Green

Bicycling is having a real renaissance in New York City. We're seeing more bike paths and more nice places to bike, plus more resources and programs to make biking easier, more affordable and fun. Find out below some of the best resources for New York City Bikers from the best places to bike with kids, where to get New York City bike maps, bike rentals, free bikes to borrow and more.

If you thought this was the Year of the Ox, you are so wrong. According to the United Nations, it’s the Year of the Gorilla. In order to raise awareness about the threats to the iconic Gorilla species, the United Nations has declared this year the “Year of the Gorilla” and the Wildlife Conservation Society (the global conservation organization that owns and operates the Bronx Zoo) is helping to support these beautiful beasts with a month-long celebration of the planet during Earth Month and a fundraising run that supports their work to protect gorillas.

Check out the fun, family –friendly events that are going to be going on at the Bronx Zoo in April:

While searching far, wide and near for today’s roundup of links I’ve been reminded of the terrible stress of putting your kid in daycare for the first time.  There is a universal maternal (and paternal!) tension around this topic.  After the jump is a personal recommendation for my peeps in Brooklyn.  Also: exploring the fear of getting separated from your kids on the subway, a new tool for measuring the alcohol content in your breast milk, and listen sister – let’s make sure you’re not smearing one of the eleven worst facial moisturizers on your mug, OK?

Every year I find myself googling the same information - how do I make sure that my Christmas tree ends up being made into mulch and not heaped in the landfill. In fact, I usually start the season by googling around trying to decide how guilty I should feel about having a Christmas tree at all and is there some other alternative that would be cool, environmental and not make my children feel like I'd killed Santa Claus.

I am happy to announce that after years of debating this whole issue I have finally come to a concrete conclusion. So here is my Definitive Guide to a Greener Christmas Tree Experience from the question of getting the tree to the question of getting rid of it:

The fabulous bloggers over at Cool Mom Picks have been working their magic on Halloween, finding the best goodies and coolest finds. Like these all natural plant based body and face face paints used to adorn this cutie pie above and perfect for a homemade Halloween costume.

Starting this weekend, most events taking place for kids in NYC invite you to come in costume. So, get your Princesses and Spidermen ready and check out these fall festivals:

NYC Apple Day 2008 - the LES turns the "Big Apple" green with NYC Apple Day and  Go Green Lower East Side. Be transported back in time with the old-fashioned apple cider press, a live honey beehive plus some modern faves like

The Reason For a Flower by Ruth Heller is one of my favorite children’s books. It teaches us that “the reason for a flower is to manufacture seeds.” My last post was Wildflowers Everywhere, well those beautiful spring flowers have produced many interesting fruit. Fruit is the part of the plant that holds the seeds. Within all of these fruit are seeds you can collect.

Playing with seeds is fun! Collect a number of different fruit and seeds and have your children sort them, count them, draw them, contrast and compare their shapes and colors. Some of the seeds can be put in soil and they will germinate or grow right away. Some might need to be planted outside and go through one winter before they germinate. It’s fun to walk up to a tree and see what surprises are in store for you. But we are not the only ones who need and value fruit and seeds. Our city’s wildlife: seed eating birds, squirrels, chipmunks and other rodents depend upon the fruit and their seeds that our trees produce. Here are some fruit to look for in midsummer.

For many, Long Island conjures up images of beaches, malls and traffic and not much else.  But, Long Island is filled with hidden gems that have nothing to do with shopping or the sea (unfortunately traffic is always possible). Once a farming community, you can still find a lot of family farms throughout the Island and these days many have added pick-your-own fields, petting zoos, gourmet fresh markets, garden centers and kid activities. Each farm maintains its personal flavor, here are a few that are really worth the drive.

If you are looking to sink your hands into the soil or spend a day gorging on fruit, head to one of Long Islands many pick-your-own farms

The best way to get Green in NYC is probably to actually plant something green. There are great gardening classes available for New York City kids and this weekend there's also a NYC Grows festival to help you learn about urban gardening, how you can add more green to your life and a whole lot of fun stuff for kids. Find out about that and terrific gardening classes for kids below.

It's one thing to eat badly when its just you but as soon as you are charged with feeding a little, one the stakes are risen. However, buying all organic food isn't always possible or even the best choice, and in this day and age where we sometimes have too many choices the whole thing can feel really overwhelming.

The book that broke it all down for me is Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, it??™s a fascinating read and has made an indelible impact on how our family shops and eats every day. But, since we know that reading books is not always possible, we have put together this little cheat sheet for you.