American Museum of Natural History and the Discovery Room
Central Park West
Subway: B, C to 81st St–Museum of Natural History; 1 to 79th St:
212-769-5100
Suggested admission $14, seniors and students $10.5, children $8.
The Discovery Room is an interactive space offers families, and especially children ages 5-12, a gateway to the wonders of the Museum and a hands-on, behind-the-scenes look at its science. It offers Gateway Storytime (Science and culture for preschoolers and their parents or caretakers). Meet the Scientist (Come and meet a Museum scientist and learn about their work!) and Roving Mars (This engaging large-format film explores the surface of Mars through the eyes of Spirit and Opportunity, NASA’s robotic Mars rovers.)

The Hall of Ocean Life features a life-size model of a blue whale, suspended from the cavernous ceiling, while the Gem and Mineral Collection is the setting for the 563-carat Star of India, the largest sapphire on display anywhere. The Hall of Meteorites is home to the 34-ton Anighito meteor, while the museum’s IMAX theater screens eye-popping nature documentaries. The Hayden Planetarium in the Rose Center for Earth and Space—a giant silvery globe that’s dazzling to behold after sundown—houses both the Space Theater, which uses a customized Zeiss Star Projector to bring the night sky to life, and Big Bang, where surround-sound and lighting effects transport visitors back to the universe’s earliest days.- Time Out Kids

This is a great museum with fantastic exhibits that feel current and have aspects of interaction that appeal to kids. The subway station goes right into the ground floor of the museum so you can stay inside the whole time.  The Polar Rink is cute and a fun thing to do in the winter. The cafe next to it has a good selection of foods. The store has fantastic educational toys.
-Karen

The Artful Place
171 Fifth Ave
718-399-8199
www.theartfulplace.com
In addition to its treasure trove of art supplies (drawing, painting, printmaking, mosaics, and beading) and kids’ (and adult) art workshops, The Artful Place hosts arts & crafts-themed birthday parties for children ages five to 12. On the weekends, parents and kids can drop by for open studio time, and try drawing, painting, or collage. Reservations are not required but be sure to call first to make sure the shop isn’t hosting a birthday party.

Aviator Sports and Recreation
http://www.aviatorsports.com/
Hangar 5 Floyd Bennett Field
Brooklyn, NY
718-758-9800 (
Flatbush Avenue, Southern Brooklyn by Brooklyn Marine Park)
Aviator is located within an 800 acred decommissioned airport which is part of Gateway National Recreation Area. Free parking. Accessible by public transportation. Children drop-off, 3 bastketball courts, 3 volleyball courts, gymanstics/dance center, ice rinks, climbing wall, 2 turf fields, brithday fields, food court. The Child Center is for ages 6 months to 5 years for up to 2 hours a day whose parents are in the building. Reservations must be made in advance. $5/$9 per hour for members/nonmembers. Call 718-758-9800 for info on Child Center hours.

Baby Loves Disco
http://www.babylovesdisco.com/
Southpaw
125 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY
11217
Family disco parties the first Saturday of every month. Tickets are $12. Kids can party upstairs and parents have their own space downstairs with park slope businesses catering to the body, mind and soul.

My son, his cousin and I got to dance the afternoon away – what fun! We had a wonderful time – it felt so funny to be in a club/bar with my son, but awesome. My cousin got to go too and it was a hoot. I highly recommend Baby Loves Disco, it was adorable.
-Amy

Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
267 Seventh Avenue at 6th street
718-832-9066
Open daily from 9 am- 11 pm
Storytime on Tuesdays at 11 am

Big Movies for Little Kids
Cobble Hill Cinema
http://www.bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com/
Cobble Hill Cinemas
265 Court Street Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-596-9113
BIG Movies for Little Kids is the innovative, only-of-its-kind classic film series for children. Created by 3 Brooklyn Moms, this unique series is a gentle introduction to the wonderful world of cinema. Every other Monday is “Movie Day” for kids at Cobble Hill Cinemas. Mark your calenders:
Time: Mondays at 4pm
Ages: 2-7 (all kids welcome)
Location: Cobble Hill Cinemas, 265 Court Street @ Butler
Subway: F train to Bergen St.
Cost: $6.50/pp (for all walking humans)
For more info: http://bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com or 718.596.4995
As always, special guests, giveaways, and fun surprises!

• Lobby level theater – the largest, with plenty of room to spread out
• Easy access stroller parking
• Safety first – clear Emergency Exits for quick getaways, if necessary
• Sound at a comfortable kid-friendly level
• Advanced-purchase tickets are available from the Tues prior to screening
• Booster seats provided
• Lighting – dimmed (for clear visibility)
• Deliberate timing = Twilight Time
• Kids can are free to roam the aisles, kick the seats, ask questions aloud – without fear of disruption or discipline. Laughing out loud is highly encouraged!

Bounce U
BounceU.com
6722 Fort Hamilton Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11219 (Bay Ridge)
(718) 238-3288
$15 for a day of play. The facilities are: 7 large bounce structures that include slides, balls, climbing walls and bouncing areas. You can make a reservation to insure that they have room for you as they limit the amount of children inside.

Brooklyn Beads Boutique
www.brooklynbeads.net
244 Smith St between DeGraw and Douglass Sts
Carroll Gardens
866-390-8435
Subway: F,G to Carroll St.
Kids can get creative at this bead-it-yourself boutique, or use the play space so Mom can keep her creative focus.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum
http://www.brooklynkids.org/
145 Brooklyn Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Phone: 718-735-4400
The museum has more than 15,000 square feet for exhibition space. They have a Totally Tots program (singing, movement, role-playing), Play Pond, an Early Learning Performance Series, summer camp. Admission is $5 per person, free for members and children under 1 year. 1 mile from Grand Army Plaza Take the B43 or B44 to St. Mark’s Avenue or take the B45 or B65 to Brooklyn Avenue. For getting there and back check out the HOB Connection- a new FREE shuttle for the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library and Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo. You can even start in the city at the Met and hitch a ride home to Brooklyn! Visit The HOB Connection webpage or call (718) 638-7700, x22 for full details and schedule.

The basic family membership is $75. This gets two adults and all the children in one household into the museum. In of itself, this is great. The Children’s Museum is one of our favorite weekend haunts and is great for both of our children (baby and preschooler). The perks are great though – the membership also gets you into over 300 other places across the country including the NY Hall of Science in Queens, Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, the Transit Museum in Brooklyn and the Staten Island Children’s Museum. These savings can really add up over the course of a year plus you get a lot of variety!
-Carolyn

Brooklyn Museum of Art
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718-638-5000
Suggested Donation: $8 adults, free for children under 12 Monday-Friday 10-5 pm: Saturday-Sunday 11 am-6 pm 2 or 3 Subway to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum, B71 bus (closest) or B41 and B69 The museum has its regular exhibits, plus “arty facts” for kids age 4-7 to explore the galleries, Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Camp which is a 2 to 4 week day camp, art courses, and Target First Saturdays which are the first Saturday of each month where there is music, performance, films, storytelling and art workshops. For getting there and back check out the HOB Connection- a new FREE shuttle for the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library and Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo. You can even start in the city at the Met and hitch a ride home to Brooklyn! Visit The HOB Connection webpage or call (718) 638-7700, x22 for full details and schedule.

Brooklyn Public Library
http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org
Central Branch Grand Army Plaza
718-230-2100
Storytime and family film series. Storytime on Wednesdays at 10:30 and 11:15 and on Fridays at 10:30 and 11:15 and on Saturdays at 10:30 am. You need to pick up a ticket at the children’s reference desk in order to go. For getting there and back check out the HOB Connection- a new FREE shuttle for the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library and Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo. You can even start in the city at the Met and hitch a ride home to Brooklyn! Visit The HOB Connection webpage or call (718) 638-7700, x22 for full details and schedule.

The neighborhood branch library is better as the central one can be chaotic as it is big and there are a lot of bigger kids. I try to go there before 3 pm. When the big kids are there, they own the space.
-Caroline

Buzz-A-Rama
Church Ave, just off Dahill road.
Brooklyn, NY (Kensington)
718-853-1800
Open on the weekends from 2-7 pm.
The kids, first-timers, sat riveted, throttles in hand, watching the tiny cars they had rented cruise around the track, letting up on the juice at the curves to avoid going off the slots…. Buzz-a-Rama is the last of its kind in the five boroughs. It is now open only on weekends and certain holidays, like Martin Luther King’s Birthday.
-Susan Dominus, New York Times
It was one of the premier Slot Car racing establishments in New York City and the country back in the late 60’s and early 70’s.
-Kensington Blog

Castle Spa
www.nyspacastle.com
131-10 11th Ave
College Point (Queens), NY 11356
Phone: (718) 939-6300
Weekdays: $35/person; Weekends: $45/person
For Valentine’s Day, my husband and I wanted to try something new. As the parents of two small children, we rarely have time together as a couple except of the odd dinner out here and there. We saw an article in Time Out New York for Castle Spa and decided it would be an adventure as well as break us out of our usual dinner out rut. We had an amazing time! The spa is a huge Korean bathhouse with four different levels. You enter on the main level and pay. Here you receive your watch-like bracelet that allows you to pay for everything else in the facility. At this poing, we went our separate ways to the locker rooms. The women’s side had lots of comfy sofas full of lounging women enjoying masks and taking naps. There was a small locker for shoes that you unlock via your bracelet. You also pick up your spa uniform here: pink/orange shorts and t-shirts for women and blue/gray for men. Next you go to your larger locker where you can store all the rest of your things and change into your swimsuit and uniform. In locker rooms, there are single sex baths and saunas. On the upper floors are the mixed baths and saunas along with a food court and Korean restaurant. My husband and I met up on the next level and quickly made our way to the outdoor pools on the third floor. It was a chilly 40 degrees outside but the baths were really warm. They are large pools with many different stations with massaging jets that target all different parts of your body. There are also indoor pools as well for those that prefer to avoid the cold dash back inside. On the second floor, the spa also has many different saunas, each with different theme like Jade, Gold, and Mineral Salts that potential help with every health problem you could imagine. The spa does offer the usual services like massages, manicures, etc but we didn’t try any that day. While we went as a couple, this would also make a fun day out for a family. It’s very kid friendly with many families around. Our children our young, but I could see this being a great outing for kids kindergarten and older who enjoy water play. I would recommend reading the reviews on Yelp for perspectives from a lot of different people (http://www.yelp.com/biz/spa-castle-college-point. Overall, it’s not super cheap, but when taken as an unusual NY experience that is fun for a special occasion, it’s pretty amazing!
-Carolyn

Chelsea Piers- Bowling, Toddler Adventure Center and more
At Chelsea Piers, you can wander around and look at boats in the water, eat at a few restaurants, watch them play golf, join open soccer play that starts at every hour ($10 per hour per player), join a gymnastics class (call) and join a basketball game. I would suggest eating at the Chelsea Brewery (if you want good adult food) or at the bakery/cafe next to the Field House for less expensive fare or a quick bite like hot dogs and soup and sandwich.
Field House- Toddler Adventure Center, Soccer Play, Gymnastics
Pier 62
23rd St & the Hudson River
New York, NY 10011
212.336.6500
fax: 212.336.6515
fieldhouse@chelseapiers.com
Toddler Adventure Center- The Toddler Adventure Center is a nice, small place. There are small basketball hoops, a fun ball area with netting, a small slide set and a larger slide set. It is in good condition, with clean rugs. I especially appreciated the cushion blocks with small trampoline and small climbing wall. It is appropriate for crawlers up to 4 years. Please call 212.336.6500 to confirm the daily toddler gym times. $11 per session, but packages available.

Children’s Galleries for Jewish Culture
515 West 20th Street, Suite 4E
New York, NY 10011
212-924-4500
www.jcllcm.com
20th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues – Trains: C, E to 23rd Street or 1 to 18th Street or L to 14th Street. Buses: M11, M23, M14
Admission: $8.00 per person, includes admission to exhibition and arts and crafts projects.
Strollers cannot be accommodated
Open in December: Sundays 2-5pm, Mondays 3-6pm, and various weekdays. Check website for details.
The Children’s Galleries for Jewish Culture is home to two wonderful exhibitions with over eighty fun-filled interactive stations for children ages 5-12. Pack small trunks, decode a new language while shopping at a supermarket, design a neighborhood and more in From Home to Home: Jewish Immigration to America. In From Tent to Temple: Life in the Ancient Near East, dress a manikin in ancient clothes, grind wheat, hunt for food with a bow and arrow, and try forty other activities! Play in both exhibitions and at any time join us in the art room for additional arts and craft activities!

Congregation Beth Elohim Early Childhood Center and After School Classes
http://www.congregationbethelohim.org/
274 Garfield Place
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718)768-3814
Located in the residential community of Park Slope, in the heart of Brownstone Brooklyn, the Early Childhood Center enjoys an unparalleled setting, one block west of Prospect Park. The Early Childhood Center offers a variety programs for children birth through five years old. The Tots Drop-in Center is open Monday through Thursday mornings for children birth through 20 months from 9am-12pm. The Drop-in Center is a large indoor play space with age appropriate toys and activities coordinated by an early childhood educator.

Early Childhood Resource and Information Center
http://www.nypl.org/branch/local/man/ecc.cfm
66 Leroy Street (off 7th Ave South)
New York, NY 10014
212-929-0815
Hours: Mon-Wed 10-6 pm Thurs 10-6 Friday 1-6 Sat 1-5 Closed Sundays
The Early Childhood Resource and Information Center (ECRIC) is a unique center of The New York Public Library dedicated to serving the needs of young children (birth to age 6), their parents, caregivers, teachers, and other early childhood professionals. ECRIC is located on the second floor of the Hudson Park Branch Library. The Family Room is the heart of ECRIC. It is a place where the parent or caregiver and child can work together in an environment created to stimulate and meet the developmental interests of infants and young children.The room holds a special collection of books, toys, and learning tools and includes a carpeted block area, housekeeping and dramatic play spaces, drawing easels, climbing & sliding equipment, puzzles, and other learning tools.

They have wonderful wooden toys, the largest collection of books on parenting, education and board books for children. Sometimes it is really active with a lot of kids, and other times I have been the only one there.
-Elizabeth

Fairway
480 Van Brunt St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone (718) 694-6868
Cuisine: American
Hours: 8am – 10pm

I am not the biggest fan of grocery shopping with two kids, but I will make an exception for Fairway. The store in Red Hook is one of our favorite family outings. In the current economy, their prices are hard to beat plus they have a fun eating area that looks out over the New York harbor with amazing views of the Statue of Liberty. In the winter, it’s all under cover of a tent and in the summer, the kids love to play along the water and watch the boats. The food is inexpensive and decent. It’s perfect for a breakfast of French toast or pancakes. We also pick up hot food like from the steam tables near the deli at the front of the store and bring it to the picnic tables in back. One of my personal favorites is the lobster roll for $8. They have high chairs so it works great with a baby. Plus you can pick up a few groceries! It’s one of the places that makes me grateful that we live in New York. I can’t think of a single grocery store in suburbia with such an amazing view.
-Carolyn

Families First Brooklyn
http://www.exitfive.com/famfirst/
250 Baltic Street (bet. Clinton & Court)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Contact Linda Blyer
(718) 237-1862
This is a large space that supports children’s classes and activities (like science, cooking, language, adult-baby play, etc), workshops for parents and caregivers (choosing a nursery school, discipline, CPR, etc) and Support Groups. They also have Drop-In with child care staff. Drop in play space open 9-4 Mon. thru thurs. and 9-1 pm on Friday.

My son goes to “practically pre-school” there and it is an excellent precursor to regular pre-school. You do have to join as a member for $75/yr but it is a lot less than private school and you can start immediately and not wait till your kid is old enough for “school”. Families First is a school/ community center/playspace and generally excellent resource all in one. The whole place is a wonderful resource for new families with young kids as they have a well stocked indoor playspace, an art/snack room and lots of classes geared towards kids up to about age 6. Its also a terrific networking place and they have workshops on all sorts of informative stuff. Oh and they are so friendly and nice and non-intimidating.
-Cara

Federal Reserve Bank of New York
http://www.newyorkfed.org/
frbnytours@ny.frb.org
33 Liberty St btw. Nassau and William Sts
212-720-1630
Calling is recommended since availability can be determined immediately.Tours are given Monday through Friday, except Bank holidays, at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The tour lasts approximately 60 minutes. To accommodate for security screening, arrive 20 minutes before your tour.

Ikea and its Cafeteria
1 Beard St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone: (718) 422-1226
Cuisine: Swedish Meatballs & other child friendly favorites
Hours: 9:30am – 8:30pm (restaurant)

This is one of my best mommy secrets: Ikea is an awesome free playspace on cold or rainy days. On rotten days, I bundle up the kids and head to the Ikea in Red Hook. On the showroom floor, they have a fun area full of toys and tables where we can play in the tents and try out all the kids’ beds. They also have a child’s room set up with a miniature play kitchen where my son loves to pretend to cook us all dinner. As a mother of an active preschooler and baby, it amazes me how Ikea seems to have thought of everything to accommodate families. They have a family restroom with changing table, nursing chair and potty all in one room! It’s situated handily right by the kids’ area and the cafeteria. The cafeteria is also a cheap breakfast or lunch option. It’s one of the few places I have been brave enough to bring two young kids on my own. They have tons of Ikea high chairs and booster seats available. Plus they have these great rolling tray carriers that allow me to go through the cafeteria line with one child in the Ergo and one in the stroller. The line is full of child friendly food like meatballs, mac & cheese and fish. They have child friendly drinks including juice boxes and milk. They even sell baby food if you happen to forget a jar. They provide a microwave and bottle warmer, bibs and children’s plates and silverware! Plus someone cleans up after you are done! Does it get any better?
-Carolyn

Madd Fun
http://www.maddfun.com/
303 Stanley Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11207
718-498-9002
This is an indoor entertainment center- near to Gateway Esttes (huge retail shopping). They have lazer tag, mini bowling, arcade, ball pit/tunnel and tubes arena, climbing wall, amusement rides, bumper cars, mini train, arts and crafts area, exclusive toddler soft play, private party rooms, food court, computer lab with classes. Package prices vary from $6-$21.

Melody Lanes
461 37th St
Brooklyn, NY (Sunset Park)
718-832-2695
Hours: Sun-Thurs 9am-midnight, Fri-Sun, 9am-3am
This bowling place has lanes for little bowlers and a family special every day that includes two games of bowling, shoe rental, free popcorn and soda for kids at $13 a person.

Micro Museum
http://www.micromuseum.com/main/index.html
123 Smith Street between Dean and Pacific Streets
718-797-3116
publicrelations@micromuseum.org

New York Aquarium
www.nyaquarium.com
Corner of Surf Ave and W 8th St, Coney Island
718-265-3448
Subway: F, Q to W 8th St–NY Aquarium.
Prices from $310–$460.
The Aquarium hosts two deep sea-themed parties for kids. The Happy Hermit Crab party for three- and four-year-olds incorporates stories, song and crafts. A real hermit crab joins the party, too. Five- to eleven-year-olds can throw a Designed for the Deep party complete with a discussion on marine animals. Kids also get to handle real shark teeth and whale bones, make aquatic crafts and take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Aquarium. Parents provide the food and cake in the party room afterwards; parties run from September to June only.

This is one of my favorite places to go with our son. It is a really nice aquarium with a cafe that you can eat in or bring food in to eat at. The cafe is on the beach so it feels like you have really “gotten away”. You can also go out on the beach afterwards which is a lot of fun. The surrounding neighborhood has great electric offerings of food so it is fun to try a different cuisine while you are out there too.
-Caroline

New York City Fire Museum
http://www.nycfiremuseum.org/
278 Spring St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 691-1303
The New York City Fire Museum houses one of the nation’s most important collections of fire related art and artifacts from the late 18th century to the present. Among its holdings are painted leather buckets, helmets, parade hats and belts, lanterns and tools, pre Civil War hand pumped fire engines, horse drawn vehicles and early motorized apparatus. The Museum’s first floor houses a permanent September 11th exhibit and memorial. Featured in our memorial room is the poem If They Could Speak by Rosanne Pellicane.

New York Hall of Science
http://www.nyscience.org/
47-01 111th Street
Queens, NY 11366
718-699-0005
The New York Hall of Science is New York City’s hands-on science and technology center. The Hall features more than 400 hands-on exhibits. Visit us and explore the wonder and excitement of biology, chemistry and physics.
September – March
Closed Mondays
Tuesday – Thursday 9:30 am – 2 pm
Friday 9:30 am – 5 pm (free 2 – 5 pm)
Saturday & Sunday 10 am – 6 pm (free Sunday 10 – 11 am)
April – June
Monday – Thursday 9:30 am – 2 pm
Friday 9:30 am – 5 pm (free 2 – 5 pm)
Saturday & Sunday 10 am – 6 pm (free Sunday 10 – 11 am)
July & August
Monday – Friday 9:30 am – 5 pm
Saturday & Sunday 10 am – 6 pm
(Free Hours suspended during July & August)
Holiday Weeks
Monday–Friday 9:30 am–5 pm
Saturday & Sunday 10 am – 6 pm
Closed Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Please call 718.699.0005 for more information.
They have parent/child programs of interactive workshops, Science Technology Library Programs, Science Clubs, After school programs, camp, and The Preschool Place- a fantastic area for children 6 years and under that has plenty of multi-sensory activities.

The New York Hall of Science in Queens is awesome. Open 9:30-2 it is so wonderful. It has a great preschool play space. Also there is easy parking in a lot that is always empty and it is about a 10 minutes drive from Williamsburg.
-Perry

If you get there before 11 am it is free. About 20 minutes drive from Fort Greene- less from Willamsburg. There are a ton of cool exhibits- we were engaged as much as Birch was. There were a lot of helpers who were exceptionally friendly and willing to guide us through the exhibits and engage Birch.
-Karen

The New York Transit Museum
http://www.transitmuseumeducation.org/
130 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 694-4915
We are located in a 1936 decommissioned subway station and provide a family friendly environment where many of the exhibits can be touched, walked through or sat in. For cost conscious families, admission for adults is $5; children under 3 years are free. Children 3-17 and seniors/ grandparents 62+ $3 and seniors are admitted free on Wednesdays. The weekend educational workshops are free with paid Museum admission and parents can feel free to also participate.

Birch and I went here this weekend. First, we loved the entrance, which is essentially the same as going down into a subway station. If you using a stroller, beware. Security will not help you up or down with a stroller and it is 2 flights of steps. Nontheless, it is a really fun way to arrive. You approach an old token booth and purchase your tickets. They have all the turnstiles from the past years and the kids love to test them all out- wooden, cage and metal. The rest of the very small museum has some engaging, interactive exhibits for the kids, but in general, could use updating and more pizzazz. I watched adults go through the museum with some boredom. The kids, on the other hand, loved trying their hand at driving various city buses and checking out a small trolley. You do get to go down into another subway station and walk in and out of the various subway cars over the years. I enjoyed that the most.
-Karen

Pacific Library
www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org
25 Fourth Ave. at Pacific St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-638-1531

My son and I went there all yesterday on a lark and stayed for four hours and had a blast.However, there were no other toddlers there, so I had to recruit a girlfriend and her 1 year old! We’re going again at 2 we had such a good time.
-Eva

The Painted Pot
http://paintedpot.com/home.html
2 locations

339 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY (BOCOCA)
718-222-0334

8009 Third Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11209 (Bay Ridge)
718-491-6411
Classes in painting, handbuilding, sculpture, turning pottery, beading. Summer, after-school, birthday parties, and regular classes. Art on the spot is a trademark of The Painted Pot, where families can, as the name suggests, drop by to paint ceramics, mess around with some mosaics, or even make beaded jewelry.

Paradou
http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile.aspx?rid=7075
8 Little West 12th Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 463-8345
$40 a session,

“Pint-size cooks can learn to make dim sum, sopas and baba ghanouj. On a recent weekend, Alyssa Volland, the instructor and the wife of Alex Volland, the restaurant’s owner and chef, chose pizza for the day’s lesson. But this wasn’t a typical child-friendly pizza — frozen, on a bagel or dripping with pepperoni. Instead, Hanna Mandel, 5, set to mixing yeast pebbles, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil into an artisanal dough, which she topped with mozzarella and a nutty, slightly stinky Gruyère before choosing a vegetable topping. As she kneaded, she talked about her No. 1 food, sushi, declaring, “Seaweed is my favorite part.””
-New York Times

Pick-a-Party
http://www.pickaparty.net
dreamparty4@aol.com
7103 Fort Hamilton Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11228 (Bay Ridge)
718.238.7278
When classes and parties are not in the offing, open play is often available – usually on weekday mornings. Call to check times. Pick-a-Party’s Friday Night Freedom program invites parents to drop children off for three hours of babysitting and fun. The fee is $25, from 6pm-9pm.

Prospect Park Audobon Center at the Boathouse
http://www.prospectparkaudubon.org/
Follow Lincoln Road into the park, across Central Drive. You will see the Cleft Ridge Span on your right. When you exit the tunnel you will see the Boathouse! Prospect Park Free There are scopes to examine elements from the park and singing birds overhead. Special programs in the past have included storytelling and crafts, drop-in crafts, discover tours, drumming circles and a history cruise. For getting there and back check out the HOB Connection- a new FREE shuttle for the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library and Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo. You can even start in the city at the Met and hitch a ride home to Brooklyn! Visit The HOB Connection webpage or call (718) 638-7700, x22 for full details and schedule.

Prospect Park YMCA
www.ymcanyc.org/sub.php?p=about&sp=prospect/prospectabout
357 9th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues
718-768-7100
Swimming for all levels. You do not have to be a member.

Puppetworks
http://www.puppetworks.org/#Now%20Playing%20in%20BROOKLYN
338 Sixth Avenue (at 4th Street)
Brooklyn, NY
Reservations required: 718-965-3391
email: puppetworks@verizon.net
Puppetworks, inc. is a not-for-profit group dedicated to preserving and presenting classic puppet theater with special emphasis on the hand-carved wooden marionette. Their plays are based on children’s literature and fairytales.  Performances are every Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 and 2:30 pm, year-round. Children are $7, adults $8.

Razzle Kids
131 Union (near President Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-855-4818
You can rent their space out for parties- both supervised and private parties.It is also a play space. They have everything from a triple slide, ball crawl and crawling. There is also a Mommy,Daddy, Nanny and me program for ages 1.5 to 4 years that including storytime, singing games and snack time. Every third Friday of the month is “Family Friday Night” which is food, fun and dancing. $15 adult, $12 kids ages 1-9 and $15 for kids over 10 years.

The Skyscraper Museum
www.skyscraper.org
39 Battery Place
New York, NY 10280
Hours: Noon – 6PM, Wednesday – Sunday.
Admission: $5; $2.50 for Students and Seniors
212 945-6324
The Skyscraper Museum celebrates the City’s rich architectural heritage and examines the historical forces and individuals that have shaped its successive skylines. Through exhibitions, programs and publications, the Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence. For a descripton of the gallery and for photos of the space, please visit our Photo Slideshows page.

TKTS
The new TKTS booth in downtown Brooklyn is open at the corner of Jay and the Myrtle Ave. Promenade directly across from the Jay Street entrance of the Brooklyn MarriottOpen M-F 11 to 6 selling tickets at a discount.

The New York Transit Museum
http://www.transitmuseumeducation.org/
130 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 694-4915
We are located in a 1936 decommissioned subway station and provide a family friendly environment where many of the exhibits can be touched, walked through or sat in. For cost conscious families, admission for adults is $5; Children 3-17 and seniors/ grandparents 62+ $3 and seniors are admitted free on Wednesdays. The weekend educational workshops are free with paid Museum admission and parents can feel free to also participate

Birch and I went here this weekend. First, we loved the entrance, which is essentially the same as going down into a subway station. If you using a stroller, beware. Security will not help you up or down with a stroller and it is 2 flights of steps. Nontheless, it is a really fun way to arrive. You approach an old token booth and purchase your tickets. They have all the turnstiles from the past years and the kids love to test them all out- wooden, cage and metal. The rest of the very small museum has some engaging, interactive exhibits for the kids, but in general, could use updating and more pizzazz. I watched adults go through the museum with some boredom. The kids, on the other hand, loved trying their hand at driving various city buses and checking out a small trolley. You do get to go down into another subway station and walk in and out of the various subway cars over the years. I enjoyed that the most.
-Karen

Waterfront Museum
http://www.waterfrontmuseum.org
290 Conover Street
Pier 44
Brooklyn, NY 11231 (Red Hook)
718.624.4719
Thu 4pm-8pm; Group tours by appointment. Ages 6 and up. $5/Person
The Waterfront Museum was founded in 1986 to provide programs in education and culture aboard an historic vessel and to advocate for and expand public waterfront access in the NY Metropolitan area. The Museum relocated to Brooklyn in 1994.With a permanent exhibit of artifacts and hands-on experiences – including knot-tying, why boats float, identification of the different types of vessels that crisscross the harbor daily, feeling the decks move beneath their feet, hearing waterfront sounds, and understanding the tides – the barge serves as a “floating classroom” for numerous school visits.