Raven Snook

Raven is a writer, editor, performer and mom, who was born and bred in NYC, just like her husband, her mother and now, her daughter. As a writer, she's contributed articles to New York Magazine, Time Out New York, The Village Voice, the New York Post, TV Guide, Better Homes and Gardens, iVillage, AOL TV and Moviefone, Parents.com, and worked as an in-house editor for ParentsConnect.com and TimeOutKids.com. As a performer, she's appeared on many downtown stages (sometimes even for pay!), a couple of obscure films and TV shows, and The Maury Povich Show as a female drag queen. She's also the founder of Hot Mama Burlesque, the world's only all-moms burlesque show. After being the NYC editor from March 2011-March 2015, she is now happy to just be a blogger as she pursues additional writing opportunities.

Latest posts by Raven Snook

Find the Mommy Poppins Team at the Tribeca Family Festival for Fun and a Chance to Win Universal Orlando Tickets

Submitted by Raven Snook on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 10:57am

After many years of attending the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair, we've decided to join up! Mommy Poppins will be hosting a tent on Greenwich Street at Jay Street, just south of the first stage with lots of fun and big giveaways.

What will be happening? Lots of cool stuff. Raise your heart rates with fun activities sponsored by eXerBlast, or relax in our BlastDown Zone (you know you'll need it after tromping through the fair). While there, enter for a chance to win one of our great giveaways, including four tickets to Universal Orlando. Plus you get to meet the Mommy Poppins team, and we get to meet you. Read on for details about everything we'll have going on.

Weekly Wrap Up: Carousels, Egg Hunts and Nature Activities for NYC Kids

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 11:55pm

Happy everything! Easter, Passover, Earth Day and spring break all coincide this week, which means a lot of fun (and food!) for families through the weekend.

Of course, spring break lasts until next Tuesday, so be sure to check out our roundup of free and inexpensive things to do.

It's not all about the holidays around here, though. We wrote about a lot of other awesome activities and services for families over the past seven days. From giant dinosaurs to a doctor who only makes house calls, here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Odd Day Rain: A Smart Sci-fi Take on Technology Obsessed Tweens

Submitted by Raven Snook on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 1:54pm

No matter what show the kids at TADA! Youth Theater are putting on, I always go. Made up of local youngsters ages 8 to 18, this children's troupe emphasizes spirit over star power, and fun over fame.

The company's new show, Odd Day Rain (which is double cast in order to give more kids a chance to shine) is particularly smart and, unlike most of TADA's offerings, great for tweens. There's nothing inappropriate for preschoolers mind you, but the plot will be better appreciated by school-age children.

Weekly Wrap Up: Spring Break, Passover, Earth Day Fun for NYC Kids

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 2:01pm

Is everybody ready for spring break? We know your kids are. Public-school students are off from Saturday through Tuesday, April 26 and it's certainly an eventful time. Passover kicks off the evening of Monday, April 18, and Easter follows on Sunday, April 24. In between, we celebrate our planet on Earth Day, which falls on Friday, April 22. No need to wait until the official dates; you can hunt for eggs, munch on matzo and honor Mother Nature this weekend and all spring break long.

There are lots of non-holiday activities too. We've rounded up awesome (and inexpensive) things to do over spring break as well as some cool camps. The Tribeca Film Festival is hosting free "drive-in" movies and there are exhibits to explore, concerts to rock out to, shows to see, fairs to attend and other spring fun.

Break is the perfect excuse to finally take a day or weekend trip, or just hit another borough or cross a nearby bridge. So read on to see what else we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Boom Town: Traditional Circus Acts Set in the Wild West

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 9:00am

Many Mommy Poppins writers absolutely adored Birdhouse Factory, the last show Cirque Mechanics brought to the New Victory Theater. So we were all really looking forward to the Las Vegas troupe’s new spectacle Boom Town. Of course high expectations can sometimes lead to disappointment.

So I’ll be honest: Not everyone here enjoyed Boom Town as much as my five-year-old daughter and I did. There’s no question that the Metropolis-esque Birdhouse Factory was more striking in terms of aesthetics, narrative and feats. But Boom Town, which is set in the Wild West during the Gold Rush days, has a lot of hokey charm, with silly clowns, impressive aerial and balancing acts, and lots of silly slapstick.

Here are seven reasons why I think circus lovers should book a trip to Boom Town.

Our Spring Fun Guide for Families Is Here

Submitted by Raven Snook on Sun, 04/10/2011 - 10:00am

We're very proud to announce the birth of our new Spring Fun Guide! Last year we launched guides for winter, summer and fall and now we're excited to highlight this special season, when NYC families wake up from their winter hibernation and start spending their days outdoors again.

Read on for a sampling of what you'll find in our Spring Fun Guide.

Weekly Wrap Up: Easter Bunny Photo Ops and Egg Hunts in NYC, Harry Potter Exhibit and More

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 4:00pm

It's been a busy week at all of the Mommy Poppins sites! Must be the time of year: April brings Easter, Passover, spring break, Earth Day and a host of popular festivals like the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair and Sakura Matsuri.

Don't worry: You won't need to try to cram all of those activities into one weekend. But since they're coming up, we wanted to give you a heads up, so you had time to mark your calendars.

Read on to see what else we covered this week on Mommy Poppins, in NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Roald Dahl’s Dark Poems Come to Life in Revolting Rhymes

Submitted by Raven Snook on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 12:54pm

Ever since my mom read me James and the Giant Peach, I’ve been a fan of Roald Dahl. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, Matilda, I loved his fantastical stories and dark humor, which were so different than the happy, candy-colored kid lit I was used to.

Although he died more than 20 years ago, Dahl’s sensibility seems amazingly contemporary, which is why his children’s books endure today. But did you know that he also wrote poems, many of them skewed takes on old-fashioned fairy tales?

I admit that I didn’t. But I do now thanks to Revolting Rhymes, a new 45-minute musical being mounted by Atlantic for Kids. Find out why this show will make you laugh—perhaps even more than your kids.

Raven Snook

Raven Snook

Latest posts by Raven Snook

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