Indoor Activities

Earlier this week we wrote about a website that helps you choose appropriate movies for your kids. Another way to find great movies for kids is to check out one of the local film series where aficionados have selected for you movies that are outstanding.

And this week there's a new option because the people who bring you the Tribeca Film Festival are turning their filmy goodness to movies for kids with the brand new Tribeca Cinemas Kids Club. Read on for the scoop on this new film series where you can catch cool flicks for kids every other Saturday starting this weekend, plus three other cool film series you won't want to miss.

You want to take the kids to every cultural institution in this city, but those family-of-four trips to the MoMA and CMOM are starting to add up. You wonder if you should get a membership, if it’s worth it, or if you should just brave the crowds and go during the free times. We did the leg work for you and created a list of the top museums in New York City that offer family memberships, what perks you get and what you need to know to figure out if it's worth it for your family.

Insiders Tip: A bunch of these museums offer free weekly programs along with admission, plus other special events, so a membership gets you in to lots of free, wonderful children's programming.

In addition to our weekly events posts, we are trying to share with you some of Long Island's best classes and programs offered for kids. Last week we wrote about some of the world class ballet programs being offered. This week,  since we all know this great Indian Summer isn't gonna last forever, we want to share some of the Island's best Indoor Sports Programs. There are plenty of indoor sports facilities here, but not all of them offer great children's programs. Here are some of the most notable facilities which offer great children's programs, classes and leagues:

We've rounded up the greatest places for you to land with your kids in New Jersey.  These museums all guarentee an exhausted, satisfied, and thrilled kid.  And you may find yourself driving home with a smile on your face too.  You can all check out the IMAX theater, see the inflatable planetarium, do a science experiment, see the the mini zoo...let us reassure you that you will all be entertained all day.  As you drive home, they may even fall asleep, and you can put the radio on your station.  Bliss.  Thank you New Jersey.  You don't get enough credit.

Are baby strollers allowed in New York City Musuems?  The answer can be tricky. While many allow strollers, some have limitations on where you can bring your stroller, or the type of stroller you can bring. once you've wrangled your stroller through the subway, you hardly want to arrive only to be turned away, so we've compiled a list of popular museums and their stroller policies. However, calling ahead is always a good idea since rules change or you can find out if any current exhibits are off limits. 

So, your kids are longing for swimsuits, sprinklers and slides. Well, now you can make their dreams come true, whether the weather is cooperating or not. Load up the iPod, the towels and the kids and take a short road trip to newly opened Sahara Sam’s Oasis in West Berlin, New Jersey. This indoor water park is less than two hrs from NYC and the 286,000 gallons of water keep 11 rides and tons of kids wet and wildly entertained, rain or shine!

We traveled with four parents; and three boys and three girls aging from 2-8 yrs old, so believe me, the place was well-tested. The kids were awed into silence (SILENCE, I SAY ) as we stepped through the door. But after those two seconds, they immediately got busy. Favorites?

Hip New York City moms and dads are missing Mamalus, the cool cafe and playspace that recently shut its doors in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But in the ever-changing landscape that is NYC, another great kid-friendly spot has opened in Tribeca. Moomah, labeling itself as a Creative Arts Cafe, is a unique addition to family friendly spots and is unlike any place we've seen.

Our friend Jill DeMarco has been helping us round up Long Island’s top kid and mommy friendly spots, and with two little ones of her own, we recently charged her with the daunting task of picking some of Long Island’s best indoor playspaces and sharing them with us. Thanks, Jill! 

Sometimes it is just not park weather or you need a more enclosed space to wrangle the little ones in; indoor playspaces are the perfect alternative. Here a few worth shunning the sun for:

This post was written for us by Jill DeMarco.

I have to get out of the house! I know it is already officially Spring, but not every day is park weather. So where is a bored mom to go? The library!   I always forget how great the library is and how a good one can keep us all entertained for hours...oh and did I mention it’s FREE? Almost all our local LI libraries with a children’s department have programs geared towards kids of all ages and most usually have a play and reading area, toys and many have computers for our budding electronic generation. But, a few libraries have special amenities that make them even more enjoyable and are worth a visit:

Living literally down the block from New York Botanical Garden, I have the pleasure of visiting with my 1 year old, Pearl, at least once or twice a week. As many of you know, in addition to offering acres and acres of natural beauty, NYBG also provides some great programming for kids. Although Pearl is pretty much too young to really enjoy many of the kids activities, I recently took a stroll though the Everett Children’s Garden to check out ‘Chocolate and Vanilla Adventures,’ an educational component of The Orchid Show aimed at introducing kids to the history of the vanilla orchid and Theobrama cacao tree.