May 16 2013

This Week: Mommy Poppins App, Memorial Day Weekend Travel Deals, a Dino Ride at the Bronx Zoo, Coney Island Post-Sandy

Things to do with kids: This Week: Mommy Poppins App, Memorial Day Weekend Travel Deals, a Dino Ride at the Bronx Zoo, Coney Island Post-Sandy

We're still basking in a Mother's Day afterglow (that's three generations of my family in the photo) but we're also counting down to Memorial Day weekend. Our Travel site rounded up some excellent getaway deals for the upcoming holiday weekend including destinations that are a short drive from NYC. Our regional sites are full of cool spring day trip ideas like the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, New Jersey, the USS Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut or pick-your-own strawberry farms throughout the Garden State. If you decide to make it a Memorial Day weekend staycation, there's certainly plenty to do in town like the opening day family festival on Governors Island, the debut of the Dinosaur Safari ride at the Bronx Zoo and the start of the Coney Island season.

There's still time to subscribe to our Hamptons and North Fork newsletter and be automatically entered to win fun prizes. We also have another great giveaway going on: Enter to win a week of Summer Adventure Camp: City Edition run by NY City Explorers.

Wish you could enjoy all of our Mommy Poppins recommendations when you're on the go? Well, soon there'll be an app for that. We're readying our Mommy Poppins App for launch but we need your help. We started an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign so that we can raise enough money to make the app free to all. Contribute to our goal and you'll snag some cool swag and, of course, get the benefit of using the app once it debuts in June. We believe that Mommy Poppins is more than just a website, it's a community. This app is a way for us all to collaborate on something really cool.

Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week:

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May 16 2013

Mommy Poppins App Is Coming! Help Us Launch It and Win Cool Rewards

Things to do with kids: Mommy Poppins App Is Coming! Help Us Launch It and Win Cool Rewards

We know you count on Mommy Poppins to find cool things to do with your kids. And we've heard that on the computer, our site is pretty easy to navigate and find what you're looking for. But when you're out and about, finding kid-friendly activities or places to eat on Mommy Poppins isn't that easy. Yeah, we have neighborhood pages with maps, but we admit it's not the best way to find stuff on your smartphone.

That will change with the launch of our new app. The Mommy Poppins App will allow you to find all the great places we write about on our sites—spots to create, be active, learn, shop, eat and more—easily on your phone. We've been working on it for months and we are on track to launch in June. But we have a few final hurdles to jump and we're hoping you can help. And we've got some great incentives if you do.

Read on to find out more about the Mommy Poppins App and the IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign we just launched where you can snag cool rewards like swag, your child's picture in the app, a ticket to our swanky launch party or even a private consultation with Mommy Poppins founder, Anna Fader.

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May 15 2013

Free & Fun Things to Do this Weekend with NYC Kids: Outdoor Festivals, Dance Parade, Kings County Fair May 18-19

Things to do with kids: Free & Fun Things to Do this Weekend with NYC Kids: Outdoor Festivals, Dance Parade, Kings County Fair May 18-19

Do you like outdoor festivals? Then you're going to love this weekend. A bunch of our annual favorites take place on Saturday and Sunday, including the Fleece Festival in Prospect Park, the Ninth Avenue Food Festival in Midtown West, downtown Manhattan's free New York Dance Parade, Madison Square Park's no-cost Spring Kids Fest and Brooklyn's ride-filled Kings County Fair.

It's also a great weekend for enriching multicultural fun like El Museo del Barrio's Spanish lit-themed Super Sabado, the National Museum of the American Indian's Hawaiian celebration and the Children's Museum of the Arts' Caribbean Fest.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. Remember, there are even more options in our Event Calendar and our Spring Fun Guide.

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May 15 2013

Best Ice Cream and Ices in Queens: 9 Sweet Scoop Spots

Things to do with kids: Best Ice Cream and Ices in Queens: 9 Sweet Scoop Spots

While Queens may not be chock-full of high-end gourmet creameries like Manhattan and Brooklyn, that doesn't mean we've only got Mister Softee. From authentic old-fashioned sofa fountains serving up insane sundaes to cool new ma-and-pa parlors like Long Island City's Malu, Queens has got its share of ice cream places worth traveling to—whether you live in the borough or are just passing through. These nine sweet spots are all family favorites for me and my brood. And if you don't dig ice cream, don't worry: Some of these shops are best known for other cold treats like Italian ices—a staple of my home borough.

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May 14 2013

Crown Heights for Kids: Drop-in Culture Spots Where Families Can Play and Learn

Things to do with kids: Crown Heights for Kids: Drop-in Culture Spots Where Families Can Play and Learn

What's the one neighborhood in NYC that has not one but two children's museums? If you guessed the Upper West Side or Park Slope, try again. Crown Heights, Brooklyn is home to the super-popular and interactive Brooklyn Children's Museum as well as the lesser-known Jewish Children's Museum, which features an entire floor of games including an indoor mini-golf course. So while there may not be any traditional kiddie gyms in Crown Heights (yet—it's only a matter of time), there's certainly no shortage of places for kids to play and learn.

In addition to the aforementioned tot spots, there's the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum, which are both very kid-friendly and offer wonderful family programming year-round. Plus the historic Weeksville Heritage Center is about to debut its brand-new Education and Cultural Arts Building. We continue our month-long spotlight on Crown Heights with a look at everything these institutions have to offer families, including lots of opportunities for enriching drop-in fun.

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May 14 2013

News: Disnosaurs in the Bronx, a Mini-Amusement Park in Queens and a New Ice Cream Shop in Brooklyn

Things to do with kids: News: Disnosaurs in the Bronx, a Mini-Amusement Park in Queens and a New Ice Cream Shop in Brooklyn

As we head toward summer's unofficial start, Memorial Day weekend, there are a slew of exciting openings to share, including a new mini-amusement park in Queens' Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the debut of a Dinosaur Safari at the Bronx Zoo and a fresh ice cream shop in Williamsburg.

We've also got the scoop on a couple of museum closures, a way to see Section 3 of the High Line before it opens to the general public and a list of hilarious parenting hacks that may inspire you—or at least put a knowing smile on your face.

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May 13 2013

Coney Island After Sandy: Help Save the Mermaid Parade and Find Out What's Open for Summer 2013

Things to do with kids: Coney Island After Sandy: Help Save the Mermaid Parade and Find Out What's Open for Summer 2013

Even though Hurricane Sandy may seem so long ago, many communities are still recovering from all the damage done. One of the hardest hit areas in NYC is one of our favorite places to play in the summer: Coney Island in Brooklyn.

While the Parks Department says the beach will be ready to welcome swimmers and sunbathers come Memorial Day weekend, many other Coney Island attractions like the New York Aquarium are struggling to open for the season, and some iconic events like the annual Mermaid Parade may not happen at all without support from fans. We've got up-to-date info on what to expect when you visit Coney Island this summer, and how you can help the People's Playground bounce back.

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May 13 2013

AHRC New York City: Assistance for Families with Special Needs

Things to do with kids: AHRC New York City: Assistance for Families with Special Needs

As the mother of a son with special needs, we have our work cut out for us in many areas. While we’ve pretty much figured out the crazy NYC school system (at least for the moment) and explored a whole slew of extracurricular activities, there are still lots of things we need help with on a day-to-day basis.

Previously I profiled YAI NYC and NYC's Resources for Children with Special Needs, two wonderful nonprofit organizations that offer resources, advice and assistance for local special needs families. However, since many agencies have full caseloads and wait lists for in-demand services, it’s always a good idea to have a few more irons in the fire.

That's why I recently called AHRC New York City, an organization that has been serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their loved ones since 1950. I found out that AHRC has a special needs dental clinic located about 30 minutes from my house, which is a good hour less than we had been traveling for the last few years. But the dental clinic turned out to be just a glimpse of what AHRC has to offer.

AHRC states on its website that its goal is “to offer individuals with disabilities day to day living that is as rich, absorbing and worthwhile as possible, with an emphasis on helping individuals live up to their maximum potential in the community.” Based on what I’ve found out so far, that’s an understatement. Here are just a few of the unique events, services and resources AHRC provides to the NYC special needs community and their families.

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