6 Places to Feed a Goat, Ride a Pony, Pet a Pig and More in the Hamptons & North Fork

Jaime Sumersille's picture Submitted by Jaime Sumersille on

With modern-day conveniences, we often forget about how we obtain the things in our everyday routine. You open the fridge and pull out a carton of milk--but who produced, collected it and bottled it? You tear open a bag of pre-cut lettuce for a salad, not really thinking about where it was harvested, cleaned and bagged.

Well, families can learn about the source of their food and get their hands dirty at one of these family-friendly farms located on the East End of Long Island. And for more fun ideas of what to do in the area, check out our Hamptons and North Fork Summer Family Guide.

This Week's Picks: Bubbles, Splashes, and Shakespeare July 21 - 25

Jacqueline Stansbury's picture Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on

It is only fitting that a week which begins at the beach should end with a free shampoo and blow out for Mom. Prepare for a grown up weekend with Living Proof’s Frizz Free Friday at an Ulta Beauty location. Appointments are available from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. Go out and get glamorized while Dad stays home and orders up some Friday night pizza. Read on for the outings with kids that can earn you such an end-of-week treat.

Bounce 'N Play in Astoria: A New Queens Drop-in Play Space with Bouncy Houses

Kelly O's picture Submitted by Kelly O on

There are already plenty of indoor play spaces in Queens but we're always happy to welcome one more, especially in Astoria. Even though the neighborhood is filled with families, Kids Playhouse Astoria has been the area's only drop-in romping spot... until now.

Bounce 'N Play is a spacious indoor play and party space with a wide variety of cool equipment. In addition to the usual attractions—play sets, a jungle gym with tubes, a rock climbing wall, toys and games—Bounce 'N Play also features inflatable fun like full-fledged bouncy houses and a pair of bouncy slides. Since you don't find indoor bouncy houses very often in NYC, I knew my girls and I had to check it out.

Don't Miss Circus Smirkus; The All Youth Troupe Will Knock Your Mismatched, Polka-Dotted Socks Off

Anna Fader's picture Submitted by Anna Fader on

I’ve probably seen more than my fair share of circus shows, reviewing just about every one that comes through town. I’ve watched as the rise of cirque nouveau, popularized by Cirque du Soleil, has reinvigorated the old three-ring model and rejuvenated children’s theater with amazing new performance troupes. But, even Cirque has started to fall a little flat for me. I’ve been waiting for something new to knock my clown socks off. What I didn’t expect? That the people to finally do that would be a bunch of kids in rural New England.

Circus Smirkus is a youth circus troupe based in Greensboro, Vermont where kids aged 8-18 train and perform in a traveling big top tour each summer. We were able to catch their show, Anchors Away for Atlantis, in Essex Junction, Vermont last week. Both my son and I were blown away by what we saw.

Brooklyn Bike Park Brings Mountain Biking to NYC Kids

Anna Fader's picture Submitted by Anna Fader on

This bike park is now closed. The organizers hope to open a new one nearby in May 2015. We'll update this post if that happens. New York City never ceases to amaze me with its seemingly endless expansion in the “you can do that in NYC now?!” department. The people who don’t understand why we raise our kids in the city just don’t get the true awesomeness of the ever-changing playground in which we live. Stage combat, trapeze, cheerleading, Chinese—whatever your kids are interested in, there's probably a place to do it, plus the opportunity to discover new things they didn’t even know they were into located around every corner.

I like to think I know most of what’s going on in the city, but my jaw dropped the other day when I stumbled upon Brooklyn Bike Park, an incredible, dirt track, mountain biking park that sits on a full block on South Williamsburg’s industrial waterfront. It was such a great find and since it's moving at the end of this summer, I just had to share right away.

Set Sail with Jersey Shore Pirates, NJ's Original Pirate Adventure

Submitted by Jennifer Battista on

Want an adventure unlike any other? How about an honest-to-buried treasure sailing trip? Captain Kidd once roamed our coast—in fact, legend has it that his treasure still remains to be found in NJ. While you may not be lucky enough to find Kidd’s booty, Jersey Shore Pirates makes it possible to go treasure-hunting with daily Pirate Adventures or even have a pirate birthday party—a family-friendly outing that is perfect for a hot summer day. I recently had the chance to check them out myself…read on for the details, if ye dare!

This Week: Water Fun in NYC: Best Playgrounds for Getting Wet, Top Family Boat Rides, 25 Water Games, Water-Filled Day Trips

Raven Snook's picture Submitted by Raven Snook on

Water, water, everywhere, all over our Mommy Poppins sites. We updated two super-popular posts in our Water Fun Guide: the best boat rides for NYC families and our list of the top 20 water playgrounds throughout the five boroughs, including the brand-new Lakeside Splash Pad in Prospect Park. Plus we shared 25 water games you can play anywhere, from your local park to your own backyard.

Looking to get wet outside the the city? Our Long Island site has a roundup of the best beach playgrounds in the Hamptons, while Westchester highlighted six destination parks featuring all kinds of water fun like beaches, pools and water slides. And if your family is really up for a full-fledged water-filled adventure, our Travel site recommends the Grand Solmar Land's End Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Warning: Do not click here unless you're prepared to be jealous.

We're smack-dab in the middle of summer break and our SUMMER OF PLAY CHALLENGE. What has your family been doing to make the most of the season? Share your playful pics on social media for a chance to win great prizes. Every week, we're giving away a KaBOOM! Go Out and Play Pack and in late August, we'll be awarding one lucky reader with an Ultimate Summer of Play Bash. So submit your fun photos and then click through all of the entries for new play inspiration.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

Walking with Dinosaurs: See a Life-Size T.rex & Other Extinct Creatures Up Close at this Arena Spectacular

Stephanie Ogozalek's picture Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on

When Walking with Dinosaurs first roared into NYC in 2009, there was nothing else like it around. But since then, animatronic dinosaur attractions have been popping up everywhere, from the Bronx Zoo's Dinosaur Safari to Secaucus, New Jersey's Field Station: Dinosaurs to Dutch Wonderland's recently-opened Exploration Island. So, with all of those other dinos vying for your kid's attention and your hard-earned dollars, does Walking with Dinosaurs still hold up?

Absolutely. In terms of sheer spectacle and scale, Walking with Dinosaurs is in a class by itself. Its extinct stars are life-size and incredibly lifelike—right down to blinking eyes and loud farts (my son loved that part). And unlike the creatures at the outdoor parks, these guys don't just move their heads and arms, they actually walk around—and eat, and snort and fight.

Pages