Schools

Reader, Kate, emailed me recently asking about ideas for school fundraisers. I was more than happy to oblige since this is right up my alley. I served on our school PTA Executive Board for four years and our school was so successful at raising money that I had suggested looking for ways we could share that success with other schools. I guess this is my opportunity to do so.

Top 10 Tips for School Fundraising: Read more »

The DOE has left 6000 Pre-K spots vacant this school year and is now scrambling to fill them. With a deadline of October 31st, the city is urging parents to apply for these free public Pre-K spots still available at some of NYC's top public schools. We've got the inside scoop on what's going on and how to get one of these free Pre-K spots. Read more »

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Clara Hemphill and ask her some questions; I'm happy to be able to share her responses with you. Read on to hear her tips for the one thing you should check out on a school tour, the most important way to be involved in your child's education, and some great schools that don't require top test scores to get in. Read more »

One of the great joys for me of working on this site has been the ability to help other people. Typically that means helping people figure out what to do this weekend or giving them some useful bit of information or other. But this summer I had the opportunity to do something even more profound when I was contacted by Jennie Velazquez of Seneca House.

There are over 15,000 homeless children in New York City and Seneca Houses provides temporary housing for over 100 of them. This summer I worked with Jennie and her Executive Director Maritza Alvarez at Seneca House to help fill these children's summer with the types of wonderful activities that my own children take for granted (Thank you to The Children's Museum of Manhattan, Splish Splash Water Park and others for donating their admissions).

Now that summer is winding down, these kids face a new challenge. While we are all doing our back to school shopping for crisp new school supplies, the children of Seneca House have nothing.< Read more »

Get with the program, Oldie Square Pants, backpacks are for babies. Cool kids today carry messenger bags. But finding cool messenger bags that fit pint-sized hipsters is not so easy, so we scoured the net for the coolest little messenger bags for our mini trendsetters and have gathered them here for you (after clearing them through our own pint-sized coolness testing dept., of course.)

Cool girls want stuff that's not too flowery, but definitely not boyish either like this Little Miss Sunshine Messenger Bag. It's on the large side at 12" x 15" so it's better for older kids, but at $19.99 from Target or Amazon, it fits the bill perfectly. 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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Many people know about Inside Schools as a terrific resource for parents looking to find information about NYC public schools. It's one of the only places you can find clear, relatively unbiased, anecdotal information about the best NYC public schools from elementary school through high school. The site was created by Clara Hemphill, who wrote the definitive books on NYC schools, New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools and New York City's Best Public Middle Schools.

One of the great things about the website is that they continue to update it and add various features. One new addition is a blog by education writer and fellow parent, Liz Willen. Liz is tracking her own experience as she searches, tours and applies for middle school with her son. She's a veteran. Besides being an education writer, she's been through this before and has an older son at Clinton School for Artists and Writers. Read more »

You know the main thing I worry my kids are missing out on in their education in New York? It's not so much math, social studies or reading. It's Creativity. I don't mean art. I mean just random, wacky NYC Creativity. This post is about a really cool new preschool, a hot educational philosophy, and a preschool parenting talk that are all aimed at putting more of that big C type of creativity back into childhood. Read more »

What kids eat is very important and having the right snack can actually improve a child's ability to learn. Our school occupational therapy consultant, Casey Halper, put together a list of sensory smart snacks.

That means that they are snacks that help kids stay alert and focused in school without making them hyper and restless. These are great snack ideas for children in school, but would be equally great snack choices for toddlers too.

Some of the themes for healthy sensory snacks are:

• Crunchy and chewy foods help make kids more alert by engaging their senses.
• Sipping or sucking can help organize and calm children.
• And of course fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and calcium rich foods make them healthy overall.

Try These Sensory Smart Snacks: Read more »

I culled through the blogosphere looking for the best back to school guides and bring you the best of 2007 blogging back to school guides. Here's where you'll find the best of what kids going to school need in NYC and beyond.

Best Style: Cool Mom Picks wins hands down for having the coolest, well, mom picks for school this year. Fun fashion, back packs, lunch boxes, school supplies, and a little something for mommy too. This is the list to send your kids back to school in style.

Most Informative: Download a comprehensive guide to getting through the school year with tips on everything from healthy snacks to dealing with bullies at Healthy Perspectives. There's a lot of this kind of information out there, but this 36 page well-organized document seems good and tackles unusual but real issues, like what if you don't like your kid's teacher.

The Greens: Environmentalism is all the rage now. This is supported by the fact that several of the back to school guides I found were "green guides." The guide at Green Moms, the iVillage Green Back to School Picks, and the Green Back to School Guide are not all that different from each other and I would be hard-pressed to pick one out as the best, so here's a run-down of what I took away: Read more »