Cooking classes are semester-long classes. Kids learn how food connects to culture, the proper way to handle food and kitchen tools, as well as how to measure properly and follow a recipe. Classes for young children include stories and songs, while older children learn about multicultural food and nutrition. Classes range from cookie and cake decorating to four course meals. Nothing cures a child with a picky palate more than involving them in the process. Don't be surprised if a fussy eater is suddenly offering to help plan family meals. Classes discuss proper table etiquette as well. For additional class suggestions, see our Classes and Activities Guide for Long Island Kids.

New Jersey is definitely closing out summer with a bang! Our state is brimming with family-friendly activities, like the Seafarer’s Weekend in Cape May and the Long Branch Jazz & Blues Festival. And for one last fix of the great outdoors, check out Bats for Beginnings at Tenafly Nature Center or pick some juicy late-season fruit and spread out a picnic at Fresh and Fancy Farms. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

And to ease you back into the school year, we have a national Back to School Giveaway coming up, a Swagapalooza that will include prizes like Schwinn bikes, $150 worth of personalized school supplies from My Chronicle Books (think Ivy & Bean and other great titles), a years supply of school uniforms from French Toast and $100 gift card at Famous Footwear. More details coming soon, now on to summer events.

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.