Gramercy

MoMath: The NYC Museum That'll Make Kids Fall in Love with Math

Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on Thu, 01/18/2018 - 11:29am

Housed in a 19,000-square-foot space across from Madison Square Park in the Flatiron neighborhood of Manhattan, the Museum of Mathematics is the only cultural institution devoted to math in all of North America. At the museum's creative hands-on attractions, kids (and parents!) can see how math factors into our daily lives.

While Jersey City has the Liberty Science Center and Queens has the New York Hall of Science, there really is nothing else like MoMath in Manhattan. It gets kids genuinely excited about math—not always an easy thing to do—through hands-on, nerdy fun.

Read on for what you need to know about checking out this interactive museum, including what age is the sweet spot for a visit. Looking for more STEM fun? Check out our STEM Guide for NYC Kids, with maker spaces and coding classes.

Best Hot Chocolate Spots Around Manhattan

Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on Wed, 12/13/2017 - 11:00am

A cup of molten chocolaty goodness is one of the best ways to thaw out and warm up—in fact, it's one of the best things about winter and the holiday season.

We took on the heinous job of running around Manhattan taste-testing hot chocolate (don't say we've never done anything for you) and narrowed it down to nearly two dozen of our favorites. These spots are definitely worth the brief trip out into the cold, so read on for our recommendations for cafes and restaurants that have turned drinking hot cocoa into an experience not to be missed.

By the way, we've also rounded up our favorite Brooklyn hot cocoa cafes and those in Queens. Find more great eats in our NYC Restaurant Guide for Families.

Where to Donate Kids' Clothes, Toys, and Gear Across NYC

Submitted by Alina Adams on Tue, 12/05/2017 - 10:00am

With two adults and three kids in my family's typically small NYC apartment, the holiday season stresses me out. Not because of all the things I need to do, but because of all the extra "stuff" that I know is about to flood our home. That's why this is my favorite time of year to donate my kids' gently (or sometimes never!) used clothes, toys, books, and other items so we can free up some space, support worthy charities, and get the whole family in a giving mindset.

We've gathered details on several organizations where you can donate quality used items during the holidays and beyond. Be sure to contact the charities directly to confirm what they accept and how best to drop off. In Brooklyn? We recently rounded up charities in the borough that accept children's items.

Best High Tea Spots in NYC to Enjoy a Cup with Kids

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 3:10pm

Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or just looking for a memorable experience, afternoon tea—sometimes called high tea in New York City—can be a fun outing with kids. It's an especially great winter outing and particularly fitting during the holidays.

Several places serve high tea in New York City, with varying degrees of appropriateness for children. From the fancy Eloise Tea at the Plaza Hotel to the less frilly Russian Tea Room, there are teas—and the goodies that come along with them—for children of all ages and parents of all budgets. Here's our take on some of the best spots for an afternoon outing in NYC.

Summer Streets Brings New Water Park and Epic Slide to NYC

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Fri, 07/28/2017 - 5:00pm

Citi Summer Streets, easily one of our favorite NYC seasonal festivals, returns for its 10th anniversary of car-free Saturdays on August 5. This year it's debuting something totally new, and yes, a little whacky near Central Park: an inflatable water park from LG with a dishwasher theme. Expect "massive slides in the shape of cutlery," hanging glide rails that lead to the pool, and a "3rd rack" section.

The annual Summer Streets event gives New Yorkers three consecutive August Saturdays of car-free fun to enjoy a seven-mile stretch of city streets from the Upper East Side to the Brooklyn Bridge. VitaCoco will bring back its epic water slide in lower Manhattan, and the always-popular zip line—rising 30 feet above the urban landscape and spanning a distance of 165 feet—returns as well for 2017.

Most all of the interactive stations like the dishwasher water park (will there be soap bubbles??) are 100% FREE but some require advance registration. Read on for all the details for this ultimate summer street fest.

Coding Classes and Camps for NYC Kids

Submitted by Alina Adams on Sat, 07/15/2017 - 4:00pm

In our increasingly tech-driven world, knowing how to code is an invaluable skill. But kids who code don't really look at it that way—they just think it's lots of fun to design video games, create websites, and make robots move. Take my 10-year-old: He first caught the coding bug in second grade after attending a demo led by RoboFun where he learned about the wonders of Scratch, an easy-to-use programming language specifically aimed at children ages 8 to 16. Ever since, he's continued to learn how to code at home thanks to FREE educational websites like Scratch's official site at MIT and CodeAcademy.

Even though he can work on his own, I'm a big believer in kids learning from other kids (not to mention the benefits of socializing with peers and getting him out of my hair for a few hours). So I recently researched coding classes for children in New York City to locate a program or two that would work for him. What I found were 11 high-quality classes and camps for kids who have an itch to try Scratch or another computer programming language. You can find even more tech fun for kids in our Geek Guide and more NYC classes in our Classes Guide and Directory Listings.

Ice Cream Shops Near Manhattan and Brooklyn Parks

Submitted by Lia on Sun, 07/10/2016 - 10:00am

Playground season has arrived and already I'm preparing myself to hear the Mister Softee theme playing on a loop until September.

While there's nothing wrong with grabbing a cone from a generic truck, I admit that I prefer play spots that have really fantastic ice cream vendors nearby. Cold and sweet, a few scoops of mint chocolate chip or strawberry (my flavors of choice) make sticking out the sticky New York City weather that much more manageable. And my kids don't mind eating it either.

Here are some of my favorite spots to grab a scoop, plus fun places to play before or after.

13 Dual-Language and Immersion Preschools in Manhattan

Submitted by Sarah G on Mon, 05/16/2016 - 2:00pm

Whether your toddler already speaks a second (or third) language at home, or if you’re simply hoping to give your monolingual child the gift of another language, there are plenty of great preschools where NYC kids may begin, or continue, learning another language.

As with mastering any new skill, regular (and fun) practice makes a big difference in how quickly a child becomes comfortable speaking another language. We previously rounded up great Spanish language learning centers for school-aged kids, as well as Spanish sing-alongs for toddlers. Now, we're turning our attention to the preschool set, pulling together a sampling of immersion and dual-language preschool programs available in Manhattan. All our picks accept a mix of children at different levels of language proficiency, including absolute beginners.

Read on to find out where your tot can learn German, French, Mandarin and Spanish, and be sure to look through our NYC Preschool Listings and Directory for even more options, including dual-language playgroups and preschool alternatives.

10 Cool New Party Places for NYC Kids

Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on Sun, 01/03/2016 - 7:00pm

If you're looking for a new celebratory experience, we've found 10 fresh party packages at venues new and old, all of which are sure to be a hit at your child's next birthday (or heck, even their un-birthday.) With party packages this cool, its a shame to celebrate but once a year. You'll be able to please even the pickiest tween with unique fetes like zombie laser tag and jewelry making with semi-precious stones. Find more awesome kids' birthday ideas in our jam-packed Party Guide.

NYC's Summer Streets Kick Off Saturday with a Mega Water Slide

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Thu, 07/30/2015 - 10:40am

Great news for all the intrepid New Yorkers staying put this August: Summer Streets kicks off this weekend! This beloved annual event is set to take over nearly seven miles of Manhattan streets over the next three Saturdays. As in years past, Summer Streets will be jam-packed with fun and FREE events and activities, including a brand-new attraction, Slide the City, that kids (and parents) are sure to love. We've got the scoop on this new attraction, including what to expect and how to claim a spot.