Inwood

Every summer we get emails from readers asking us which NYC playgrounds have the most shade. While kids can always cool off in the sprinklers, we parents are stuck baking in the sun all day—this week I've been reduced to lugging a parasol to the playground and it really doesn't go with my sneakers.

Although we know of a couple playgrounds that offer exceptional amounts of shade—Hippo Playground in Riverside Park comes to mind—we decided to ask our readers if they knew of any super-shady playgrounds in New York City. After clarifying that we were talking about shelter from the sun's rays, not sketchy parks, they came through with a number of great suggestions.

[UPDATED: JANUARY 25, 2013]

Yes, New York City is home to skyscrapers and sidewalks galore, but our city is also made up of beaches, forests, marshlands and glacier formations. There are animals everywhere, too: seals in the harbor, red-tailed hawks on Fifth Avenue, raccoons in Central Park and even occasionally coyotes. And since we are located on the eastern flyway, our skies are filled with hundreds of different species of birds. My family is passionate about the natural world around us and so are many other New Yorkers, as evidenced by the myriad of nature centers available to us throughout the city.

Nature centers are a great way to while away a winter’s day and maybe even learn something new about the city. Drop in during their open hours and check out wonderful exhibits featuring animals, plants, history and geography. Or attend one of the many special events or organized group activities going on all winter. The best part is that most nature centers don't charge an entrance fee (although donations are accepted) so it's an affordable outing the whole family can enjoy.

Happy New Year! New Year's is always a special time for Mommy Poppins because I started the site as a New Year's resolution five years ago (happy fifth birthday, MP!), and I wrote our popular list of 100 Things to Do in NYC with Kids the following New Year's. (Apparently I'm highly motivated by New Year's, who knew?). Unfortunately, I don't have anything that exciting up my sleeve today, but couldn't let January 1 go by without acknowledging some of the amazing new destinations we wrote about in 2011.

As we all know, NYC is constantly evolving with new attractions opening (and closing) all the time. While the pace of new kid biz openings seems to have slowed from its heyday a few years ago, there are still incredible places popping up in New York City. If you follow the site religiously, you will know about all of these, but for those of you who may have missed one or two of the approximately 500 posts we wrote this year, here's a rundown of our favorite new NYC attractions for families that opened in 2011.