How many times can you ask yourself “What are we going to do today?!" The cold and rainy/snowy weather doesn’t allow you to venture to a local park to burn off that endless energy,  the trips to the museum, movies and bouncy houses can add up, and you've basically just run out of ideas. To keep your little ones entertained, invest in one of many craft box deliveries. It's cheap. It’s easy. And best of all, it's delivered! 
 

Our month-long focus on Fort Greene Clinton Hill finishes up with a roundup of our favorite kid-friendly restaurants in the area. Whether you're looking to grab prepared dishes to bring to a simple picnic in Ft Greene Park, a great neighborhood joint where kids are welcome or a fancy family meal with options for picky eaters, the picturesque Brooklyn nabe has plenty of eateries to choose from, including some of my family's personal favorites. A few even host popular kids' events and activities.

Carole P. Roman wasn't always a children's book author. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens before settling on Long Island, she became a teacher, then a mother and finally went into the family transportation business. But once her own kids had kids, she realized she wanted to try something more creative.

After watching his mother make up stories for his young child, Roman's son dared her write a children's book. So in 2012, she self-published Captain No Beard - An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life, a rollicking adventure about kids pretending to be on a pirate ship. Although it was initially done as a lark, the book went on to make Kirkus Reviews' list of the Best Indie Books of 2012 and suddenly a series of books—and Roman's new career—was born.

We're giving away copies of Roman's second Captain No Beard story, Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience, to ten lucky readers. Read on for details on how to enter, and for our interview with the author about her favorite places to take her grandchildren, her creative inspirations and a peek at the new books she's working on.

Visiting museums in the city of Boston can get pricey, especially when you bring the whole family. But there are times and ways to get free admission to our city’s world class, family-friendly museums. A huge bonus: On days when these museums offer free admission, they often have special programs and activities for families, like art-making workshops or live performances. Read on to find out how to give your kids the world for a dollar or less per person.

With the weather we've been having lately it's hard to think about summer, but for teens and tweens now is the time to sign up for some of the city's coolest summer programs. A number of free summer programs for tweens and tweens have applications available now, or soon, and these highly coveted spots fill up quickly. In fact, some free programs have already filled up. Think past the snow, we'll help you: here are some great summer camps, that are right here in New York City, to consider for you older kid's summer.

A science summer camp is a great way for kids to learn about science from real life experiences, rather than text books. We've found three fantastic science camps that teach kids science through real-life experiences that are so cool I want to go!

When our neighborhood school wouldn’t accept our child with special needs into the second grade because there was supposedly “no space,” we called Advocates for Children of New York. After suffering through weeks of stress and strife on our own, the organization got us in touch with the right people and our son was enrolled into our school of choice within two days.

My son and I are understandably very thankful for Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), which was founded by three activists in 1971 to help disabled, disadvantaged, minority and low-income families access quality education for their children. This unique agency provides all NYC students ages 0 to 26 and their families with free one-on-one guidance and advocacy so they can successfully navigate the jungle that is our city's educational system.

While AFC isn't solely concerned with special needs families, we are one of the communities it serves. So I'm profiling the organization today as part of my series of posts about resources for NYC children with special needs. But remember, it serves all NYC students.

Going to camp has been the answer to summer fun for generations, and to many kids it is an exciting right of passage. Today, summer camps have become more specialized, allowing children with diverse interests to find an activity that suits their personality. For the sporty types, here's a list of summer camp options in the New Haven area.