1. Intergenerational Well-Crafted Weekend Workshops
Museum of Arts & Design, 40 W. 53rd St.
At this unusual program, retirees and grade-schoolers get the chance to sit side by side and chat about the museum’s exhibits. Working artisans then lead the group through a two-hour studio session where kids can use the same materials employed by the crafters on display. On October 15, Droog Design—the outrageous Dutch collective—will be the inspiration for a workshop devoted to creating useful everyday objects.
2. Pattern and Piecing
City Quilter, 133 W. 25th St.
After years of listening to customers’ pleas, the owners of this niche shop in Chelsea are finally offering child-friendly classes. Over the course of three Tuesday afternoons, kids will design their own fabric, learn to sew by hand, and assemble, bind, and tie their own blankie.
3. Discovery Days
Bard Graduate Center, 18 W. 86th St.
Educators at these free classes go into the history and symbolism of a particular art form during each simple-to-understand session. On October 15, kids learn about the metaphors in the weaver Sheila Hicks’s works, then weave their own from a loom they can take home.
4. Family Art Workshops
American Folk Art Museum, 45 W. 53rd St.
Sign up early for these popular classes, scheduled on every other Sunday, that begin with a guided tour of an exhibit followed by a make-it-yourself session. Upcoming themes are weather vanes, quilting, and holiday treasure boxes. For infants and toddlers, the museum’s collection of works by the deaf artist John Brewster Jr. is the jumping-off point for a sign-a-song class through October and November.
5. Bryant Park Knits
40th Street entrance, Bryant Park
Last chance for the outdoor beginners’ knitting circle. Even 4-year-olds can learn how to knit, purl, and bind off, says Charlene Garrett, manager of Knit New York, which sponsors the free sessions and lends out supplies. The finale’s on October 16, but those who want to continue on their own are welcome to free advice from the staff at Garrett’s 14th Street stitch-and-sip coffeehouse.