NO school? Give The Sims a rest and check out some real fun as the city goes into overdrive – with special events and matinees tailor-made for winter recess.
Here are some highlights:
BE A SPORT: Bowl at the Port Authority, climb the walls at Harmony Atrium, play tennis at the Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club, try tae kwon do at Prospect Heights High School or canoe at Riverbank State Park. For free!
New York City school kids ages 6 to 14 can choose from 40 activities in all – complete with lessons – through the three-day JP MorganChase Sports and Arts in Schools Festival, running Tuesday through Thursday. They’ll even throw in lunch! Call (718) 786-7110, ext. 159 or ext. 133, for classes, times, sites and a free entry ticket.
SEE A SHOW: Let there be bugs! And there are – lots of them – at “Twinkle Twinkle Little Fish,” the latest show at the New Victory Theater.
An Australian troupe of puppeteers (plus mime) are bringing the Hungry Caterpillar and other Eric Carle creations to life in an hour-long show for kids 4 and older. There’s also a Twinkle Fish Room in the lower lobby, where you can create a creature of your own an hour before each performance.
Shows are Wednesday through Saturday at 7 p.m., and noon and 5 p.m. Sunday, with 2 p.m. matinees Wednesday and Saturday. For tickets ($10 to $30), hit the box office at 209 W. 42nd St., or call (212) 239-6200.
He’s two – two stars in one! Magician Arnie Kolodner plays both Peter Pan and Captain Hook in “The Magic Land of Peter Pan,” a comic, interactive twist on a classic. Shows are Monday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Theater 3, 311 W. 43rd St. at Eighth Avenue. Tickets are $12; call (212) 279-4200.
TRY A TOY: Check out the new Twister Moves game today and tomorrow from noon to 3 p.m. at a free dance party at Toys “R” Us Times Square – the start of a music-filled week, celebrating the Grammys’ return to New York.
Pose with Elton John and Jon Bon Jovi (their wax images, that is, on loan from Madame Tussaud’s on Tuesday); beat the bongos Thursday behind singer Bobby DooWah and meet rapper and kids’ writer Doug E. Fresh on Friday. Then pick up The Post on Monday to learn how you can win a musical toy.
The store is at 44th Street and Broadway. For more information, call (646) 366-8855.
MEET THE STARS: Brian Stokes Mitchell, that Man of La Mancha, is coming to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan on Friday and he won’t be alone: Other stars will be performing there, too, including Lillias White (Monday) and comic Mario Cantone (Wednesday). Shows are free with the $6 museum admission. For more info, call (212) 721-1223.