Let’s be honest: when the weather turns cold, rainy, or just plain unpredictable, entertaining kids at home in NYC can feel harder than it should be. Apartments are small, cabin fever is real, and sometimes you need to get out of the house without committing to a full-day outing or spending a ton of money. The good news? There are many neighborhoods like Park Slope that have plenty of indoor play areas for children, catering to different ages, energy levels, and moods.

We've created a curated mix of kids' play spaces in Park Slope that local parents actually rely on: drop-in playrooms, libraries, bookstores, creative spaces, and low-key indoor activity centers that make kids feel welcome. Some are perfect for toddlers just learning to explore, others are better for preschoolers and older kids who need to burn energy or engage their imaginations. A few are even free, which always earns bonus points. Whether you’re squeezing in an hour between naps, dodging bad weather, or just looking for fresh kids' activities indoors in Park Slope, these are the spots worth knowing about and returning to again and again.

Happy 2012 everyone! We hope you rang in the New Year with all the frivolity and caution thrown to the wind that the night deserves, and maybe even made it through to midnight (don’t worry; East Coast time counts).  Now it’s time to get back on track, tidy up your messes, and follow through on your resolutions.

If one of your resolutions was to recycle more, we can help you off to a good start. Mommy Poppins has the low-down on Christmas tree recycling options throughout Los Angeles!

We now return to our regularly scheduled program of classes, shows and festivals to keep your kiddies occupied and amused. Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend.

Wow! It sure has been a cold week! Don't let the cold keep you from getting out and doing something fun with the kids this weekend. I'm resuming my summer camp search after it was interrupted by holiday preparations last month. To help you get started we did a post about a few great summer camps in Fairfield County. If you have a favorite summer camp you'd like us to share with our readers please comment on our facebook page or shoot me an email. In need of some new and delicious slow cooker, soup and stews recipes? Enjoy, complements of Sarah at our MP NJ site.

Now for the weekend fun! You can still check the Festival of Lighthouses Display at the Maritime Museum. This exhibit places 24 lighthouses throughout the aquarium through Jan. 16. At the New Canaan Nature Center you can learn how to do some winter animal tracking. Go old school and learn about and decorate your own Rubik's Cube at Stepping Stones Museum. For those Sherlock Holmes fans it's Junior Detective Day at Greenwich Historical Society and don't miss out on the Victorian Tea Party at Gunn Memorial Library and Museum. Read on for some more fun activities and stay warm this wintry weekend!

Happy New Year, New Jersey! You could always stay in and cook some delicious winter food or go ahead and bundle up and brave the cold to enjoy a whole host of post-holiday events. Take your pick from this weekend's fun stuff, which include an outdoor hike in search of owls, a space show, craft classes and an exciting robot competition. Stay warm!

The new year started with a taste of winter, and while there’s still no snow in the forecast, local ski areas are making their own as fast as they can. The annual Winter Trails Day in Weston will also get families out and moving. Concerts with Gustafer Yellowgold, Ben Rudnick, and Debbie and Friends, and other events are lined up for the weekend.

As part of our occasional area museums series, we visited three museums on the North Shore: the Wenham Museum (Wenham), Cape Ann Museum (Gloucester), and Peabody Essex Museum (Salem). Read our review, and please let us know if your family has a favorite museum.

Hard as it may be to believe, the camp fair season has begun in earnest, starting this weekend with the Camp and Summer Expo at Dexter Southfield School. We’re also working on listings of favorite camps in the area. If you have a great camp to recommend for our articles, we’d love to include it - just send me an email with the information. Thanks!

Enjoy!

[UPDATED: JANUARY 24, 2013]

This time of year those languid summer afternoons spent in the park, watching your children engage in endless free play while their imaginations run wild, seem a distant memory. Never fear, the Upper West Side has become the unofficial craft capital of New York City, a place where neither rain nor snow will slow your kid’s creativity down. It is teeming with all-weather spots to keep the kids engaged for a few hours, without creating chaos in your home. These hands-on craft activities are just the sticky mess that your child craves, with the added bonus of taking home a handmade keepsake. Here are six places to make your own crafts, perfect for the dog days of winter. And since crafting usually makes my family’s stomach growl, nearby spots to pick up a snack are also listed.

The winter months can seem very long when its frigid cold and you’re trying to stay indoors. But just because the temperatures dropped it doesn’t mean you have to go into hiding. There are still plenty of indoor options that can help to lure you out of your home and still keep you toasty warm and entertained. From entertainment centers to shows and sports games check out this compilation of indoor things to do to avoid cabin fever during the cold weather season.

Welcome to the first full weekend of 2012! We're still having trouble writing a "2" at the end of the year and we're not adjusting well to this cold winter weather. But we know we'll get used to both of them soon enough!

Although the frenzy of the holidays is behind us, there are still plenty of things to do in NYC. In fact, one big seasonal activity, the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show, is still going. If you visit this weekend or next, you'll be treated to an appearance by Thomas the Tank Engine, who'll greet his young fans, pose for pictures and sing a few songs. If your Christmas tree is still up, you can recycle it at the Parks Department's annual Mulchfest this weekend. And if you want one last blast of holiday spirit, you can attend a Three Kings Day celebration, including a parade in Brooklyn and a holiday-themed art workshop at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

Other fun on tap includes a Panorama-themed family day at the Queens Museum of Art and a wacky circus show at Symphony Space.

Those are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. Read on for all of our picks and remember, you can find additional options in our Event Calendar. Happy New Year!