With ModelLand, Tyra Banks has stepped off the runway and brought her fiercest modeling secrets to Santa Monica. When news first broke that ModelLand was coming, we speculated. Rumors suggested this would be anything from a new amusement park to a simple ice cream shop. Well, it opened in September and now we know: It's a little bit of each, giving the Instagram generation lessons on striking a pose, finding your light, and experiencing the supermodel VIP treatment.

ModelLand is a multi-sensory experience where those with tickets (and a cell phone with a camera) are escorted through elaborately staged rooms, all with unique lighting and props. Selfie opportunities abound, and glammed-up staff will teach you how to find your best angels and accentuate your most fabulous self! Is it for kids? How's the ice cream? Read on for the inside scoop on ModelLand.

While you're in Santa Monica, be sure to explore more kid-friendly fun from our list of 30 Awesome Things To Do in Santa Monica with Kids, like visiting the Santa Monica Pier.

Packing a zero-waste school lunch sounds like lots of extra work, but it doesn't have to be hard, and it's worth the effort to create a better planet and Earth-friendly habits for our kids. Wrappers, chip bags, applesauce pouches, milk cartons, juice boxes—there's a lot of waste associated with school lunches. By making school lunches as zero-waste as possible, you can help keep extra packaging and food scraps out of landfills. Luckily, there are lots of ways to easily reduce or eliminate waste in your kids' lunchboxes, and many of them will actually save you money.

Here are our top 12 tips for packing a zero-waste school lunch. For more ways to save the planet, including water conservation tricks and ways to live more sustainably every day, check out our Earth Kids Guide.

Philadelphia might be known as a city steeped in history, but it’s also home to plenty of places for kids and families to learn more about the science of how the world works. From indoor museums like the Franklin Institute to outdoor nature centers, Philly boasts lots of opportunities for children of all ages to explore science and nature.

Read on to learn more – and get ready to be inspired to conduct your own science experiments at home! For more of our favorite local museums, visit our Guide to Philly Museums for Kids.

We've all heard that children have a much easier time learning a second language than adults, and immersion preschools and bilingual preschools in Los Angeles are a perfect place to start. Kids have a knack for picking things up quickly, and those little brains absorb a second language like a sponge. In some families, bilingual immersion comes easy. Parents or grandparents may speak to their kids in Spanish, German, Mandarin, or another language, and kids also hear a healthy dose of English outside the home. In these cases, a bilingual or immersion preschool reinforces the concepts taught by caretakers. 

However, if your family only speaks one language, a bilingual school or immersion school may be the only way to give your child the gift of a second language. These unique preschools infuse bilingual communication with the cultures and educational philosophies of other countries to give your kids a truly unique, diverse, and well-rounded experience. Immersion preschools can also help to prepare a child to attend one of LA's bilingual elementary schools. For more information on schools and preschools in Los Angeles, visit our Los Angeles Preschools, Public Schools, and Private Schools Guide.

The beautiful Hudson Valley is home to 18 New York state parks, which offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy easy hikes near NYC along tree-lined trails with stunning panoramic views, and lots of special features like waterfalls, swimming lakes, and sandy beaches. With so many beautiful easy hikes near NYC, it's hard to know where to start.

To help, we've picked our favorite kid-friendly easy hikes in the Hudson Valley. In addition to opportunities to enjoy nature and wildlife, some of these Hudson Valley state parks—like Bear Mountain and Franklin D. Roosevelt state parks—have additional attractions such as zoos, playgrounds, pedal boats, and even a giant swimming pool. Best of all, these easy hikes near NYC make for a quick day trip for families coming from the city or Lower Westchester. Read on for all our top picks for easy hikes in the Hudson Valley's beautiful state parks, and find more green spaces to explore in our Guide to the Great Outdoors.

The spiders are back! It's time to say buh-bye to the beautiful butterflies of the Butterfly Pavilion to make room for their slightly spookier friends. Every fall, the Spider Pavilion takes over the space on the Natural History Museum’s South Lawn and turns it into the seasonal home to more free-range, eight-legged tenants than anyone in his right mind could want. The Spider Pavilion is an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare and an eight-year-old boy’s version of heaven.

The Spider Pavilion is the perfect fall outing, if you're looking to branch out beyond the typical pumpkin patch or corn maze. For even more spooky, creepy, crawlie fun, visit our Halloween Fun and Activities Guide for Los Angeles Kids.

When it comes to birthday party planning, I'm usually an intrepid DIY-er. We've partied in plenty of parks and playgrounds perfect for a fete, and my not-so-hidden talent is definitely cake decorating, but celebrating my daughter's recent birthday at the Museum of Arts and Design was so much fun and so stress-free, I just might leave my independent birthday party planning streak behind.

Though the venue is new to the New York City birthday party scene, our Museum of Arts and Design's birthday party had it all: A stunning, private party space with a spectacular view of Central Park, a welcoming energetic staff who kept the party moving and took care of every last detail, and an artist-led workshop that was fun and sent everyone home with a cool keepsake. Read on for more details on our cool birthday party at the Museum of Arts and Design, and find more tips for planning your kid's next milestone celebration in our Guide to Kids' Birthday Parties in NYC.