In Esopus, kids can go bird watching, fishing, hiking, picnicking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the 130-acre Black Creek Preserve, 79-acre Sleightsburgh Point and 96-acre Esopus Meadows Preserve. In 251-acre Franny Reese State Park in Highland and 690-acre Shaupeneak Ridge, as well as in Esopus, kids can enjoy all of these activities as well as biking. Take the kids for a walk or for a bike ride on the 1.28-mile Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park in Poughkeepsie.
In Hurley, children 12 and under can take a guided walking tour of the Historic District for free. Hurley, founded in 1662, is a National Historic Landmark District and kids on the tour will see stone houses on Main Street that date from the late 1600s to the late 1800s. Tours, offered by the Hurley Heritage Society, are held on the fourth Sunday of every month from May to October.
The Saugerties Public Library offers free programs for kids such as "Tiny Tots Storytime" for kids up to age 3, "Tuesday Tales" for kids ages 3 and up and "LEGO Club" for kids ages 7 to 10.
Free programs for children in the Marlboro Free Library include "Toddlertime" for children ages 2 and up and "Story Hour" for children 3 and older. You can attend playtime with your children babies up to age 2 and students and for kids of all ages, "Stories in the Park" takes place in May. Students in grade 4 and up can attend babysitting workshops and knitting classes.
The free programs for children Sarah Hull Hallock Library in Milton, New York, are the kindergarten, grades 1 and 2 or grades 3 and 4 after-school library clubs.
Library programs take place once or twice a week each month.
The "Annual Artists' Soapbox Derby" in Kingston, in its 17th year in 2011, is a free, outdoor event at which kids can see different artistic "sculptures" roll down lower Broadway. Each entry, created by area artists and residents, is judged for creativity and engineering, and the winners receive a prize. In the past, winners have included a dinosaur made out thousands of wrenches and cars blowing bubbles. This event is held on the last Sunday in August.
The COTA, or Celebration of the Arts, is a free festival that takes place each October in New Paltz. This fine and performing arts event, in its fifth year in 2011, features artists, live music, performances, poetry readings, auctions and children's activities. Highlights for children in the past have included creating crafts, a puppet theater and a song-making workshop.
