Marcy's blog

Some kids take so many extra curricular activities after school they barely have time to play, but for other kids, after school classes can be a real challenge. Whether they have a developmental challenge, delay, disability or disorder, or they just struggle with all things organized, many kids can not partake in the slew of general after school activities. Luckily, no matter how small or great a child's challenges might be, here in NYC there are a number of options for children of every ability when it comes to the exciting activities, sports, and amusements that their typical peers enjoy.

We hope that having some extra-curricular options will make it easier for you to offer your children more fun activities. And don't forget to ask about summer and holiday mini-camps. Many of these programs do offer them.

It’s true that art museums don’t instantly come to mind when you think of outdoor water works where kids can splash around and cool off on a steamy summer day, but PS1’s unique “Warm Up” Saturdays do just that.  Their interactive courtyard exhibit entitled Pole Dance (fear not, there’s nothing “Bada Bing” or remotely suggestive about it), offers a wading pool filled with giant pastel colored exercise balls and nets to throw them in, a refreshing sprinkler-like water mister to stand under, a sandbox the size of a swimming pool (with some fun purple climbing structures), cushy hammocks for swinging in, more balls and nets for all-around exercise, and, of course, poles which you’re supposed to shimmy up or swing on to create weird whooshing sounds. Sound like a blast?! Read on to find out more!

Ahoy Mateys, there's treasure buried in NYC! And your kids can try to find it, no pullin' yer peg leg. The "Pirate Gold" is actually ten thousand dollars in real US mint one dollar coins (which are gold toned), it's buried in New York City in one of the five boroughs, and to get the clues to find the treasure you have to watch very silly videos of a motley crew of muppet-like pirates (and one Ninja!) giving secret hints as to the location.
 

For a limited time (through June 27th) you no longer have to be a big shot, win the Super Bowl or save a few hundred people's lives to be granted a Key to the City. Now anyone can get one and it will even open real secret doors all over New York. Thanks to artist, Paul Ramírez Jonas, Mayor Bloomberg and a few dozen participating sites in all five boroughs, you and your children can get a bona fide Key to the City. Not just some gold-plated trinket to stuff in a drawer but an actual key that works and will open real locks.

Your kiddos will have a blast on this city-side adventure unlocking garden gates, hidden doors, lonesome lockers, mystery boxes, secret rooms and more. Participation is free of charge, open to all who show up, and better yet, kids have got all summer to put on their explorer's caps and take part in New York artist Paul Ramírez Jonas’ new and awesome Key to the City project.

You might have heard that there’s a cool Toy Theater Festival in town until June 13th, but betcha didn’t know about the terrific and virtually un-advertised Temporary Toy Theater Museum that accompanies the festival or, better yet, that it’s totally free to see and well worth taking the kids!

As parents we might do back flips to make sure our kids eat their daily 3-square chock full of veggies, whole grains and power fruits. However, sometimes it’s very fun (and wicked delicious) to ditch squaresville, flipping those pesky food pyramids on their points, in order to chow down on some of NYC’s awesome one-food-wonders. And we’re not talking about the cupcake craze either. NYC is fairly unique in offering a huge variety of obsessively crafted single-food stands and other illustrious eateries where there’s virtually just one thing on the menu. But oh what delectable things they are!

We’ve scoped out some the most kid-ilicious single-food snacks around. (You’ll love them too.) Enjoy some of the very best single-food sensations around, all under $10:

I knew this was going to be a cool show before we checked it out in person, but we were truly unprepared for the total awesomeness of the entire exhibit which has a WOW factor that’s off the charts.  The basic premise of the show is about taking recycled “dead” plant and animal matter and making it newly “alive” as art.  Take, for instance, Billie Grace Lynn’s freakin’ fantastic working “Mad Cow Motorcycle” made up of the bones of an entire cow. Then there’s Fabian Pena’s anatomical art that’s pretty swell in and of itself but will knock your socks off when closer inspection reveals it’s entirely fabricated from cockroach wings. And talking about the eeeewwww factor, you’ve got Alastair Mackie’s fabric woven from mouse fur recovered from owl poop.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg! Read on to get the goods on this exciting exhibition.
 

If your cubs crave comic books or are aficionados of Japanese animé, you’ll definitely want to head on over to the incredibly cool Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters show at Japan Society.  What you get to see is the amazing artwork that inspired modern-day animé, the likes of Mothra and Godzilla, and much of what we recognize as classic comic book graphic style, as well as popular tattoo art and manga.  All the bold, colorful works are by one incredible artist, Utagawa Kuniyoshi. One more thing. He lived from 1797-1861. (Totally true.)  Read on to find out more about this fantastic show  with tips on how best to view it.
 
 

If you’re looking for an enjoyable afternoon of stories, crafts, and a little bit of American history, all for free, do pay a visit to King Manor on a Saturday for either their upcoming Spring Festival on May 1st or one of their monthly children’s Hands on History days.  We attended one of the Hands on History events and found the crafts thoughtfully presented, the guides warm and welcoming, and the special presentation just the right length to be entertaining.  The free house tour we took after was also worthwhile.
 
Read on for more about this little-known locale and their upcoming children’s events.
 

There are tons of fab free things to do to enjoy Mother's Day with your kids in NYC...and we don't mean spending the day cleaning out your closets (although that does sound exciting). Lots of places celebrate Mother's Day with deals, discounts and freebies just for mom. Here are a few no- and low-cost treats and activities moms and their lucky offspring can share together over Mother’s Day weekend.