East Village

In our melting pot of a city, kids are exposed to lots of different languages, and the summer is a great time for children to try to pick up a new one. Whether your child yearns to master Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish, New York City is home to lots of language immersion summer camps. No textbooks at these programs. Instead, kids experience the usual seasonal fun—swimming, sports, arts—in their non-native tongue. The instructors and counselors are all fluent and not only teach kids the language, they expose them to the culture, too. Here are 10 language immersion summer day camps that will have your kids saying hola, bonjour or ciao in no time.

You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy Purim. Often called the Jewish Halloween, Purim is a super-fun holiday when kids can do some of their favorite things, like dress up, play games, eat treats and make lots of noise.

Inspired by the great biblical tale of Queen Esther, who saved the Jews from annihilation by standing up to her husband's evil adviser Haman, Purim is celebrated by reading the Megillah (Esther's story), noshing on hamantaschen (triangular fruit-filled pastries meant to represent Haman's ears—gruesome but tasty) and rejoicing in a carnival-like atmosphere.

This year, Purim officially begins on the evening of Saturday, February 23 and ends at sundown the next day, and most Jewish cultural institutions are marking the holiday that weekend. We've rounded up the top 10 Purim celebrations in New York City, including colorful carnivals, holiday performances and even costume parades.

Ah, karaoke, a favorite activity for rowdy office parties and over-21 birthdays. The last time I went to a karaoke place, my coat ended up on the floor, soaking in a puddle of beer. It was a fun night out... but one I couldn't share with my children.

But karaoke-loving kids don't need to confine their singing to the shower. They can enjoy an authentic experience, minus the R-rated lyrics and copious amounts of alcohol, at a number of New York City karaoke spots that have family-friendly hours during the daytime. Many of these places even offer children's party packages where the bottomless pitchers of beer are replaced with juice or soda.