FREE Sunday at BK Museum, Botanic Garden and More!

Let me ask you, LET ME ASK YOU: are you ready to learn some shit -- for FREE?? If, like for many of us, your student loans are a grim reminder of why majoring in sculpture at Sarah Lawrence is a bad life choice, then "Free" has gotta sound pretty good. This Sunday, August 7, the gaggle of learneries around Grand Army Plaza celebrate the ten-year anniversary of their alliance as The Heart of Brookyn with a day of free admission and events.

Heart's campus of Brooklyn culture traverses the bloomin' fields of the Botanic Garden and the Park (including the Zoo), the wordy halls of the Central Library, and the chin-stroking exhibits at Brooklyn Museum (both regular and Children's).

During "Free Summer Sunday," you can get in without forking over any coin at all six institutions -- all open for their regular hours, and each hosting special exhibits and events. There'll also be raffles, prizes and other standard summer festival fare, including Brooklyn Icons mini golf at GAP (12-5pm), where putters can send little orbs through miniature Brooklyn Bridges, GAP arches and the like.

* Park It: The day's events kick off with some urban naturalism: an 8am bird-watching walk at Prospect Park. Human warblers can raise voices during Summer Songs and Stories at Lefferts Historic House in the afternoon. The Carousel spins for free all day.

* A-Museum-ments: Fill your brain with things that will make it strong, muscular and attractive to other brains at some of the Brooklyn Museum's current exhibitions. Delve into the cultural history of the big-blue Hindu god Vishnu, check out the doppelganger photography of Lorna Simpson, or see how Brooklyn's Situ Studio has trippified the museum's grand, first-floor hall. Over at the Children's Museum, there're are couple of food-centric activities for families. It's too bad there are no foodies or parents in Park Slope. Oh wait...so, yeah, Breeders, check out activities on Kitchen Chemistry and ice cream.
 
* Act Naturally: The Botanic Garden's 52 acres of foliage spread their leafy arms to visitors, with a free "Seasonal Highlights Tour" at 1pm (starts at the Visitor's Center). The Native New Yorkers exhibit features photos of REAL New York vegetation -- not those fake, hipster trans-plants (see what I did there?) from Kansas. Gawk scientifically at the plant kingdom's fuzzier relative, animals, at the Prospect Park Zoo, with special sea lion feedings scheduled for 11:30am, 2pm and 4pm. A goat named Elroy will, much like a treadmill runner at a NYSC window, entertain you with his exercise moves.

* Read a Goddamn Book, Already: The Brooklyn Library, Central Branch, has an exhibit on the bridges of Brooklyn in its Grand Lobby. The ink-stained staff has also selected some suggested summer titles to keep your brain occupied on the beach.