Are manners important nowadays? Are thank you notes ridiculously old-fashioned in the age of email? What social skills do we need to teach our children in order for them to be successful in life? These are some questions worth reflecting on for a moment. Our culture is so much more casual than it once was that formal manners seem hopelessly anachronistic, but that doesn't mean they should be tossed aside. Giving our kids strong social skills can help them make a powerful impression in their future work and social lives.

As parents we're often running after our kids, but how about running with them? It's great to get outside and exercise together as a family and one fun way to do that is to sign up for an upcoming race or free field day with the New York Road Runners. No experience is necessary, anyone can do it, and the group has several events on its spring calendar for adults and kids, including a free field day event.
 

Recently I took the opportunity of a brief (albeit cold) respite from the seemingly endless rain to stroll down the hill from Brooklyn Heights and check out the new Brooklyn Bridge Park. Pier 1 of Brooklyn Bridge Park officially opened in March on the same pier that housed the “pop-up” park last summer.

Read on to hear about the new playground and check out some photos for a peek of what to expect:

This week you and your kids can be on TV, see Shakespeare on the run, and see the flowering cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden or check out what's in bloom in Central Park. Plus learn about a new club for NYC kids and other news from around the web.

There's so much going on we thought it might be helpful to provide a quick weekly round-up of all the things we've posted and what's hot to make it easier to follow along. If this is helpful, let us know.

This week's photo: A sign on a dirt road in Vermont that our GPS had led us down. I guess somebody was sick of lost tourists driving up to their house.

New York City never slows down - not even on Easter or Passover. There is a ton of holiday fun in the city this weekend, egg hunts, spring carnivals and other egg related fun. And, if you have never been to the annual NYC Easter Bonnet Parade, this is the perfect year to check out the festive Manhattan tradition. For Passover, try something a little different and head on down to the Eldridge Street Synagogue for their Preservation Detective program which features a Passover Party.

It is also the first weekend of April which means some area museums have special free admission times and family programs. For a weekends worth of free museum going, start out Friday at The Children’s Museum of Manhattan it is free from 5:00 – 8:00 pm, then visit the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday it is free from 5 to 11 pm, and then spend Sunday afternoon at the Queens Museum of Art it is free from 1:00 to 4:30 and they are both offering some special programming for families to boot.

No matter what you decide to do - have a wonderful weekend and a lovely holiday. Here are our event picks for this Easter and Passover Weekend:

Love camping but don't want the drive, the dirt, the packing, the setup—frankly any of the hassle? Or maybe it's rainy, wet, or cold and kids are clamoring for a campout. Try a indoor camping trip, and turn a regular old day into an adventure.

Add to the camping fun with these Classic and Funny Campfire Songs for Kids, and next time you're ready to pack up the tent and do some real camping, check out our Camping Travel Guide for Families for more camping tips and fun.

We recently took our son to The Whitney to experience The 2010 Biennial, the premiere contemporary art exhibition that sets the trends and tone in American modern art.  Not something you would expect to be kid friendly, right? Well think again.  

It is totally kid friendly, first of all, the museum is full of exciting, large scale installations, not just room after room of paintings hanging on the walls.  There is art you can walk through, around and even into, not to mention, video and film exhibits, giant sculptures and even cars in the displays!  Plus, there is a tremendous amount of programming available for families with the fantastic Whitney Museum Educators.