Classes

Fall has arrived and it's time to get yourself some pumpkins! Check out our posts on the best pumpkin picking and apple picking in the area if you want to head out of town. Or, you can stock up on pumpkins and fall fun right here in NYC with the top picks of this weekend's local pumpkin events. Plus, did you know that there are lots of free kids cooking classes available this weekend? Keep reading for the full scoop... Read more »

Photo by egarc2

The New York City Parks Department provides a variety of free, water-based programs for all ages and levels, ranging from swim lessons to recreational swimming to training for swim team competition. Programs are available for toddlers, children and adults, and both after-school swim classes and Saturday swimming lessons are available. All programs are free and offered in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and After School Swim Classes are available in Queens.

Classes are free and space is limited. Registration is on a first come-first served basis. Here's more info on these free swimming classes and how to register: Read more »

Sometimes it just seems too easy to give in to giving treats for after school snack; it's what your kids want and it's convenient. But we got many great suggestions from the comments of  our Cupcake Kids Back to School Snack Class giveaway that are sure inspire healthier and fun after school snacking.

Interestingly, the comments reinforce the proposition of Cupcake Kids' cooking classes, that if kids are involved in making their food, they will be more likely to eat healthy stuff. Most of these tips center around kids being involved in the preparation of the food or make eating into an activity.

Here's Top Ten Healthy After-school Snack Tips.  Plus, keep reading to find out the winner of the Cupcake Kids giveaway! Read more »

Do you have a finicky eater at home?  Studies show that getting your kids to cook with you in the kitchen is the best way to get them to try new foods.  Even Rachel Ray (who in my opinion lost some cred when she did those Dunkin' Donuts ads but that's another story) just came out with a book on cooking with kids.  Plus, even for good eaters, its just plain old fun.

OK, so you are convinced, you're going to let Junior touch the Le Creuset and here's a fun way to get started. Meet Jessi Walter, a former VP on Wall Street and Harvard graduate turned kid chef extraordinaire and founder of Cupcake Kids.  Her mission is to give kids hands-on cooking experiences so they can have fun in the kitchen while learning about food and building self-confidence and independence.  For this giveaway, two lucky readers will win spots in Jessi's Back to School Snack class.  That way, you can get your kids making their own healthy snacks rather than falling into the buy-a-cookie-after-school rut.

Keep reading for Jessi's great recipe for applesauce muffins, perfect after a day of apple picking and details on how to enter this giveaway. Read more »

Still haven't signed up for any kid-classes? Whether you are dragging your feet cause you're feeling the money pinch or your just can't commit, here is an incentive to get you going. We reached out to some great NYC programs and asked them to give our readers a deal on fall 2008 classes and they delivered.

Keep reading to get special discount codes for tons of programs including: !Hola¡ Playgroup in Spanish (pictured above), Elf Tennis, The Little Gym, Kids at Work, Play Together NYC, 92nd St Y, TADA! and more. Read more »

Whether you want to preserve your heritage, develop your child's brain, or prepare them for the eventual Chinese world dominance, there are many foreign language playgroups in New York City, ready to help you out. Studies show that even brief, regular exposure to a foreign language at a young age can help your child's ability to pick up languages later in life as well as developing their ability think abstractly and to focus.

Here are some foreign language playgroups to try out: Read more »

Just yesterday my two year old said "Mom, I really like your dress, where did you get it?" The kid talks up a storm and I am convinced that it's because we did baby signs with her from a very young age. There is no question that kids can communicate before they can speak and if you are consistent with baby signs you will be amazed.  Plus, in addition to being a great party trick it is pretty amazing when your baby shows you that they see the moon or hear the ice cream truck.

Keep reading to find out where to take sign language classes with your baby, check out a free trial class and get the special Mommy Poppins discount. Read more »

My daughter got it into her head that she wants to take circus classes as an afterschool program this year. I can't imagine why, unless it's the influence of my flame-juggling husband or my penny-swallowing son.

But, anyway, I think this could be a cool thing. Similar to drama or theater classes, circus arts can help build kids' confidence and be creative, plus it's physical, fun and quirky. I thought I would share the three contenders for cool-sounding circus after school programs for kids offering everything from acrobatics to clowning and stilt-walking. Like my life doesn't have enough chaos already. Read more »

Mommy and Me classes can be salvation for new parents. At the least, they get you out of the house, build structure into your day, and help you meet other moms and dads. But even if you can't picture yourself singing nursery rhymes and skipping around at a typical Mommy and Me class, here are some of the best, cool and unique mommy (or daddy) and me classes that you might even enjoy just as much as your baby or toddler will.

Dude to Dad: Infant Massage Instruction

There really aren't enough classes just for dads and babies and we think this one is couldn't be sweeter. It is an infant massage class for dad's and their babies. Babies who are regularly massaged sleep deeply and longer, have less gassy spells, and gain weight faster, all due to improved function of the respiratory, cardiac, immune, nervous, and digestive systems. In this series, Dad will learn soothing, gentle strokes which when used regularly will enhance his relationship and increase his confidence while providing bonding time with his little one! And who knows, maybe those massage skills will make their way to mommy's back too. Read more »

My friend Mady was telling me last week at the beach about another mom at our school who would go home from her summer place two weeks early and spend the entire time just cooking and freezing dinners for the year. Wow.

I'm not a big cook ahead type of person. I've never even liked the idea of doing the prepare all the meals on Sunday thing, but I love the idea of being that organized (and fetishistic) about planning ahead for the school year. And I guess that's kind of the thought behind our Back to School Guide.

One of my favorite things to obsess about just before school starts is which classes and afterschool programs will my kids take this year. The Back to School Guide has about 50 different programs listed and I'll be adding lots more as I continue to seek out and obsess over all the options and cool offerings for NYC kids this Fall.

You'll also find Read more »