NYC kids have it good when it comes to enriching after-school programs. The choices for hands-on learning fun are seemingly endless. Our Classes Guide is packed with posts about sports like basketball and tennis, performing arts such as musical theater and dance, language immersion for Spanish and Chinese, and even offbeat offerings like trapeze and archery. And every year we hear about fresh specialty programs.

Last year our new classes post featured many places that had just opened. This year is a little different as tried-and-true favorites like the 92nd Street Y, the Art Farm in the City and Long Island City Kids add new and notable offerings to their schedules. We've leafed through the catalogs and picked out the most exciting new kids' classes debuting this fall. Be sure to browse our Classes Guide for even more options.

Southwick’s Zoo is unlike any other zoo my family has ever visited, and let me tell you, we have been to a lot of zoos. My kids say Southwick's is like a zoo-themed theme park, and I think that’s an excellent way to characterize it. Here are 10 reasons to make the trek out to Southwick’s, plus 10 tips for getting the most from your visit. 

Mergers and acquisitions, ever-expanding corporations and new ventures. Sound like Wall Street? Nope. That's just what's going on in NYC kids' culture scene. We've got news about a big bowling chain merger, a book-making spot that closed, and two new NY Kids Club locations opening in Williamsburg and Long Island City next year. Plus, how to score two-for-one Broadway ticket deals and free admission to the New York Hall of Science, and the long-awaited post-Sandy reopening of an attraction-filled Rockaway, Queens park.

You answer the door, pay the guy, slide the box across the table, and presto! Dinner is served. You know what I'm talking about: Pizza, that glorious complete meal in a slice. Whether eaten at home or at your favorite pizzeria, pizza offers a satisfying, stress-free dinner-in-a-pinch option we all need from time to time. And just try throwing a birthday party without ordering a few! So the next time you have no dinner menu planned (and, heck, even if you do) go ahead, give yourself a break and grab a pizza - but make it a good one. Here's our list of favorites on the Westside.

My oldest starts Kindergarten in a week, and I'm still researching lunch boxes.   Sooooo wrapping my head around what to whip up for AFTER school snacks positively hurts my been-out-of-school-for-more-than-a-decade brain.  But being at the back of the class on this one isn't an option, unless we want grumpy/whiny/nasty children ransacking the lazy susan while we're trying to make dinner.  Here are some healthy snacks your scholar can scarf down ... and the businesses across Fairfield County that can help you cut a corner or two in creating them.

I am a terrible, terrible shopper.  By which I mean I can’t pass a mall without breaking into a cold sweat.  Department stores give me the shakes (do they REALLY have to be that big?), and malls at Christmastime?  My worst nightmare.

But sadly, after trying to squeeze my 8 year old into 5T jeans (for the 3rd year in a row), I realize that I can no longer avoid back to school shopping this year.  Nope…it’s got to be done, and as right now is tax-free week, it has to be done now.  Right now.  I can do this!!!!  (This is me giving myself a pep talk). 

As a horrible shopper, I can’t be unleashed without both a very specific list of items and stores.  And as a horrible spender, I also like to have a list of current sales.  Here’s my list for local back to school shopping in Fairfield County: