For Tenafly Students and Parents — Promoting Interest and Wonder
We welcome further recommendations and appreciate comments about your experiences.
Have a safe and enjoyable summer!
- Your School Library Media Specialists -
A library card is free with valid proof of Tenafly residency. Each family member (age 5 and up) is entitled to their own card. With a card, you can borrow from all 78 Bergen County Cooperative Libraries and access free passes to a wide variety of area museums.
Fashion Center: 634 N State Route 17, Paramus; The Shops at Riverside: 390 Hackensack Ave, Hackensack
Fort Lee, NJ · barrymorefilmcenter.org
Most people are surprised to learn that American cinema was born right here in Fort Lee, New Jersey — and the Barrymore Film Center makes sure that story is told beautifully. This nonprofit museum, archive, and cinema features a state-of-the-art theater alongside exhibitions and educational programs spanning from the earliest days of silent film to contemporary filmmaking. It is a short drive with an enormous history attached, and a wonderful way for children to understand that movies were invented by specific people, in a specific place, not so far from where they live. In addition, follow this link for some great workshops offered this summer.
Paired Reading:
Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmaker by Mara Rockliff — the true story of Alice Guy-Blaché, one of the first filmmakers in history, who ran a studio right in Fort Lee. (Elementary 2-4)
Cut! How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation by C. E. Winters — the story of Lotte Reiniger, a pioneering animator who used paper cutouts to create some of the world's first animated films. (Elementary 3-5)
The Extraordinary Voyage of the Film Pioneer by Jacques Kermabon — introduces young readers to the very beginnings of motion pictures. (Elementary 3-5)
Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx, NY → Riverside Towns, NY
Board at Spuyten Duyvil and watch the Hudson River open up beside you as the train heads north. The Palisades rise dramatically on the opposite shore — those towering columnar cliffs were formed 200 million years ago when molten rock cooled and contracted deep within the earth. Children will find them impossible to look away from. Stop in a riverside town for a walk or ice cream, then reboard. This is geology, history, and scenery all at once, delivered at a relaxed pace with the best seat in the house right beside the window.
Paired Reading:
Locomotive by Brian Floca — an immersive, illustrated historical narrative capturing the wonder and mechanics of a transcontinental train journey across 19th-century America. (Elementary Grades 1-2)
Rails Along the Hudson by Crawford Kramer — a pictorial history blending photography, maps, and commentary across more than a century of Hudson River railroading. (Middle School and up)
I, Rock: A Geology Tale — a charmingly funny and thoroughly informative nonfiction picture book told from the perspective of a proud four-billion-year-old rock. (Elementary 1-3)
Tenafly, NJ · Allendale, NJ
Right in your own community, the Tenafly Nature Center offers forest trails, ponds, and wildlife habitats perched atop the Palisades — a natural world within easy reach. A short drive away, the Celery Farm in Allendale extends the adventure: 107 acres of freshwater wetland open every day of the year, where over 240 species of birds have been recorded and more than 50 are known to breed. Bring binoculars, move quietly, and let the children lead. Spotting a great blue heron or a painted turtle is the kind of discovery that stays with a child for years.
Paired Reading:
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region — a practical companion for identifying what you see at the Celery Farm. (Elementary 3-5 and up)
Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendes — for families curious about animal signs, tracks, and the hidden life of the forest. (High School / Adult)
Paramus, NJ
Van Saun County Park is one of Bergen County's most beloved family destinations. Playgrounds, shaded picnic areas, and a small zoo make it an easy and genuinely satisfying half-day outing. The miniature train ride within the park is a perennial favorite with younger children, while older kids often linger at the animal habitats. Pack a picnic, let curiosity run in every direction, and stay as long as the afternoon allows.
Paired Reading:
Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner — a beautifully illustrated story that helps children notice the hidden ecosystems thriving in and around a pond. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
Odder by Katherine Applegate - inspired by true events at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a touching and lyrical tale about a remarkable sea otter, perfect for summer reading! (Elementary 3-5)
Life at the Zoo by Michael George — with original photography from a National Geographic photographer, this book offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what zoo life is really like. (Elementary 3-5)
Jersey City, NJ
Liberty Science Center turns scientific curiosity into something physical, immediate, and unforgettable. Hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations, and engineering challenges invite children to touch, test, and question — not just observe. It is an especially rewarding destination on a hot or rainy day, with enough to fill a full afternoon. Children rarely leave with all the answers; they leave with better questions, which is exactly the point.
Paired Reading:
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty — a joyful picture book about a child who asks "Why?" about everything, celebrating experimentation and the courage to keep wondering. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly — the remarkable true story of the Black women mathematicians who helped launch America's space program. (Middle School)
94 Demarest Mill Rd, Nanuet, NY
Just over the New York border in Nanuet, Rockland Bakery is unlike any bakery you have visited before. Loaves of bread travel overhead on conveyor belts, bagels roll out of enormous ovens, and the air is thick with the warm, yeasty aroma of fresh baking on an industrial scale. Every visitor receives gloves and a bag to fill directly from the line. It is a working operation — purposeful, loud, and absolutely fascinating — that brings the chemistry and craft of baking to vivid life for children and adults alike.
Paired Reading:
How to Bake an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman — a whimsical adventure following a young baker who travels the globe to gather ingredients, connecting baking with geography and imagination. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
Kitchen Science Lab for Kids by Liz Lee Heinecke — introduces children to the chemistry behind baking through hands-on experiments and recipes, perfect for understanding what they witnessed at the bakery. (Elementary 3-5)
Closter, NJ · belskiemuseum.com
Next door to the Closter Public Library, this small and remarkable museum is easy to overlook and absolutely worth discovering. It was founded in 1993 to preserve and exhibit the works of Abram Belskie (1907–1988), one of the country's most accomplished sculptors and among the most eminent medical artists of his time, who was a resident of Closter his entire adult life. His most celebrated collaboration was with physician Robert Latou Dickinson: together they created detailed medical sculptures exhibited at the 1939 New York World's Fair, seen by millions of visitors and reproduced for display worldwide. The museum offers around ten changing exhibitions each year, showcasing local, national, and international artists alongside Belskie's permanent collection. Admission is free, making it an ideal rainy-day stop and a genuine conversation starter about art, science, and the surprising ways the two overlap.
Paired Reading:
What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada — a gentle picture book about nurturing a creative idea until it grows into something that changes the world, a perfect complement to the story of an artist who turned science into sculpture. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter — the true story of a scientist who observed the world with extraordinary patience and care, much as Belskie studied the human form. (Elementary 1-3)
Bodies: The Whole Blood-Pumping Story by Glenn Murphy — for curious children who want to understand the human body that Belskie spent a lifetime depicting.
Closter, NJ · lustronhouse.com
This is one of the most unusual house museums in New Jersey and one of the most quietly fascinating destinations in Bergen County. In 1949, Harold Hess, a recently married returning World War II veteran, spotted a sample Lustron House on display at Palisades Amusement Park. In 1950, he purchased a Westchester Deluxe model and, after being turned away by Fort Lee's zoning board, erected it in Closter, where more relaxed building codes allowed this novel all-steel prefabricated home to be built. Every component exterior panels, roof tiles, interior walls and ceilings is composed of porcelain-enameled steel, assembled on site like an erector set atop a concrete slab. Listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places, it is operated as a house museum by the Friends of the Lustron Committee of the Closter Historic Society, and is open to the public on the second Saturday of each month from noon to 2 p.m. It is a remarkable window into postwar American life, ingenuity, and the dream of a new kind of home. Note: Open the second Saturday of each month, noon to 2 p.m. Free admission.
Paired Reading:
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton — a beloved picture book about a house, the passage of time, and what makes a place feel like home — a natural companion to a visit with the Hess family's preserved world. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty — the story of a girl who builds extraordinary things from ordinary materials, echoing the spirit of the Lustron's factory-made innovation. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
When We Were Young: A Treasury of Read-Aloud Poems — for a sense of the mid-century domestic life the Lustron house so vividly evokes. (Kindergarten-Elementary 3-5)
@grannyhamburgtraining on Instagram
Popular across social media, Granny Hamburg Training has charmed millions of parents with a grandmother's approach to child-rearing rooted in simplicity: screen-free, play-based activities designed to build focus, observation, and motor skills in young children. Her videos are a warm reminder that the most powerful learning tools are often the most ordinary ones a bowl of water, a handful of dried beans, an afternoon with nowhere particular to be. (K-12)
Paired Reading:
The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World by Catherine Anne Price and Jonathan Haidt — a graphic novel guide to living a happy life away from smartphone domination (Middle School-High School)
Englewood Cliffs to Alpine, NJ / NY
The Palisades cliffs that children glimpse from the Hudson River train can be explored up close, on foot, just minutes from Tenafly. The Shore Trail runs along the river's edge beneath the cliff face; the Long Path follows the ridge above, with sweeping views across the Hudson to New York. Both offer routes for a range of abilities and ages. The geology here is extraordinary — those towering columns of diabase rock are among the most dramatic formations in the eastern United States — and the forest along the trails is cool and quiet even in July.
Paired Reading:
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George — a beloved novel about a boy who lives alone in the wilderness, perfect for children who feel most alive outdoors. (Elementary 4-5/Middle School)
I, Rock: A Geology Tale — a charmingly funny and thoroughly informative nonfiction picture book told from the perspective of a proud four-billion-year-old rock. (Elementary 1-3)
700 Westwood Ave, Wyckoff, NJ
Abma's Farm in Wyckoff offers children an experience increasingly rare in suburban life: a direct encounter with where food comes from. Pick your own vegetables, visit the farm animals, and browse the farm stand for seasonal produce, fresh-baked goods, and pressed cider. It is equal parts education and pleasure — a grounded, hands-on lesson in seasons, soil, patience, and the satisfaction of eating something you helped bring in from the field.
Paired Reading:
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner – a beautifully illustrated journey through a garden’s hidden ecosystem, revealing the bustling life above and below the soil. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin — a warm story about a child who learns to love the vegetables her family grows. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin — the inspiring true story of urban farmer Will Allen, who turned city lots into thriving community gardens. (Elementary 1-3)
Little Green Fingers: Easy Peasy Gardening Activities by Claire Philip – a collection of gardening activities that inspires children to discover the wonders of the world around them. (Elementary 1-3)
Mahwah, NJ · Also: Tenafly Nature Center on clear nights
On a clear summer night, a short drive into the hills beyond Tenafly rewards families with a sky full of stars. The summer constellations — Scorpius low on the horizon, the bright arc of the Summer Triangle overhead, and on the darkest nights, the faint sweep of the Milky Way — are visible to the naked eye away from town lights. Bring a blanket, a thermos, and a star map. The questions children ask when they look up at the night sky are some of the most profound they will ever ask.
Paired Reading:
Our Universe Series by Stacy McAnulty – a picture book series that introduces children to the wonders of our solar system through “autobiographies” of planets and other celestial bodies. (Kindergarten-Elementary 2)
George's Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy & Stephen Hawking — a chapter-book series that makes astrophysics genuinely accessible and exciting for middle-grade readers. (Elementary 3-5)
Space Activity Lab: Exciting Space Projects for Budding Astronauts by DK – An activity book packed with fun experiments and space-themed projects that help young astronomers explore the wonders of our universe. (Elementary 3-5)
An Anthology of Stargazing: a Collection of Stars and Constellations and other Wonders in the Sky by DK – a beautifully illustrated guide to the night sky that introduces children to constellations, stars, asterisms, and the myths and legends they inspired. (Elementary 3-5)
Ridgewood, NJ
Just a short drive from Tenafly, this nonprofit research and study foundation occupies the former home and studio of modernist landscape architect James C. Rose, built in 1953 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rose described it as "neither landscape nor architecture, but both; neither indoors, nor outdoors, but both" — a tiny compound on a plot barely half the size of a tennis court that achieves a fusion of indoor and outdoor space perhaps unequalled by designers of his time. Along with Garrett Eckbo and Dan Kiley, Rose was one of the founders of the modern movement in American landscape architecture — and his home remains his most personal and enduring work. For children who have ever wondered why a garden feels the way it does, or why some outdoor spaces feel magical and others do not, this is a rare chance to find out.
Paired Reading:
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown — a quiet, beautifully illustrated story about a child who discovers a neglected patch of green and tends it back to life, capturing the spirit of what gardens can become. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
Gardening Lab for Kids by Renata Fossen Brown — hands-on experiments and projects that invite children to dig in, observe, and grow things of their own. (Elementary 3-5)
Mr. Pei's Perfect Shapes: The Story of Architect I. M. Pei by Julie Leung –- this biography explores I. M. Pei’s innovative designs, which balanced modern aesthetics with a deep commitment to harmony between his buildings and the landscapes and cities around them. (Elementary 2-4)
Bronx, NY · Approximately 30 minutes from Tenafly
The New York Botanical Garden's 250 acres are a living encyclopedia of the plant world, and in summer they are spectacular. Rotating seasonal exhibitions, a magnificent rose garden, a Victorian-era glass conservatory, and a dedicated children's adventure garden where kids can dig, plant, and splash make this one of the most varied and rewarding family destinations in the region. It changes with every season and rewards return visits all summer long.
Paired Reading:
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart — a quiet, lovely story about a girl who transforms a gray city rooftop with seeds and determination. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter — the true story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, who led the planting of millions of trees across Kenya. (Elementary 1-3)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett — for older children, a timeless novel about a neglected garden and the children who bring it back to life. (Elementary 4-5/Middle School)(Elementary 4-5/Middle School)
Millburn, NJ · Approximately 45 minutes from Tenafly
One of America's great regional theaters, Paper Mill Playhouse has been producing Broadway-caliber musicals in Millburn for nearly a century. Attending a live performance — the costumes, the voices, the charged anticipation when the house lights go down — is an experience children carry with them for a very long time. Many summer productions are specifically suited to family audiences. Check the current season's listings and consider making an evening of it. Live theater, seen young, has a way of opening the world.
Paired Reading:
Read the book that inspired the production being performed — many Paper Mill shows are drawn from beloved stories.
Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson — a moving, lyrical story about creativity, storytelling, and the things we make and pass down through generations. (Elementary 2-4)
Oradell, NJ · blauveltartmuseum.com
Tucked into a Victorian carriage house on a hill overlooking the Hackensack River, this is one of Bergen County's most quietly extraordinary institutions. Internationally recognized, it is one of only five museums in the United States dedicated exclusively to wildlife art. Founded in 1957, it was originally a natural history museum that introduced students, scouts, and youth groups to the need for wildlife and habitat conservation — visiting artists created drawings and paintings from close observation of animal specimens. Today the galleries showcase contemporary wildlife painters and sculptors alongside a collection that includes an Audubon folio of extinct birds — a reminder that what we paint, we also protect. The setting itself is worth the visit: the stone terrace, the large bronze sculptures, the oak trees framing the entrance. Admission is free.
Paired Reading:
The Wolves Are Back by Jean Craighead George — a lyrical picture book about the return of wolves to Yellowstone and the healing of a whole ecosystem, echoing the museum's conservation mission. (Elementary 1-3)
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter — the story of a scientist who spent her life observing animals with patience and love. (Elementary 1-3)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region the same tradition of wildlife illustration that the Blauvelt celebrates, now useful on any walk home. (Elementary 3-5 and up)
Englewood, NJ
Less than ten minutes from Tenafly, Flat Rock Brook is a 150-acre nature preserve and environmental education center on the western slope of the Palisades, just two miles from the George Washington Bridge. It is a genuine surprise to find it there — a cascading stream, a quarry pond, wildflower meadows, and a forest that feels far from any suburb. The raptor aviary houses non-releasable birds of prey including a Screech Owl, a Great Horned Owl, and a Red-tailed Hawk — animals that serve as ambassadors for their species and regularly accompany educators to schools and community programs. Trails are free and open every day from dawn to dusk, and the nature center offers a rich calendar of family programs throughout the year. This is a place to come back to in every season. Flat Rock Brook + 2
Paired Reading:
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen — a hushed, gorgeous picture book about a child and her father going owling on a winter night, perfect after meeting Flat Rock's resident owls. (Kindergarten-Elementary 1-2)
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (Young Adult edition) — for older children who walked through Flat Rock's oak-hickory forest and want to understand what the trees are doing. (Middle School-High School)
A Walk in the Woods by various — pick any field guide to Eastern forest animals and bring it on the trail; Flat Rock rewards slow, close attention. (Elementary 3-5 and up)
335 North Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ · thehermitage.org
This one carries more American history per square foot than almost anywhere else in Bergen County. Built around 1760 and renovated in 1847, The Hermitage is a fourteen-room Gothic Revival house museum that served as a resting place for General George Washington and key figures of the Revolution. In July 1778, while her husband was away fighting for the British, the owner Theodosia Prevost invited Washington and his troops to stay for four days — among the guests were James Monroe, the Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr. Following the war, Theodosia and Aaron Burr married at The Hermitage in 1782. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970, it offers guided tours, free access to the grounds, and educational programs covering its layered history from Native American habitation through colonial settlement to the Revolutionary era. History taught here does not feel like a textbook. Journey Through Jersey + 2
Paired Reading:
Alexander Hamilton: The Graphic History of an American Founding Father by Jonathan Hennessey — makes the founding era vivid and accessible for middle-grade readers who have just stood where Hamilton stood. (Middle School)
George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer — a rare and valuable look at the Revolution through the perspectives of both Washington and King George III. (Elementary 3-5)
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes — a classic novel of the Revolutionary War era, perfect for children old enough to feel the full weight of what they saw at The Hermitage. (Middle School)
400 Fred Wehran Drive, Teterboro, NJ · njahof.org
For children who look up when a plane passes overhead, this is a destination worth seeking out. Located at Teterboro Airport, the museum is dedicated to preserving New Jersey's two centuries of aviation and space heritage. Its unique exhibits include the rocket engine that propelled the X-15 to record-breaking speed and altitude, the first American hovercraft invented by Charles Fletcher, helicopters, aircraft, and an extensive model collection. The Hall of Fame honors the New Jersey men and women whose achievements changed the history of flight — and the surrounding working airport, visible from the museum, adds a living, present-tense dimension that children find hard to resist. Mybergen
Paired Reading:
Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747 by Chris Gall— a picture book about the development of the iconic passenger plane and how it changed the history of air travel. (Elementary 1-3)
Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky — includes pioneering aviators and engineers among the fifty trailblazers profiled, in stunning illustrated portraits. (Middle School-High School)
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (Young Readers Adaptation) — the story of two brothers from Ohio who changed everything, told with McCullough's characteristic warmth and precision. (Middle School-High School)
The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World by Catherine Anne Price and Jonathan Haidt — a graphic novel guide to living a happy life away from smartphone domination. (Upper Elelmentary - Middle School)
We welcome further recommendations for inclusion and appreciate comments on your experiences. Please send photos!
Send to ddigregorio@tenafly.k12.nj.us