In the midst of the rising COVID cases, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza have announced New York City Public Schools will close temporarily beginning Thursday, November 19.

"We do need to close our schools for the coming days," Mayor de Blasio said at a late-afternoon press conference. "No one is happy about this decision because so much good work has been put into opening the schools to begin with and making them so safe. We set a very clear standard, and we need to stick to that standard. I want to emphasize to parents and educators, to staff and to kids, that we intend to come back. We intend to come back as quickly as possible."

The school closure is the latest development in a roller-coaster back-to-school season for New York City families, marred by delayed starts and changes to opt-in rules for blended learning.

Fans of the uber-popular American Ninja Warrior television show have a brand new place to play and train. New York Ninja Academy recently opened in Midtown West, bringing with it a state-of-the-art gym offering classes for kids and adults and giving visitors a chance to experience the challenging obstacles the ninja warrior movement has made famous.

Hiding behind a roll-up garage door on unassuming West 55th Street, this unexpected addition to the kid scene aims to challenge kids physically and mentally, building skills far beyond physical strength. Read on for our review of this new action-packed ninja gym and find more spots to entertain active kids in our Guide to Sports Centers, Gyms, and Fun Zones.

In a fall marred by more schedule changes than consistency, the New York City Department of Education announced another major change Monday: Parents who had previously opted for remote-only instruction now have just one single two-week period to opt-in to blended learning for the remainder of the school year. The opt-in period runs from Monday, November 2 through Sunday, November 15. Parents had previously been promised quarterly opt-in periods throughout the school year.

The change caught many by surprise and sparked ire from parents concerned about making such a choice at a time when coronavirus clusters have been in the news.

With Halloween less than a week away, New Yorkers are already making plans to celebrate, and now Governor Andrew Cuomo has released guidelines for safe Halloween celebrations.

True to his statements from earlier in the fall, trick-or-treating will not be banned, but it's not the safest Halloween activity during the pandemic. New York State's guidelines emphasize that "the best way to celebrate Halloween this year is to have fun with the people who live in your household," in many ways mirroring the rules put forth by the CDC in September.

Read on for the full details on the New York state Halloween guidelines, and bookmark this list of safe, socially distant trick-or-treating alternatives as you plan your holiday happenings.

For the first time since 1861, Santa won't greet pint-sized visitors at Macy's flagship location in New York City this holiday season. The beloved Santaland instead transforms into a virtual experience. Santaland festivities have also been canceled at the chain's Chicago and San Francisco locations.

While Santa still plans to take his star turn in the reimagined Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the department store is keeping the safety of kids and Kris Kringle at heart by shifting his wish-collecting duties to virtual visits via Macy's Santaland at Home, which launches Friday, November 27, and runs through Thursday, December 24.

Any parent cooped up with remote learners since March can attest to how difficult it is to get through a day of on-screen schooling. Gone are the favorite subjects—lunch and recess—replaced instead by tech problems and computer crashes. But it doesn't have to be this way. While you might not have time to supervise a 45-minute midday play session, it's much easier to work a 10-minute recess break (or multiple breaks!) into a child's day.

If you're looking for more active play ideas, be sure to see our post on indoor exercise games and explore our Homeschool and Remote Learning Resources Guide for more tips and tricks to get through these unusual school days.

Lower Manhattan has 2.5 acres of brand new parkland to explore as Hudson River Park's Pier 26 is now open to the public. A long-time coming, it's the first new pier to open in the green space since 2010 and connects New Yorkers to the Hudson River in a whole new, educational way.

Read on to find out what makes this new stretch of waterfront worth adding to your fall bucket list.

Grab your putter and get ready to launch a larger-than-life adventure: The Angry Birds have landed at American Dream with an interactive, immersive mini-golf world set to debut Thursday, October 1, when the megamall reopens.

You'll come toe-to-toe with Red, Chuck, Bomb, and the Pigs, and embark on an 18-hole quest to help save Bird Island and Pig Island at the Angry Birds Not So Mini Golf Club.