With fall upon us, I am experiencing seasonal sensory recall and craving candy apples, candy corn and Halloween candy (basically all things candy!). Where better than to embrace all these cravings and more than by attending, one, many, or all of the awesome Fall Harvest Festivals going on here in Westchester. Brisk cool suburban air, scenery and foliage that will have you filling up photo cards faster than you can say “Trick or Treat”.

If the kids are experiencing “museum burnout” from too many weekends dragging (or strollering) around one of NYC’s famed museums, don’t worry, you don’t have to write off these trips just yet.  Instead, plan your visits to take advantage of the many educator led programs our museums have to offer.  These programs can provide a deeper understanding of the subject matter and an enriching experience for kids (and adults) or just help make the same old museum look new again. Last week we wrote about all the cool ancillary programs for families and kids at New York City’s art museums and today we are bringing you the “rest” of them: science, nature, design and history.  Read on to find out more:

We went to World Maker Faire this weekend and it was a blast. Tons of craft activities, science experiments, and weird stuff to look at for both kids and adults alike. Some of the highlights were making marshmallow guns out of pvc piping, the Life-Sized Game of Mousetrap, the coke and mentos rocket demo, free knitting and crocheting lessons, and much much more. I put together this 2 minute video of the highlights of our day.

Fall is more than just back to school and Halloween; it is the start of a brand new theater season in New York City--and not just for the adults. Thanks to a host of actors, musicians, puppeteers and storytellers kids have lots of great theater in this town. Most live shows for kids are about one hour in length, designed just for them and much more affordable than the Great White Way.  Live family theater is a perfect way to engage their young minds--and we are blessed with a lot of it. We happily took on the task of wading through the many, many shows being produced this fall to bring you what we think you and your gang will really enjoy.  Read on for our highlights of the fall 2010 Children’s Theater Season.
 

As adults we often have a great deal of nostalgia and affection for our favorite childhood toys and such strong sentiment has long kept the antique and vintage toy market alive.  Luckily for our kids, our ongoing cultural fascination with old toys has also prompted museum curators, famed collectors, and even toy manufacturers to create public venues right here in NYC, where cool antique and vintage toys can be displayed, admired and celebrated.  Nearly hidden in plain sight, all of them are worthy destinations for you and your kiddos. Keep reading to find out more!

Toto, I don’t think we’re in New York anymore.  For the first time ever the Wizard of Oz has been licensed for a traveling museum exhibit, and Oz has landed at the Children's Museum of Manhattan.  Kids, toddlers and parents can follow the yellow brick road to a land of hands-on activities, games and even a few science lessons based on the classic movie. Read on to find out what is in store for your munchkin.

Fun is in full swing this weekend, there are so many great events going on it is seriously hard to decide what to tell you about first and even harder to choose what to do.  You probably have already read our posts on the super creative Maker Fair, the goings on for kids at the DUMBO Arts Festival and the free museum admission day on Saturday. But, there is still a lot more: The Historic House Festival which includes the Queens County Fair and the Little Red Lighthouse Festival as well as Apple Day on the Lower East Side, Raptor Day at Wave Hill, Estuaries Day in Queens and The Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn.  Whew. It all sounds so fun I wish I could clone my family and do it all! Let’s get to it. Read on and have a great weekend!

Here in NYC we are really lucky to be surrounded by so many old and important buildings. Many of which are managed by the Historic House Trust.  This weekend, the trust is flinging open the doors to twenty three of these noteworthy structures and holding some cool special events, as part of their Historic House Festival. What makes it even cooler is the common denominator to the festival is food, specifically food history and the evolving culinary culture in NYC. So, what does this mean for families?  It means this weekend is the perfect time to drag your kids to a historic home!  There is nothing worse to my son than going on a tour of some boring old building, but this weekend, there are quite a few family friendly and kid specific events at the festival. The Queens County Farm Fair and The Little Red Lighthouse Festival are just two of them.  Why not spend the weekend taking a bite out of history?