MLK Weekend Events

We have five inspiring Martin Luther King Jr Day events lined up for kids on this long weekend! Kids can celebrate MLK Day through art, performance, community events and leadership activities at the Newark Museum, Morris Museum, Arts Council of Princeton, Express Yourself Studios, or the Essex Environmental Center. On Saturday and Sunday participate in special zoo programs at the Turtleback Zoo or Jenkinson Aquarium, explore the outdoors maple-sugaring at Great Swamp or learning how to cook outdoors at Plainsboro Preserve, get hands-on at the New Jersey State Museum's new kids workshops, or make some snowflake inspired art work at the Liberty Hall Museum. Or take advantage of the snow and take the kids skiing on NJ's slopes!

Kids at Work: Toddler and Preschooler Classes in Chelsea

On a snowy day last week, my sons and I made our way to a Kids at Work class in Chelsea. Created by early childhood educator Julie Averill in 2007, Kids at Work offers drop-in art, science, music and movement classes, plus play groups and open play, for children 0-5 years. With a wide selection of classes and a flexible drop-in schedule, Kids at Work is a hidden gem that promises to get even better in their own brand new space (they currently work out of a shared space on W. 14th), opening February 1!

 

Broadway Playhouse: Introduce Your Kids to Broadways Best Musicals

Although I don’t think we have stepped foot in a theater on the Great White Way since our son was born almost six years ago, both my husband and I adore musicals. In fact, the very first bit of media we introduced our son to was The Sound of Music movie and I look forward to the day that we can bring him to see a musical on Broadway. He is nearly six so I think we are almost there, but until that day comes, there is Broadway Playhouse; a fantastic three concert series introducing time-honored musicals to kids.  If you have a family that loves musicals (or even just likes them a lot), this is a series you won’t want to miss.

MoMA's Great Offerings for NYC Teens

There are so many fantastic opportunities for little ones at NYC's amazing museums, but we have not forgotten about your teens, and neither has The Museum of Modern Art. The MoMA offers free movies and pizza, drop in programs, and even free art classes. Their site is also able to communcate with the future leaders of the world in their own language, using its own Facebook page and Twitter account to give last minute info on teen events. Read on to find out more of what the MoMA has to offer New York City teens.

6 Places To Hear Classical Music With Your Kids in New York City this Winter

We often write about music on the site, but usually the pop-rock or kiddie genres.  Young kids don’t know the difference between The Beatles and Beethoven, yet, they just know what they like.  Listening to live classical music can be a fun, educational and enriching experience for your whole family.  And lucky for us, many of the esteemed performing arts organizations in NYC offer special concerts with interactive elements, fanciful costumes, sets, pre-show workshops and other engaging ways to develop a young kid’s musical understanding and taste.

Find out where you can take your kids to these concerts and how to get your tickets.

PLAY Greenpoint: The Perfect Indoor Play Space in Brooklyn

This play space has changed owners. Find our new review here. While searching for indoor fun this winter, I found the perfect place—for my kids, and me. A place that feels more like a good friend's cool apartment than a play space thanks to a minimalist and modern decor, good music (Smashing Pumpkins and Kings of Leon on my visits), and huge windows that let in a ton of natural light and provide a nice reminder of the cold weather outside. Opened in September 2010 by the down-to-earth and enviably hip couple Wade Groom and Katja Douedari, Play is a place I'd happily hang out at all winter, for these reasons, and many more.

Top Ten List Posts From 2010

I love lists. So neat, so handy, so easy to read. And I love sharing our lists with you. Sometimes I think I started Mommy Poppins, just so I could share my information organizing manias with other people. And list posts have been some of the most popular posts on Mommy Poppins. Of course, 100 Things to Do with Your Kids Before They Grow Up, my mega-list, is kind of the flagship post of the site, but we have had some other great lists too from where to get the best hot chocolate to what to do on a staycation. Here are my top ten list posts of 2010:

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