June 28 - July 5

Paper airplane competition

Children ages 2 and older can compete to make paper planes and see whose plane can fly the furthest at the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library on June 30 at 11 a.m.

Watch the fireworks

The Village of Valley Stream will be holding its 27th annual Fourth of July Fireworks Show on July 4 at Fireman’s Field. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the gate. Children under the age of 2 are free. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at sundown.

Kick off the summer reading club

Teenagers can kick off Henry Waldinger Memorial Library’s Summer Reading Club with juggling and homemade ice cream at the library on June 28 at 3 p.m.

Playing with plants

Learn all about the life cycle of plants with an outdoor educator at Planting Fields Arboretum, who will lead families on a multi-sensory adventure, Sunday, July 1, 12-1:30 p.m. Listen as The Cat in the Hat explains how seeds grow. Explore colors, textures, smells, tastes and sounds; then later paint a ceramic pot and plant a seedling. Info: (516) 922-8668 or www.plantingfields.org.

Back in the saddle

Catch a glimpse of the Wild West at Old Bethpage Village in an ode to those days when cowboys ruled. Experience the excitement of that long ago era at a reenactment of historic shooting events held at Wild West shows in the late 19th century, on Sunday, July 1, at 11 a.m.  Witness this fast action event in which costumed “cowboys” race their horses through several different courses while shooting. Info: (516) 572-8400 or www.obvr.nassau.com.