News

If you haven't noticed, Sesame Street has been celebrating its 40th Birthday. And it's been quite a celebration. They've gotten a street named after them and Google has been doing cute Sesame Street artwork on their homepage. But I think the coolest thing is happening at the Brooklyn Public Library where they are having some special events and kids can get a very special library card.

Some hopefully helpful and interesting links going into your weekend: Find out about the vaccination clinics opening this weekend for middle and high schoolers, the definitive resource on how to recycle your gadgets, great ideas for baby gifts for people that have no space, and our own contributor, Bess, was shown on Good Morning America this week in her "real" job.

As the city continues the H1N1 vaccination program in schools, the debate seems to rage on. News reports state that fewer parents than expected are giving consent to have their children vaccinated, although some are reportedly planning on having the vaccination done in their pediatrician's office—assuming it will be available there at some point.

Read on for facts and fears over the swine flu vaccine and the big snafu in the program.

A round-up of some recent news stories about New York City schools, plus a random silly video for your viewing pleasure. But first, the news:

A couple of great deals to snap up if they fit your bill. Find out how to get your environmentally friendly, toxin free diapers for almost half off from Amazon.com and scoop up a last minute Halloween Costume from Ricky's also half off. Check these deals out fast.

We've all been hearing lots of hype about getting vaccinated for the H1N1 swine flue on the radio, television, and in the print media urging people to get the vaccine. On the other side there have been lots of conversations in the playgrounds and on message boards discussing fears of the side effects and dangers of the flu vaccine. But once, you get over the question of whether to get the vaccination or not, you're faced with a second issue: how do you find a flu shot vaccine

In a smart move, Baby Einstein is offering a full refund to anyone who purchased their DVDs in the past 5 years after complaints that the videos are not, in fact, educational.

Just some tid bits to share here from a sale on Halloween costumes from Amazon to a helpful phone app for navigating the city with a baby, a special event at the Guggenheim for families, and then there's little Girl in the Kitchen, which is just great for so many reasons. Check it out:

I can't believe it's October already. The first month of school went by so fast and we've been so busy. Meanwhile the DOE has been busy too: a new rule prohibits bake sales in schools. On the flip side, the junk food industry has launched a campaign to fight City Hall's attempts to fight the obesity epidemic. A study shows that Charter Schools perform better and Bloomberg asks to lift the cap on them. And Obama wants to keep kids in school longer while some kids may be missing school after going to swine flu parties. Lastly, we learn about the silver lining of recessions and how you can see the philharmonic for just $16.

Did you have a good weekend? We went apple picking and tried out Pennings in Warwick, NY based on a reader's comment that they might have organic apples. Alas, they didn't and I found the place to be a bit too commercial feeling, although we did get some really nice big pumpkins for just $10, much less than they would have cost in the city.

In this week's news, find out about deals and discounts on Halloween costumes, how doing your shopping can help raise money for public schools, a behind the scenes peak at a new children's movie, interesting events fro National Parks Week, a cool coloring book, and how to see The Wizard of Oz for free.