Montessori Day School is moving!
by Karen on 3/11/10 | 0 Comment(s)
The Montessori Day School, located in Prospect Heights and Park Slope is moving to a new location this fall. Having visited their former and new locations myself, I can assuredly say that their new digs are a great improvement!
Their new site will be at 237 Park Place (corner of Vanderbilt & Park Place) where the [...]
BabyCakes on how to color frosting naturally
by Karen on 3/10/10 | 2 Comment(s)
Babycakes NYC on the Lower East Side is a destination for gluten-free, vegan, health-concious sweet lovers. It has been a hit destination for anyone with food allergies, dietary restrictions, and all things “special” and alternative, and that, of course, has attracted celebrities. The owner, Erin McKenna, has written a book, BabyCakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) [...]
Art Projects to do at home
by Karen on 3/09/10 | 0 Comment(s)
There are plenty of days that I wish I had an art project I could do with the kids- and a guiding hand to take me through it. Well, I have found help. RADkidsART is the brain child of Rick Anthony Diaz, who has been a teaching artist in New York City since 1995. Rick [...]
Vitamin storage turns out to be, yes, important
by Jill on 3/09/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Where do you store your vitamins? We keep our vitamins in the kitchen and I know people who store them in the bathroom. The bathroom and kitchen seem two logical places to store them and for most of us, where we keep them is how we can remember to take them. Apparently then, most of [...]
Looking for a swim class in Brooklyn?
by Karen on 3/08/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Now is the time to get in some swim lessons before the summer starts and NY’s public pools open. Many swim classes started last week or will start this week and will last through the spring. What kind of swim classes are you looking for? Those for a newborn or for a toddler? Try looking [...]
Cool Map Games for Kids
by Karen on 3/03/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Are you searching for a fun way to teach geography to your kid…and maybe brush up on it yourself?
Here are a few that I really like:
Rethinking Schools’ Map Game
This map game is easy to follow. Just drag a country’s name to its proper place. I admit I made quite a few mistakes- EEEK! If you [...]
Babies in Bars: The debate roars on
by Karen on 3/02/10 | 2 Comment(s)
This debate comes up every month or so- whether it is on a blog, parenting forum like Brooklynian or a parenting list serve. Read all of the 1127 comments (as of 10:21 pm tonight) from the CNN article about Brooklyn bars and babies and you will find a lot of mean-spirited and vitriolic comments. Sigh…so [...]
Where to bowl in Brooklyn
by Jimmy on 2/28/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Are you looking for a fun indoor activity this winter? Take a break from play spaces and head to a bowling alley. Your options range from a true hipster joint where you and your kids will enjoy the leather loungers and colorful lights or visit what is perhaps the largest bowling alley at the early [...]
School Deadlines, Tours and Info
by Karen on 2/26/10 | 1 Comment(s)
Joyce Szuflita, our School Expert, keeps us up to date on the DOE deadlines, school tours and any breaking school information. Below is information she sent to us that is also available on her blog. I would strongly suggest signing up for her newsletter AND reading her blog. You do need to check out both. [...]
Bake Sale: Doritos and Pop-Tarts, but not homemade brownies
by Karen on 2/25/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Recently, fund-raising food sales was banned in city schools, but today a city panel voted on amendment that student groups can sell “items like Pop-Tarts and Doritos during the school day, but not brownies, zucchini bread or anything else homemade”, the New York Times reported.
The New York Times explains that, “the new regulation is meant [...]
Winter Discounts for NYC museums and performances
by Karen on 2/23/10 | 1 Comment(s)
NYC Arts has a list of great winter discounts for cultural institutions throughout NYC and the other boroughs. The discounts last only through February 28th. The deals vary, so check each listing to see what is being offered.
Two of my favorite deals listed are for NYC Ballet: Buy one ticket, get one 50% off on [...]
Bookplates for your little reader
by Karen on 2/18/10 | 1 Comment(s)
Bookplates are a fun way to mark your child’s blossoming book collection. Here are some of my favorites from Etsy.
These sweet blue bird bookplates are designed from the end sheets of a very old children’s hymn book. Love the silhouettes and blue with cream. $15.75 for 24 of them.
This Mr. Fancy Fox illustration is from [...]
Is face painting dangerous?
by Karen on 2/16/10 | 19 Comment(s)
It seems like every children’s event these days has an arts and crafts table with a face painter. But, is that face paint safe?
Last year, a report for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics was issued regarding the safety of face paint. The researchers tested 10 different face painting kits, all commonly found in craft stores. [...]
Playdates that go badly- new babies, toddlers and dogs
by Karen on 2/08/10 | 0 Comment(s)
I read and am grateful for all the parenting listserves that I am on in Brooklyn. You can hear advice, ask questions and even buy and sell kids’ items. On one of the yahoo listserves, a parent asked about aggression in toddlers. As a mother of a young baby, she wanted to know if a [...]
How to Spot ADD or ADHD
by Karen on 2/08/10 | 0 Comment(s)
This guide on Parenting.com caught my attention when it went up online today. I have always wondered how a doctor can spot ADD or ADHD when s/he has such limited time when seeing your child. It seems that it is really up to the parent to spot any signs of ADD or ADHD and bring [...]
Teaching Your Kids to Wait
by Karen on 2/04/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Thorns and Roses? Believe it or not, Mrs. Obama, This Game is an Obesity Buster
by Donna Fish
I had to laugh while I watched Michelle Obama on the Today Show yesterday. She was describing a game that her family plays called “Thorns and Roses.”
I laughed because when my kids were young, I instituted a [...]
PS 8 expansion begins
by Karen on 2/03/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Brownstoner sauntered by PS 8 (a very successful elementary public school in Brooklyn Heights) today and saw that the construction for its expansion had begun. As he reported, the new expansion is to add 18,000 square feet and seven new classrooms. That is great news for District 13 students. Parents in that neighborhood crow about [...]
Child seat practices aren’t safe enough
by Karen on 2/02/10 | 2 Comment(s)
Baby Bodyguards, our Safety Expert, had a really interesting post on their blog this week. They found an article by Stephen Dubner in the New York Times. In a nutshell Volvo has done independent crash tests and claims to have found several shortcomings with existing car seat practices. Volvo argues that:
1-Young children are much safer [...]
4 Strategies for tough days
by Karen on 2/02/10 | 0 Comment(s)
There are definitely up and down days of being a parent. On some days, it is ALL good and you can’t imagine what you were complaining about the day before. Other days are…… well…..not so good. But, Megan from Sorta Crunchy has some great advice about how to use 4 simple strategies to turn those [...]
Vaccine and Autism Study Doctor Found Guilty
by Karen on 2/01/10 | 1 Comment(s)
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, released a study that showed a link between between the MMR vaccination and autism. Wikepedia: Wakefield was the lead author of the study, published in The Lancet, which reported bowel symptoms in twelve children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and linked them to the MMR vaccine.[1] In a press conference held [...]
Outside Fun: Winter Art Exhibit
by Karen on 1/07/10 | 0 Comment(s)
So, okay, it’s cold outside, but that doesn’t mean you want your brain to freeze. You can take a short art trip outside to Brooklyn’s Metrotech- a skip and a hop from most Brooklyn neighborhoods and enjoy an escape to another world. This is an art show where no one has be to be shushed [...]
Why hiding vegetables doesn’t work
by Karen on 1/03/10 | 0 Comment(s)
It’s no surprise that the cookbooks Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and The Sneaky Chef by Melissa Chase Lapine are bestsellers: they guide us in how to deal with picky eaters and specifically non-veggie eaters. I think most of us can say we have had this issue. It can be a source of battle, frustration [...]
What to do when your toddler drops her nap
by Karen on 12/29/09 | 0 Comment(s)
All parents love nap time. It is essential for kids and for us. So, what do you do when your toddler decides to drop his one and only nap? It happens for kids aged anywhere from 2.5 years old and up. Our 3.5 year old just dropped his and my sister’s 4 year old just [...]
Recommended winter books for kids
by Karen on 12/23/09 | 0 Comment(s)
If all this snow has made you fall in love with winter, why not choose a book about it? Eensies.com posted a great winter reading list today. Some of my all-time favorites are on it. What would we do without Owl Moon? The writing is some of the loveliest I have come across in a [...]
One bowl apple cake for baking with your toddler
by Karen on 11/18/09 | 0 Comment(s)
Chowmama has a fantastic recipe for One Bowl Apple Cake. She swears it is easy: “because the whole thing can be made in one bowl, (we) were able to whip it up in a snap. This doesn’t have to be a big rainy day baking project—it’s easy enough to make (and clean up!) on a [...]
