As a grown up I don't pay nearly as much attention to the asphalt as I used to when I was a kid. As a kid growing up in Manhattan, the asphalt was like an entire eco-system, full of magical discoveries waiting to be made and questions to be solved. Like seeing a dime completely embedded into the street, oil slicks from leaking cars that created beautiful rainbows or, when it would rain, gutter streams that we would sail trash down (ah, the bucolic 70s in NYC).

One thing that always fascinated me was when you would happen upon a railroad spike sticking out of the street. My mother explained to me about how they were from old trolley lines that had been paved over and then the movement of the earth forces them back up through the pavement.  Really? This whole idea rocked my world because obviously the pavement is the ground and solid and there can't be anything under there, especially not stuff that can move and come up through the solid ground. If history can just push itself back up into the present, what else is under there waiting to turn up?

[UPDATED: July 18, 2012]

Figuring out the right summer camp for your kid can be puzzling, but if you have a child with special needs, the issue becomes even more complicated. Special needs children benefit from the experiences of camps, just like any other children, but what can your child handle? What can the camps handle? What is available and what's right for your kid?

Luckily, Resources for Children with Special Needs has a camp fair just for families of special needs children. Whether your child is autistic, learning or physically disabled, the Special Camp Fair provides information and resources to help parents find the right camp for their child or teenager. This is a great way to find out about the many programs that are available and things your child can do that maybe you never thought they would be able to.

There are some great exhibits at the "real" art museums that are fun enough that you shouldn't have to drag your kids to, or through. This is the first in a series of posts about some of current art exhibits recommended for kids in New York City.  

You've probably already heard about the Calder Exhibit at the Whitney. It's been promoted a lot. People love Calder's Circus, which is a miniature reproduction of an actual circus, made from wire, cork, wood, cloth and other household objects. Calder would perform the circus for people as his "day job" and the exhibit has videos showing how he performed it, bringing it to life for kids.

One of the things that I love about the Alexander Calder story is something I learned about him on a PBS American Masters program. Apparently, when he was a child, all Calder wanted to do was play with wire. He loved to make little toys and things with scraps of wire and his mother completely indulged this. I love this story because as a parent, we all know that child who refuses to do what they are supposed to do and is obsessed with one seemingly useless endeavor. How aggravating it is to try to bend children to our will and get them to conform to the requirements of society. I love the idea that there is value in the play of children and their obsessions and that, let to flower and grow, we may all be surprised by what comes out of them.

Why kids will like Calder: The Paris Years

Have you always wanted to learn to knit or imagined yourself being crafty and knitting for, or with, your little ones? Local yarn shops around the city often offer knitting classes for people of all ages. Usually kids can start to learn to knit or crochet as young as 5 years old, depending on the child.

Reader, Sharon, submitted this tip about a great yarn store that offers Duet Knitting Classes for an adult and child to learn to knit together:

Just had a baby? About to have a baby? Thinking about having a baby? Thinking about thinking about having a baby? If you answered yes to any of the above you should come to the New Parents Expo and Family Fun Day this weekend being hosted by NY Family and Big City Moms.

At the Expo you'll find out about children's clothes, Mommy & Me classes, nursery furniture & accessories, stroller and car seats, family photographers, baby announcements, day care and nanny services, baby supplies, Birthday venues, School experts, more...and guess what? It's all free! And guess what else? I'll be there at my little Mommy Poppins table doling out irreverent advice and talking people down. Come say hi!

I'm also going to be doing a great giveaway of items from Giggle:

Choosing a summer camp is always a complicated algorithm of deciding between myriad choices: day or sleep away camps, staying in the city or sending the kids to the country, all-around or specialized sports, arts or science camps...but this year there is another factor that is weighing heavily into family summer planning and that is finances.

One thing that can help making a decision about summer camp easier is going to a camp fair. There are four Camp Fairs coming up. At the upcoming New York Family Camp Fairs you'll find over 40 day and sleep-away camps represented for kids from preschools to teens. You can meet camp directors, ask them your questions and get a feeling of the camp's personality, plus get information and applications all in one place. Believe me, that's a lot easier than calling each camp individually to request their cheesy video brochure (you'll plenty of those at the camp fair too).

Raise your hand if you learned to read from The Electric Company...So many of us did. Now Sesame Workshop is bringing The Electric Company back with a whole new updated and revamped show complete with some of our favorite bits, like phonetic silhouettes and celebrity guest stars. I have to confess that I watched the preview segments myself and thought ,well, let's say that they didn't live up to my youtube enhanced memories of the classic Electric Company. But what do I know? I'm old. So I didn't dismiss it without letting my kids weighing in...

Soul of Shaolin is a spectacular performance by the troupe that opened the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the first production from the People's Republic of China to Ever appear on Broadway. Part circus, part martial arts demonstration and part Peking Opera, held together by a simple—and not entirely necessary—plot, Shaolin is one amazing feat of acrobatics after another, with swords flashing, spears rattling and a little dancing thrown in.