Archive for April, 2009

This weekend: Remind them to wash their hands.

See
Wild Thing
The Children’s Aid Society presents this play about stay-at-home dad who refuses to grow up and is taken away to a land of monster, mischief and magic.
When: Sat. 3pm & 7pm, Sun. 1pm & 5pm; Ages 4+; $20.
Where: The Philip Coltoff Center, 219 Sullivan St., 212-868-4444, smarttix.com.

Go
Family Fiesta Friday
Travel south of the border for arts and crafts with magnets, sand and stickers.
When: Fri. 5/1, 6:30-8:30pm; All ages; Free.
Where: West Side YMCA, 5 West 63rd St. (bet. Broadway & Central Park West), 212-875-4101, ymcanyc.org.

Visit
The Pregnant New Yorker
Learn about child safety, lactation, birthing techniques and physical therapy at this alternative health event.
When: Fri. 5/1, 6:30-9pm; $10.
Where: Real Pilates, 177 Duane St., thepregnantnewyorker.com.

Do
Hoboken Spring Arts & Music Festival
Travel across the Hudson for live performances and more than 300 artists. Special activities for kids include a Kidz Stage, magic show, petting zoo, rides and games.
When: Sun. 5/3, 11am-6pm; Free.
Where: Washington St. bet. Observer Hwy. & 7th St. (children’s area on 3rd St.), Hoboken, hobokennj.org.

Hear
The Suzi Shelton Band
This Brooklyn-based songstress performs a family concert at The Bell House.
When: Sun. 5/3, 2pm; All ages; $10.
Where: 149 7th St. (bet. 2nd & 3rd Ave.), Brooklyn, 718-643-6510, suzishelton.com.

Working mother, wife and fashionista — is it possible to do it all? A certain woman in Washington, D.C. does.

Fans of the First Lady’s many red carpet-worthy moments will enjoy Michelle Style: Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion. This new book catalogs the already-iconic looks of Mrs. Obama. Author Mandi Norwood, an award-winning women’s magazine editor in NYC, explores the power of image through photos, illustrations and descriptions of the First Lady’s frocks from designers like Isabel Toledo and Maria Pinto. Basic fashion tips all moms can apply, from utilizing pearls and V-necks to mixing Jason Wu with J. Crew, are shown through the lens of Mrs. O.

Use it for your next inaugural moment.

Available at amazon.com.

Your little readers (or almost readers) love flipping through the drawings on the page almost as much as sounding out the words — sometimes even more. Now, get some one-on-one time with those incredible sketches.

“Ordinary into Extraordinary,” an exhibit at the Brooklyn Central Library, features original picture book illustrations by local artist Melanie Hope Greenberg. Her seven children’s books portray the usual and unusual everyday moments of urban NYC life, from a child watching a dog walker in Brooklyn Heights to a Coney Island performance troupe of mermaids. Kids will love these colorful creations that help tell a story that takes place in their own environment.

When: Mon-Sat. through June 13; All ages; Free.
Where: Brooklyn Central Library, Youth Wing, 10 Grand Army Plaza, 718-230-2100, brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

Since the scrapbooks and baby journals are still sitting around half completed, you’d like to attempt a project you can actually finish.

The paint-your-own pottery studio Make (formerly Our Name is Mud) opened a flagship shop at FAO Schwarz. Crafty kids can choose from 400 ceramic pieces to paint any color of the rainbow (starting at $10). Leave the original work of kitschy art behind to be glazed and kiln-fired, with the option to have the finished piece delivered or available for pick-up. Or, book the entire studio for a keepsake-creating birthday party.

Besides, you can never have enough coffee mugs.

767 Fifth Ave. at 58th St., 212-644-9400, fao.com.

When it comes to gaining entree into the city’s best schools, it’s a toddler-eat-toddler world.

Nursery University, a documentary on the competitive and uniquely NYC world of preschool admissions, opens today. The film follows five families with different backgrounds through the process of placing their kids in pricey and prestigious Manhattan nursery schools. Preschool directors weigh in on the mass hysteria about getting into Harvard, while parents wrestle with the social conundrums that ensue. Anyone who has felt the day-after-Labor Day crunch will relate.

Call it stranger than fiction.

Visit nurseryuniversitythemovie.com.

This weekend: Reduce, reuse and recycle. Celebrate Earth Day.

Do
Pitch In, Pick Up
Drop by one of the Central Park Conservancy’s visitor centers to help clean and green the area.
When: Sun. 4/26, 12-4pm.
Where: Chess & Checkers House (mid-Park at 64th St.), Belvedere Castle (mid-Park at 79th St.) or The Charles A. Dana Discovery center (inside the Park at 110th St.), 212-360-2751, centralparknyc.org.

Decorate a Tree
Help decorate an enormous tree sculpture made out of recycled materials. Kids get to smear, dribble or splash on paint, then make block prints to create leaves that will make the tree come alive.
When: Sat. 4/25, 1-5pm; $15 (call to reserve).
Where: City Treehouse, 129A West 20th St., 212-255-2050, citytreehouse.com.

Visit
Global Youth Service Day
Kids can help with hands-on service projects, from writing awareness letters to creating cause buttons and making care packages.
When: Sat. 4/25, 10am-2pm; All ages; Free with museum admission.
Where: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86 (46 Street & 12th Ave.), intrepidmuseum.org.

Hear
Willoughby & the Lion
Enjoy a kids reading and signing of the book by award-winning author and illustrator Greg Foley.
When: Sun. 4/26, 4-5pm.
Where: The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., Brooklyn, 718-666-3049.

Go
Run for the Wild
Join the Wildlife Conservation Society’s first annual 5k run/walk to save gorillas. Afterwards, stay to enjoy the zoo and special events.
When: Sat. 4/25, 9am; $30/adults, $20/kids.
Where: The Bronx Zoo, 718-741-1603, wcsrunforthewild.org.

DVR and all-night delivery means you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it (even if that means In Treatment and Thai takeout at midnight). So when it comes to fitness, that 6am sunrise salutations class way across town can count you out.

New York Yoga offers a range of special mommy-friendly classes, including Mommy & Me and prenatal yoga, to help build strength and muscle tone. But if the class times don’t fit into your busy schedule, or you’re simply too zonked to make it to the Upper East Side, the studio offers online yoga videos. The “Yoga On-Demand” sessions include a range of levels (from beginner to advanced), styles (hatha, vinyasa, ashtanga, power) and instructors. Do one or do them all, on your own time, in the comfort of your own living room — provided you have space for a mat.

1629 York Ave. at 86th St., 212-717-9642, newyorkyoga.com.

If orange is the new pink, is Mandarin the new French? It is the third most common in the U.S. — a key factor for future international financiers, even when they’re still in diapers.

Get a jump start: Mandarin Seeds, a new Mandarin music program for babies and children, is hosting a free open house for the next few Tuesdays. Get a feel for the program’s classes with songs and movement, story time with interactive poster books, arts and crafts, and popular kiddie tunes with original Mandarin lyrics. Launched by two moms and native speakers, the curriculum focuses on key vocabulary and a range of topics.

When: Tuesdays, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 3-5pm; Ages 6 months to 5 years; Free (email info@mandarinseeds.com to register).
Where: Atmananda Yoga, 324 Lafayette St. (bet. Houston & Bleecker), 7th Floor, 212-579-3958, mandarinseeds.com.

Your stroller has seen better days. After heavy rotation on city sidewalks, up and down subway stairs and through multiple spilled juice boxes, it’s time for a makeover.

Babesta Cribz will give that beloved Bugaboo a “facelift,” whether it’s for a new child or a new season of wear and tear. Pop by the store for diagnosis, and a stroller stylist will suggest some common cosmetic fixes, from freshening up the fabric to changing the wheels or ordering replacement parts (although these pram plastic surgeons are not for serious safety issues). Or get it updated for spring and summer with a mosquito net, rain cover or canopy. Average costs range from about $125 to $300, which is cheaper than trading it in for a new model

Just make sure it ages gracefully.

56 Warren St. (bet. West Broadway & Church), 646-290-5508, babesta.com.

Supporting your favorite institutions is tough when you’re also trying to save. But combine your donation with a full afternoon of family fun, and you might just whip out that checkbook.

On Sunday, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum hosts its 10th annual Family Block Party Fundraiser. This year’s theme, Bio-Diverse City, celebrates the plant, animal and human diversity of NYC to raise awareness of the animals that are threatened with extinction. Kids will love meeting the museum’s new sea creatures, composting with wiggly worms, creating birdhouses from recycled materials and getting their faces painted like their favorite endangered species. Refuel with snacks from local eateries like Front Street Pizza and Grown-Up Soda, and then get ready for a live musical performance (including sing-alongs and improv) from CoCRE8RS Music.

When: Sun. 4/19, 4-7pm (performances at 4:30 & 5:30pm); All ages; $100 for a family of four (call 718-735-4400 x323 for tickets).
Where: 145 Brooklyn Ave. (at St. Marks Ave.), Brooklyn, brooklynkids.org.