Nature

On any given night, it can be hard to find a visible star, let alone a constellation, here in the City. With all of the ambient light, you might think it's near impossible to do any star gazing at all. But even with the neon signs and lights, there are amateur astronomy clubs that gather weekly and find wonders in the nighttime skies, not to mention the university observatories that are open to the public.

I remember when they originally opened the Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit at The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, what a revelation it was. To be able to stand with just a thin layer of glass separating us from those amazing animals. I can hardly believe that the Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit is now celebrating it's 10th Anniversary. Has it really been 10 years!?!

The 10th Anniversary of the Congo Gorilla Forest makes now an especially good time to visit, because The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo is celebrating with special programs that highlight the Congolese culture. There will be traditional African drum and dance performances by the Harambee Dance Company, kids can watch “lunchtime with the gorillas” at 2pm each day, and experience the crafts of the Republic of Congo with artisans from the Museum for African Art leading workshops in Basket-making, Gourd Adornment, Bead-making and Mask making. Best of all, visiting the zoo contributes to WCS's ongoing conservation work with gorillas and the Congo

You don't have to go far to have an amazing kid friendly farm experience.  In nearby New Jersey your children can crack corn, collect eggs, see baby pigs, goats and sheep, and even see how cheese and bread are made.  The foodie in you will rejoice in the cheese tasting while your children delight in the baby lambs. 

Where to see farm animals in New Jersey:

In a recent post we asked readers to leave questions for us as their entry into our giveaway. You all left lots of great questions and, while some of the answers are inexplicable (like why they haven't built a walking bridge over the Hudson River to NJ), we are going to try to go through them an answer as many of them as we can. If you have a question you'd like us to try to answer, send it to us.

kmaloy asks: Are there any gardening classes for kids outside of the NY Botanical Garden?

Good question. We actually wrote about gardening classes almost exactly one year ago, so it's high time to update it. Of course, the New York Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden both offer great gardening classes, but there are a couple of other places to learn garden with kids in NYC also. In addition to gardening classes, there are many community gardens, gardening events and volunteer opportunities where kids can dig in and get planting. Here's what we found:

It’s true that the Staten Island Zoo isn’t the most extravagant and is the Bronx Zoo’s smaller cousin, but its still has a whole lot to offer and is a great place for kids to really hang out with animals.

In 2007, a newly renovated Reptile Wing opened with an extensive collection of reptiles and amphibians, and a “Fear Zone” that teaches visitors the truth, and talks about the myths behind venomous creatures. It really is a lot of fun and teaches kids respect for these animals, instead of fear.