit of Dutch landscape paintings for kids ages 4-8.
Aug. 7-8
Three Rivers Storytelling Festival. Northland Public Library, McCandless. 412-366-1800 or home.comcast.net/~3rst. Local and national storytellers ply their craft. Children's activities, storytelling workshops and food vendors are also available.
Aug. 8-21
Kids' Zoofari. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Highland Park. 412-655-3640 or www.pittsburghzoo.com. Hands-on activities for families as well as a chance to see first-hand how zoo staff feed and care for the animals.
