Gotta sing? Gotta dance? If you're a theatre-loving kid, Camp Broadway has a summer program for you! Camp Broadway, Broadway's Original Summer Camp has programs for kids ages 6-17.

For Camp Broadway's tiny talents, ages 6-8, Shining Stars taps into your child's natural creativity through singing, dancing, and crafts. Taught by professional teaching artists, your Shining Stars will not only sing and dance, but paint their own scenery and design their own costumes! Five half days of fun culminate in a musical presentation for the entire family. The program includes lunch, snacks and materials.
 
For campers ages 9-11, Camp Broadway is the perfect fit. This program is five full days of training for the aspiring artists. Camp offers instruction from experienced Broadway-trained faculty and classes on ensemble singing, dancing, movement, voice and acting. There are also Master classes taught by Broadway artists, as well as a behind-the-scenes insight from the crew of a Broadway production.  The program includes a ticket to a Broadway show with a meet and greet with the Broadway performers afterwards. The week culminates with an on stage finale presentation for the entire family! The program includes meals, materials and merchandise.

For performers ages 12-14, CB2 is perfect!  This five day training for up-and-coming performers includes classes taught by experienced Broadway-trained faculty in ensemble singing, dance, movement and acting.  Master classes with Broadway artists in pop vocal technique and hip hop dance, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at a Broadway production are also included.  The campers will see a Broadway show and afterwards enjoy a meet and greet with the performers. The week culminates with an on stage finale presentation for the entire family!  The program includes meals, materials and merchandise.

Camp Broadway's "The Next Step"  is for emerging stars, ages 15-17, to focus on enhancing their individual talents through one-on-one coaching in scene study, vocal technique, movement, and overall presentation taught by experienced Broadway professionals. Five full days of small group and individual work are designed to challenge the performer. The program includes a behind-the-scenes look at a Broadway show, dinner in Times Square, a ticket to a Broadway show and a talk back with the cast. 

For more information, visit www.campbroadway.com or call 212-575-2929.

And for more great camp ideas, check out our Summer Camp Guide!

Summer camp is about friendships; at Corbin's, sports and fun come together to make memories. Only 25 minutes from Manhattan, camp spans 50 breathtaking acres of woodlands, streams and trails. Children play team sports such as soccer, baseball, basketball, football, ultimate, hockey and dodgeball. Through team spirit and sportsmanship we enhance your child's potential and confidence. We have a large selection of individual and adventure sports such as archery, go-carts, gymnastics, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, boating, tennis and instructional swim.
Details: Camp is for children 4 - 14 years old Door to Door pick up on counselor monitored buses Pick up from 8:15 - 9:15am ; Drop off From 4:00-5:00pm Small Boys and Girls groups (10-15 children per group) Camper to Staff Ratio: 5 to 1 Camp Director, Administrators and 2 Nurses on staff Fresh hot and cold lunch every day served in an indoor dining hall
 
Facilities include: Four new baseball fields, 5 tennis courts, 4 swimming pools, a small lake, a bike trail, many acres of hiking trails and much much more!

Join us: Wendy and Peter Corbin - Directors
http://www.CorbinsCrusaders.com
Phone: (212) 875-8174
Email: Peter@CorbinsCrusaders.com or Wendy@CorbinsCrusaders.com

For more great camp ideas, check out our Summer Camp Guide!

For a little Valentines' Day fun, we thought we'd check out the best candy stores in NYC for kids of all ages. With a gaggle of hyper children, we've been trooping all over Manhattan sampling treats and discovering what's what in the New York candy world. (It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.)

We taped the whole thing and will be posting the short videos over the next several days. Take a look at the first one we've posted today for some sugar-addled fun. Perhaps you'll be inspired to make a Valentine's Day outing with your little sweeties.

Last week we wrote about two terrific winter break vacation camps that are offering Mommy Poppins readers significant discounts on their normal fees. This week we have four more camps for the President's Week Winter Vacation perfect for kids as little as three years old through teenagers.

I think drama classes are great for kids. They help build creativity, confidence and teamwork. And TADA! has a great theater program for New York kids. In addition to their regular afterschool programs, TADA! offers one-week vacation programs in which children rehearse and act out a musical production created just for kids. At the end of the week they get to perform it on stage.

Register now for any of TADA's winter or spring vacation camps and get $25 off when you mention MOMMY POPPINS.

Winter vacation camps are a great help to working or any parents who need coverage for their kids during school breaks, but they can also be a great experience for kids who want to try out something different from their usual activities or focus on one activity for a week-long intensive.

Over the next few days we're going to be serving up some fun winter vacation camp ideas to save you from cries of "I'm bored!" We're starting with a great deal from the NY Hall of Science, with over a 35% discount on the normal fee! Spaces are available, but you have to register by Monday and tell them you want the Mommy Poppins discount:

In between the fish sticks and temper tantrums we sometimes forget about the romance of childhood. Their joy and fascination with incredibly simple things (like my daughter's recent discovery of scotch tape) or those moments when they are so incredibly empathatic that your can feel your heart breaking. Take some time out this Valentines Day to celebrate the beautiful small moments of being a child by introducing your kids to some classics:

The Red Balloon
At just 34 minutes and with almost no dialogue, this is the perfect first movie for any kid while also being a pure joy for adults and what could be more romantic than watching a red balloon waft down the streets of Paris in 1956? The screening at the Alliance Francaise will be followed by an hour of activities and games inspired by The Red Balloon, led by Le Club Th?©??tre, Saturday Feb. 9, tickets for Non-Members $10 / Children under 12 $5. Visit the site for more information.

Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity
Though always crowded and somewhat overpriced, there was nothing I loved more as a kid than going to Serendipity and getting their frozen hot chocolate. The enormous cup is filled with deliciousness and the whole place is a kid wonderland. The wait can be ridiculously long so I suggest making reservations. And, while you are in the neighborhood, take a ride on the Roosevelt Island tram which is a cheap thrill for any kid. For the price of a subway in each direction you get a surprisingly intense ride that lasts 4 minutes!

Surf the Beach
This one is for the adventurers but if you dare, a great way to spend a winter day is to bundle up and head to the beach. There is something really magical about being on a huge empty beach in the winter and it's an amazing place to take photographs (try taking real photographs too, you remember, the ones that require film). The shells and sand are still there and will entertain most kids for hours. With the future of Coney Island up in the air, you might want to hop on the D, N, Q or F train to catch some last glimpses of the beautiful, seedy and outrageously photogenic amusement park. And if you get chilly, you can always head over to the Aquarium which is right off the boardwalk. Or, take the A train to the Rockaways where you may even be able to catch some crazy surfers. This video is proof that they are out there in the middle of freezing February.

A round-up of all things free and fun for this weekend. Where to hear rockin' tunes, make a beautiful valentine, and play in the snow!?! All for kids and all for free!