Submitted by Katie McKnight on
For my first-born's first birthday, I threw a big party, complete with color coordinated plates and linens, and topped off by an extravagantly expensive custom cake. The birthday girl had no interest in the beautifully wrapped presents, feared the balloons, and promptly threw up said custom cake on her hand-smocked dress. Lesson learned! For more great party ideas check out our Connecticut Party Guide!
Submitted by Alina Adams on
While mandatory kindergarten for New York City five-year-olds doesn't go into effect until 2013, the Department of Education's sweeping Special Education Reform starts this fall. Come September, public schools will be required to integrate most students with special education needs into their general-education classrooms. (Kids with severe challenges may still be taught separately, although the details on what constitutes "severe" are still unclear.)
Even the DOE has admitted the transition may be a difficult one, which has many parents concerned. In order to allay fears, the DOE has set up a hotline to answer questions.
Submitted by Tania Pesce on
So we’ve covered museums and outdoor birthday party sites in the Hartford County area. But where can you celebrate a birthday for your little one who is an aspiring Picasso? These creative locations will be sure to delight your budding artist allowing them to discover and nurture their inner imaginative abilities.
Submitted by Raven Snook on
We've been having a wonderful NYC staycation. That photo may look like it was taken in the country, but it's actually the Arthur Ross Pinetum, one of many hidden treasures in Central Park. This week we also spent some time exploring our neighborhood of the month, Long Island City in Queens, and we shared our favorite places to see incredible views of New York City.
On our Travel site, we featured some great family destinations in Southern Vermont including 40 Things to Do in Brattleboro with Kids, Brattleboro's Retreat Farm where kids can get up close and personal with the animals, and Bromley Adventure Park, which recently opened a brand-new Aerial Adventure section.
Closer to home, our Long Island site has a fantastic profile of Shelter Island, while our New Jersey site's got the scoop on Shark Fest at Camden's Adventure Aquarium. You can also head to the Delaware Water Gap for fishing, boating, swimming, hiking and camping. Or you can plan your own local adventure with our NYC Summer Fun Guide.
Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
We've been vacationing in Southern Vermont since before we had kids, thanks to a relative with a lovely house in Wilmington. On every visit, we gravitate to Brattleboro when we need to get out of the house. Brattleboro, Vermont is a charming old New England small town with just a hint of Vermont funkiness. There are plenty of good restaurants and lots of things to do to keep the entire family occupied.
Below is my personal list of things to do in and around Brattleboro with kids, which I pull out whenever just enjoying the fresh mountain air and playing with sticks gets old. I've included a few of the most interesting places to stay (although I've never stayed in any of them myself) and the best restaurants for families in Brattleboro to round out the list with everything you need to know to make Brattleboro a perfect family vacation destination for a weekend or a week, any time of year.
Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on
When you walk into Coco-Mat—an eco-friendly mattress and home furnishings store that opened in Soho earlier this year—you may think you mistakenly entered a ground floor loft apartment. The whitewashed sun-filled space has a cozy sitting area, a child’s bedroom, a private sleeping suite, a kids', art station with a blackboard wall, and even an open-plan kitchen where staff prepares snacks for guests, like figs sprinkled with minced oregano, Greek salads and freshly squeezed juice. Cash registers are noticeably absent, adding to the friendly apartment vibe. This low-key sales approach is an integral part of Coco-Mat's philosophy of building community and making customers, particularly families, feel welcome.
Founded in Greece, Coco-Mat manufactures mattresses, furniture and linens that are all-natural, non-toxic, hypoallergenic and handcrafted. The company's not a newcomer to the eco-friendly scene: It has been doing business this way for the past 24 years. Although Coco-Mat has 60 stores in 11 counties, the NYC shop at 49 Mercer Street is its first stand-alone U.S. store, and inside is a brand-new mini-boutique dedicated to the company's popular children's line, which includes crib mattresses, kids' beds, desks, bookcases, pillows and curtains.
In honor of this new kids' mini-shop, Coco-Mat is giving away a $300 shopping spree to one lucky Mommy Poppins reader, plus a pair of $100 gift cards to two runner-ups. Read on to learn more about Coco-Mat's products and for details about how to enter the giveaway.
Submitted by Dara Stewart on
Long Island is celebrating its diversity this weekend, with the India Day Parade on Saturday and IndiaFest on Sunday, and BACCA's Paumanauke Pow Wow. There's also critters, critters everywhere: Reptiles Rule at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, Butterflies Abound! a Bug Safari at the Old Westbury Gardens, and a Bat Safari at the Connetquot River State Park Preserve. Oh my! Round out your weekend with the Sag Harbor Firemen's Carnival. Take a look at our events calendar for more fun activities this weekend and all week long.
Submitted by Toby B on
So the summer’s about halfway through now and, wait, what? Back to school already? You’ve got to be kidding me! We were just getting started. We’ve only scratched the surface of all those free summer kids movies; we were just setting up our picnics for the many free outdoor concerts, and we're still brushing up our Shakespeare for the different renditions of the Bard in the Park. You can’t send us back now!
Pretty much the only saving grace of back to school is the chance to buy new clothes. (If you’re a kid. If you’re a mom the best thing is everything.) We’ve got some pointers on where to go in LA to for the best combination of style and value. (There’s a fashion show at the Grove this weekend that can give you a few ideas, too).
And if school starts for you and yours next week, I say go out with a bang. Party like it’s the first day of summer. Build a sandcastle, play in the park, ride a choo choo or hunt for faeries, dance like nobody’s watching, and take your Shakespeare with a dose of Wookie. It ain’t over til it’s over, and this summer has just begun!
Keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend...
