Submitted by Dena on
I don’t know about some of you, but summer can be a very stressful time for me, when my days are dedicated to trying to figure out what to do with my boys from morning to night. My number one priority? Keeping them cool and happy. My number two priority? Keeping myself sane enough to keep them cool and happy. Anyone with a child on the Autism spectrum who can say that summer is 100% fun, please tell me your secret!
Submitted by Raven Snook on
Editor's note: The Rubin Museum will close its doors on Sunday, October 6, 2024.
As New York City museums go, the Rubin Museum of Art is just a baby, but it's definitely growing fast. The only museum in the Western Hemisphere dedicated to the art of the Himalayas (Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China and many other Far East countries and cultures), its collection is varied and vast—there are countless figures of deities, shrines, instruments, textiles and more—and the institution as a whole is surprisingly family-friendly.
We wrote about the Rubin back in 2004, but so much has changed since then, we revisited the museum as well as this post. Not only is there an impressive slate of programming for kids, including drop-in workshops and festivals, the Rubin opened an education center in the summer of 2011, which accommodates children and adults.
Next door to the museum, the two-floor center features circular stairs that mirror the main space's dramatic spiral staircase. It's a lovely addition with large classrooms and a performance area, cute cubbyholes for backpacks, and colorful kid-made art interspersed with items from the museum's collection.
The Rubin is a wonderful destination on any day: The artifacts are stunning and easy for kids to digest (a solid gold statue of a deity doesn't need to be put in context; it's just cool), and there's a cafe with delicious eats. Happily though, there are kids' activities almost every day. Here's what's going on at the Rubin for families this season.
Submitted by Jay on
With the weather we've been having, perhaps the last thing you want to do is pick up a book about the hottest season.
But you'll be pining for summer fun soon enough: longer days, summer Fridays, family vacations, and afternoons spent in the sprinklers and at the beach.
Even though summer isn't even half over, I catch myself feeling nostalgic for it. It's the season we always seem to measure by how close it is to being done. These ten children's books capture its big and little pleasures: the magic of keepsakes, awesome (and not-so-great) photos and the making of memories. Every one is a must for your summer reading list.
Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on
If your kids are anything like mine, they've been begging to see the reboot of The Smurfs since those little CGI blue guys (and one girl) started taking over all the ad space in the city. (They seem to be everywhere! On buses, phone booths, billboards, etc.)
Although I was a big fan of the Smurfs back in the day and I adore NPH (a.k.a. Neil Patrick Harris, the movie's human star), I don't have the highest hopes. That said, I know where I'll be next Friday, July 29: in a movie theater enjoying the air-conditioning, eating popcorn and watching my son have a good time.
But you know what I actually am excited about? Smurf Week in NYC! NYCGo, New York City's official tourism organization, has partnered with local cultural centers like the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the New York Botanical Garden for five days of smurfy fun for families. Yes, it's a marketing ploy to get you to see the movie, which you'll probably end up doing anyway. But a lot of the activities sound super-smurftastic.
Read on for the smurfiest highlights (and we promise, no more smurfing around).
Submitted by Roseanne on
Last year, a number of New York City playgrounds opened (or reopened after extensive work) to great fanfare. Seemingly everyone's heard about South Street Seaport's Imagination Playground, Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 and the complete overhaul of the Union Square Playground.
But in upper Manhattan another lovely play spot quietly debuted last November after a year-long renovation. Set in the lush greenery of Inwood Hill Park, Indian Road Playground features a Native American theme in honor of its location along the trail that was once used by the Rechgawawanc clan of the Weekquaeskeek tribe.
Although there were a few road bumps—the playground originally included a mock artifact dig which was removed after Native American leaders objected to it—Indian Road Playground is a very popular spot with locals as well as visitors who decide to spend the day at the picturesque tip of Manhattan.
Submitted by Mary Beth Lawlor on
Do you know that a quarter of Fairfield County's area is covered in water? Getting out on the water in a kayak, a sailboat or on a stand-up paddle board can provide hours of summer fun.
Paddle on a neighborhood pond
Kayaking is an easy and safe water sport, especially on the calm surface of a protected pond. Nearly every town offers family-friendly and safe spots for kayaking. Most operate small boat rental places at municipality-owned lakes. The Town of Ridgefield’s Parks and Recreation Center has a little boathouse on the Great Pond in Martin Beach Park with single and tandem kayaks and paddle boats that can accommodate the whole family.
Submitted by Raven Snook on
We promise we're not going to obsess on the heat. And we're not going to sing "Hot Hot Hot" or "It's Gettin' Hot in Herre" (sic) like your annoying coworkers. But man, it is boiling in NYC right now... hard to believe just six months ago we were suffering through snow days!
The terrible temperatures didn't dampen our spirits though. We still managed to have some great adventures visiting a Wild Safari, sailing on the Ikea Water Taxi and getting wet at Pier 84 in Hudson River Park.
And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.
Submitted by Shari Simpson on
Had enough festivals yet? Of course you haven't! It's summer! Time for food on a stick and hot sweaty bouncehouses! There are fests in Hoboken, Middletown, Tenafly and the Shore this weekend, but if you don't feel like walking through ten thousand other people to get your Zeppole, you can also count fireflies for a scientific study, let your kid become a Junior Zookeeper, or watch a cool old-fashioned baseball game being played. We love summer, we really do. Food on a stick and all.
