Healthy Kids

The trick or treating was more fun than ever this year. It seemed like everyone really went all out to make it great for the kids. By the next morning, however, I sat, with a Halloween Hangover staring at those piles of candy with disgust and wondering what the net impact of that much sugar could be. That's when I decided to count all the calories contained in my children's Halloween hauls, piece by piece, prompting my ever-so-helpful husband to tell our children, "See, kids, math can ruin the fun in anything."

So, here's my obsessive compulsive tally of a NYC kids' Halloween Trick or Treat bag, the good, the bad and the gooey. 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 »

For many, Long Island conjures up images of beaches, malls and traffic and not much else.  But, Long Island is filled with hidden gems that have nothing to do with shopping or the sea (unfortunately traffic is always possible). Once a farming community, you can still find a lot of family farms throughout the Island and these days many have added pick-your-own fields, petting zoos, gourmet fresh markets, garden centers and kid activities. Each farm maintains its personal flavor, here are a few that are really worth the drive.

If you are looking to sink your hands into the soil or spend a day gorging on fruit, head to one of Long Islands many pick-your-own farms Read more »

This week's hot tips and important stories for parents, so you can be the most-in-the-knowiest.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the original design of Central Park, you can take a hot air balloon ride to 30 feet above the park. The price is $25 per person, sounds worth it for a once in a life-time opportunity.

The Bush years are dwindling down and that makes me very happy because it means...JibJab is on the case again with funny new political cartoons like their Time for Some Campaignin video. [via Roosevelt Islander]

Time reports that nearly 90% of foods marketed to kids do not meet basic nutritional standards of food. Check out their list of 9 "healthy" kid foods that really aren't. Goldfish are number two on the list because of the amount of sodium. [via GoodyBlog]

More links and our Exit Cuckoo giveaway winner after the jump. Read more »

For many New Yorkers, as soon as the weather warms up, it signals a primordial urge to flee, but summer is one of the most fun times to be in New York. In the summer you can take advantage all the City has to offer — amazing beaches, gardens, pools, outdoor concerts and movies, events and activities. And much of it is completely free, turning New York in the summer into one big fest...and we don't mean a big "sweat-fest" — there's a million ways to stay cool and enjoy the summer in NYC with your family.

Whether you are visiting New York for the day, a week or hanging here with your kids for the whole summer, our Summer Fun Guide will tell you everything you need know to have an incredible summer right here in the city with the kids.

Be sure to check out our Free Fun Summer: A free activity a day for the entire summer!

Summer Concerts and Festivals

The Best Grown-Up Outdoor Music Festivals for Families

The Under(play)ground Music Scene

Free Outdoor Shakespeare for Families

Free Outdoor Movie Festivals

Free Outdoor Movies at Waterside Plaza

Water Fun

Best Free and Cheap Swimming pools

Best New Swimming Pools for NYC Kids

Best Free Swimming Pools in Brooklyn

Swimming Classes

Top 5 Beaches Near NYC for a Family Daycation

5 Water Theme Parks Close to NYC

Best Water Playgrounds around NYC

Best Boat Rides for Families in NYC

Do-It-Yourself Pool Party

Outdoor Fun

Four Excellent Summer Outings for NYC Kids

Where to discover wildflowers in NYC

Free Sports Programs in NYC Parks

Free Summer Sports Activities for Kids in NYC

Free Exercise Spots in NYC

Free Bike Rentals in Manhattan

Children Blossom at Free Brooklyn Botanic Garden Programs

Go Around to NYC's Nine Carousels

Indoor Activities

Lefferts Historic House

The Secret Glass Garden

5 Great Indoor Activities

The Early Childhood Resource and Information Center

Story Times Around the City

5 Museums You've Never Heard Of

Free Movies in Theaters Now 

Free Family Museum Programs:

Cool Stuff at the Queens Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

MoMA

Rubin Museum of Art

Tips for visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Kids

Day Trips and Daycations

Long Island Farms to Visit with Kids

Farm Fun for City Kids at NY State County Fairs

Day Trips: Long Island's Best Parks

Four Ideas for Day Trips from NYC

Summer Family Travel

Top Resources for Family Travel

Taking a Babysitter on Vacation with You

House Swapping

Get Outta Town: New Orleans

Get Outta Town: San Francisco

How to bring your own water on the airplane

Car Travel Tips

Neighborhood Outings and Expeditions Exploring the city is another great thing to do while the weather is warm. Just hop on the train or bus and head to a neighborhood you haven't been to before or would like to explore more. We've got loads of neighborhood outings and expeditions for you to explore in our Neighborhood Guide.

Summer Camps Just looking at all this make you exhausted? It's not too late to find a camp. Check out our Camp Guide.

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It's one thing to eat badly when its just you but as soon as you are charged with feeding a little, one the stakes are risen. However, buying all organic food isn't always possible or even the best choice, and in this day and age where we sometimes have too many choices the whole thing can feel really overwhelming.

The book that broke it all down for me is Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, it??™s a fascinating read and has made an indelible impact on how our family shops and eats every day. But, since we know that reading books is not always possible, we have put together this little cheat sheet for you. Read more »

Just cause the last time you sat down to read a newspaper was when ???pooped out??? still meant tired to you doesn??™t mean you can??™t stay up to date with what??™s going on. We??™ve rounded up the top stories you don??™t want to miss from the NYC media this week.

Another story in a growing trend of press about kids in Europe doing less academics in early years. Read more »

Casey Halper, an Occupational Therapist who works at our school, recently gave a seminar to parents to teach us about sensory balance and activities for a sensory savvy schedule throughout the day. Many kids are now diagnosed with sensory integration issues, but the more I learn about this, the more I find that sensory issues are something that we all face and can all benefit from exploring.

For instance, I now realize that my engine tends to run too low and I need to work harder at energizing myself throughout the day. I have actually become more sensitive to when I am running low and have incorporated some of the activities below to help keep my energy up. I find this whole thing really interesting because I never really thought about actually trying to manipulate my energy level this way, and certainly for kids it can be invaluable as sometimes any kid can be too hyped up or having trouble getting going.

I thought it would be cool to put together a list of sensory activities. While these activities all revolve around sensory stimulation, I think they are just great all-around activities for any kid, and a great list to pull up when you are stuck at home and need ideas for how to pass that last hour in the day or when you need a calming or invigorating activity when your child is stuck in a bad mood. These sensory activities are perfect for any kid from toddlers on up and some are even good for babies. Read more »

In New York we are truly spoiled with access to the best of everything, and when it comes to parenting resources it's no different. As New Yorkers, when we have parenting issues or want information, we have access to the top experts in the field, and I'm not talking about on our bookshelf??”I'm talking about face-to-face, direct-to-the-source interaction with the top experts in just about every parenting category. That's how we roll.

And that's the idea behind the Young Child Expo and Conference being held at the Hilton on Friday, April 18th and Saturday, April 19th. This event, hosted by Fordham University and Los Ninos Services, is designed to give parents, educators and early childhood professionals direct contact with the leading experts, resources and information in early childhood development today. One of the unique things about this conference is that it covers the whole spectrum of early childhood development from "normal" to the range of special needs, including Autism.

With an opening keynote from T Berry Brazelton, perhaps the top early childhood expert, to the closing sessions on nutrition and exercise from none other than the experts at Sesame Street, this event is not kidding around when it comes to childhood. I was so impressed with the mission and line-up of this event that I signed on as a media sponsor (doesn't that sound fancy!) to help spread the word about this important event.

The seminars address many of the issues that can be the most confounding for parents with expert advice: Read more »