Last month I wrote about play spaces where you can drop in and pay for play, but how about places where you can drop in and not pay? There are still some great places that welcome you to play for free and we've rounded up 5 good ones below. Of course, you should also check out our list of free times at NYC museums so you don't miss out on things like pay what you wish Thursdays at the Children's Museum of the Arts.

Where to play for free indoors with NYC kids:

There's lots going on in the world of schools right now, whether you're a parent looking to apply to public Pre-K, Kindergarten or just hearing back from the private schools. And there's lots to be concerned about with radical budget cuts threatening the quality of public school education, teachers getting laid off and class sizes growing. On the up side, there are going to be lots of new schools opening next year. Find out more about them and all this other news, and what you can do to make your voice heard for our kids. Plus we've got an update on the scooters for schools and the winners to our scooter giveaway below.

Well, now even the cave dwellers are feeling the recession.  That has to be proof positive that we’re in tough times.  In Missouri, a Cave Home is facing foreclosure, so they’ve naturally put it up for sale on Ebay.  It even has a stage that Ted Nugent played on once.  Really? Wow.  In happier news links, take a look at the portfolio of a ten-year-old graffiti artist some are calling the new Banksy, excerpts from the latest Michelle Obama interview (love her more and more…), 15 graceful ways to say no (but go ahead and say yes to reading them), and the NY Times coverage of Brooklyn’s newest top foodies.  Checkit!

Comedian Louis C.K.'s humorous rant on Conan about the "spoiled idiots" we are that we take the amazing progress of our generation for granted and whine about the most minor inconveniences from brand new technologies that we didn't even know existed 10 seconds ago.

Will our current economic crisis teach us a little bit of perspective? And is technology saving us or ruining us? What do you think?

Who cares if Spring hasn't sprung? This weekend is the BAM kids film festival and the beginning of the New York International Children's Film Festival. I feel lucky to be going to the Film & Food: NYICFF Benefit Event on Sunday afternoon where we will get to see the new Wallace and Gromit movie, A Matter of Loaf and Death, as well as other food related kid shorts and an international feast. (I'll twitter to KidBuzzNY to let you know how it is).

The Benefit is a pricey ticket, but the films in both festivals are all priced reasonably and in keeping with what you'd pay to see any movie in a theater. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, there's lots more going on this weekend and I've rounded up the best of the bunch here:

Kick scooters are great for New York City kids. We do a lot of walking, which can be hard on little legs and wearisome. I have one of those little guys who would whine with every step and I'd find myself dragging him down the street having to laugh off all the people that were giving me those bad mom glares (oh if they only knew). Got him a scooter and viola, now I can barely keep up with him.

But finding the right scooter took a while. At three we got him a three wheel toddler scooter that didn't work very well and at four, while he was too big for that, he still couldn't handle a two wheeled scooter. Then we discovered the Micro Mini Kick and the new Micro Maxi Kick Scooters.

Read on to find out how you could win a new Micro Maxi Scooter or get one for your school fundraising auction or raffle.

Aurea emailed me with a question about where to find help with baby wearing lessons. There is no way to underestimate the importance of finding the right carrier for you and your baby. You are going to be holding your infant (and toddler) a lot more than you might have ever guessed pre-pregnancy. The wrong carrier can be anything from annoying to down-right painful—and you want to enjoy have baby close to you, not find it a pain.

Choosing the right carrier for mom and dad (who may need his own if he is not the same size) is really important and worth investing a little time, thought and consideration into. You will need to consider the style of carrier (wrap, sling, bjorn, pack) that you are comfortable using and wearing as well as sizing, comfort and perhaps fashion.

There are a couple different routes to go when looking for help choosing and learning how to use your baby carrier. I've rounded up some good choices here:

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So did you watch the Oscars?  No?  While you’ve probably heard more than enough about the winners, the fashion, and the movies, here are the two picks from the broadcast worth watching, from the Mamacita Poppins herself.  Click through to also check out an atheists take on Dan Zanes new religious album, the weirdest and possibly cutest candle holder, “Twin Town”, and finally – a bra dryer.  That’s right, you heard me….