Big Kids

My son, Roan, turned five this weekend. He has the misfortune of being born in a season that is ripe with people celebrating things other than his birth. This year I wanted to really make an effort to carve out time just for him, and do special things with him that we probably wouldn’t get around to otherwise. In addition to a few parties, much too much ice cream, bowling, cutting a half day of school to play in the snow and staying up late, I brought out the big gun: The Big Apple Circus.

The Big Apple Circus takes place in Lincoln Center through January 18, 2009. It is an amazingly easy place to get to by subway, which mattered to me on Sunday, because it was mean cold that day. Roan wasn’t really too sure what to expect. I’ve never been to the Big Apple Circus so I didn’t really know how to prepare him. But when we approached the blue Big Top Tent, my eyes lit up like the eight-year-old I truly am. There is something magical about walking into a giant Circus tent in the middle of Lincoln Center. Read more »

One of the things that makes NYC the ultimate place to live with kids is you don't have to travel far for great family recreational activities. And, since we finally got some snow, skiing with the kids sounds pretty good right about now. But, where are the best places to go skiing with kids near NYC? Well, that all depends on what kind of skier you are and whether you want to ski with your kids, drop them off at ski school and hit the slopes yourself, or you want to do something else altogether. Here's a rundown of the best family ski centers near New York. Read more »

This site is dedicated to helping parents find all the amazing, cool, once-in-a-lifetime events that you don't have to spend a fortune to take advantage of, but there are some events that are worth the splurge. A Night at the Museum Sleepover is one of them and would make a terrific Holiday Gift.

The American Museum of Natural History invites families to spend a night exploring the museum after everyone else has gone home and camp out in one of the exhibit halls. My daughter was lucky enough to be invited to do this with a friend who received the sleepover as a gift. What an amazing present! And they had such a great time. Read more »

I recently wrote about how to find charity activities you can do with your kids. I like the fact that there are some organizations that make volunteering fun and feel not that different than any activity you might do with your children, but for a good cause. I just found out about one such event this weekend: A charity knit-off for teens and tweens. Read more »

The bankers and the artists may get all the press, but NYC is a great city for science too. There are many wondrous places in New York where kids can soak up, explore and create scientific knowledge for themselves. From Science Museums, Programs, Shops and more, we've rounded up the best places for kids to get scientific in New York City. Read more »

At the New Victory Theater's, Hunchback , author Victor Hugo narrates the tale, leading children through the performance, giving the story some significant historical context and explaining the importance of references to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The play/puppet show is pretty cerebral, and can be a little scary, but my 8 year old companion loved the goofy Victor Hugo and I loved the artistry of the puppets, mask and staging of the show. Read more »

Back in August we did a giveaway for 4 complimentary tickets to the Kiddie Cruise and it was so popular, we are doing it again but this time two lucky Mommy Poppinistas will win 4 tickets to the Halloween Kiddie Cruise.

Setting sail on Oct. 26 at noon, the Halloween Kiddie Cruise will take you on a ghoulishly fun two hour tour of the Hudson. The cruise ship is a 3 level Louisiana-Style paddle-wheel boat that is packed full of Halloween kiddie entertainment. Recommended for kids ages 2 to 8, you can expect face painting, balloon sculpting, arts and crafts, magic shows, performances, story telling, live music, raffles and yummy food for kids and adults.

Keep reading for details on how to enter... Read more »

I am terrible at planning in advance for Halloween.   Alright, I admit it, I'm terrible at planning in advance for everything, but in some very rare cases this can be a good thing. Halloween, is all about getting creative. Sometimes being a slacker-mom on Halloween forces you and your kids to be more creative and have more fun since you are left with putting together a costume that you can make with what you already have or what is easy to get.

Keep reading to find out some great toddler and kid Halloween costume ideas that almost entirely use stuff you either already have or can find in a stationary store.  Plus, the best last minute costume ideas on the interweb. Read more »

Photo by egarc2

The New York City Parks Department provides a variety of free, water-based programs for all ages and levels, ranging from swim lessons to recreational swimming to training for swim team competition. Programs are available for toddlers, children and adults, and both after-school swim classes and Saturday swimming lessons are available. All programs are free and offered in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and After School Swim Classes are available in Queens.

Classes are free and space is limited. Registration is on a first come-first served basis. Here's more info on these free swimming classes and how to register: Read more »

This weekend is going to be great zoo weather. Nice and sunny and cool, but the big summer crowds are gone. We visited the Bronx Zoo and had a great time. It made us wonder why we don't go there all the time.

The impetus for our visit was the new Madagascar exhibit. (I can't imagine where I got that idea from). And it was definitely worth the trip. While Madagascar isn't as dramatic as the Congo exhibit with it's amazing gorillas, it was fun for everyone and I gathered some tips for visiting the Bronx Zoo along the way. Read more »