Best extracurricular activities

Winner American Museum of Natural History
After-school classes and vacation camps at the American Museum of Natural History serve as educational addenda to the institution’s venerable exhibition halls. Robotics, primatology, astrophysics and oceanography are only a few of the subjects kids can study, and every class includes museum exploration and fun activities. According to program coordinator Tamar Goelman, the goal is to instill in kids a deep appreciation for the topic they’re learning about, along with the desire to keep coming back to the museum. Seems like it’s working: Hanging out in the Hall of Planet Earth after his Astrofavorites class, five-year-old Clyde explained, “When I was four, this room was scary to me, because I didn’t know what it was about. Now it’s not scary; I understand it.”

Central Park West at 79th St (212-769-5100, amnh.org)

Runner-up Bronx Zoo
Kids of all ages sign up for weekend programs and summer camps in this wildlife paradise. Class themes are (surprise!) animalcentric, and educators use zoo residents as teaching tools.

Bronx River Pkwy at Fordham Rd, Bronx (718-220-6854, bronxzoo.com)

And don’t forget…Wave Hill
Besides river views and space for running, this Riverdale garden and gallery offers kids nature-based art workshops every weekend. Artist and naturalist Noah Baen founded Wave Hill’s Family Art Project in 1990. “When I got to the garden, I knew I’d found my home,” he recalls. “The combination of art and nature—it’s just perfect.” Baen’s three-hour bilingual sessions (he’s joined by Spanish-speaking instructor Martha Barrero) start with storytelling and an outdoor excursion, both of which inspire the art-making. Our favorite this spring: “A Tiny City,” (June 3, 4) in which kids and parents investigate real nests and then construct little dwellings that will become part of a handmade mini city.

Enter on Independence Ave at 249th St, Bronx (718-549-3200, wavehill.org)