School Age

Before we put a man on the moon, before Diane von Furstenberg debuted her iconic wrap dress, and before the Dow ever crossed 1,000, PLAY-DOH was introduced. Now, half a century later, a New York City pre-school teacher is putting her own spin on the classic molding compound.

Brittany Shapiro (AKA “Miss Brittany”) has been making homemade play dough for years for her preschool classes and has witnessed plenty of impromptu snacking on her concoctions. She came up with the idea for organic play dough after hearing about all the toy recalls due to lead paint, etc. (PLAY-DOH has been non-toxic since its creation in 1956.) The ingredients for Miss Brittany’s Organic Preschool Fun Dough are listed on the side of the box and include organic canola oil, Mediterranean sea salt and kosher cream of tartar (healthier than raw cookie dough!). The deluxe kit comes with three colors, an apron, rolling pin and shapes for making impressions.

Finally, a way to keep rolling in dough.

Available online at organicfundough.com and locally at apple seeds and The Craft Studio.

As people summering away from the city head back into town, and kids head back to school, it’s easy to overbook yourself and your family in September. Well, before the calendar in your BlackBerry/iPhone/Filofax accumulates too much print, consider these events:

Biggest Baby Show Ever
A “must” before you have your own urban baby. Big City Moms and Cookie magazine are throwing a baby shower that’s probably twice the size your wedding was. Four-hundred moms-to-be can wine (mocktails!), dine and peruse the latest essentials for a modern parenting lifestyle. Cybex, Bugaboo, Born Free, Giggle and Skip Hop are just a few of the companies that will be represented there. The shower will also feature baby seminars, including one on greening your home and life for baby, and a section highlighting mompreneurs. And just like at the Oscar parties, there will be swag (translation: freebies).
When: Tue. 10/6, 7:30-9:30pm (6:30pm start time for Super Pass holders), $65 for a basic ticket, $85 for a Super Pass (which includes a gift bag as well as the 6:30pm early entrance). Tickets are starting to go, so now’s the perfect time to motivate and purchase one.
Where: The American Girl Place, 609 Fifth Ave. at 49th St. RSVP to events@bigcitymoms.com or call 917-488-8542. For more info., visit bigcitymoms.com.

Citibabes Scarsdale
This chic Soho parenting mecca is opening a location in Westchester. Enjoy two free trial weeks at Citibabes’ Northern outpost from 8/31-9/13 and sample all the club has to offer. Also, Citibabes Scarsdale is hosting a Grand Opening Party on Sat. 9/12. Festivities will include cupcake decorating, face painting, balloon art, live music, a Think Tank Science Room with exploding volcanoes, arts ‘n’ crafts with the Westchester Children’s Museum and complimentary spa treatments.
When: Trial Weeks, 8/31-9/13. For a class schedule and registration, contact kim.proal@citibabes.com. Grand Opening Party, Sat. 9/12, from noon-5pm. RSVP by 9/8 to kim.proal@citibabes.com.
Where: Citibabes, 7 Popham Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583, 1.800.697.0107. citibabes.com.

Whether your kitchen is the eat-in kind with a shrine to the likes of Sub-Zero and Viking, or a little galley version used mainly to heat up Ramen noodles, chances are it doesn’t get as much of a workout as its non-urban counterparts. That’s because dining (or ordering) out is a way of life in New York.

One rite of passage for budding foodies here is a meal at The Four Seasons Restaurant. And what better way to partake in that ritual than by enjoying a free meal at the esteemed eatery. This Friday is Children’s Day. Kids ages 5-14 eat for free (two children per adult). Restaurant co-owner Alex von Bidder jokes that they didn’t always have these limits for Children’s Day. “We had no restrictions the first year, and so Manhattan parents would show up with their 35-year-old kids,” he recalls. “Or we had people show up with 10 or 12 kids. So we had to put a little fine print down.” The Four Seasons is offering an Almost Grown Up Luncheon in the Pool Room as well as a Junior Executives Dinner in the Grill Room. Kids can order anything from the a la carte menu, and the restaurant, as always, is ready, willing and able to accommodate picky eaters.

It doesn’t get much better. A free lunch at the home of the power lunch.

Where: The Four Seasons Restaurant, 99 East 52nd St. (entrance bet. Park and Lex.)
When: Fri., 8/21, RSVP soon to 212-754-9494, fourseasonsrestaurant.com.

Do
The Ego and the Id
On your way to the zoo or midtown, head to the base of Central Park and check out this newly-installed sculpture from internationally acclaimed artist Franz West. No major time commitment and the trip is worth it. In bubblegum pink and other whimsical colors, the aluminum sculpture soars 20 feet high. Visitors can sit in stools that are built into the sculpture. West’s work has been featured at MoMA and other museums around the world.
When: 7/15-3/10; free.
Where: Doris C. Freedman Plaza, 60th St. and Fifth Ave., at entrance to Central Park, publicartfund.org.

Hear
Nation Beat
Give me a beat. Enjoy this concert/dance lesson combo. Nation Beat is mixture of thunderous Brazilian drumming, New Orleans rhythms, Appalachian-inspired bluegrass, funk, rock and country blues. Before the concert, Nation Beat will teach a free Brazilian dance class.
When: Sat., 7/18, 4-5pm, Brazilian dance class; 5-6pm Nation Beat concert; free.
Where: Riverwalk Commons on Roosevelt Island, (Take F train to Roosevelt Island or Roosevelt Island Tram at 59th and 2nd), rooseveltlive.com.

See
The Secret of Kells
Catch the U.S. premiere of this new animated film that just picked up an award at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Presented here by the New York International Children’s Film Festival, the Irish movie tells the story of 12-year-old Brendan who must take on Vikings and a serpent god to finish the legendary Book of Kells. A cut above typical kiddie fare on the silver screen.
When: Sat., 7/18 and Sun. 7/19, 11am. Ages 6 and up; $8.50 for children, $12.50 for adults.
Where: IFC Center, 323 W. Sixth Ave. (at W. Third), (212) 924-7771, gkids.com.

Shop
Firefly Children’s Boutique
Who doesn’t love a sample sale? Coats and vests are 10% off already reduced prices.
Where: South Street Seaport, 224 Front St., 646-416-6560; Park Slope, 240 Seventh Ave. (at Fourth St.), 718-965-3535 fireflychildrensboutique.com

Photo credit: Seong Kwon, courtesy of Public Art Fund

For many of us, The Jetsons will forever be our benchmark for a high-tech utopia. Forget about MP3 players and e-mail. George, Jane, Judy and Elroy had aerocars and machines that dispensed fully-cooked meals at the press of a button.

The Sony Wonder Technology Lab may be our best bet for experiencing life a la the Jetsons. The state-of-the-art technology and entertainment museum has revamped two floors with 14 new interactive exhibits. And the Lab takes that “interactive” component seriously. Kids can learn about the science behind all the modern gadgets that allow us to create and communicate electronically. They can record their voices, digitize images and then send them to screens around the room. They can also see their own dance moves performed electronically by an animated character, participate in an HDTV broadcast and program a robot. The sandbox set will want to take a spin on the interactive floor. (Saturday Night Fever lives on.) For perspective, check out Sony’s display of technology past which includes a gargantuan cell phone, a 10-inch floppy disk and a record player. How old do we feel now!

Take heart. A new, live-action Jetsons movie is supposedly on the way.

When: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10am-5pm; Sundays, noon-5pm; free.
Where: The Sony Wonder Technology Lab, 550 Madison Ave. (at 56^th), 212-833-8100, wondertechlab.com.

For your “staycation.”

Go
Sportacular Family Fitness Fest
Move it, move it at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Play games from around the world, navigate an obstacle course, and watch competitive Double Dutch jumpers plus beach tennis and fencing demos.
When: Sat. 7/11 & Sun. 7/12, 11:30am-5pm (All ages); Free with the cost of admission.
Where: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue (at St. Marks Ave.),
(718) 735-4400, brooklynkids.org.

See
Central Park SumerStage Family Day
Yo Gabba Gabba! characters DJ Lance and Brobee hit SummerStage, along with The Fresh Beat Band (They’ve got a Nickelodeon show on the way.) and award-wining children’s book author and illustrator Iza Trapani. Puppeteers from the famed Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater will perform a modernized Sleeping Beauty.
When: Sun. 7/12, 3-7pm; Free.
Where: Central Park SummerStage at Rumsey Playfield, 212-360-2777,
summerstage.org.

Hear
Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra
Take it Big Easy. The only thing missing is the gumbo at this ROOSEVELT L!VE concert. Brother Joscephus et al. bring the sounds of New Orleans to Riverwalk Commons.
When: Sat. 6/11, 4-6pm; Free.
Where: Riverwalk Commons on Roosevelt Island (Take F train to Roosevelt Island or Roosevelt Island Tram at 59^th and 2^nd), rooseveltlive.com.
Shop
Giggle
The Summer 2009 Sale is in full swing. Enjoy 70% off on clothing, bedding, bags, stationery and toys from Giggle’s well-edited collection of top brands, including Cabana Life, Tea and Egg by Susan Lazar.
When: Now until supplies last.
Where: UES - 1033 Lexington Ave. (at 74^th St.), 212-249-4249.
SoHo - 120 Wooster St. (between Prince & Spring), 212-334-5817.
(Plus all other Giggle stores and online at giggle.com.)

Your kids have a strange fascination with the subway — the grit, the grime, the slow-moving trains, the coughing commuters. You indulge them once in awhile on the 6, but there’s an entire world of subways to explore.

Subway Ride offers a glimpse into ten of the world’s subway stations, from Moscow to Mexico City. Five children ride the rails, showing how travel through different culture helps create a community. Visit the underground as the kids pay the fare, hear musicians and brave the crowds, whether it’s on Atlanta’s MARTA or Stockholm’s T-Bana. Author Heather Lynn Miller was inspired by zipping through the tunnels of NYC, which has more stations than any other subway in the world.

One down, 468 to go.

Available at amazon.com.

You’re expecting out-of-town visitors (with kids), but handing them a Metrocard and a map won’t fulfill their desire to see the city.

The New Fodor’s Family guidebook, New York City with Kids, includes the best child-friendly activities for visitors (and locals in need of a few fresh ideas). Written by travel expert and mom Meryl Pearlstein, the book breaks down NYC into mini-travel guides for interests like dinosaurs (AMNH and Dinosaur Hill) or princesses (Alice’s Tea Cup and American Girl). Check out the top five lists broken down by neighborhood, freebie ideas and side trips to the other boroughs.

Here’s hoping they packed their walking shoes.

Available at randomhouse.com.

School applications, ERB testing, daily play dates, swine flu fears. It’s no wonder urban babies’ lives are on overdrive. Time to stop and smell the roses, the hydrangea and some thyme.

Occasion9 (O9 for short), a weddings and events floral shop in West Chelsea, offers flower arranging classes and birthday parties for kids (ages 4 to 12). Not your garden variety extracurricular (or bday soiree), this “horticultural therapy” is arts and crafts, science and a “green” education all rolled into one. Founder Jasmine Jung-ah Chae, who studied horticultural science in her native South Korea, teaches budding floralistas the art of designing with and nurturing plants and flowers.

Now no one can accuse Junior of being a late bloomer.

Occasion9, 214 West 29th St., #1003, (bet. 7th & 8th Ave.), 646-321-7344, occasion9.com.

Japanese fashion made an impact on the world in the 1980s — and while many of those looks aren’t exactly RTW, a few ideas have stood the test of time.

Soho shop Psling New York recently added Patachou, a chic baby and kids clothing line for sizes 3 months to 6 years, to the mix. The collection began in Japan in 1985, but meets 2009 needs with beautiful and elegant everyday wear (simple silhouettes, classic colors). Everything is handmade in Japan, and many of the designs are made with their own original fabric.

Available at Psny, 69 West Houston St., 212-253-0630, pslingnewyork.com.