ART

MASTERS MUSINGS The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers afternoon drop-in programs focusing on Old Master paintings. The 30-minute “How Did They Do That?” events illustrate how particular works were created. Children begin with hands-on sessions with brushes and canvases, and then move on to look at selected paintings in the European Paintings galleries. Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m., sessions run continually, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd Street, 212-535-7710, free with admission, $15 general, $10 seniors, $7 students, free for children under 12 and members.

BENEFIT

HAMPTONS MUSEUM The Children’s Museum of the East End, which will open in October, holds its first New York City gala next week. NBC anchor Brian Williams emcees an auction featuring items such as the chance to hold a private party at the new museum in the Hamptons. Felicia Taylor and Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer are co-chairwomen. Tuesday, April 12, 6:30 p.m. cocktails, 7:30 p.m. dinner and auction, Cipriani, 200 Fifth Ave at 23rd Street, 631-537-8250, $500 general, $350 attendees age 35 and under.

BOOKS

FANTASTIC THREE Michelle Paver presents her new young-adult novel “Wolf Brother: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Book One” (HarperCollins). She is joined by the author of “Sky Carver” (Clarion), Dean Whitlock, and the author of “Clemency Pogue” (Simon & Schuster), JT Petty. Thursday, 6-7 p.m., Books of Wonder, 18 W. 18th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-989-3270, free.

TWO BY LOWRY Two-time Newberry Award winner Lois Lowry reads from her latest books, “Messenger” (Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books), for preteens, and “Gooney Bird and the Room Mother” (Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books), a story for younger readers. Saturday, 1 p.m., Bank Street Bookstore, 610 W. 112th St. at Broadway, 212-678-1654, free.

OH, BABY Emily Jenkins reads her children’s book “That New Animal” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), about two dogs who are mystified by the arrival of a baby in their house. Saturday, noon, Barnes & Noble Park Slope, 267 Seventh Ave. at 6th Street, 718-832-9066, free.

DANCE

FAMILY MOVES The Richmond Ballet performs a family program of New York City premieres. Saturday, 2 p.m., Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th Street, 212-242-0800, $38 general, $10 children.

CUYAHOGA CIRCUS The Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet performs “Madeline at the Circus,” a dance program based on Ludwig Bemelmans’s children’s book character Madeline. The ensemble is made up of 40 professionally trained dancers between the ages of 8 and 18. Francis Patrelle choreographed the story of Parisian schoolgirl Madeline, her friend Pepito, and their adventures at the circus. Saturday, 2 and 4 p.m., Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, 212-864-5400, $10, $25, and $30.

HISTORY

HEROES OF HISTORY Sunday visitors to the New-York Historical Society will be transported to the 18th century. At the “Revolutionary Heroes” event, they can make a hat like George Washington’s, go on a scavenger hunt for historical treasures, make an American flag, and send secret spy messages. Sunday, 2 p.m., New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, free with admission, $10 general, $5 seniors, teachers, and students, free for members and children under 12.

MUSIC

SEA SONGS The Johnson Girls, who sing old-fashioned sea chanties, perform a concert to accompany the Dahesh Museum’s “First Seen” photography exhibit. Many of the photographs depict people holding tools or musical instruments. Before the concert, children make their own instruments, so they can join in the songs. Saturday, 2-3:30 p.m., Dahesh Museum of Art, 580 Madison Ave., between 56th and 57th streets, 212-759-0606, free with admission, $9 general, $4 seniors and students.

UNDERWATER SOUNDS Singer and pianist Peter Cincotti performs in the American Museum of Natural History’s Millstein Hall of Ocean Life. The Save the Music Foundation’s “Family Day” also features an instrument “petting zoo,” where children can try out a variety of instruments. Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, 212-769-5200, free with admission, $13 general, $10 seniors and students, $7.50 children under 12, free for members.

PARENTING

READING RAINBOW A former commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Henry Stern, moderates a panel discussion about how children learn to read. The discussion focuses on techniques used in New York City public schools, including the “whole word” method and the traditional phonics approach. Participants include a reading consultant for the New York City Department of Education, Eileen Marzola; the department’s director of literacy, Medea McEvoy ; Yale pediatrics professor and author of “Overcoming Dyslexia” (Knopf), S ally Shaywitz, and journalist and public school parent Sol Stern . Monday, April 11, 6:30 p.m., Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave., between 103rd and 104th streets, 212-534-1672 ext. 3393, $10 general, $6 seniors, members, and students, reservations required.

POETRY

GOTHAM RHYMES Aimee Kelley leads “Your Big Apple: Poems About the City,” a workshop for children ages 10 to 12. Children will read classic New York City poems and then write their own in the two-session workshop. Saturdays, April 9 and April 16, 826NYC, 372 Fifth Ave., between 5th and 6th streets, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-499-9884, free. To sign up, parents should send an email to workshops@826nyc.org, including the student’s name, age, school, and the parent’s name and phone number. Please go to www.826nyc.org for more information.

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