We love finding clever ways to reuse and recycle things, especially to create a fun, environmentally friendly kids craft project. That's why we just had to link to this Parent Hack. Asha came up with the idea of re-using the Styrofoam from the packing materials around new electronics as building blocks to make a toy castle. A couple of toothpick and post-its note flags and your little prince and princesses have a world of make-believe play before them. Just add some playmobile or lego knights or finger puppets.

Kids love acting. Maybe that's why TADA! is such a popular program with NYC kids. During the school year they have great after school programs and in the summer they have day camps for NYC kids and teenagers. TADA! day camps let NYC kids take advantage of the talented professional theater artists of New York to learn straight from the pros the ins and outs of acting and theater in a fun summer camp setting.

Each summer day camp session is one week long and kids create and perform a different mini-musical every week. Children campers work with professional theater artists, learn songs from original TADA! musicals and Broadway shows, and invent the scenes between the songs themselves. The camp week ends with a performance by campers for friends and family. Each day camp session features a different theme such as “Slumber Party,� “Crime-Solving Kids,� “Grab Some Magic� “Spooky Stories,� “Destination Broadway� and “Sounds of the City.�

Country kids are to trees as NYC kids are to architecture. Maybe that's why ArchiCamp is such a cool camp idea for NYC kids.

ArchiCamp is a fun day camp where NYC kids, 9-13, travel around New York City, studying the architecture, going to museums, and doing workshops related to an architectural concept of the day. Kids gain new perspectives on the city they live in, take advantage of the unique resources all around them, learn 3D creation and get to display their work on the ArchiKids website.

This is one in a series of posts about last minute camp openings for kids in NYC. Every day for the next week, we will be posting more exceptional camps for children of all ages that still have openings. If you are interested make sure to register soon because these spots will go fast.

Chelsea Piers Sport Camps offer programs for kids of all ages, from 20 months to teenagers. Chelsea Piers Sport Camps let kids be active and enjoy the sports they love out of the heat of the summer sun, taking advantage of an amazing sports facility and the wide range of activities available under on roof without leaving the city.

This is our first entry in a series of posts about last minute camp openings for kids in NYC. Every day for the next week, we will be posting more exceptional camps for children of all ages that still have openings. If you are interested make sure to register soon because these spots will go fast.

Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Programs (BCAP) is the only camp in the world on a campus composed of an art museum, botanic garden, children's museum, historic house, nature center, landmarked park, state-of-the-art public library, and zoo! Campers enjoy carefully crafted curriculum led by instructors at each site, often combined with behind-the-scenes access.

Yikes! Summer is here and with it comes those long, long, long...long days. Long days that need to be filled. Some parents plan and sign their kids up for summer camps in February. And then there's the rest of us who wake up mid-June in a cold sweat realizing we haven't made any plans for the summer yet. And this is NYC so everything is totally booked up, right?

There's been a sharp readership spike in the last few days with a ton of people coming in under the same search term and I can't figure out if it's from a link or just word of mouth. If you are a new reader, please leave a comment letting me know how you found the site. Thanks!

And if you like the site, you can subscribe either by email (at right) or RSS (see subscribe link directly below this post) and get updates as they are posted.

Imagine what Central Park would be like if you had it practically to yourself. And, instead of being surrounded by tall buildings, imagine it's surrounded by the NYC harbor, so every time you catch a glimpse through the trees, you see sailboats and ferries gliding by. While we're dreaming, imagine that every weekend a free concert or event takes place, but unlike every other event in NYC, there aren't huge crowds. Wouldn't that be nice?

Well, pinch yourself, you're not dreaming. This is the perfect description of Governor's Island and we highly recommend it as a family outing destination, and possibly the best place to bike with kids in NYC.