Family Friendy Arts: Ernesto Neto at the Park Avenue Armory

They've turned the beautiful, historic Park Avenue Armory into a new arts space and are eager to bring the arts to children and families. The Park Avenue Armory is hosting a FREE Family Arts Day and a multi-discipline, teaching artist-run workshop series for elementary school-aged students in conjunction with the Armory's first commissioned installation, anthropodino, a large-scale, participatory work by internationally renowned artist, Ernesto Neto.

Anthropodino is an "epic installation" and large scale interactive work using hundreds of yards of translucent material to form canopies and aromatic "fabric stalactites" and a vast labyrinth of passageways and rooms. The exhibit is enchanting for adults and children alike and touching is OK (phew).

Moomah in Tribeca: Kid-Friendly Eats and Crafts Cafe

As of May, 2012, Moomah is only open to the public as a cafe, but the crafts workspace and Funky Forest may be booked for private parties.

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.

Free NYC Weekend Events for Kids May 15-17: Cultural Festivals, Fairs, Fairy Tea Party, Free Mini Camp, Farm Fun, More

This weekend there are more than the usual share of great free events. While there may be no desks and talking may actually be encouraged, make no mistake, this city is filled with opportunities to learn--even on weekends. So ditch the books and let them learn the old fashioned way, through exploring.  Don't miss a Gallery Walk, cultural events like the Korean American Children's Festival, a Native American Festival and an American Indian Children's festival, not to mention It's My Park Day, Raptors, more Spring Fairs, a Dance Parade and Festival, a fairy tea party, a free mini camp and lots more. Don't forget to check our event calendar for even more fun stuff to do this weekend. Happy exploring!

Affordable Date Night Childcare That Helps Others Too

Finding good babysitters for an evening date night can be hard, but there's one solution that's a total no-brainer. Kids for a Cause hosts monthly date night drop-off evening childcare events run by NYU and Columbia University students to raise money for Baby's First Home, a charity that helps provide shelter for NYC homeless teen mothers. And they are Pay-What-you-Wish.

Talk about Win-Win! You get inexpensive, fun babysitting by great college sitters and get to help young mothers and their baby's at the same time.

Gearing up for Bike Month: Family Bicycling Events in New York City

Every May, New Yorkers celebrate Bike Month. This year, it’s more important than ever: With the recession still in full swing, families are looking for cheaper transportation alternatives. But most importantly, bicycling is a fun and healthy way for kids and parents to spend some quality time together. So with that in mind, we present some of our favorite family friendly bike events for May—and beyond.

Moms in the News: Pain-free Birthing Mom, Free Range Mom, Fed-Up Mom, Mothers Pay and Tough Cookies, Mom

Happy Mother's Day. To celebrate we've rounded up some news about, for, and from Mothers. Find out about a hot new birthing method that claims to be pain free. The woman who let her 9 year old ride the subway alone launches her book at the same time a book about Eton Patz, the boy famously abducted in NYC in the 70s comes out. Plus what happened to the Westchester mom who left her kids on the side of the road, what a moms would be in the workforce, and, lastly, a video where one toddler tells mom what he really thinks of her...

Free NYC Weekend Events for Kids May 9-10: Kite Flying, Oragami, Bluegrass and Jazz, Mother's Day Extravaganzas More

There are so many events going on to celebrate Mom that it could easily be renamed "Mother's Weekend." Of course, we've got all those events covered, plus plenty non-mom themed ones, too. And since the sun is supposedly going to rear its head this weekend, it might be the perfect opportunity to head out and celebrate by spending time with the family (or send someone else out and enjoy some me time). Some not-to-be-missed highlights: Oragami workshops, International Kite Flying Extravaganza, a little vaudeville and some sweet Bluegrass and Jazz.

Mother's Day Events for New York City Moms

What to do on Mother's Day is always a little tricky. If you are like me, you may be of two minds about what you really want to do for Mother's Day. On the one hand, perhaps unrealistically, you'd love to spend an idealized day with your family sharing a sense of togetherness with your children who are acting like little angels just to make you happy on your special day. On the other hand, perhaps secretly, what you'd really love is to spend a day alone doing the types of things you enjoy, but have been replaced with kid activities...art, culture, strolling in pretty gardens...

 

In this post I've gathered up some events that I hope will be a happy compromise; family activities that are a bit more mom-centric, but have room for kids to be real kids. And if the kids don't cooperate...maybe you can send them off with dad.

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