The MTA always seems to be raising its fares, which always begs the question: "When exactly do we start paying for our kids to ride the subway." I've gotten so used to shuffling them under the turnstile, it occurred to me that at some point I'm probably supposed to start paying for kids to ride the subway.

While registration for the American Museum of Natural History's summer camps hasn't started yet, it's a good idea to keep a look out. In 2007, the camps sold out before they were even made available online.

For more information on these camps complete with hands-on investigations, behind-the-scenes tours and visits with Museum scientists, visit their site, and read on.

2009 AMNH Adventures Summer Camps will include:

Robotics Camp
Interested in a robotic expedition to Mars? Design, build, and program your own robot to explore an unknown planet! Using Lego Mindstorms robotic kits and computers, participants learn principles of robotics, computer programming, and teamwork during this exciting week.

Sampler Camp (for first graders)
Want a taste of the AMNH Adventure Camps, but still just one year too young? Come get a taste of what hands-on learning is all about, with a day of astrophysics activities, a day of frogs, and a day of water!

Fossils and DNA
Who are we and where do we come from? Embark on an exciting journey through human evolution and learn about our ancestors, from early primates to the first hominids. Explore the brand new Spitzer Hall of Human Origins while learning how to use fossil evidence and DNA??”and have fun doing it!

Meet the Beetles
Break out your magnifying glasses and get ready to observe the natural world and its amazing creatures! From the beetles, birds, and giant tortoises Charles Darwin made famous to the local array of bugs and plants in Central Park, children will enjoy discovering and learning about science and nature during this fun-filled week.

Astrophysics Camp
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live, work, and travel in space? Could life exist on other planets? What are black holes and do they really exist? Join others who share your interest in space science and learn about the universe through hands-on activities and Museum explorations.

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

photo by Lincoln Karim

The NYC birding world is all aflutter over recent hawk activities in New York City. Last week people were watching a pair of Red Tailed Hawks building a nest. And this morning there were bald eagles over Riverside Park. It is rare to be able to see these hawks building their nests and children will especially enjoy the idea of seeing the birds building their homes.

Remember when you had time to sit down and read the paper? It almost seems like that was someone else doesn't it? We thought it would be great to create a weekly round-up of the best kid-related articles in the NY media. Want to share a link? Leave it in the comments or if you want to contribute to next week's round-up send me an email.

Blogging, it's a symbiotic relationship. We create great content. You tell your friends about it. More people come to Mommy Poppins. We create more great content. You and your friends get more to read, you tell more people, we write more...

If you like what's going on on Mommy Poppins help keep more coming by putting one of our banners or widgets on your site or blog. We'll have warm and fuzzy feelings about you and people will know you have great taste.

An especially great line-up of free stuff to do with kids this weekend in New York City plus some special inexpensive events that were too good not to list.

I'm ignoring the fact that it's a leap year and posting the Top Posts for February today. If you haven't been following along the big news this month was the launching of the Mommy Poppins Summer Camp and Program Guide. It's a great resource with over a dozen posts to help you with your summer planning, with almost 30 camps covered in our posts and another 30 in our advertising listings. Check it out!

One of the things I love about living in NYC is the ability to walk out the door and stumble upon some really cool free stuff to do with kids that you might never expect.

Today and Friday, for instance,