All kids love science. At least they do until someone teaches them it's not fun. So grab the opportunity by the horns and get your kid some of these cool science kits for the holidays this year. It may not be what they are asking for, but they will have an amazing time and you will too.

Me and my crack team of toy reviewers (aged 4-10) set about working our way through no less than fourteen of the coolest science kits that we could find. In this post I will be writing about the best ones for little kids, aged 4 and up. Make sure to also check out our post on cool chemistry and electronics kits for kids.

The thing we found when trying out all these science kits is that there are three kinds of science kits:

1. Project kits. I call it a project kit when a science kit is really about the packaging and has one or a couple of activities with a thinly veiled connection to science. It might be fun to make rainbow crystals, but it's not really a science kit, it's a project kit, in my opinion.

2. Bad Science Kits. The second category of kits are ones that are either not fun or the science is not made relevant to the kids so they don't really learn anything from this. I have coined the term "bad science kits" for these ones (trademark pending).

3. Great Science Kits. The third type of kit we found were the winners. To be a great science kit for kids, there had to be enough different experiments to make it fun to come back to again and again and the science had to be fun and made relevant to the kids so they really could learn the basic principles involved.

It seems like too much to ask, but we did find some great science kits, perfect for preschoolers, and we want to share them with you.

It's Science Week on Mommy Poppins! This week, along with our usual stuff, we're going to be writing about all kinds of cool science-related stuff to do and we're kicking it off with a great giveaway. Just leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite indoor activity for when the weather turns colder and you'll get a chance to win four terrific science kits: Stepping into Science, The Magic School Bus World of Germs, My First Chemistry Kit, And Little Labs Cranes.

Starting tomorrow we'll be telling you more about these kits and others in our reviews of the best science kits for kids, plus, the coolest science spots around NYC, some great science sites, and more, so stay tuned.

To enter our giveaway:

The trick or treating was more fun than ever this year. It seemed like everyone really went all out to make it great for the kids. By the next morning, however, I sat with a Halloween Hangover staring at those piles of candy with disgust and wondering what the net impact of that much sugar could be. That's when I decided to count all the calories contained in my children's Halloween hauls, piece by piece, prompting my ever-so-helpful husband to tell our children, "See, kids, math can ruin the fun in anything."

So, here's my obsessive compulsive tally of a NYC kids' Halloween Trick or Treat bag, the good, the bad and the gooey.

From Three Eyed Martian and Amelia Earhart

On Halloween , the monsters take over the streets of NYC, but New York is always full of monsters, if you know where to look for them. We've put together some cool ideas for finding monsters in NYC with kids. Perfect for a Halloween weekend outing or monstrously fun any time.

The South Street Seaport and American Natural History Museum rinks have closed..

There seems to be an explosion of new ice skating rinks in NYC this year. Last week we reported that the American Museum of Natural History is opening a new ice skating rink in November and now we've heard of two more new rinks opening this winter.

After some pretty bad years for skiing, they say it's going to snow a lot this year. If it's true I'll feel pretty lucky to get a good ski year when my daughter is in fourth grade. Why? Because fourth graders get to ski for free. New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Vermont all have free ski programs for fourth, and sometimes fifth, graders and you can apply to all of them.

Click on the links below for applications and more information, but the basic deal is that you apply for a ski free passport and you will receive a booklet of 3 passes per participating ski resort that allow your child to ski free when accompanied by a paying adult. The applications cost between $10 and $19, or in the case of New Hampshire, they require a little school project about NH skiing history. The passbooks also usually include one free lesson also.

It sure is a world wide web out there. So much good stuff. We've rounded up our best finds for fun and helpful tips for parents from all over the internets. Below find, decorating and costume ideas, how to make your halloween greener, your jack o'lantern spookier, and tons of other tips.