Music

My son, Roan, has reached the age of forced ambivalence. I didn’t see it coming, at age four, yet here it is. When I asked him on Sunday to accompany me to a concert by the band Milkshake, he acted cavalier and stipulated that his cousin, Boone had to go as well. I invited Boone, nine years old, who is the king of cavalier. I think his mother threatened or bribed because he eventually was on board. I mention this because I did not expect these boys to dance, sing or frolic during the concert. I was wrong. Read more »

In NYC, we love our homegrown kiddie music artists, and Moey, known as Melissa Levis to her grown-up friends, is one of New York's rising stars. After rocking out in Central Park's sandbox series all summer, she's now taking it indoors for her first full-length (1 hour) concert. MOEY LIVE: P is for Party will have you and the kids dancing and singing along with Moey, her irresistible tunes and her fun band of characters, while your kids accidentally learn phonics. The show is very interactive and your kids are sure to have a blast. A great way to get your Sunday morning jamming, especially if it's raining. Recommended for ages 1-7.

Moey loves Mommy Poppins too and is offering Mommy Poppins readers two free tickets. To enter, just leave a comment here by Monday , September 29th at 8pm and we'll pick one lucky winner at random, but there's no reason to wait. You can also buy Moey tickets with the Mommy Poppins special discount code and get $5 off on every ticket up to 6. Just use the code MOGNA21. For tickets call 212.239.6200 or buy online. 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 »

This is first in a series of posts listing free demo classes for NYC kids. Find more free demo classes and exclusive discounts in our second Free Demo Class Post.

I admit, I have a fear of Mommy and Me classes. I'm not sure how it started but every time the idea was batted around in my house I came up with a million excuses why it wouldn't work. But, now that my daughter is two and we are both sufficiently bored of the playground, I've come to realize it's time to take the plunge. Even better, I've realized that she is now old enough to take classes without me having to participate!

If you are anything like me, here is the perfect baby step - FREE demo classes. Before you shell out the money for a weekly class, why not try it out? We have compiled a super long list of FREE demo classes, most of which are held in August and September. From pottery to gymnastics to music to miming so you can see how you and your kid like the class before committing to an entire semester. Plus, a lot of these places have offered amazing discounts to Mommy Poppins readers if you do choose to sign up for the class.  Keep reading to check out our list. Read more »

We all know you secretly sing along to Laurie Berkner, but that doesn't mean you don't occasionally enjoy real grown up entertainment. This week our family friendly activities really are fun for the whole family, focusing on stuff that the grown ups will enjoy for themselves, but we think cool NYC kids will love too.

The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. What a great way to set the stage and introduce your kids to Chinese culture and the Olympics! This weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, enjoy two days of dragon dances, martial arts performances, and arts and crafts tent including Chinese calligraphy, rice doll making, paper cutting and other crafts. Plus of course the dragon boat races!

Here's the perfect family event, in my book: Read more »

Some of your best entertainment this summer will be found for free in parks all around New York. Madison Square Parks' Mad. Square Kids is perhaps the best well known summer kid festival with free children's concerts twice a week throughout the summer, but there are others that you may not have heard of and aren't publicized much outside of their own neighborhoods. We're giving you the inside scoop on the under(play)ground summer music scene in New York City this summer.

Union Square Park’s Summer in the Square Festival has live music, dance, kids programming, yoga and more every Thursday, all summer long. Kids in the Square kicks off on June 26 with Moey's Music Party in concert. Later in the summer you'll see Princess Katie and Racer Steve and the cast of JUMP will present Carnival of the Animals. Before the concerts you can also stop by the Union Square Barnes and Noble for children's book readings and signings. Read more »

The great thing about New York City's outdoor festivals is that everyone can enjoy them. If it's kids music, at least the grown ups can enjoy being outdoors on a lovely day or evening, relaxing. And, generally kids will put up with an outdoor concert or performance if they can run around, dance, play and picnic while you enjoy a little grown up entertainment for once.

The following (mostly) free outdoor festivals are not specifically children's festivals, but they, for the most part, each have at least one kids performance and otherwise offer great performances in great outdoor environments around NYC, making a fun day or evening out with the kids either way. Read more »

As the weather warms, my job just gets harder and harder, with more great events popping up all the time. I have so many things I want to write about and have been trying to stick to just one a day, but it's looking impossible. Show of hands, how many of you missed yesterday's awesome giveaway because it was the second post? Not too late, go leave a comment and win a $200 gift certificate to Barefoot Books. And keep an eye out for more multiple posts in your inbox (if you subscribe) there's just too much good stuff going on! Read more »

One of the benefits of living in a cultural capitol of the world is that your kids get to enjoy the benefits of trickle-down culture. No, the world class culture in NYC isn't just for grown ups, New York has special ballet, orchestra and even opera companies dedicated to bringing these arts to kids.

Ballet for Preschoolers
Admittedly, neither of my two sons was asking for tickets to a ballet. In fact, as, on our way to see New York Theater Ballet's The Toy Castle, we shared a subway with numerous Yankee fans on opening weekend, I am positive that neither one of my boys was thinking anything, but that they couldn't be happier than to be going to Yankee Stadium.

But, one hour later, wide-eyed eyed and red faced, each walked out of the Francis Gould Theatre wondering why it was that the ballet had to end. True, there is a vast difference between the NYTB??™s ???The Toy Castle??? and ???Swan Lake??? at Lincoln Center, but if you are wondering if your child is ready to take advantage of the World Class Performing Arts our city has to offer, then this production is a great start for you. Read more »

Monsters at the Cloisters, Prospect Park Opening Day, Open Houses at NY Kids Club, and Fringe Music for Kids... Read more »