SPECIAL NEEDS | MAD ABOUT MUSEUMS | WINTER TRAVEL NOVEMBER 2011
November 2011 Established 1986 newyorkfamily.com
WWW.NEWYORKFAMILY.COM
MOL GRETCHEN
A CANDID CONVERSATION WITH BOARDWALK EMPIRE’S
NEW YORK FAMILY
SEXIEST MOM Cover_1111.indd 1
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IN THE CI TY
Unique Classes & Unforgettable Birthday’s or just drop in for Play!
Photo By: Vicoria Jackson Photography
If you’re seeking a unique adventure for your child or an unforgettable Birthday Party where your kids can touch animals & their imaginations, we’ve got something for you. Drop In for an Afternoon of Play! Arts/Crafts, petting zoo, and creative play in our playroom. You and your child can play together or drop off available for 2 years & up. Check out our programs at TheArtFarms.org
NY Magazine Best Petting Zoo 2009
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inside
November 2011
34 FEATURES 34 | Gorgeously Gretchen Don’t Confuse Gretchen Mol With The Saucy Showgirl And Mediocre Mom She Plays On Boardwalk Empire— She’s Hilarious, Doting And Highly Relatable In Real Life 48 | Holiday Toy Guide From Wooden Classics To Plush And Plastics, Charming Toys For Every Age This Season Special Needs 38 | Life Of Reagan Through Her Poignant Blog, One NYC Mom Has Captured The Heart (And Often The Humor) Of Raising A Child With A Rare Disability 40 | Educating The Autistic Child What’s A School Day Like When Every Student Has Autism? 44 | Where Your Child Fits In Two Experts Pull Back The Curtain On The World Of Special Needs Education In NYC Birthday Bash 54 | Damage Control What To Do If Dancing Dora Runs Late, You Run Out Of Finger Food And Other Last Minute Party Pitfalls 56 | The Gift Of Giving Back Add A Bit Of Charity To The Meaning Of “Happy Birthday”
48 58 | Plan A Party! From Science Experiments And Cook-Offs, To Broadway-Themed Entertainment and More 66 | More Potstickers, Please! For A Tween Who Loves The Food Network, What Better Birthday Celebration Than A Private Cooking Class At Home With Friends? Winter Travel 68 | Where Rugged Meets Retreat From Snowmobiling To Dog Sledding (Plus Zip-Line Canopy Tours!), Find A Winter Wonderland The Whole Family Can Enjoy
COLUMNS 14 | Editor’s Note Good Sharing... 20 | Parent In Profile Where Family Meets Fashion: With Chic Picks For Both Moms And Tots, Nicole Feliciano Has Made Momtrends An Online Style Destination 22 | Museum Tip Sheet CMA’s New Digs, A Historical Hub For Tots, A Museum À La Mom 24 | Activity Of The Month Musical Milestones: For Many Kids, Learning to Play A Musical Instrument Is A Special Rite of Passage—One That Opens New Doors To Learning And Mastery
68 28 | A Good Idea A Mother Of Two Has News For You: Mom-preneur Golnar Khosrowshahi Expands GoGoNews With Big Ideas For Little Learners 30 | Starting Out In A Follow-Up To Her Popular Documentary On Childbirth, The Business of Being Born, Ricki Lake Gets The Celebrity Mom Point Of View 32 | A Special Place Combining A Fun-Comes-First Philosophy With A Focus On Skills Development, Super Soccer Stars Has Scored Big With Kids 78 | The Last Word After Years Of Raising Two Wonderful Sons, An NYC Couple Celebrates Their New Marriage With Loving Family
DEPARTMENTS 16 | Welcome To The Family The Quidditch World Cup comes to NYC, a Big Apple Circus ticket giveaway and our redesigned Family Calendar at newyorkfamily.com 18 | Buzzworthy An alphabet book for the cool kids, ScooterTraffic launches, Thanksgiving food for babies and more 72 | Ten Ideas Our monthly round-up of family fun in the city 74 | Culture For Kids November’s best exhibits, performances and attractions
The Cover: Hair by Joshua Ristaino at Exclusive Artists using Shu Uemura Art of Hair, Makeup by Joshua Ristaino at Exclusive Artists using Dior Beaute, Manicure by Aggie Zaro, Photography by Adam Fedderly, adamfedderly.com
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New York Family | November 2011
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www.newyorkfamily.com
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EXPERIENCE THE
FINEST EDUCATION ON 3 CONTINENTS A great education will take you places. Discover the one school in New York that can do it today. Léman Manhattan Preparatory School. With established sister schools in Europe, Asia, Latin America and throughout the US, our children are engaged daily in exciting learning programs with students from around the world. And the opportunities for international exchange are endless. It’s an education that teaches young people to be nimble, courageous, critical thinkers who are prepared to succeed at top choice colleges and to lead in a competitive global world.
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Raw Metal Dance Best for ages 6 to Adult
“Dazzling and funky” – The Adelaide Review
Fri at 7pm, Sat at 2pm and 7pm Sun* at 12pm and 5pm Thanksgiving week schedule: Wed, Nov 23 and Fri, Nov 25 at 2pm *No performance on Nov 27 at 5pm
“Circus showbiz bliss” —The Daily Herald (Chicago)
Great for the Whole Family (Recommended for everyone over the age of 4)
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A NEW 42ND STREET ® PROJECT
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209 West 42nd Street, just west of Broadway Art: Tom Slaughter; Photos: Andrew Fee, Aubrey Haynes
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“Parenting with sense & sensibility” Discover the best parenting e-newsletter in the city! With great tips on parenting, shopping, shopping, weekend activities & city living. Visit newyorkfamily.com to learn more about the best parenting e-newsletter in the city.
Delivered to your inbox once a week.
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we don’t just prepare for your event, we look forward to it.
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EdiTOr ANd CO-PUBLiSHEr Eric Messinger emessinger @ manhattanmedia.com SENiOr EdiTOr Whitney Casser wcasser @ manhattanmedia.com ASSOCiATE EdiTOr Kat Harrison kharrison @manhattanmedia.com ArT dirECTOr George W. Widmer gwidmer @manhattanmedia.com PrOdUCTiON MANAgEr Ed Johnson ejohnson @ manhattanmedia.com ASSiSTANT PrOdUCTiON MANAgEr Quarn Corley qcorley @ manhattanmedia.com PHOTO EdiTOr Andrew Schwartz aschwartz@ manhattanmedia.com CONTriBUTiNg PHOTOgrAPHErS Heidi Green, Thaddeus Harden, Michael Jurick CONTriBUTiNg WriTErS Kelly Farrell, Sandy Krulwich, Maria Riley, Nancy Ryerson, Joy Sherwood, Veronica Torok, Briehn Trumbauer, Mia Weber, Christine Wei, Ashley Welch PUBLiSHEr John Hurley 212-268-3086, jhurley @ manhattanmedia.com ASSOCiATE PUBLiSHEr Mary Ann Oklesson maoklesson @ manhattanmedia.com SENiOr ACCOUNT MANAgEr Gina Waldman gwaldman @ manhattanmedia.com SPECiAL PrOjECTS dirECTOr Alex Schweitzer aschweitzer @ manhattanmedia.com NEW PArENTS ExPO Rebecca Martin 212-284-9732, rmartin @manhattanmedia.com CirCULATiON Joe Bendik jbendik@ manhattanmedia.com AdVErTiSiNg COOrdiNATOr Jennie Valenti jvalenti @manhattanmedia.com BUSiNESS MANAgEr Shawn Scott sscott@manhattanmedia.com ACCOUNTS MANAgEr Kathy Pollyea kpollyea @ manhattanmedia.com Manhattan Media PrESidENT/CEO Tom Allon tallon @ manhattanmedia.com CFO/COO Joanne Harras jharras @ manhattanmedia.com FOUNdiNg PUBLiSHEr Barbara Witt dirECTOr OF iNTErACTiVE MArkETiNg ANd digiTAL STrATEgY Jay Gissen jgissen @ manhattanmedia.com WEB PrOdUCTiON COOrdiNATOr Kathryn Fortuno kfortuno @ manhattanmedia.com EVENTS MANAgEr Jasmin Freeman jfreeman @ manhattanmedia.com EVENTS COOrdiNATOr Laura Mishkin lmishkin @ manhattanmedia.com New York Family is a division of Manhattan Media, publishers of AVENUE magazine, Our Town, West Side Spirit, New York Press, Mitzvah magazine, The Capitol, City Hall, City Arts, Chelsea Clinton News, The Westsider and The Blackboard Awards. Š 2011 Manhattan Media, LLC | 79 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016 | t: 212.268.8600 | f: 212.268.0577 www.manhattanmedia.com
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NOTE
Good Sharing... Two evenings ago, I kept my regularly scheduled Sunday night appointment with HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, and watched as Gretchen Mol deftly added a few more twists to one the most outrageously Oedipal moms in TV history. A veteran showgirl who coos with motherly love for her adult gangster son and young grandson, she also gives her boy goodbye kisses right on the smacker and has plenty of lethal anger to work out—which she does [SPOILER ALERT] at the end of the episode, pounding her fists into the face of the stroke-impaired crime boss who had raped her when she was 13, and more recently had taken their son under his wing after not having anything to do with him when he was kid. Follow that? I hope so. Because it’s a riveting portrait, and it makes our interview with Gretchen (on page 34) all the more interesting to know the kind of crazy she’s capable of performing. In contrast, Gretchen herself emerges as wise and centered, a dedicated city mom with a big
job and erratic hours. I especially liked what she had to say about enjoying her social network of moms, and how just being at the playground can be a wonderful thing for parent and child. She really gets what’s special about being a family in the city—and I thank her for going on this little journey with us, and—dare I say it?—providing New York Family with its most beautiful cover in memory. My favorite parenting stories don’t prescribe as much as share, and in doing so hopefully offer up some relatable bits of information or inspiration. The interview with Gretchen is a motherlode in that way. So are the excerpts from Reagan Breinholt’s blog (or “blob” as she puts it) about life with a child with a rare and serious disability. Ditto for this month’s “Last Word” essay by Doug Robinson, a gay man reflecting on the fact of his being legally married after years of raising two boys. Then there are the issue’s two biggest blobs. Need a birthday party idea? We got you covered on page 58. Worried about
finding some original, fun and age-appropriate toy gifts for the holidays? Please, just keep our annual Toy Guide (page 48) with you wherever you go—and keep the less fortunate in mind. Have a Happy November,
ERIC MESSINGER EDITOR emessinger@manhattanmedia.com
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New York Family | November 2011
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www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 5:24 PM
W co
TO T H E FA M I LY
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Blackboard Awards Founded by New York Family’s parent company, Manhattan Media in 2002, The Blackboard Awards accomplish two worthy goals: They help New York City parents make informed choices about their children’s education, and they honor and celebrate schools, principals and teachers of excellence from all academic communities—public, private, parochial and charter—and from all grade levels, from nursery school through high school. We are celebrating our annual awards on November 28. For more information, visit blackboardawards.com.
CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS
Quidditch World Cup At Randall’s Island Up For Grabs! The legend of Harry Potter lives on! If you’re a HP fan, you don’t want to miss this real life Quidditch tournament extravaganza. On November 12-13, Randall’s Island will host over 2,000 caped, broom-riding athletes from 100 international college and high school teams. The weekend-long event will feature live music, circus sideshows, live owl demonstrations, wizardly gear for sale and more. The Cup is kid-friendly and dog-friendly, so bring everyone along! And we have four family packs of tickets to give away! The pack includes four weekend passes, which include access to over 400 games being played on nine fields and over a dozen performers and live entertainers, and four championship tickets, which include the semi-finals as well as an alumni all-star game. To enter, send us an email explaining why you’d like to win to familygiveaways@manhattanmedia.com and put “Quidditch” in the subject line. Be sure to include your contact info and address. Deadline to enter is Tuesday, November 8.
ON THE
W E
B
Win Tickets To The Big Apple Circus! For its 34th season the Big Apple Circus dares you to Dream Big! It’s an all–new show, where the World’s Greatest Circus artists are presented under an intimate Big Top, and no seat is more than 50 feet from the ring! Let your imagination soar as audacious acrobats astound with athletic grace. A singing Ringmistress and the Big Apple Circus Band creating the ringing melodies of memories to last. A celebration of the imagination—an astonishing circus world of wonder! Performances at Lincoln Center run until January 8, 2012. Better yet, we have two family four-packs of tickets to give away! To enter, send us an email explaining why you’d like to win to familygiveaways@manhattanmedia.com and put “Big Apple Circus” in the subject line. Be sure to include your contact info and address. Deadline to enter is Friday, November 18.
Our Family Calendar Have you noticed anything different on our NewYorkFamily.com homepage? If you’ve been checking regularly, you might have seen that our Family Calendar has taken center stage! With daily and weekly editors’ picks, and events as far as the eye can see, our Family Calendar shows you what to do around the city today, tomorrow and beyond. Have a wonderful idea or suggestion for our website or our calendar? Please write to us at newyorkfamily@manhattanmedia.com.
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b
�e holidays just got sweeter.
theatre allet Ne w Yo r k
diana byer
artistic director
presents
cinderella
The Met’s English-language presentation for families returns!
November 12 & 13
1 hour program perfect for kids!
Photo: Richard Termine
For tickets & information, visit nytb.org
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
Florence Gould Hall 55 East 59th Street
Steps on Broadway
Humperdinck
Training the dancers of tomorrow.
HANSEL AND GRETEL
Photo: Ken Howard/Met Opera
a division of
8 PERFORMANCES ONLY! DEC 16, 21, 24 eve, 26, 29 mat, 30 mat JAN 3, 7 mat
Tickets from $30. Orchestra seats start at $85.
Young Dancers Program (ages 2-6) Technique Program (6-18) Pre-Professional Program (7-18)
metopera.org | 212-362-6000 2121 Broadway @ 74th St, NYC 10023 • 212-874-3678 • StepsNYC.com
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LISTEN TO METROPOLITAN OPERA RADIO 24/7 ON
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10/24/11 3:53 PM
buz
worthy The CheCklisT for
rock ‘N’ read
N
“A is for Aretha, oft referred to as the Queen … B is for the Beatles in their ‘Yellow Submarine.’” Teach your kids their ABCs alongside the names of rock ‘n’ roll greats with music historian Jeffrey Schwartz’s children’s book, The Rock & Roll Alphabet. Schwartz gets creative with a rhyming couplet scheme and uses rare vintage photos from Chuck Boyd’s archives to complement each letter’s musical artist and historical tidbit. The author’s inspiration reveals itself in the book’s dedication to his parents for raising him in a music-filled home, and he encourages readers to do the same by filling their family’s lives with song. Rock on! For more information, visit therockandrollalphabet.com or chuckboydgalleries.com.
thaNksgiviNg For MiNi Mouths Who says babies have to miss out on all the good Thanksgiving trimmings and fixins’? To ensure that your little one won’t be enviously eyeing the turkey at this year’s celebration, stock up on these tot-friendly food pouches, now available in scrumptious Turkey Day flavors. Start with the Organic Gobble Gobble pouch that combines turkey, vegetables and millet. Follow with the Organic Apricot and Sweet Potato pouch and a side of the Broccoli, Kale and Cheddar Cheese Munchies. And don’t forget dessert! The Happy Squeeze smoothie pouches come in flavors like Super Orange + Pumpkin and Super Yumberry + Apple. For more information, visit happybabyfood.com.
F u r r y s p e a k e r pa l s No need to carry a boombox on your shoulder (anymore)—listening to music has never been easier or more adorable. These pocket-sized puffy speaker pals from Utatama can connect to any iPhone, iPod or portable music player and come with a USB cable to recharge on your computer. For great on-the-go tunes, attach your little frog, bunny, cat or owl to a backpack or belt loop. But don’t be fooled by their size—these sweet little critter faces can seriously crank up the volume! Use them for an impromptu dance party or a family road trip; they can play up to six hours of continuous music. For more information, visit ahalife.com.
M a k e way F o r s c o ot e r t r a F F i c Published by a former New York magazine editor and Founder of StrollerTraffic, ScooterTraffic is a new weekly newsletter and website for city moms with toddlers three to six years old. ScooterTraffic will keep you posted on the latest developments and trends in the world of the preschool set—all with a nod toward practicality. The ScooterTraffic site currently publishes two editions: Every City is their national edition, offering expert tips on everything from the best educational toys to entertaining kids in the backseat. While the New York City edition rounds up local news from store and play space openings to sales and events. Los Angeles and Dallas editions are in the works, too! For more information, visit scootertraffic.com.
the selF-help solutioN When is the last time you bought a self-help book? The genre promises to answer all of life’s questions and provide readers with quick-and-easy steps for living a good (and balanced) life…but it rarely delivers. That’s where Redirect comes in. Timothy D. Wilson, a world-renowned psychologist, has written an antidote to self-help’s empty promise. Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change is about changing the way we the see the world and, more importantly, the way we see ourselves. It covers a range of topics, from how to instill a sense of autonomy and purpose in your children to reducing teenage pregnancies and youth violence. And with tips for how to properly use rewards and punishment, families can achieve more household harmony with small, simple adjustments. For more information, visit hachettebookgroup.com.
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www.newyorkfamily.com
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Where Family meets Fashion 2
With Chic Picks For Both Moms And Tots, Nicole Feliciano Has Made Momtrends An Online Style Destination By Mia Weber By most standards, Nicole Feliciano leads a fabulous life. Not only does she have the fashion industry cred of a former buyer for Ralph Lauren women’s collections, she also has an impeccable eye for trends—both mom-worthy and kid-friendly. But most fabulous of all? She’s a happy, work-from-home mother of two girls, ages three and six, and the driving force behind momtrends.com, a lifestyle blog for fashion-forward urban mamas, recently named one of the most fashionable mom blogs by Parents magazine. Since Momtrends went live in 2007, Feliciano has built the site into a mustread for mothers craving chic but realistic tips for raising a family with style. The site currently brings in about one half of its readership from New York City and the other half from the rest of the country—with some readers from abroad sprinkled in. Aside from her role as a tastemaker, Feliciano is also a shining example of how changing career paths after having kids can be a decidedly savvy choice. “I knew when I started a family that I didn’t want to be working in a traditional corporate job. While the creative energy at Ralph Lauren was tremendous, the hours were also tremendous,” Feliciano, now 40, says. “I decided to launch [momtrends.com] because I had a point of view that I wanted to get across, and I didn’t think it was already represented in the blogosphere.” Feliciano’s voice as a blogger is one that speaks strongly and passionately on a number of subjects germane to urban mothers. Visit the site and you’ll find her take on everything from vegan diaper bags to the latest in handbag trends. However, it’s her knack for seamlessly mixing a passion for hands-on parenting with an intuition for helping families find the right trend for them that makes Momtrends so unique. “It’s not about having burgeoning closets,” Feliciano says of what she hopes to convey to readers. “It’s about finding the just-right thing for you and your family—[doing so] at a great value is even better.” And she certainly makes good on this goal by featuring unique start-ups—like the furniture company Little Nest—and by taking a clothing-as-art approach to teaching her own girls about the wonderful world of fashion. As for her own taste, it was Feliciano’s “very fancy” grandmother who cultivated her thoughtful approach to shopping and dressing, by teaching her the value of quality over quantity. “[My grandmother] used to take me shopping every Christmas to a store in D.C. called Garfinkel’s,” she recalls, explaining that a
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Nicole’s Top Style Picks for Urban Moms & Kids 1. Anya Hindmarch “Newspapers & Magazines” Tote in Light Grey Canvas Nicole digs this chic, British import for moms on-the-go. $90, anyhindmarch.com 2. Searle Faux-Fur “Love Token” Vest For moms who want to give themselves a luxe treat, Nicole recommends this cozy, faux-fur number. $248.00, searle.com 3. Aerosoles Animal-Print “Beccentric” Ballet Flats Animal print ballet flats are one of Nicole’s must-haves for this season. Best of all? You can find them in a range of styles and totally affordable prices. $69, aerosoles.com 4. Stella McCartney Kids Collection: Sophia Girls Dress (All-Over Print, Crepe) in Royal Circle The perfect blend of sophisticated style and youthful whimsy. $103, stellamccartneykids.com www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 11:51 AM
Photo by Andrew Schwartz
fancy lunch and lots of careful browsing were involved before the duo chose a single, exceptional outfit. “She certainly fed my love of clothing and fashion, and I also loved the fact that it wasn’t about getting tons of things—it was getting one really nice, special thing and celebrating that moment.” In today’s world of parenting shortcuts (thanks, technology), Feliciano takes pride in the fact that she uses the unique elements of city living to bond with her daughters. “We have such great conversations when we’re walking back from school or when we’re taking the subway to swim class,” she says excitedly. “Those are really magical moments in my life, when we’re away from phones and computers and I just have the kids.” A love of city life is also a key ingredient in what fuels Momtrends’ success and growth. The site, which currently boasts a staff of about a dozen writers—all but one of whom are mothers—recently took on a Managing Editor to help guide the blossoming team. The hope, of course, is to always be reaching out to audiences beyond the metropolis of New York and to continue to provide informed and positive tips for parents everywhere. But with so much going on, when does this style maven sleep? To that Feliciano simply says, “There’s no such thing as having it all and getting eight hours of sleep.” Being the ever-cheerful parent that she is, she just sees sacrificing an hour of snooze here and there as more time spent with her fabulous family. We couldn’t agree more. Want a little more fabulous and fashion in your life? Visit momtrends.com.
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tip sheet
MAd About MuseuMs
CMA’s new digs! A historiCAl hub Just for tots! A MuseuM À lA MoM!
Children’s Museum of the Arts
DiMenna Children’s history Museum
Museum of Motherhood
rendering by Lee h. Skolnick architecture + Design Partnership
BY BriehN TrumBauer
• Children’s MuseuM of the Arts •
A drum roll is in order, folks! CMA has officially made the big move to Hudson Square. Because of an increase in demand for its arts programming over the past five years, this creative family spot has not only tripled in size—so have its offerings! “This new space will enable us to empower more young artists and advance CMA’s role as a leader in innovative arts programming,” says Executive Director David Kaplan. What to expect? The bigger and better space on Charlton Street contains a 2,000 square-foot gallery to hold large-scale exhibitions, as well as a media lab complete with a high-tech sound station, video-making tools and animation equipment. Advanced radio lab, textiles and filmmaking classes are now offered for tweens and teens, and the museum has also created a WEE Arts room for tots aged 0-5. Art on! 103 Charlton Street, cmany.org
• diMennA Children’s history MuseuM •
Opening November 11, the new DiMenna Children’s History Museum combines two unique elements of the museum world— that of history and that of kiddos. “We were inspired to create our new museum by the richness and wonder of America’s past and to build an institution specifically focused on conveying these qualities—which tend to get lost in most textbooks—to children,” explains Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society (NYHS). In order to appeal to (and hopefully stir) its younger demographic, the DiMenna will draw inspiration from the stories of protagonists who made New York history at an early age, such as Cornelia Van Varick, Alexander Hamilton and James McCune Smith. Mirrer says a lack of historical knowledge in today’s youth
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propels the institution’s vitality. “Recent studies show that only 9 percent of fourth grade students across the country can identify a photograph of Abraham Lincoln and explain why he was important.” How can the Dimenna Children’s History Museum help? It’s all in the approach. Young museum-goers, no longer simply visitors, will be referred to as “History Detectives” to encourage them to make their own discoveries about the past. What’s more, kids will be able to take part in political exhibits at the museum, such as polling stations at the Cast Your Vote pavilion, or get the chance to deliver an address at the First President kiosk. Look Ma, no age requirement! 170 Central Park West, nyhistory.org/childrens-museum
• MuseuM of Motherhood •
Finally, a museum all about mamas! At the Museum of Motherhood (M.O.M.), visitors can learn about birth practices dating all the way back to the 10th Century, draw or write their story on the “Write Out Loud” wall, and view “Mother: The Job,” an exhibit that parallels motherhood to unpaid labor. “I can think of no other single thing that has gone largely unexamined for so long,” Founding Director Joy Rose says. “While we give credence and dollars toward all manners of education, the role of mother, ‘the job,’ is ignored.” It is this realization that led to the creation of M.O.M., which Rose says aspires to be a source of information, education, inspiration and empowerment for mothers, caregivers and families. “We have mustard museums, marble museums and car museums, but until now, there have been no museums dedicated to this all-important job of creating the next generation of human beings.” But the M.O.M. isn’t an adult-only affair! Gymboree equipment, toys and bikes are available for tots to play with, as well as regularly scheduled baby groups and storytimes. 401 East 84th Street, mommuseum.org www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 4:09 PM
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appleseedsnyc.com 212.792.7590
10/21/11 11:37 AM
Activity
of the month
Musical Milestones
For Many Kids, learning to Play a Musical instrument is a special Rite of Passage—one that opens new Doors to learning and Mastery
BY BriehN TrumBauer With access to world-class performing arts institutions and renowned music and concert halls, it would be hard not to be inspired by music in NYC. Many venues offer lessons in everything from violin to voice. We spoke to some accomplished city kids about how they got their start in music and what it means to them. Esteban Castro, 9 Piano, New York Jazz Academy
How did you get started playing the piano? I had a little keyboard at home, and I liked playing it. My parents started me on piano lessons when I was four and a half years old.
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What do you love about the piano? The piano is a keyboard instrument, a string instrument and a percussion instrument all in one! You can make music and rhythm with it all at the same time. Lots of great composers played it like Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin. Do you ever perform in front of audiences? I’ve performed in Carnegie Hall, once as a soloist and once as part of an ensemble with the New York Jazz Academy, and at the Dicapo Opera Theatre. I have also performed in competitions and auditions in front of judges and in jam sessions with live audiences at various jazz clubs in New York (The Kitano, Smalls, Cleopatra’s Needle, Tutuma Social Club, Miles Café, Trumpets). What do you enjoy about music and being able to play an instrument? I like making people feel good when they hear my music. Music makes me feel good when I’m playing, too. What impact does music have on your life? It makes me more focused; it allows me to express myself and be creative. I enjoy composing. I composed my first classical piece when I was five and a symphony when I was six. I’ve also composed several jazz pieces, one of which I named “The Opposite Way,” which has been performed at recitals and jazz clubs. Ana Brichta, 10 Violin, 92Y School of Music How did you get started playing the violin? When I was in Brazil, I began to learn how to play the recorder and then I saw all the other kids playing the violin. So I decided to play the violin, too. What do you love about the violin? I have always been interested in music since I was little, and www.newyorkfamily.com
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my dad always sang songs to me. I just think [the violin is] really cool. I really like performing because there is so much you’ve learned, and everyone can hear your progress. Do you ever perform in front of audiences? Yeah, but not big audiences. This spring, I performed in Carnegie Hall. Sometimes I get stage fright. Do you have any advice for other kids who want to play an instrument? You can’t be afraid of trying something new. If you’re afraid to start something new, you will never know what you like. What is your favorite song to listen to, and what is your favorite song to play? On the violin, I think it’s any song that’s jumpy. If I had to choose from the ones I know, it would be “Theme” from Witches Dance by Niccolo Paganini. Besides the violin, I like to listen to pop and Lady Gaga. Charlotte Mosler, 11 Cello, The Kaufman Center’s Lucy Moses School of Music
you’re wearing earplugs. I play drums four times a week, and two of those times it’s almost a free-for-all. What do you enjoy about music and being able to play it? Every time you hear music, your experience changes, and you start listening for parts of even your favorite songs that you’ve listened to a million times differently. You notice things that you never really noticed before, and it’s very shocking at first, but after a while you can enjoy it. How long does it take you to learn a piece of music? It usually takes about two to three hours of crazy, scary and rather experimental playing if it’s a song played by more than one kid. If it’s individual, 10 minutes at the least. Do you have any advice for other kids who want to play an instrument? It’s a skill that comes in handy a lot, but the most important thing is that this is something you really want to pour your heart and soul into. Alice Rogers, 11 Piano & Voice, The Diller-Quaile School of Music
How did you get started playing the cello? When I was three, I went to a concert and I knew that I wanted to play the cello after that. My older brother David played the violin. I knew that I wanted to play a musical instrument [too]. What do you love about the cello? I think it has a really nice, deep and beautiful sound. Do you ever perform in front of audiences? I perform a couple times a year at the Lucy Moses School/Kaufman Center as part of the music program there. I have also performed at Symphony Space and Lincoln Center with ISO (Inter School Orchestra). What do you find most challenging about playing an instrument? You have to work very hard to make beautiful music. Performing solo is still pretty difficult for me. I am not so comfortable by myself in front of an audience, but I am working on that. I am working on playing stronger and faster, with more vibrato and emotion, and that is really challenging for me to do, and to play all the right notes with the right tone with the correct bowings all at the same time. What impact does music have on your life? I feel great when I have worked hard and mastered a hard piece. I hear music on TV commercials sometimes that I recognize as pieces I have learned. My mom and I went to the opera last year to see Hansel and Gretel, and I recognized one of the pieces that I had played in the orchestra, and that was fun! Maggie Goldmark Pernambuco, 12 Drums, Church Street School for Music and Art What do you love about the drums? The drums are a crashing, bashing, get-all-your-feelings out now kind of instrument. It’s loud, it’s fun, and you can do whatever you want, if www.newyorkfamily.com
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How did you get started playing the piano and singing? I have been playing piano longer than I can remember, so I can’t remember how I started. But I do remember that my mom liked the idea of voice lessons, so she signed me up for them. What do you love about the piano and voice? Piano is fun because it is very different from most of the instruments; there are a couple that are like it, but not many. Voice is awesome because you don’t have to lug around an instrument. Do you ever perform in front of audiences? Yes, it’s very stressful. One mistake and BAM! You ruin your piece. But if you do it correctly, everyone loves it. It’s one thing for a cute four-year-old violinist to mess up…it’s a totally different thing for an eleven-year-old pianist to mess up. What do you enjoy about music and being able to play it? Playing in recitals, and, of course, eating cupcakes after recitals. What impact does music have on your life? A big one. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t doing music! November 2011 | New York Family
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10/21/11 12:03 PM
Learning To PLay
Explore your family's creativity and musicality in jazz classes for adults and kids 8 months to 5 years.
WINTER TERM Making Jazz Friends January 10–March 4 Sing with Louis Armstrong, share your favorite things with John Coltrane, dance with Dizzy Gillespie and many other new jazz friends.
E N R O L L T O D AY
jalc.org/webop 212-258-9922
Official Media Partner
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Music cLasses For The Very young 92y school of Music. 1395 Lexington Avenue, 212-415-5500, 92Y.org. (Ages newborn to 18 years) apple seeds. 10 West 25th Street, 212-792-7590, appleseedsnyc.com. (Ages newborn to 5 years) The Diller-Quaile school of Music. 24 East 95th Street, 212-369-1484, diller-quaile.org. (Ages 4 months and up) eastside Westside Music Together. Various locations on the UES and UWS, 212-4961242, eswsmusictogether.com. (Ages newborn to 7 years) gymboree Music. Various locations in Manhattan, 877-449-6932, gymboreeclasses.com. (Ages 6 months to 5 years) gymtime rhythm & glues. 1520 York Avenue, 212-8617732, gymtime.net. (Ages 2 to 3 years) hands on! Various locations, 212-339-9915, handson4music.com. (Ages 4 months to 3 years) Little Maestros. 344 East 69th Street, 212-396-3977, littlemaestros.com. (Ages 3 months to 5 years) Moey’s Music Party. The New York Junior League, 130 East 80th Street, 917-680-6739, moeysmusicparty.com. (Ages newborn to 5 years) Music For aardvarks. Various locations, 718-858-1741, musicforaardvarks.com. (Ages 6 months to 5 years) Music Together in The city. Various locations, 212-358-3801, musictogethernyc.com. (Ages newborn to 4 years) Musical Kids international. 1296 Lexington Avenue, 212-996-5898, musicalkids.net. (Ages 6 months to 7 years) school For strings. 419 West 54th Street, 212-315-0915, schoolforstrings.org. (Ages 12 months to 18 years) The early ear. 48 West 68th
Street, 110 West 96th Street, 353 East 78th Street, 212-8777125, theearlyear.com. (Ages 4 months to 5 years) Three Little Birds Music. 266 East 78th Street, 212-744-0404, tlbmusic.com. (Ages 4 months to 5 years) WeBop at Jazz at Lincoln center. Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th Street, 212-258-9800, jalc.org. (Ages 8 months to 5 years) When They’re reaDy For Music Lessons 92y school of Music. 1395 Lexington Avenue, 212-415-5500, 92y.org. (All ages) church street school For Music and art. 74 Warren Street, 212-571-7290, churchstreetschool.org. (Ages 16 months and up) The Diller-Quaile school of Music. 24 East 95th Street, 212-369-1484, diller-quaile.org. (Ages 4 months and up) greenwich house Music school. 46 Barrow Street, 212-242-4770, greenwichhouse.org. (All ages) Lucy Moses school of Music. 129 West 67th Street, 212-501-3308, kaufman-center. org/lucy-moses-school. (Ages 18 months and up) Manhattan school of Music. 120 Claremont Avenue, 212749-2802, msmnyc.edu. (Ages 5 and up) Music house. 504 East 88th Street, 212-744-8840, nycmusichouse.org. (Ages 5 and up) new york Jazz academy. Various locations, 718-426-0633, nyjazzacademy.com. (All ages) The Piano school of nyc. Various locations, 212-3862274, pianoschoolofnyc.com. (Ages 3 and up) Piano Teacher usa. In your home, 888-222-3098, pianoteacherusa.com. (All ages) Turtle Bay Music school. 244 East 52nd Street, 212-7538811, tbms.org. (Ages 18 months and up) www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 12:04 PM
a good
idea
A Mother of
tWo
hAs neWs for you
Mom-preneur Golnar Khosrowshahi expands GoGonews, her Popular Children’s news Website, With Big Ideas for Little Learners BY Joe Wack Five years ago Golnar Khosrowshahi’s twin daughters came to her with questions about a newspaper photo they stumbled across. “My kids had seen a photograph of a little girl. She was disheveled and bruised and battered and beaten. She was an earthquake survivor. They started asking questions: ‘What happened to her? Why did this happen?’” Khosrowshahi recalls. But this “Type A” mom knew that turning on television news coverage or looking the story up on Google News was not the best way to get her children’s questions answered. “Mainstream news is not a safe place…with your child,” she says. “You don’t know what you’re going to see, from an image standpoint. There are things on CNN that are fine for you and me, but it’s not necessarily what you want your eight- or nine-year-old to see.” So Khosrowshahi took the matter into her own hands. “I started leaving [my daughters] a newsletter that they could have with their breakfast,” she says. “I started adding the weather and things like that, just topical news. It was really all inspired by that one photograph and the questions that came about because of it. And then it just grew.” Khosrowshahi began sharing the newsletter with friends and family. “People liked the idea,” she reflects. “[Eventually]…I moved it onto a couple of different web-based products and now we are where we are today.” Where it is today is among the leading sites for children-focused news content. Thousands of readers flock to GoGoNews.com every day. And there are good reasons why they keep coming back. GoGoNews, aimed at kids aged five to 13, is updated daily and features current news stories that are geared toward young minds. The site is organized into categories of interest, including Planet, which focuses on articles with an ecological angle; Picks, which includes recommendations on new products, toys and books; and Cool, a page of games, riddles and other bits of fun.
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Unlike some kids’ news sites, which resemble a hyper-caffeinated Times Square, Khosrowshahi notes that GoGoNews was designed with simplicity in mind. “We wanted it to have some gravitas and still be appealing to kids and be simple,” she says. “We don’t really have anything happening ‘below the fold.’ That’s because kids don’t really know that they need to scroll down to find more content. So, while it looks simplistic, a lot of that was done deliberately.” Another thing that sets GoGoNews apart is daily updates— even during the summer, when other sites take a break. Khosrowshahi researched her site’s summer traffic and was surprised to find that the number of hits had increased significantly. “There were so many kids commenting on the stories. The numbers don’t lie.” GoGoNews also doesn’t shy away from difficult stories. For instance, this year, the site covered the 10-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Khosrowshahi believes a well-written piece can serve as an effective launching pad for families to discuss these types of world events. “We covered it from the angle of ‘On this day, this happened ten years ago.’ Very, very factual,” she says. “We don’t get into a lot of cause and effect in these articles, because we need to leave room for our readers—and the families of the readers—to create their own judgment when they’re communicating with their children.” Khosrowshahi doesn’t decide how to approach these stories all on her own, though. “I work with a psychiatrist in the city, Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, who is a consultant to GoGoNews… We also work with an educational consultant to give us the ‘what’s happening at school’ perspective.” www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 3:50 PM
Golnar Khosrowshahi
But that’s not to imply that the site is all hard news, all the time. “We feature a lot of science stories, new planets or new fossils and those kinds of things, and stories about pets or animals. We’ll cover a lot of art-related stories, like new exhibitions. The thread here is that they are all current stories,” Khosrowshahi comments. One recent article featured New Zealand’s release of a set of Star Wars coins. “It’s a great story, because kids love Star Wars, so it’s got mass appeal on that front, but so many people emailed us asking, ‘Where can I get these coins?’ I had no choice but to direct them to the New Zealand government’s site,” Khosrowshahi says. “A kid reads that and walks away asking, ‘Where is New Zealand?’ It’s that additional piece of information that that child has learned because of his or her love of Star Wars.” Looking ahead, Khosrowshahi and her team are currently expanding the site to include GoGoTeach, which will allow teachers to utilize worksheets in which stories from the site can be used to practice reading comprehension, punctuation and other literacy skills. Perhaps the reason Khosrowshahi has been so effective at creating a functional site for kids and their families is that she’s a consumer of the site as well as its creator. Her daughters have grown up with the news stories that she has helped them follow. “They remember things from three years ago, which I find amazing,” she says. “I see that retention and I see that they have some resource to draw on when they’re forming their opinions. One of their resources is this exposure that they’ve had.” Thanks to Khosrowshahi’s kid-focused take on current affairs, GoGoNews has become the go-to site for parents who wish to expose their kids to events and reports from all over the world. And it all started with a single photograph and a conversation.
Flexibility • Strength • Posture Breathing • Inner Peace • Concentration Balance • Confidence • Community
For more information, visit gogonews.com. www.newyorkfamily.com
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November 2011 | New York Family
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10/24/11 3:52 PM
Starting
out
Birth: the Sequel
In A Follow-Up To Her Popular Documentary On Childbirth, The Business of Being Born, ricki lake Gets The Celebrity Mom Point Of View BY NaNcY RYeRsoN Perhaps you know Ricki Lake best for her popular talk show in the 90s, or more recently for her graceful stint on Dancing with the Stars. She’s been a successful on-screen star for over 20 years now. But the project closest to Lake’s heart is intimately linked to her most important leading role—as mother to her sons Milo, 14, and Owen, 10. In 2007—with inspiration stemming from her own at-home birth with her second son—Lake teamed up with filmmaker Abby Epstein to create The Business of Being Born, a documentary that takes a close look at childbirth in both maternity wards and living rooms. The companion piece, More Business of Being Born, will be available to audiences on November 8, and further details birth options with true birth stories from celebrity moms like Alanis Morissette and Cindy Crawford. To her credit, Lake strives to make the films informative without being preachy—options are everything. And sharing that piece of advice has been a true labor of love. For someone who might be unfamiliar with your first film, what do you think are the highlights? I think the most powerful thing about the first film is the images you get to see of women giving birth on their own terms—to see women standing in a hospital setting and catching her own baby. That it’s possible. [Then], of course, me having a baby in water at home [is] not an image that people see very often. And I think it’s important to balance out what people see today as normal birth, in a hospital room, flat on their backs, usually with an IV and a fetal monitor hooked up to them. That does happen, but other things are possible. How did you start working with Abby Epstein on the series? We met doing the Vagina Monologues Off-Broadway. She directed me in the production—vaginas, how ironic! We became friends and years later when I had this idea for the first film, we started working together. [When] she signed on, [she] didn’t even know what a midwife was—but then two years into making it, she got pregnant with her first kid. It was all kind of serendipitous. Then after we made the first film, there were so many questions left, so we felt like we could branch out and do an educational series.
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What do you hope viewers take away from More Business of Being Born? That women don’t fear birth, they sort of look forward to it and are excited about the experience—that is what I think is possible here. If women are having positive birth experiences, and they tell their daughters, and then those daughters have great birth stories and they pass it down, I think it can really have a great effect on our future generation. What do your sons think about the films? My little one, he just turned 10, [was] the one born in the movie. He wrote to me on Mother’s Day a few years ago, “Thank you Mommy for letting me be born in my bathtub and for making me the star of a movie.” It was so funny. You seem really passionate about your work. What has brought you the most joy? I tell people that The Business of Being Born will go down as my most fulfilling project—probably ever. What’s shocking to me is that it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Midwives or doulas write us all the time and say their clients found them because they saw this film. Every day people come up to me in tears, or they write these letters about how the movie informed them, that they were able to have [a] certain birth experience. It feeds my soul in a way I can’t articulate. It’s one thing to promote a talk show for eleven years, but it’s another thing to make a movie that came from my own idea, my own money and my own resources. It makes the work I do so fulfilling. And the fact that it stems from my two children being born? It gives me chills every time I think about it. What’s the best advice you can give to expectant moms? I think that the mom and the family-to-be have to do their due diligence and think for themselves. It’s about making the best choice. If they do their homework and they know the pros and cons of having this kind of birth in this place…they can speak out. They have the right to have the birth that they want. For more information, visit thebusinessofbeingborn.com. www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 4:32 PM
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10/21/11 11:37 AM
a
special
place
Photos by Daniel s. Burnstein
Let’s Have a BaLL! Combining a Fun-Comes-First Philosophy With a Focus On skills Development, super soccer stars Has scored Big With Kids around the City and Beyond BY ChristiNe Wei Bouncing off the walls by day and scheming to nudge back bedtime by night, children have boundless energy that can exhaust many parents. But there’s a perfect place just for these spirited kids at Super Soccer Stars, a sports program abuzz with a love for sports and play. With bright blue walls and an artificial turf frequently strewn with rainbow-colored cones, the Super Soccer Stars field on the Upper West Side channels a bright and cheerful children’s playhouse. So it’s no surprise that Founder Gustavo Szulansky, who designed the space with kids in mind, is all about nurturing and respecting the child in today’s competitive world of sports. First and foremost, Szulansky stresses that soccer should be joyful. “We make it simple and we make it fun, then we deliver a very high level of individual attention,” he says of the carefully age-differentiated curriculum. “The idea is that you let children be children.” This philosophy has remained steadfast since the inception of Super Soccer Stars in September 2000, when Szulansky realized that most of the kids on his son’s West Side Soccer League had never played the sport. Under the guidance and generosity of Irwin Shlachter at Rodeph Sholom School, Szulansky was able to test
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his own methods at twice weekly practices during Shlacter’s afterschool program. Eleven years later, Szulansky’s program boasts over 200 locations in the tri-state area, with one coach for every three to seven children, based on age groups. That the Super Soccer Stars flagship on the Upper West Side is a place just for kids is not an exaggeration. Szulansky says of his design, “This is as far as I know the only space in New York City that was built with a very specific purpose of serving as a venue for children’s soccer.” From the padded walls down to a set of bleachers where parents can observe classes behind floor-to-ceiling netting, the field design ensures that no one gets hurt amidst all the fun. “Rent-per-square-feet, it’s probably the most expensive soccer field in the U.S.,” he jokes. Judging from a jolly class of four- and five-year-olds at this learning playground one autumn afternoon, it doesn’t seem like the kids can find any disagreement with Szulansky’s approach. Plodding across the turf in the way that children who are still getting used to running do, the budding players dribble eagerly alongside their coaches. Running right into the mob of kids, the instructors keep the enthusiasm high with constant encouragement and suggestions for each student. In fact, it is this ability to see the world through the eyes of kids that Szulansky believes his programs to be so successful. www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 4:15 PM
“Paramount to our success is how the coaches relate to children. We get a constant flow of inquiries from former professionals or semipros, and while those people have soccer skills, they don’t always relate to children,” he says. “Of course, we have different programs—so we need people working at higher, more competitive levels for the older kids and people who are warmer and fuzzier with the two-year-olds.” It’s clear that Szulansky makes good on his hiring word. Tapping into the young kids’ imaginations, the coaches in charge this afternoon have their young players assume the characters of their favorite princesses and super heroes. Unwittingly learning to control their physical movements, the preschoolers dribble after Jasmine and Batman, cheering all along. Striking a balance between fun and skills development is key. “An [inexperienced] child won’t really enjoy playing, because the stress of being thrown into a game situation without the building blocks can really damage the experience,” Szulansky says. That’s not to say that kids already impassioned about soccer need to look elsewhere for higher level training—there’s a place for them too in evaluation-based Super Soccer Stars’ Premier Program. While the younger groups are typically focused on motor-skill development through play, Premier is more about competitive skill-building. More experienced players can also opt into the travel program, where 10 teams compete all over the city against others in the league. As the program has expanded both in age levels and reach— seemingly exponentially— Szulansky and his team continue to keep a very close eye on the quality of their practices. “In the beginning, I would supervise every class,” Szulansky says. Now, with nearly 30 new locations in Boston and 11 in L.A., his passionate team makes sure that someone from the office oversees every single class and knows every coach’s individual teaching style. In addition to a step-by-step manual with games developed for every age group, the coaches have access to a website with videos to help them with their instruction. For parents looking to get their kids moving, Szulansky champions soccer as a highly accessible option. “If you compare soccer with baseball or basketball or American football, it’s an amazing sport because it’s very simple—you walk, therefore you kick,” he
says. In Szulansky’s opinion, soccer is also a very democratic sport. “If you’re short or tall or heavier or leaner or a boy or a girl, it’s totally irrelevant,” he says. And unlike other sports, like baseball where kids are mostly on the field watching or sitting on the bench, in soccer some children run faster than others, but everyone is Super Soccer Stars out and about and Founder Gustavo Szulansky moving. Health benefits aside, soccer provides a great forum for social learning as well. “For many of the thousands of children that come here, this is the first time they’re with a group of kids,” Szulansky says. “Here’s a very simple and non-strict way they are acquiring skills that will be with them forever: sharing, taking their turn, following directions.” Szulansky ultimately suggests letting nature take Thinking about introducing your son or daughter to soccer? its course, at least in the beginning. “Bringing a child For little ones, leading active lifestyles is the best preparation. into the kitchen doesn’t make him a little chef,” he Szulansky believes that kids don’t need to worry about actually says. “You bring a child into the kitchen so he can learning the game at least until two years old, when they’re bang on pots and pans and explore the forms and ready for more focused motor skill development. Until then, shapes and ingredients—soccer is the same.” parents can simply encourage kids to learn how their bodies It’s sound advice. Considering he turned a single work, particularly the lower body. Gross motor movements after-school soccer class into a widespread and growtoddlers can work on include: ing sports-play institution—with hopes to expand Independent walking internationally—it’s safe to say that Szulansky knows Balancing his stuff when it comes to kicking it with kids. Moving feet and legs in different directions Kicking a ball (no need to aim!) For more information, visit supersoccerstars.com.
Help Your Kid Gear Up For Soccer
If you’re buying a ball to kick around casually, look for something smaller, softer and squishier than what the big kids use. At Super Soccer Stars, the custom-manufactured balls are more padded and less inflated than regular soccer balls. www.newyorkfamily.com
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November 2011 | New York Family
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10/21/11 4:15 PM
GorGeously
GreTCHeN Don’t Confuse Gretchen Mol With The Saucy Showgirl And
Mediocre Mom She Plays On Boardwalk Empire—She’s Hilarious, Doting And Highly Relatable In Real Life By Heather Chaet | Photography By Adam Fedderly Picture this. You’re at the playground on a random afternoon. Your son eyes an abandoned toy shovel that another child isn’t really using. The kid’s mom (also nursing a Venti) looks on. She makes sure her little guy plays nicely in the sandbox. And so, you two start talking—about everything. From how to MacGyver a tail for a Cat in The Hat Halloween costume to mommy guilt to parenting trends over the ages. You two just click. Picture now, that mom is Gretchen Mol. It isn’t hard because it very well could be her near the tire swing and toy trucks. When you talk with Gretchen, you forget the fact that she’s one of the best (and most beautiful) actresses working today—on the big screen, on TV and on the stage. She is the cool, down-to-earth, sometimes a-little-tired-on-the-playground mom of two, who opens up with an easy laugh, ready to share a mommy confession (or ten)—like her love-hate relationship with that behemoth double-wide stroller. From the “It” girl of Hollywood to the “It” mama of New York City, Gretchen’s current gig is on HBO’s critically-acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire, where she plays Gillian, a sexy showgirl gone pre-mature grandma. Read on for her thoughts on the role, her favorite piece of mommy gear and cooking the dreaded Thanksgiving turkey.
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I have to start with it—the parenting juggle. Your husband [Director Tod Williams] works here and in Los Angeles; you’re a working mom filming Boardwalk Empire; you have two kids [Ptolemy, 4, and Winter, 9 months]. How do you handle it? There’s this woman called Grandma, and she’s very helpful. [laughing] It is a juggle. I think the hardest thing is that every day is different, and every week is different. Especially with my job, some weeks I have one day when I work, which is great and the kids get used to me being around. Then I have two 18-hour days in a row. I’m not there for the bath, just kind of gone, and it is hard for everyone. I try to give my children consistency, and the hardest thing about my job is inconsistency. But, at the same time, it is a great job because every day is a little different, so we don’t get stuck in a rut. The family dynamic changed when your daughter Winter was born and you went from one child to two. How was it for Ptolemy when his baby sister came along? It was an adjustment in the beginning. I could tell he was more emotional about random things. He would say, “Can’t you put her down?” But now, she’s more of a little being, and his biggest fan. She just stares at him, worships him and thinks everything he does is hysterical. I just love hearing the sounds of them together. Whatever the adjustment is, I think it is a great thing. www.newyorkfamily.com
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When it comes down to it, you have to be an adult. I can’t go into my son’s school and say, “Because I have this job, I forgot his blanket.” www.newyorkfamily.com
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What do you love about having a family in New York City? There is just so much to do here, like going to the American Museum of Natural History. I love the social network of other mothers and families. You may be really tired one day, but you go to the playground and you bump into someone you know. If you are living somewhere else, you have to think ahead, make the phone call, and, chances are, the last thing you want to do is see anyone. But in New York, you are kind of forced out of that. It’s great for your kids to see you being social. The other thing about the playgrounds is there are just so many kids—and your kids learn from that. They learn about sharing and personal space. What will you be doing for Thanksgiving? Do you cook? I am so happy to call up Citarella and ask, “When can you deliver?” [laughing] I like to do all of the stuff, but as far as the big bird goes, I cannot be responsible for that. It’s too nerve-wracking. I feel like my husband is more confident about it. [It] doesn’t kill him if it’s a little dry. I guess I’m just not a real chef because for me, if I have to face something at six in the morning, if I have been pummeling it and stuffing it all day, I think I would be too close to it by the afternoon. What is your most essential piece of mommy gear right now? I love the Ergo. It’s great at the playground and, when Ptolemy is on his scooter, I put Winter in the Ergo and sometimes she’ll nap there. I have one of the phil&ted double strollers, and it is just so huge. I will be so happy when I can pass that one on. It’s a very useful thing, and I was really impressed with myself when I put it together. [laughing] Yes, my son is four, but if we walk 20 blocks, it’s good to have. You need a stroller in the city. In Boardwalk Empire, you play Gillian, who is a mom and a grandmother. My grandfather would have called her “a real tough broad.” I always say with this character, “Don’t try this at home!” This is really not a reflection of anything I am as a mom or plan to be as a grandmother. She is a totally different animal than I am, different from any character I’ve ever played. I’ve often been cast as sweet and good, and this character is so far from these things. It is great for me, a great little stretch, [and] a place to exercise those aspects of myself. In past interviews, you have expressed how Gillian has a different parenting style than we do today. Do you understand where she’s coming from at all? The one thing I will say about Gillian’s generation and many generations before ours, is there is something to be said about parenting with a little “benign neglect.” I heard my pediatrician use that phrase once when I was talking to her about potty training. It’s not that suddenly you ignore your kids and stick them in front of the TV, but a little bit of not being on top of them all of the time is okay. I’m sure my grandmother with five kids didn’t rock every single one of them to bed—it was just not possible back then. And today? I feel that many parents are walking around this city with their heads smoking because we are all so geared up about our kids—literally geared up from the strollers to everything—and we are wired with so much information. There is a lot of pressure on parents
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now to be perfect. It’s just impossible to be perfect. But we try, don’t we? Trying is okay too, but I am a little worried that [the kids] start to run us. And I see that happen in our house. Maybe I feel guilty that I worked a long day, so the power struggles are a bit tougher, and I give in. Then I say, “Wait a second!” You have to reset sometimes. What makes you angry? I don’t have much, but I find that it is all about sleep. If you get enough sleep, you don’t get angry about stupid things. Sometimes, for me, it is that juggle: being a mom, the two kids, the work and kind of trying to keep it all straight. It can be a little maddening, particularly if you don’t have a great night of sleep. I mean, when it comes down to it, you have to be an adult. That is what it is. I can’t go into my son’s school and say, “Because I have this job, I forgot his blanket.” At work, I can’t say (in a mock crying tone), “But she woke up two times last night!” And if you had a better night sleep, this wouldn’t be happening right now! I think we need to remind ourselves [that] this is a stage. This is a very intense time. I have no doubt that I am going to look back on it and think that this was the greatest time of my life, no question. In life, we all want to be useful to ourselves, useful to something and to someone, and there is nothing more intense than the level of dependence [children] have at this stage…and then it is going to be gone. After having two kids, every mom I know would rather walk on hot coals than get into some of your costumes or act in sex scenes for the whole world to see. Do you have any anticipatory pangs when you read those scenes in the script? To tell you the truth, yes. For me, it’s just simply the costumes and being a showgirl. On any given day, I don’t feel confident or in that zone. Do you have to “goose” yourself up? Kind of, yes, but it is all part of the job. I have had to think about how I feel about this— the love scenes or sex scenes—now that I have two kids. But I always come back to the fact that, for me, it is the job that I love and I love the character. Then, you try to have as much control over what it is you are doing and showing. At the same time, I’ve always been pretty comfortable about nudity and not shameful about it. I did The Notorious Bettie Page. That’s out there. It’s not like I am going to advertise it to my children, but I am never going to be ashamed of it. When they want to see my work, I’m ultimately proud of it. It’s interesting when kids start to realize their parents are people, too, and are fulfilled by their work. They are able to see what you do and what makes you happy. It is cool to have something they can see. I remember it with my mom. She is a painter, and it is so amazing when you look at someone’s work, you are seeing the interior of somebody. It’s a gift to your children. No matter what you do, if you are happy and you talk about it [with] your child, you pass something along of yourself. Whether it is being with your kids full time or having a job outside the home, it’s so lucky to love what you are doing. www.newyorkfamily.com
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Special
needs
Life Of
Jake and Reagan Breinholt with their daughter, Piper Jane.
Reagan
Through Her Poignant Blog, One nYC Mom Has Captured The Heart (and Often The Humor) Of Raising a Child With a Rare Disability
First thing’s first. Reagan Breinholt writes an amazing blog. She’s been penning “Reagan’s Blob” (no, that’s not a typo—she’s just droll like that) for almost four years— detailing city life with her husband, Jake, and daughter, Piper Jane, who has special needs. Reagan’s little girl, who she likes to call Pip or Pippy (if only just to make us smile), has a rare disorder that has kept her hospitalized since birth. She turns five this May. Without telling the Breinholt family story ourselves, let us simply say that if you have a child with special needs, or know a parent who is raising a child with a disability of any kind, please get to know Reagan Breinholt and her incredibly inspiring, beautifully-written and hilarious blog. You can start right here with these three posts. Now, we’ll let Reagan do the talking (um, writing). Q: What is Piper Jane’s condition called and how does it affect her? A: It’s called Cerebro Costo Mandibular Syndrome (CCMS) and it mostly affects Piper Jane physically, specifically with her respiratory system. There are many minor anomalies, but the bigger ones are that she has an underdeveloped chin, a severely crooked spine and is missing half of her rib cage. The combination of these problems prevents her from breathing on her own, so she relies on a ventilator. She requires so much support that it’s not safe for her to be home with us. Which is basically suck-central. Q: Lots of people can live at home on ventilators, why do you choose to have Pippy in the hospital? A: I know, thanks for rubbing it in! It would be completely dangerous to have a child so fragile and vent dependent away from regular doctor/nurse care. Plus we’re just not even allowed… meaning, it’s not even an option for us.
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Q: Why did you move to NYC? A: Because I wanted to real bad. I used to not have any obligations or responsibilities and I took full advantage of that by being carefree and adventurous. I lovingly pat my younger self on that back for that one (because now “responsibilities” seems to be my unwanted middle name). Maybe I didn’t get all “A”s back in trig, but I did fun things in my youth. So take that Mr. Hafen (<-trig teacher). Q: Why do you blog? A: I love to write stories of my experiences. I feel so comfortable writing and adding my own spice to make things funny or different (even if it’s just me and/or Jake laughing). At first I think it was just Jake and my sisters reading my blob, and that was all I ever expected. It has been so fun and flattering to gain more blob friends along the way. I’ve received so much love and support for Pip through blogging that I really feel pretty attached to it. Q: Your husband is hot! A: Thanks? Q: How did you and Jake meet? A: We met in February of 2005 just a month after I moved to NY. I had only made one friend in the city and she accidentally introduced us to each other. I say accidentally because I don’t think she knew we were going to marry each other’s a’s. Which we did about two years later. Holla’. www.newyorkfamily.com
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Wiped Out Again Posted September 28th 2011 at 9:02 am by Reagan We’re a little sad in the Yellow Unit. I spent a lot of my weekend trying not to cry. Piper’s new room is smaller and more crowded, and there is no nurse station in there. Since it’s smaller, we have to get rid of most of her toys. There is just not enough space. The lack of space also means she can’t play on the floor anymore. Thank goodness for the big new bed she can play in. Some things were lost in the move, which seems crazy since it is in the same hospital. Also, Piper is already almost completely out of socks again. Can you believe it? Remember that I just bought and labeled like a hundred? When we walked in for the first time, Piper Jane was taking a nap in her scoli jacket. I tried so hard not to be livid. A scoli jacket is a back brace that isn’t really much different from a corset. She wears it sometimes, mainly during therapy. There is no reason for her to be napping in it unless you want her to nap uncomfortably. Saddest of all, and I’m sorry that you who love Pip are about to have your hearts broken, Piper Jane is depressed. She knows everything is different, but she doesn’t understand why. She doesn’t know her new nurses yet, and her room looks totally different. Just a few weeks ago I was bragging all over the place about how climby and walky and adventury my Pippy-girl was getting. On Sunday, she didn’t smile a single time. She had no interest in standing or climbing or playing. She moped around and napped for hours and hours, just like we all do when we feel sad too. Let me pour my heart out to you for a minute. It’s just so hard you guys. It is so hard to see a little girl, trying her best, fighting the hardest she can fight, just to have another wipe out. It seems like every time she seems to get remarkably better, and remarkably stronger, she gets wiped out again. Why? Fwords and more Fwords. Why? You guys, Piper Jane is a good kid! She is a good good great special sweet amazing unbelievable kid. So why does her life have to be so hard? I kept looking at her and petting her sweet blonde head. Thinking in my head that it’s time to come home. This has gone on way too long. More Fwords. (When we first went to Blythedale almost four years ago, we didn’t like it there at all. Hopefully the yellow unit will grow on all of us. Jake, me and my little Pip.)
sible to make her exit. She no longer has carpet in her room, so her tumbling off the bed would definitely hurt her. I would grab her by the leg, and she would turn around and crack up at the panic in my eyes. I am straight up raising an evil plotting villain who enjoys seeing fear in the faces of her own family. I looked over at my wee one, her tiny body was convulsing from such evil laughing, and I tried my hardest to give her that look that my mom used to give me when I was about to holler in church. You know what Pip did? She nuzzled Dora into her bosom and laughed harder. My “look” needs some work. I leave you with some mighty cute Pippy braids. That’s all!
Piper Jane Smiles Again Posted October 5th 2011 at 8:28 am by Reagan Look who is her chipper self again! This visit wiped me out. Piper Jane had decided earlier that day, that when I got there she was going to see how many times she could dive off her bed. If I so much as slightly lingered a blink, my eyes would be opened to a Pip crawling as fast as pos-
To read more about Reagan and Piper Jane, visit reagansblob.com. www.newyorkfamily.com
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needs
Photos by Andrew schwartz
Special
EDucAting the AutiStic cHiLD new skills are taught individually via the Applied Behavior Analysis Methodology. Teachers and assistants help young children reinforce these skills with music during circle time.
What’s A School Day Like When Every Student Has Autism? BY AshleY Welch On a brisk Monday morning in a classroom in Chelsea, ten children are gathered in a semi-circle singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” They smile widely at their teacher, Donna A., who is sitting in a chair in front of them, and softly giggle when one student enthusiastically jumps out of his seat at the lyrics “like a diamond in the sky.” Around them, brightly colored posters adorn the walls and off to the side, there are labeled cubbyholes, each housing one child’s belongings. As the children, who are between four and five years old, continue singing, one boy with a mop of curly brown hair is distracted by his reflection in the mirror to his right. He jumps toward it and makes faces, laughing hysterically at what he sees. “Come back to the circle. Sit in your seat nicely,” Donna and a teaching assistant remind him. Some of the other children stand up and sit back down during the singing session. One stares intently at the bright orange paper band around his wrist, which all of the students are wearing. “Who’s ready to sing a solo?” Donna asks the class. One by one, eager students head to the front of the circle to perform a song of their choice. At first glance, this may seem like any kindergarten classroom in a New York City school, but these children attend the Association for Metroarea Autistic Children, Inc. (AMAC)—a National Association for the Education of Young Children accredited school. Aside from their love of silly songs and even sillier dances, the
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diagnosis of autism bonds these young children together. Categorized as a developmental disorder, autism can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects one in every 110 children in the United States. Ranging from very mild to severe, children with autism may suffer from delayed speech and language skills, repeat words and phrases over and over, get upset by minor changes or adjustments to a routine, and have obsessive interests, among other behaviors. Although many schools accept autistic children into their special education programs, they are often not equipped to give these students the individualized attention they need. That is where AMAC comes in. Founded in 1962, AMAC is a year-round school for students ages two and a half to 21 years old who suffer from all levels of the autism spectrum. About 200 students attend the school, where classes remain very small and children are placed based on their individual needs. Class size ranges from six to ten students, all with a teacher and at least one teaching assistant. Children with severe autism are placed in the smaller groups with greater supervision. “The small class size really allows teachers to work with the students and give them the proper amount of attention,” Miriam DiOrio, Director of Clinical Services at AMAC says. “In [certain] classes, they are often able to work one-on-one with the children.” AMAC teaches students not only academic subjects, but also social and communication skills. This is done through the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach, a scientifically based, state approved methodology. It relies on intensive behavioral intervenwww.newyorkfamily.com
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special needs
tion and teaches targeted skills and behaviors. AMAC faculty and staff, which consist of teachers with special education certification, trained teaching assistants and behavioral analysts, all reinforce behaviors through a reward system—hence, the orange bracelets. When walking through the busy hallways of the school where students file in and out of classrooms and teachers sing songs about moving on to a new activity, one will find that students have their own plastic boxes filled with snacks. Each container is individually assembled according to the child’s personal preferences— some filled with pretzels, cookies or small candies like M&Ms. “When students complete a certain task, they are then rewarded with a small piece of food, which reinforces that it is a good behavior they should continue doing,” DiOrio says. Depending on the severity of the child’s condition, the rewarded task may include verbalizing a desire or following a routine or it may be part of a learning activity. For example, during one of the day’s activities for the schoolaged children, students and teachers sit across from each other, one-on-one, and practice word recognition. In front of the children are bowls filled with their favorite snacks. “Show me cat,” a teacher assistant says to the student sitting across from him. He holds up three pieces of paper with different words on them. When the child points to the word “cat,” the teacher gives him one M&M. “Good job!” the assistant says, as the boy happily accepts his treat. Twice a day, children in each classroom can purchase snacks, candy and small toys from a reward cart. They are given currency—younger children receive wristbands and the older students get plastic fake dollar bills—periodically throughout the day for good behavior. When the reward cart visits, children line up and their currency is counted. Students can choose to purchase various items
with what they have or wait until they collect more currency for something that is more expensive.
Depending on the severity of the child’s condition, the rewarded task may include verbalizing a desire or following a routine or it may be part of a learning activity. “If there’s a toy or item a student really wants, he has the option to save for it over a period of time,” DiOrio says. “So students are also learning a real life lesson – the value of saving.” Teachers at AMAC often face challenges that those in other schools do not. For example, children with autism often have a difficult time coping with changes to routine. Jessica F., who has taught at AMAC for the past four years, said one of her new students has had a particularly hard time with transitioning to different tasks throughout the day. “He will often throw tantrums when it’s time to leave one task and go to another,” she says. The solution? Finn made a picture book for the student chronicling the different activities of his day. She took photos of him partaking in reading lessons, doing arithmetic, taking art classes and playing games on a computer and attached them to the pages of the book. Each time he completes an activity, he tears the picture out of the book and knows it is time to move to the next task. “This helps him transition,” Finn says. “He knows he has to get through things…like math, to get to something he likes, like computers.” dr. Miriam diOrio, director of clinical services, chats with Zach V. during his art class.
www.newyorkfamily.com
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aMac students use computers to increase language skills, enhance social interactions and play games like everyone else.
Upstairs at AMAC’s high school, a New York State registered school that is able to grant local, IEP (Individualized Education Program) and Regents Diplomas, things are run in a similar manner. Students are rewarded for good behavior, and class sizes are determined by the teenagers’ abilities. Like any other high school, students at AMAC are taught mathematics, English, science and social studies. In one of the classrooms, students are learning economics and the concept of a monopoly. “So, basically, it’s when one business tries to wipe out all other corporations?” a student asks his teacher. “They’re trying to wipe out their competition.” “Exactly!” the teacher exclaims. “You got it.” Just then there’s a knock on the door. The reward cart is making its afternoon visit. Students begin lining up at the cart. “How much for the Welch’s Fruit Snacks?” one student asks. “Four dollars,” comes the response. The student buys the fruit snacks, but mutters to himself on the way back to his seat. “Four dollars for Welch’s Fruit Snacks— that’s pretty steep!” For parents, being involved in their child’s education is a very important aspect of the AMAC experience. A communication notebook, in which teachers update parents on their child’s progress, is sent home with students every day. Parents also have the option to write notes to their child’s teacher about any concerns they may have. Vernalize Cameron, whose son Mirembe, 4, has attended AMAC for the past two years, says that this constant communication has been an integral part of her child’s education. “Knowing what is going on at school is great because it allows me to bring the lessons home,” she says. Cameron, who praises AMAC’s system of rewards, says she continues to reward Mirembe after the school day is over because the approach really works. “Before he came here, he would constantly throw tantrums,” she remembers. “He wouldn’t want to go outside. If he wanted
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something, he didn’t know how to express himself. Now, things are so much more peaceful and he doesn’t get agitated as much.” Yet, Cameron and school officials emphasize that AMAC offers much more than a strict regimen of behavior analysis and rewards.
Class sizes are determined by the teenagers’ abilities. Like any other high school, students at AMAC are taught mathematics, English, science and social studies. “We also provide a loving and nurturing environment that is warm and inviting,” says Arnold Cohen, M.D., the Medical Director and one of the founders of AMAC. Cohen notes that in addition to regular school activities, AMAC holds a number of specialized events that students, parents and faculty alike greatly enjoy, including fundraisers, concerts and holiday celebrations—most notably a Thanksgiving meal that includes homemade dishes from parents and even celebrity chefs. “It’s quite the feast,” Cohen says with a smile. Perhaps it is this mix of a proven scientific method and the warm nature of the school that accounts for AMAC’s success. Last year, high school student Naresh Cintron graduated and went on to attend Lehman College. Also, the entire preschool class graduated into less restrictive schools, a goal officials at AMAC are very proud of and hope to achieve again this year. Cameron says she believes her son’s experience at AMAC has prepared him to move to a mainstream school after this year. “He’s come a long way,” she says, “and with everything he’s learned here, I am much more comfortable with the idea of him attending a regular school.” For more information, visit amac.org. www.newyorkfamily.com
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Speci
NEEDS
WHERE Your Child FITS IN
Two Experts Pull Back The Curtain On The World Of Special Needs Education In NYC BY VERONICA TOROK As if negotiating the special education process isn’t daunting enough, frequent reorganizations to the NYC Department of Education and recent changes to local procedures may leave city parents wondering where to begin, especially when it comes to kindergarten and elementary enrollment. To help get answers to some key questions, New York Family sat down with two experts, Nina Lublin and Jean Mizutani of Resources for Children with Special Needs (RCSN), an independent, nonprofit organization committed to helping families of children with disabilities. As RCSN’s Early Childhood Specialist, Lublin demystifies the special needs referral process and helps families of young children with special needs secure the services their children require. Meanwhile, teaching families how to access appropriate education programs is part of Mizutani’s job as the organization’s Educational Advocacy Team Leader and Bronx Special Education Parent Center Program Coordinator. Here, they help explain the latest changes in the special education community in order to help guide parents’ decision making. The good news? When it comes to what may be right for your child, parents know more than they think. What are the primary functions of RCSN? Nina Lublin: To empower parents of children with special needs. In NYC, as you know, fewer than 20 percent of youth with special needs graduate with a diploma, and thousands lack
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essential afterschool programs and support services. RCSN is here to create bright futures for the city’s at-risk children and youth by empowering parents with the knowledge, skills and confidence to advocate for their kids. We also advise and collaborate with educators, mental health professionals and all levels of government to bring a family perspective to the systems that are designed to help children. We’ve been funded as a federal Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) for about 20 years. We are also funded in part through a New York State Department of Education project called the Special Education Parent Centers. Our PTI work is citywide. We work with families of children birth through 26 [years], whose children have special needs. What should parents know about the Turning 5 guidelines and the process of transitioning a student from preschool to kindergarten? Jean Mizutani: The whole process has changed, and next year it’s going to change even more. I think the bottom line is this: There is a focus on inclusive education, and the goal is to educate typical students and students with disabilities side-by-side. In order to achieve that…schools are supposed to have a wide variety of supports and special education services that can be provided to enable the child with a disability to participate in these local schools… If I had a child with a specific disability, such as autism or PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorders), I would ask, Is the staff in the school trained in working with students on the spectrum? Is there a behavior specialist that the teacher could go to if she needs support or assistance? I would try to find out how much support is there. www.newyorkfamily.com
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10/21/11 11:41 AM
special needs
You know more than you think. You know your child better than anyone else. Our new training tagline is “When it comes to your child, the expert is you.” NL: In New York State, a three- or four-year-old is classified as a Preschool Child with a Disability. And when that child turns five—if it looks like your child is going to get school-age services through the Department of Ed—one of the important things that happens after the child gets evaluated is getting a specific classification. That is, using one of the 13 categories from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. So moving from having a “Preschool Child with a Disability” to having a child that might be categorized as having a speech and language disability or a learning disability or an intellectual disability, or on the autistic spectrum, or with an emotional disturbance—those categories carry an awful lot of weight when it comes to securing appropriate classroom programs and obtaining appropriate services. Do you see the recent changes that make the kindergarten registration process the same for all children, those with special needs and those without, as an advantage? JM: Parents that have children with special needs should not rely exclusively on schools for information. First, parents should gather a good balance of information by attending the NYCDOE’s Turning 5 Information Sessions that are held this month, followed by “Transition to Kindergarten” trainings conducted by RCSN or the Early Childhood Direction Centers. All parents must participate in the kindergarten application process, so full advantage of open house opportunities should be taken. This is important since the majority of students with disabilities will be educated in the community schools that accept them and the school will have the explicit responsibility to provide the individualized supports and services that are needed. In certain cases where a school that accepts a child cannot provide an appropriate program, the DOE’s office of Student Enrollment will provide an offer of placement for a specific school. For the most part, this will occur primarily for students that require a District 75 placement (a specialized, city-wide, full-time special education programming) for children that have significant cognitive or emotional challenges, sensory impairment or autism. If a preschooler has been attending a program of that type, parents should ask for a list of District 75 programs to tour, which is available at the NYCDOE’s Information sessions.
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What advice do you have for parents about choosing between public and non-public or private schools? NL: As kindergarten keeps changing, and as both school reform and special ed reform move forward, many families are concerned about what kind of kindergarten experience awaits their child. Some parents are thinking about charter schools, others are thinking about public school kindergarten, and indeed more than a few parents are thinking about private schools; also some of our little ones may be eligible for some of the funded non-public schools. It’s a gigantic research project for families that starts very early, and I think that many families will opt for a public kindergarten experience. As we have seen in the past couple of years, not all public school kindergartens seem to be created equal, even though they all must meet city and state standards… My background suggests to me that, wherever possible, we should encourage families toward public school kindergarten, which is voluntary by the way, with whatever supports and services the child needs. I usually recommend that to families. What are some good ways for parents to get involved? JM: I think it’s more important for special needs parents to be front and center; to be known by the school and to get involved— in a bake sale, if there is a book drive, whatever it is. While the parent is doing that, I think the parent should also ask if there is a Special Education Parent Teacher Association. There is such thing as Special Education PTA, and that’s been relatively rare in the past, but the reason I bring it up now is because now we’re talking about including children with disabilities in regular community schools in large numbers. What steps should parents take if they suspect their child may have special needs? JM: You know more than you think. You know your child better than anyone else. Our new training tagline is “When it comes to your child, the expert is you.” If you have a concern, check it out, follow your own instinct… I don’t think that there’s really any downside to having your child evaluated if you have a concern. For more information, visit resourcesnyc.org. www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 4:04 PM
It’s Not Too Early To Think About Summer Camp For 2012!
New York Family magazine and the American Camp Association, NY and NJ are teaming up for two Camp Fairs in November! • Meet over 30 different camp directors • Local Day Camps • Sleepaway Camps • Great for children ages 3-17
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10/20/11 10:33 AM
Holiday
TOY GUIDE
WISH LIST WONDERS
Newborn
From Wooden Classics To Plush And Plastics, Charming Toys For Every Age This Season BY MIA WEBER
1. For the teething tot – Let Sophie’s sweet smile take some of the turmoil out of incoming incisors. Sophie the Giraffe Teething Ring by Calisson Inc., $15.99, calissoninc.com
3. For the young innovator at play - Two animal friends and a hidden mirror boast a snuggly surprise. Hug & Hide Lamb Activity Toy by Skip Hop, $18, skiphop.com
2. For the cribbed-in baker The cupcake craze hits the playroom with this soft and shiny treat. Pattycake Toy by Alex Jr. Toys, $16.95, alextoys.com
4. For the wiggly wee one - Help your baby unleash his inner rhythm with this whimsical wooden rattler. Monsieur Rattle by HABA, $14, haba.de
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www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 1:17 PM
1-3 years
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1. For the budding birder – A nocturnal twist on the classic nesting doll. Nesting Owls by P’Kolino, $35, pkolino.com 2. For the organized speed racer - A bright toy truck opens up to reveal a neatly packed fleet of mini cars. Car Go Cargo by B. toys, $21.99, justb-byou.com 3
3. For the animal lover on-the-go - This allnatural roller proves that duckies aren’t just for bath time anymore. Wooden Roller Duck by Manny & Simon, $32, mannyandsimon.com
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4. For little architects of whimsy - Wobble, bobble and build with these super stackers. Tobbles by Fat Brain Toys, $24.95, fatbraintoys.com
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3-5 years
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1. For the crafty sweet tooth Make sweet treats into permanent eye candy with these precious plush pastries. Crochet Donuts by Acorn, $39, acorntoyshop.com
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2. For a big city safari - Bring the jungle to your living room with this exotic and eco-chic rocker. Walking Elephant by giggle, $200, giggle.com 3. For the aspiring aviator - There’s nowhere an active imagination can’t take this compact whirly bird. Helicopter by EDTOY, $25, manhattantoy.com
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4. For the young Lance Armstrong No need for training wheels with this sleek, cherry-red racer. Red Bullet Balance Bike by Chicco, $49.99, chicco.com 5. For the diminutive dino-phile Travel eons with this interactive prehistoric pal. Torosaurus by Anamalz, $12.95, anamalzna.com
www.newyorkfamily.com
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10/25/11 11:09 AM
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1. For the artistic gamer Calming Charley Harper artwork makes memorization a snap. Memory Game by Charley Harper Prints, $14.95, charleyharperprints.com 2. For the next culinary sensation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Environmentally-friendly kitchen gear to get the gastronomic juices flowing. Chef Set by Green Toys, $16.99, greentoys.com 3. For the pint-sized Picasso - An inspiring and all-natural new way to color the world. Crayon Rocks by Clementine Art, $5.99, clementineart.com
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4. For the littlest logicians Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite building block video game thinks outside the screen. Tetris Link Game by Techno Source, $17.55, tetris.com 5. For the metropolitan Monet Imagine a million different ways to add color to the concrete jungle. City Transportation Kidz Box by Dwell Studio, $30, dwellstudio.com 5
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www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 1:18 PM
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10/19/11 4:28 PM
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8-12 years
1. For the dynamic designer - From trendy to tres chicâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;this coloring book is the perfect canvas for fashion inspiration. My Wonderful World of Fashion Coloring Book by Nina Chakrabarti, $20.95, ninachakrabarti.com 2. For the tech-savvy tween - Enter a fantasy world of adventure, danger and pest control. Centipede Infestation Video Game by Atari, $29.99, atari.com 3. For the school yard secret agent - Playtime goes stealthy with this spyworthy set-up. Secret Agent Headquarters by Playmobil, $89.99, playmobil.com 4. For the energetic athlete - A glowing ball of fun perfect for any big city sport or game. Playground Ball by Oglo, $19.99, oglosports.com 5. For the creative kiddo - Erase the choice between pencils and paint. Walk To The Sea Watercolor Pencils by eeBoo, $20.95, eeboo.com 6. For stargazers & space cases - Who says you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a good view of the cosmos from the city that never sleeps? Planetarium Projector by The Smithsonian, $29.99, smithsonianstore.com
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www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 1:18 PM
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10/21/11 11:42 AM
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WHAT TO DO IF DANCING DORA RUNS LATE, YOU RUN OUT OF FINGER FOOD AND OTHER LAST MINUTE PARTY PITFALLS BY KELLY FARRELL It’s the big day—the cake is baked, activities are booked, presents are wrapped and decorations are up. Nothing could possibly go wrong…right? Unfortunately, even when you are convinced that you’ve thought of everything and planned the soiree down to the minute, dealing with children and party details means that snafus are bound to surface. Here are eight common crises that parents face and advice on how to deal with them from two women who have seen (and heard) it all. SCENARIO: The birthday kiddo doesn’t want to participate. ERICA WERBER: It’s the child’s day and nothing should be forced—that makes it worse. I see nothing wrong with the child wanting to excuse himself as long as the guests are entertained and you don’t make a scene. Just make sure the child understands that it will end at this time and when it’s over, it’s over. ELAINE WINTER: So often, children are uncomfortable with the spotlight and stimulation of their day. They shouldn’t feel bad about it as long as they’re content and let the others play the game or do the activity.
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SCENARIO: Everyone wants to sit next to the child-of-honor. WINTER: Give everyone time but without keeping track too carefully, that way everyone knows they are going to get a chance. WERBER: Make it the birthday child’s choice—especially if there are siblings or cousins—so the friends who he will be in school with won’t be offended. It’s great to have a rectangle table and put the birthday boy at the head of [it]. SCENARIO: The entertainment is running late. WERBER: Always have a child-friendly playlist on your iPod [so] you can turn on music and lead the dancing. WINTER: You could always flip the sequence—have the cake now and see Elmo later. SCENARIO: An uninvited guest shows up—whoops! WINTER: Unless it was somebody disruptive, I would just make it as natural as possible. www.newyorkfamily.com
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WERBER: The more the merrier, one extra person is never going to be a big deal at a kids’ birthday party. Just take it in stride and [don’t] stress out about it.
WERBER: Explain to the child that sometimes things come up, that the child really wanted to be there but sometimes things take precedent over a birthday party.
SCENARIO: A parent leaves the party and their child acts up.
SCENARIO: You’re not exactly sure who gave what gift.
WINTER: When you have a birthday party, you always want a couple of extra adults so that there’s someone there who doesn’t have to oversee the whole group. WERBER: I think asking them to sit down, take a few deep breaths and relax—explain that his behavior is affecting the other kids at the party. Parents should always leave a contact number. In the case of an emergency, they should always be available to come back.
WINTER: I wouldn’t try and pretend. Just say thank you for the lovely gift or tell the parents, ‘We had such a shuffle at the end of the party. I’m not sure which was yours but Howie loved all of his gifts.’ Then if they want to tell you which one they brought— they will. WERBER: With two gifts that don’t have a card, send a friendly, understanding email. ‘We were really happy you were at the party but we have gifts with no cards and just want to send the proper thank you note.’ Following up with the proper note after [the party] is perfectly acceptable.
SCENARIO: You run out of munchies. WERBER: Especially in New York, a pizza is the first phone call away—an easy fix. If the kids are being entertained, the food’s not a big deal at all. They’re going to be more into [the] activity than a bowl of pretzels. SCENARIO: A party guest is MIA and the birthday child wants to know why he or she didn’t show up.
OUR PANEL Erica Werber – Mom to Ella, 3 1/2, and Jed, 15 months, Weber also serves on the PTA of her daughter’s nursery school at the JCC in Manhattan. She says simplicity is key when it comes to party planning. Elaine Winter – Director of Middle School/High School Admissions at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School.
WINTER: I’d have to go with honesty. I would try and offer NYFamilyad1_11.pdf 1 12/15/10 11:49 another opportunity to have a special time with just AM the two of them later in the week.
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November 2011 | New York Family
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BASH Ben Brewer celebrates his birthday at the Ronald McDonald House New York.
THE GIFT OF GIVING BACK
ADD A BIT OF CHARITY TO THE MEANING OF “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” BY MARIA RILEY
It’s never easy planning a birthday party for your child, no matter the age. This year, consider thinking a little out of the giftwrapped box by requesting donations in lieu of gifts from party guests. Some New York City organizations have been noticing this unique celebration as an inspiring new trend. Here, three charities give their take on the idea. But don’t forget, as you contemplate incorporating this new tradition, be sure to keep the focus of the day on the birthday boy or girl—after all, it’s his or her celebration! Baby Buggy, founded by Jessica Seinfeld and now in its 10th year, works with a network of more than 50 community-based organizations to distribute new and gently used items to families in need. “We were created as a mechanism for families to give back,” explains Executive Director Katherine Snider. WHAT THEY’RE ABOUT Baby Buggy operates with a small but solid staff, ensuring that 84 cents on every dollar donated goes straight to helping families. “Our motto is Love. Recycled,” says Snider. “This message of giving donations in lieu of birthday gifts is a great extension of [that] motto.” WHAT TO GIVE Gently used or new items. This summer, in honor of their daughter’s first birthday, one Manhattan family raised over $2,100, and actors Ana Ortiz and Ali Larter both recently held their baby showers to benefit Baby Buggy. WHAT IT TEACHES YOUR KIDS Snider suggests a combination of gifts and donations. Buy your child a special present of his choosing and also ask birthday guests for donations. “You get something but you also give something,” says Snider. Visit babybuggy.org for more information. charity: water sees about 51% of their online fundraising campaigns as birthday campaigns. “Every year we have very young kids who decide to give up their birthday gifts,” says Merry McCarron, Online Community Manager. “It’s amazing to see how kids connect with the cause—clean water is very much a children’s issue.” WHAT THEY’RE ABOUT charity: water is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean, safe drinking water to people
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Ana Ortiz at her baby shower hosted by Hollywood Hot Moms to benefit Baby Buggy.
©Lisa Franchot
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in developing nations. To date, charity: water has funded 4,282 water projects that will benefit 2,060,000 people in 19 countries. WHAT TO GIVE Campaigners of all ages, although younger kids need their parents’ permission, are encouraged to participate. Five-year-old Tariku, recently adopted from Ethiopia, raised over $5,200 last year. “Tariku points to the computer at the end of the video when the kids get clean water with a look of pure joy on his face,” says McCarron. WHAT IT TEACHES YOUR KIDS We all know that we live in a world of excess so it’s no surprise that many parents welcome the opportunity to teach their children about helping others who don’t have the same privileges or resources. “There’s a real movement among middle schoolers and high schoolers to make an impact through charitable giving and fundraising, whether that’s by giving up their birthday, getting their school involved or forming a group with their friends,” says McCarron. Visit charitywater.org for more information. Ronald McDonald House New York provides intimate tours in an effort to show how their donations help families, like Ben Brewer’s, battling pediatric cancer. “New York City has some of the most creative donors and volunteers around,” says Director of Communications, Natalie Greaves. WHAT THEY’RE ABOUT Ronald McDonald House New York provides a temporary home-away-from-home for pediatric cancer patients and their families. It is the largest facility of its type in the world. WHAT TO GIVE “Believe it or not, families have been donating birthday and bar/bat mitzvah money for the more than 30 years that we’ve been in existence,” says Greaves. You also can use the House “wish list” to ask for specific in-kind donations. WHAT IT TEACHES YOUR KIDS Because of the impact of their donations and their time spent touring the House, families tend to build upon the experience by organizing new service projects. “Families feel a collective sense of pride and fulfillment,” says Greaves. “We’ve seen some of these kids go on to start new projects at school where they engage their classmates, and from there you’re seeing future leaders in action.” Visit rmh-newyork.org for more information. www.newyorkfamily.com
10/24/11 3:46 PM
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10/21/11 11:43 AM
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From Science Experiments And Cook-Offs To Broadway-Themed Entertainment, In This City There’s A Birthday Party For Every Child’s Imagination BY CELENE MCDERMOTT
MONKEYING AROUND Active tots who love spending time outside might want to try the Ultimate Tykes Challenge at Chelsea Piers (designed for ages 3-5) where they can compete in potato sack races, play tug-of-war and enjoy a moon bounce. ExerBlast offers an “out-of-this-world” birthday experience. Teams of birthExerBlast
day guests will “blast off ” into a high stakes obstacle course, with the help of adventure guides. They’ll navigate geometric twists and turns in a lightcensored jungle gym. After cool-down, they can enjoy cooking activities and a customized cake. The 92nd Street Y offers a Gymnastic Party package in which kids can get active with spiral slides, ball pool, air bounce and a spider net. At the West Side YMCA, kids can play on the new rooftop playground, replete with a slide and spongy surface. Or they can check out the Early Exploration Play Center and enjoy an indoor treehouse, climbing wall, pirate plank and more. Also, consider
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the 14th Street Y, where you can have a rooftop party and take advantage of Noah’s Ark playground, water sprinklers and riding toys. The McBurney YMCA also offers an indoor playground, pool and dance parties. ALL ABOARD! How about a transportationthemed party? The New York Transit Museum offers a tour housed in a 1930s subway station. The party includes activities led by museum staff, use of the lunchroom for sugar-coated treats, and invitation inserts complete with directions on how to navigate the current transit system. Subway party packs are also available. Or choose a Taxi & Trains Adventure at the Museum of the City of New York, with activities including subway scavenger hunts and cup-stacking relay races. FARM FUN Who says you have to leave the city to experience a farm party? Art Farm in the City offers a number of themed birthday parties, including an Exotic Animal Party in which kids will meet live animals and partake in music and art activities. You can also get the full farm experience from April through October at the Queens County Farm Museum, where children can take a tractor-drawn hayride!
MUSEUM MADNESS Kids ages 4 and up can choose from four birthday party themes at the American Museum of Natural History: Dinosaur Discoveries, Cosmic Blast-Off, Safari Treasure Hunt or Underwater Treasure Hunt. Or consider the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. You get to pick the entertainment from your very own costumed party host. Or, visit your favorite celebrity in wax form at Madame Tussauds and enjoy a “SCREAM” interactive thrill experience. SWEET TREATS Taste Buds offers ages 2-13 the opportunity to chop, mix, swirl and bake their way through the most appetizing birthday party. Enjoy pizza, sushi, cupcakes and gingerbread houses in the Kids Kitchen in Chelsea or Taste Buds will come to you! Also, consider Home Cooking New York for your next party. They’ll help you host your own
Taste Buds Iron Chef Competition to see which party guest can make the best mac and cheese. Kids go home with a recipe www.newyorkfamily.com
book. And at Dylan’s Candy Bar, enjoy games and crafts centered around sweets, a cotton candy machine, make your own cupcakes and more. DISCO PARTY Kids can turn back the clock with Three Little Birds’ newest birthday package, the Disco Dance Party! They can take part in a dance party com-
at Peridance Capezio Center. You can even pick a “Glee” or “Michael Jackson” dance theme. Or celebrate your little one’s first few birthday milestones with music and craft activities for babies and toddlers at Poppyseed Pre-Nursery. At Reebok Sports Club & The Sports Club LA for kids, there are a variety of
Directory: 14th Street Y 344 East 14th Street 212-780-0800, 14streety.org 74th St. MAGIC 510 East 74th Street 212-737-2989, 74magic.com 92nd Street Y 1395 Lexington Avenue 212-415-5500, 92y.org 92Y Tribeca 200 Hudson Street 212-601-1000, 92ytribeca.com American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th Street
Reebok Sports Club Three Little Birds plete with disco balls, 70s music, open play and a selection of food and cake. And at 74th St. MAGIC, kids can enjoy a disco party in a transformed private club! The day ends with the birthday child and friends leaping through the air in an exclusive flying swing. BALLERINA BASH At Ballet Academy East, the birthday child and friends can enjoy a personalized ballet class with a birthday theme of the child’s choice. After the lesson, guests will dance a ballet story told by the teacher and enjoy some party favors and refreshments. At Twinkle Party, kids can dress up in tutus, Twinkle Party dance with a professional ballerina and put on a performance for their parents! MOVING AND GROOVING Create your own birthday party with classes in dance, movement and fitness, drama, musical theater and more at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. At Medieval Times in New Jersey, birthday party packages are available in which kids can travel back in time and cheer on a knight in a jousting competition. Spend your birthday in a ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, African or Salsa dance class www.newyorkfamily.com
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212-769-5200, amnh.org Applause NYC
birthday party activities to choose from, including rock climbing, toddler gym, dance, movement, art, music and carnival-style parties. BIRTHDAY PERFORMANCE Enjoy a special afternoon of singing, dancing and acting at TADA! Theater. There will even be an original birthday song written just for you! At Discovery Programs, kids can choose from 8 different themes including a
184 East 76th Street 212-717-0703, applauseny.com apple seeds 10 West 25th Street 212-792-7590, appleseedsnyc.com Art Farm in the City 419 East 91st Street 212-410-3117, theartfarms.org Asphalt Green 555 East 90th Street 212-369-8890, asphaltgreen.org Ballet Academy East 1651 Third Avenue 212-410-9140, balletacademyeast.com Bowlmor Lanes 110 University Place; 222 West 44th Street 212-255-8188, bowlmor.com Bronx Zoo 2300 Southern Boulevard
TADA! Theater Broadway Bound party for ages 6-10 in which invitations, goodie bags, table settings and food and activities will all be included. At Kidville, kids can enjoy their own private performance from the Big Apple Circus or sign up for a “Calling All Future Oscar Winners” party, where they can create their own script and put on a play. BOWL-IN-THE-DARK Choose from two Bowlmor Lanes locations for the ultimate bowling experience. Get rolling with glowin-the-dark lanes, “The Spare” and “Ultimate Party” package, which includes unlimited bowling time, shoe rental, an arcade card and custom cake.
718-367-1010, bronxzoo.com Central Park Zoo East Side between 63rd and 66th Streets 212-439-6500, centralparkzoo.com Chelsea Piers West 23rd Street and the Hudson River 212-336-6666, chelseapiers.com Children’s Museum of the Arts 103 Charlton Street 212-274-0986, cmany.org Citibabes 52 Mercer Street 800-697-0107, citibabes.com Color Me Mine 92 Reade Street 212-374-1710, tribeca.colormemine.com Columbus Pre-School and Gym 606 Columbus Avenue 212-721-0090, columbuspreschoolandgym.com November 2011 | New York Family
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WILD ZOO ADVENTURE Kids can get up close and personal with a custom planned birthday party at The Central Park Zoo. While party planners handle the details, guests can go behind the scenes with live animals. Experience a meet and greet with a penguin, toss fish to sea lions and make treats for polar bears to eat! Or, choose from a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces to host your party at the Bronx Zoo, and explore over 4,000 wild animals.
RIDES & GAMES GALORE Looking for the ultimate arcade experience? Head to Dave & Buster’s and receive a power card to use at a variety of games. Different packages are offered, but a meal is always included and the birthday child can trade in tickets for some awesome party favors at the gift shop. Victorian Gardens Amusement Park in Central Park offers all-inclusive parties, featuring unlimited rides and games.
MOVIE MAKERS AND MOVIE LOVERS Kids can tap into their inner artist at Children’s Museum of the Arts with Animation Celebration—learn the basics of claymation to create a short animation movie! Applause NYC offers over 10 party package themes for your movie-lover’s birthday. Choose from “Peter Pan,” “Grease,” “The Wizard Of Oz” and more. The package even includes an interactive show and musical performance.
BRING ON THE MUSIC At The Early Ear, music teachers will introduce the birthday child and guests to musical instruments and lead them in
GYM’S THE WORD Birthday parties are private at Jodi’s Gym, where kids have the dedicated space to balance on beams, spring from bars and tumble on mats under the supervision of trained professionals. Columbus Pre-School and Gym also offers private gymnastics and food, drinks and fun with the gym’s staff. At Gymtime Rhythm & Glues, kids can choose from themed parties in Tae
My Gym Kwan Do, Fabulous Foodies, sports or gymnastics. And at My Gym, the birthday child can choose specific games and songs and enjoy gymnastics, puppets and music in a range of birthday party packages.
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Cozy’s Cuts for Kids Various locations in Manhattan 212-585-COZY, cozyscutsforkids.com The Craft Studio 1657 Third Avenue 212-831-6626, craftstudionyc.com Dave & Buster’s 234 West 42nd Street 646-495-2015, daveandbusters.com Discovery Programs 251 West 100th Street 212-749-8717, discoveryprograms.com Dylan’s Candy Bar 1011 Third Avenue 646-735-0078, dylanscandybar.com East Side Tae Kwon Do and East Side Yoga 325 and 315 East 65th Street 212-755-5982, eastsidetaekwondo.com, eastsideyoganyc.com The Early Ear Various locations in Manhattan 212-877-7125, theearlyear.com ExerBlast 100 Reade Street 888-898-9797, exerblast.com Fantasma Magic 421 Seventh Avenue
Little Maestros song and dance. Little Maestros offers fabulous birthday parties with Broadwaylevel entertainers and a high-energy performance that features instruments, bubbles and a mix of kids’ classic songs and popular music. Parties at Moving to the Beat feature Robert the Guitar Guy, alternating music, humor, puppets, magic, instruments, singing and moving. TOY TOURS FAO Schwarz offers an Ultimate Late Night Party in which kids can explore the most famous toy store and then sleep over! Other birthday packages include scavenger hunts, tours with a Toy Soldier host and classic party games. Is your little girl a fan of Madame Alexander? Celebrate her birthday with tours of the historic doll factory and get a behind-the-scenes view of the doll creation process, including a trip to the Doll Hospital, a meet and greet with the design team and exclusive shopping. CHOOSE YOUR OWN PLAYSPACE From face painting and puppypetting zoos to barnyard buddies
212-244-3633, fantasmamagic.com FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue 767 5th Avenue 212-644-9400, fao.com Galli Group 347 West 36th Street 212-731-0668, galli-group.com Gymtime Rhythm & Glues 1520 York Avenue 212-861-7732, gymtime.net Hi Art! 227 West 29th Street 212-209-1552, hiartkids.com Home Cooking New York 236 West 26th Street 917-803-6857, homecookingny.com Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Pier 86, West 46th Street and 12th Avenue 212-245-0072, intrepidmuseum.org The JCC in Manhattan 334 Amsterdam Avenue 646-505-4444, jccmanhattan.org Jodi’s Gym 244 East 84th Street 212-772-7633, jodisgym.com Karma Kids Yoga 104 West 14th Street 646-638-1444, karmakidsyoga.com Kids At Art 431 East 73rd Street (at Little Shop of Crafts) 212-410-9780, kidsatartnyc.com www.newyorkfamily.com
10/24/11 11:38 AM
Birthday Parties at 74th St. MAGIC
Celebrate your child’s birthday at the
Museum of the City of New York in our landmark building on Fifth Avenue! Choose from any of the following party options:
Taxis & Trains Adventure My NYC Gallery Opening Gala Fabulous Fairy Tale Tea Party Super Skyscraper Caper
Please join us for:
ffordable a d n a n u f ...a ty to Birthday par remember
photo by: D Sharon Pruitt
To book a birthday party or for more information contact:
Jenny at Piece of Cake Parties 646-843-9922 | mcny@pieceofcakenyc.com Jessica at the Museum of the City of New York 917-492-3323 | events@mcny.org | MCNY.ORG
Where: MAGIC’s fully equipped gym, baby gym, sundrenched party room and rooftop playground
When:
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays!
RSVP:
212.737.2989 www.74magic.com
Under the red canopy 510 East 74th Street (off York Ave.) NYC 212.737.2989 www.74magic.com
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and under the sea themes, you can customize your party at the indoor play space Citibabes. At apple seeds, the birthday child can choose from themes like “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Game On,” “All About Music” and more, while enjoying free play, music and art. At New York Kids Club, allinclusive packages are offered that allow children more than an hour of exclusive facility use, kids’ performers and ageappropriate activities. MAGIC AND FAIRYTALES Kids can spend their birthday as a magician’s assistant and take part in a world-class magic show at Fantasma Magic. They’ll get hypnotized, enjoy pizza, an ice cream cake and more. Budding actors and actresses will also love the Galli Group’s “A Show & A Party” package, in which they’ll enjoy a fairytale show, meet with the actors and receive autographs. EXCITING EXPERIMENTS At Mad Science, kids can spend their birthday engaged in handson experiments that include tornado tubes and watch chemical reactions. All parties include a makeand-take chemistry experiment. They can Mad Science choose from other fun science themes at Liberty Science Center, like making their own kaleidoscope or taking part in a dissection. Or take a trip to the New York Hall of Science and enjoy exhibit tours, science demonstrations and themed parties on the Rocket Park Mini Golf Course.
celebration at Let’s Dress Up! The day even includes a tea party with flowershaped tea sandwiches, candy served in glass slippers and pink lemonade “tea.” YOGA ANYONE? How about a Yoga Spa party or “Downward Doll” party where even dolls are invited at Karma Kids Yoga? Learn kid-friendly yoga poses, breathing exercises and games. East Side Yoga offers a Yoga Mat Decorating Party, where kids can take a class, have fun decorating their mat, and leave with a card of yoga poses they can practice at home. At Yogi Beans, the festivities include playful yoga poses, fun exercises, engaging songs and novel games. MARTIAL ARTS FUN At East Side Tae Kwon Do, try a Board Breaking Party, learn techniques to break boards and then bring them home as a souvenir. Kids can also kick, punch and chop their way through the big day with a birthday party at one of the city’s leading martial arts studios, including Tiger Shulmann’s Karate and West Side Taekwondo. CERAMICS & CRAFTS Kids can decorate a ceramic piece and take home their own creations at Color Me Mine. They can build their own chocolate house and more at The Craft Studio. Kids At Art lets your child celebrate his birthday with a mural painting and fun craft projects
Kids At Work 242 West 27th Street 212-488-8800, kidsatworknyc.com Kids In Sports Various locations 212-744-4900, kisnyc.com Kidville Various locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn 212-362-3923, kidville.com Let’s Dress Up! 345 East 85th Street 212-879-0956, uppereast.com/lets-dress-up Liberty Science Center 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City 201.253.1310, lsc.org Little Maestros Various locations 212-396-3977, littlemaestros.com Little Shop of Crafts Various locations in Manhattan 212-717-6636 (East Side), 212-531-2723 (West Side), littleshopny.com Loop of the Loom 227 East 87th Street 212-722-2686, loopoftheloom.com Madame Alexander 615 West 131st Street 212-283-5900, madamealexander.com Madame Tussauds 234 West 42nd Street 212-512-9600 ext. 607, madametussauds.com Mad Science 888-623-3724, madscience.com/manhattan Make Meaning 329 Columbus Avenue 212-362-0350, makemeaning.com Manhattan Movement & Arts Center 248 West 60th Street 212-787-1178, manhattanmovement.com McBurney YMCA 125 West 14th Street 212-912-2300, ymcanyc.org Medieval Times 149 Polito Avenue, Lyndhurst, NJ 888-WE-JOUST, medievaltimes.com Moomah 161 Hudson Street 212-226-0345, moomah.com
PAMPERING PRINCESS Treat your birthday girl to a full makeover at one of the city’s Cozy’s Cuts For Kids locations, where she’ll wear a jeweled tiara and enjoy glitter hairspray up-dos, make-up and manicures with her friends. The day also includes music, dancing, pizza and beauty-themed arts and crafts. Kids can dress up in glamorous clothes and jewels and strut down a catwalk in a birthday
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Moving to the Beat
Tie Dye Town in a private studio. Or how about some plastercrafts, pottery painting and mosaics at Little Shop of Crafts? Kids will leave with a t-shirt signed by all the birthday party guests. If Tie Dye is your child’s thing, consider Tie Dye Town, where he can make his own tiedye slime and tee-shirts. Or head over
914-299-3690, movingtothebeat.net Museum of the City of New York 1220 Fifth Avenue 212-534-1672, mcny.org My Gym Various locations 800-4MYGYMS, my-gym.com New York Hall of Science 47-01 111th Street, Queens 718-699-0005, nysci.org www.newyorkfamily.com
10/24/11 11:38 AM
My Gym Kids...
Celebrate!
18,000 SQUARE FEET 500 UNUSUAL ARTIFACTS 20+ THEMED GALLERIES + 2 HEADED CALF 1 OUTRAGEOUS BIRTHDAY EXPERIENCE! Choose from two incredible birthday party
Mention New York Family and Receive the Extreme Package! Call our Group Services team at 212.398.3133 Mon-Fri from 9am to 5pm to reserve your party!
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234 West 42nd Street, NYC | RipleysNewYork.com
*Availability may be limited. Cannot be combined with any other offer. All birthday parties must be booked and paid in advance. © Ripley Entertainment Inc.
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250 East 60th St. Between 2nd & 3rd Ave. mygymmanhattan@yahoo.com
(212) 421-9496
www.mygym.com/manhattan
Exclusive use of our facility Convenient and easy for parents Birthday child is the star!
@mygymues
Parent & Me • Gymnastics • Sports • Camps • Birthday Parties
10/21/11 2:19 PM
to Make Meaning, where kids can create candles, soap or jewelry. They can also make personalized keepsakes like books and calendars at Scribble Press. PASS, KICK, SCORE! Hire Super Soccer Stars to come to a public park near you for a Kick Off Soccer Package, which includes 90 minutes of time on the field, culminating in a mini-World Cup tournament. Or enjoy a bash with Soccer by Coach Fher, who ensures a 1:6 coach to child ratio and provides all the necessary equipment for a fun soccer game. CREATIVE KIDDOS At Hi Art!, kids turn candy into sculpture and work on creating live music. At Loop of the Loom, they will learn to weave and create a handmade scarf, dress or felted toy. Kids can literally make a mess at their birthday party at Kids at Work, where they’ll dive into messy art projects, jam with musicians or create a science project. And at Moomah, they can journey through the Funky Forest and will be guided through creative art projects. PARTIES THAT TELL A STORY The Scholastic Store offers up Clifford’s BIG Birthday Bash, featuring a special story time and craft project inspired by the Big Red Dog himself. An “Imagination Celebration” premium birthday party service that customizes every detail was recently launched. StoryTime by Design offers a great storytelling experience for your child’s birthday party, featuring original music, audience participation and themes including a Beach Party or Ice Cream Party.
New York Kids Club Various locations in Manhattan 212-721-4400, nykidsclub.com New York Transit Museum Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn 718-694-1600, mta.info/museum Peridance Capezio Center 126 East 13th Street 212-505-0886, peridance.com Poppyseed Pre-Nursery 424 West End Avenue 212-877-7614 poppyseedprenursery.com Queens County Farm Museum 73-50 Little Neck Parkway 718-347-3276, queensfarm.org Reebok Sports Club/NY 160 Columbus Avenue 212-501-1416, reeboksportsclubny.com Sports Club/LA 330 East 61st Street 917-286-9760, mp-sportsclub.com SAMBAKids at SUSHISAMBA 7 87 Seventh Avenue South 212-691-7885, sushisamba.com The Scholastic Store 557 Broadway 212-343-6166, store.scholastic.com
Super Soccer Stars Various locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and the Hamptons 212-877-7171, supersoccerstars.com TADA! 15 West 28th Street 212-252-1619, tadatheater.com Taste Buds 109 West 27th Street 212-242-2248, tastebudscook.com Three Little Birds Music 266 East 78th Street 212-744-0404, tlbmusic.com Tie Dye Town Various locations in Manhattan 917-975-3651, tiedyetown.com Twinkle Party 646-455-8311, twinklepartyfun.com Vanderbilt YMCA 224 East 47th Street 212-912-2521, ymcanyc.org Victorian Gardens Wollman Rink in Central Park 212-982-2229, victoriangardensnyc.com West Side YMCA 5 West 63rd Street 212-912-2600, ymcanyc.org Yogi Beans info@yogibeans.com, yogibeans.com
Scribble Press 1624 First Avenue 212-288-2928, scribblepress.com
PARTY SUPPLIES & FAVORS:
Slate 54 West 21st Street 212-989-0096, slate-ny.com
212-543-9463
Crystal Party Supplies 4306 Broadway Dinosaur Hill 306 East 9th Street
Soccer by Coach Fher 212-473-5850, dinosaurhill.com PICK YOUR SPORT Various locations Party City Sports-lovers can enjoy an hour of playtime at 917-650-3008, coachfher.com 38 West 14th Street the sports facilities at Asphalt Green, choosing from SPiN New York 212-271-7310, partycity.com gymnastics, martial arts, a sports party or a pool 48 East 23rd Street The Children’s General Store party. Or celebrate your special day with a trained 212-982-8802, spinyc.com 168 East 91st Street, 212-426-4479 coach at The JCC, where the party can focus on SPORTIME at Randall’s Island State News basketball, gymnastics or soccer. Kids In Sports One Randall’s Island 1243 Third Avenue, offers parties including baseball, basketball, football, 212-427-6150, sportimeny.com 112 East 86th Street hockey and soccer, relay races, tug-of-war, and paraStoryTime By Design 212-879-8076, chutes, and even a carnival-style party. Vanderbilt 1296 Lexington Avenue uppereast.com/state-news 917-533-4201, storytimebydesign.com YMCA has sports celebrations like soccer, volleyball and fitness and other customized birthday experiences. SPORTIME at Randall’s Island lets little ones choose from tennis, rock-climbing, dance or pool parties. CULTURAL EXPERIENCE SUSHISAMBA recently launched kids PING PONG AND BILLIARDS programming and parties that combine a Is table tennis more your child’s speed? Check out SPiN, kid-friendly menu with activities from their trico-owned and created by Academy Award-winner Susan Sacultural coalition of Japan, Brazil and Peru. Pair randon. The venue specializes in ping-pong and has plenty of the delicious menu with a sushi-making class, tables to play on. A VIP party room is also available. At Slate, origami craft workshop or capoeira dancing— hang out in spacious lounge rooms, play billiards and enjoy a an African-inspired movement that combines special meal prepared by expert birthday planners. martial arts, music and dance. SUSHISAMBA
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www.newyorkfamily.com
10/24/11 11:38 AM
a special 10th anniversary celebration!
40” 39” 38” 37” — 36”35” -
music for aardvarks and other mammals concert
Soccer Classes for Kids Enroll Now for Fall
34” —
! Help us celebrate our 10th anniversary ated David Weinstone and this anim band will keep your toes tapping with their lively, upbeat songs! Come and hear all your favorites from “Taxi” to “Runaround Kid.” 6 and under. Sun, Nov 20, 10—11 am $12 Member/$14 Nonmember $15 at door price for adults and children over 12 months Register at jccmanhattan.org/youngfamilies or call 646.505.5708
33” 32” 31” -
Ages 2 and up Beginner & Advanced Classes Private Groups Mini Camps Birthday Parties
30” — 29”28” 27” — 26” 25” 24” 23” — 22”-
dam ave at 76th
334 amster 646.505.5708 |
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st
tion of UJA-Federa a beneficiary
Fi tnes s ● SO CCER ● F u n
www.jcsocroc.com P. (917) 703-0409 with Locations in Manhattan & Queens
10/21/11 11:46 AM
B
BASH
More Potstickers,
please!
For A tween who Loves the Food network, whAt Better BirthdAy ceLeBrAtion thAn A PrivAte cooking cLAss At hoMe with Friends?
BY Eric MEssiNgEr At what point are you a foodie, or part of a foodie family? My wife and I don’t regularly read food blogs but we do get the magazine Fine Cooking each month and save each issue for occasional reference. We don’t pay attention to restaurant openings, but we usually make good use of our local Zagats whenever we cobble together a last-minute date night. My kids, ages 7 and 11, would probably go bonkers if I asked them to watch a TV show about the culture of food like Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, but turn on a food show with a dash of competition, like Food Network staples such as Cupcake Wars or Chopped—and they are riveted. I may not be able to get my son, the 7-year-old, to help me make pancakes, but the kid talks about Iron Chef Morimoto with the passionate idolization I used to have for Dr. J. “Daddy, Chef Morimoto is on! Come watch!” Adam will shout at me. “He’s going to cream him, right?” Likewise, my 11-year-old daughter, Elena, can happily watch cooking show re-runs of for as many hours as her lazy parents let her. All of which begs an important question: Are my kids little foodies in the making, or couch potatoes in training? I can tell you this: For Elena’s 11th birthday last May, we agreed on the idea of a cooking party. She had never been to one before so it had the appeal of feeling new and different. It tapped into her growing interest in food and cooking, which some of her friends also shared, and on the most basic level it sounded like a formula for a lot of hands-on fun. You make something yummy, then you eat it. A company called Home Cooking New York offered just the kind of party we hoped for. Specializing in adult cooking classes at
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their loft and private classes and parties in people’s homes, Home Cooking also has a kids division lead by chef-teachers with a lot of experience in knowing what kinds of culinary feats children are keen on and capable of achieving at different ages. Their website lists quite an impressive variety of global food themes for their kids classes and parties, including an Iron Chef Party, Italian Night, Mexican Fiesta and a Brunch Party. The owner of Home Cooking NY, Jennifer Clair, a mother of two, is not only passionate about food and cooking, she’s open-minded and practical—and we agreed on a pan-Asian menu largely derived from one of her kids cooking classes, focused on three dishes: Shanghai Potsticker Dumplings, Vietnamese Shrimp and Mango Summer Rolls and Soba Noodles with a Citrus Soy Sauce. How did it work? Home Cooking sent over one of their top guns, Julie Negrin, the author of Easy Meals to Cook with Kids. The main action was centered around our dining room table, where Julie led Elena and seven of her friends (and their mascot, Elena’s younger brother Adam) through an impressive amount of food prep and team work. Everyone sliced and diced, measured, kneaded, stirred and tossed—and of course goofed around…but never so much as to put the party in disarray. Most of them we’re focused and agreeable (saving the tween drama for later that night in a big battle over who sleeps where). I’m not sure if any future chefs were born that evening. But, at the very least, I feel like Elena and her friends are now well on their way to joining my wife and I in the ranks of quasi-foodies. Eric Messinger is the Editor of New York Family. For more on Home Cooking New York, visit homecookingny.com. www.newyorkfamily.com
10/24/11 11:40 AM
NYChessKids Early drop-off in the morning at 9:00 AM free of charge! Drinks, snacks and pizza lunch will be provided! Students are welcome to bring their own snacks and lunch.
2011 Holiday Chess Camp December 26 to 30, 2011 (1 week)
Location
2012 Winter Chess Camp February 20 to 24, 2012 (1 week)
Time
PS 116 – 210 East 33rd Street (between 2nd & 3rd Avenue), New York, NY 10016
Full Day: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Half Day: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM Morning Session or 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Afternoon Session
2012 Summer Chess Camp July 2 to August 31 (9 weeks)
2011 Veterans‛ Day Chess Camp November 11, 2011 (1 day) 2012 Martin Luther King Day Chess Camp January 16, 2012 (1 day)
Registration Please visit www.nychesskids.com to register online
2012 Spring Chess Camp April 9 to 13, 2012 (1 week)
More Information:
Website: www.nychesskids.com
Email: nychesskids@gmail.com
NEW YORK CITY
Phone: 646-807-9236
Birthday Parties ★ ★ ★ ★
Ages 1-12 Customized Parties Catering in our great spaces Over 25 themes including: Broadway Spectacular, Annie, Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz, Superhero Party, Princess, Grease, Hairspray, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Hip-Hop, Pop-Star Contest, Celebrity Runway, Alice in Wonderland, and more...
Including Broadway & Rock ‘n’ Roll Babies Parties! 184 East 76th St. New York, NY 10021
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(646) 430-1581
Call Us Today! applauseny.com
10/21/11 2:17 PM
travel
Woodloch resort
d e g g u r t a e e r r e t h e W ets r Me From Snowmobiling To Dog Sledding (Plus Zip-Line Canopy Tours!), Find A Winter Wonderland The Whole Family Can Enjoy B y Ve r o n i c a To r o k This month, the focus is on winter weather havens for the whole family. So pack your earmuffs because outdoor adventures come with mountains of snow and chilly winter fun! Banff-Lake Louise (Alberta, Canada) Immerse your family in the beauty of snow-covered nature in Banff National Park, one of Canada’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Three resorts share the breathtaking views of this alpine landscape in Banff-Lake Louise. The area recently won the Neilson Marque of Excellence for its family-friendly ski school for the fifth year in a row, so you can be sure of its expertise on family skiing. Snow play and childcare programs are tailored to even the youngest of tots, and special programs teach little ones as young as three and four the basics of skiing. Kids can build confidence and hone their skills in The Minute Maid Wilderness Adventure Park, a supervised kids-only park, while adults take advantage of pristine slopes and world-class skiing. Visit Ski Banff for an unforgettable vacation— the kids will thank you later. 119 Banff Avenue, Banff, Alberta, Canada, 1-877-754-7080, skibig3.com. Beaver Creek Resort (Avon, Colorado) Picture your family in the Rockies, snowshoeing beneath the stars across glittering slopes. Rosy-cheeked, you all head inside for hot cocoa and stories around a fire. At Beaver Creek, this can be your reality. The resort’s motto is “Not exactly roughing it,” a modest statement when you consider the nearly endless amenities of the three on-mountain villages that comprise the destination. Beaver Creek specializes in creating the idyllic family vacation, with programming every night of the week, daily Cookie Time with fresh-baked treats for kids and creative activities like fireworks and storytime. Add the indulgence of spa treatments
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and world-class shows at Beaver Creek’s own performing arts center for an experience that spells paradise for the whole family. Lessons for young skiers of every level and attentive childcare for your little ones is also available. Don’t miss “Beaver Creek Loves Kids,” a special two-week showcase at the end of February that highlights family deals and the best that kid-friendly Beaver Creek has to offer. 137 Benchmark Road, Avon, CO, 800-842-8062, beavercreek.com. Big Sky Resort (Big Sky, Montana) Aptly-named Big Sky, this Montana resort is the perfect place for kids to learn how to ski or snowboard. Kids ages 10 and under ski and stay free, and the variety of lessons offered will have your children mastering the slopes in no time. The Lone Peak Playhouse combines childcare with ski instruction and will even dress your children for their lessons. Daily activities like family movie nights, s’mores around the campfire and old-fashioned sleigh rides make for cozy evenings after busy days spent enjoying the great outdoors. Go zipping across the snow at the tube park, take the carpet lift instead of trudging up the hill, and then head in to take advantage of the spa and Big Sky Wellness Center. For a truly matchless experience, spend a day at nearby Yellowstone National Park, only 48 miles away. Families can take a rangerguided snowshoe hike or snowmobile tour and explore one of the country’s most interesting landscapes for a true only-at-Big-Sky experience. 1 Lone Mountain Trail, Big Sky, MT, 800-548-4486, bigskyresort.com. Smugglers’ Notch Resort (Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont) Worried that the smallest family member may be too young to delight in winter fun at Smugglers’ Notch? Special learn-to-ski programs cater to little ones as young as two and a half, and the innovative Sir Henry’s Learning Hill introduces beginners ages www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 11:47 AM
Jack Affleck, Beaver Creek Resort
C Vail q Beaver Creek Resort
SkI NEARBY! Belleayre Mountain (Highmount, New York) Conquer the Catskills at one of the Northeast’s finest learn-to-ski mountains, two and a half hours outside of New York City. Belleayre Mountain offers numerous lessons, holiday race camps during winter break and an Adaptive Snowsports Program for kids with special needs, making snow sports fun for everybody. Belleayre Mountain Road, Pine Hill, NY, 845254-5600, belleayre.com.
three and up to the joys of snowboarding. Smugglers’ Notch takes family recreation to a whole new level with everything from dog sledding to snowmobiling to zip-line canopy tours of the resort. Kids can try airboarding, the next generation of snow tubing, and even build their own sleds. After a full day of family races or personalized ski lessons, thrill-seekers will be more than ready to wind down with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Any extra energy can be burned off at the indoor family recreation center or state-of-the-art video game room. 4323 Vermont Route 108 South, Smugglers’ Notch, VT, 1-802-644-8851, smuggs.com. Taos Ski Valley (Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico) Taos is dedicated to wholesome family fun in a big way. Children have their own terrain park and ski area with pint-sized lifts to make sure snow sports are a safe and comfortable experience for everyone. There are snacks and creative indoor activities for the tiniest family members as well as lessons for those eager to explore the slopes. Taos is “the un-resort resort;” no ostentation; just pure fun for all on the spectacular ski runs and state-of-the-art facilities. Families will enjoy the unique experience of skiing in the Southwest, with easy access to cultural activities in the historic Taos adobe pueblo at the base of the mountain and nearby Santa Fe. Taos Ski Valley is an extraordinary destination for families looking to expand their horizons, as the resort combines highquality ski and snowboard instruction with rugged vistas and the distinctively creative atmosphere of New Mexico. Taos Ski Valley, NM, 866-968-7386, skitaos.org. Woodloch Resort (Hawley, Pennsylvania) In need of a soul-soothing escape? Head to the Poconos for some relaxation at this pristine mountain sanctuary. A family-run business since 1958, Woodloch Resort knows how to put a personal touch on R&R. With over 30 activities scheduled every day, this all-inclusive destination has something every family member can enjoy. You don’t have to ski to have a blast in the snow; Woodloch offers ice skating, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and winter hayrides, along with too many other activities to mention. Inspired by the beauty of their surroundings, young artists can attend arts and crafts workshops, and families have the opportunity to engage in healthy competition with everything from scavenger hunts and bumper cars to a mini Winter Olympics. Check out midweek deals where kids stay free, with the option to ski at many nearby slopes. At just two hours outside of New York City, Woodloch is the perfect destination for those looking for a peaceful, hassle-free getaway. 731 Welcome Lake Road, Hawley, PA, 1-800-966-3562 woodloch.com. www.newyorkfamily.com
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Hidden Valley Club (Vernon, New Jersey) If you want to avoid crowds, consider membership at Hidden Valley Club. This New Jersey destination is about an hour from the city and focuses on creating an environment perfectly suited to family skiing and boarding. Hidden Valley features two learning centers, as well as a snow sports school and youth racing program. 44 Breakneck Road, Vernon, NJ, 973-764-4200 hiddenvalleynj.com. Hunter Mountain (Hunter, New York) Hunter Mountain is just over two hours away from the city and has 14 trails specially designed for families and beginners. The resort offers Playcare for those too young to ski, as well as Explorers and Mountaineers lesson programs for novices of different levels. Hunter also offers a Burton learn-to-ride program for little boarders, a snow tubing park and winter break camps. Hunter Mountain, Hunter, NY, 800-486-8376, huntermtn.com.
G Shawnee Mountain Ski Area (Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania) Shawnee Mountain Ski Area is one of the most beginner-friendly ski areas around. At one and a half hours away from the city, it is a doable day trip. Childcare at Camp Wigwam is available, as well as many weekend ski training programs and lessons suited to every skill level. I-80 Exit 309, Hollow Road, Shawnee on Delaware, PA, 570-421-7231, shawneemt.com. Tuxedo Ridge (Tuxedo, New York) Tuxedo Ridge is just 35 miles from the George Washington Bridge and boasts eight trails as well as a snowboarding park and tube run. Just gather the gear and pile the kids in the car or on the train and head out for a day of winter fun. They’ll even pick you up at the Tuxedo, NY train station with three-day notice! 581 Route 17A West, Tuxedo, NY, 845-351-1122, tuxedoridge.com. November 2011 | New York Family
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November 10th @ 4pm
NEW YORK POST
Drawing and reading with Oliver Jeffers!
Bank Street Bookstore corner of 112th St. & Broadway
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IMPERIAL THEATRE, 239 W. 45th St. (Btwn B’way & 8th Ave.) *Offer valid for all performances now through 12/22/11. Blackout dates may apply. All prices include a $1.50 facility fee. Limit 8 tickets per order. All sales are final — no refunds or exchanges. Offer subject to availability and prior sale. Not valid in combination with any other offers. Offer may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. Normal service charges apply to phone and internet orders.
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KIDS GO FREE!* with the purchase of one full-price adult ticket
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BroadwayOffers.com • 212.947.8844 • code: VPKGF84 • Westside Theatre, 407 W 43rd St. • VocaPeopleNYC.com *Offer is valid for children ages 12 and under only. One free ticket with each full price ticket at $79.50. Tickets are subject to availability. Cast and schedule subject to change. Not all seats are discounted. Regular service charges apply to phone and internet orders. May not be combined with any other offer or discount. Not applicable to previously purchased tickets. No refunds or exchanges. Blackout dates may apply. Offer may be revoked at any time. Minimum of 2, maximum of 8 tickets per order.
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©AMNH/Mark Garlick
The American Museum of Natural History
10 GREAT IDEAS NOVEMBER
November 5
THE DUKE
November 6
[Ages 6+]
Introduce your little cool cats to a jazz great in an accessible, interactive performance by The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Hosted by contemporary jazz legend Wynton Marsalis, “Who Is Duke Ellington?” is an hour-long Jazz for Young People program that will bring the style and swing of Ellington’s unforgettable compositions to life. Discover Duke at 1pm and 3pm on November 5, with free pre-concert activities, like dancing and crafts, at 12pm and 2pm. Tickets are $12, $20 and $28. 33 West 60th Street, 212-258-9800, jalc.org. November 6
BRING YOUR OWN KID [Ages 0-6]
FOR HE WHO HAS PLENTY OF TIME [All Ages]
Feeling bored? Come join famed protagonist Milo as he travels to the Kingdom of Wisdom. Symphony Space will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the kiddo classic The Phantom Tollbooth with author Norton Juster as part of the Thalia Kids’ Book Club. Brush up on your literary puns and get ready for an awesome afternoon centered on this beloved book, first published in 1961. Event begins at 1pm; tickets are $15 for nonmembers. Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater, 2537 Broadway, 212-864-5400, symphonyspace.org. Opens November 11
BUILD HEALTH EVERY DAY THROUGH PLAY [Ages 2-10]
The 92Y Tribeca is serving up The Suzi Shelton Band for a family-style portion of rock and roll as part of its B.Y.O.K. series. The local star—who’s been grooving the music scene for over a decade—will be joined by backup singers, The Gumdrops, and Shelton’s six-year-old daughter, Emma. Don’t miss just-released original tracks like “Smile In My Heart” and “Tomboy In A Princess Dress.” The concert begins at 11am. Tickets are $15 and babies under two years old get in for free. 200 Hudson Street, 212-601-1000, 92Y.org.
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This month, The Children’s Museum of Manhattan will debut its interactive EatSleepPlay exhibit. Aimed to teach youth essential facts about nutrition, sleep and exercise via educational games and activities, families can discover how to live a healthier lifestyle in a fun and fresh way. CMOM’s newest addition is divided into five thematic areas, like Eat, where tots can sort fruits and veggies into bins and create their own nutritious superhero. Or mosey over to the Play section, which encourages fams to stay active in the soundproof laser dance chamber. Admission is $11 per person. 212 West 83rd Street, 212-721-1223, cmom.org. www.newyorkfamily.com
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November 12-13
A CLASSICAL CANDY LAND [Ages 3 to 5]
Introduce your tots to the world of classical music through a sweet realm infused with candy canes, chocolate and costumed characters. This month, The Little Orchestra Society presents “The Orchestra - A Happy Family” as part of its Lolli-Pops series—ideal for the preschool set. In this kid-friendly concert, children will learn the essentials of percussion and strings, brass and wind instruments through classic compositions like Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” and Debussy’s “Cakewalk.” Showtimes are Saturday, November 12 at 10 or 11:30am and Sunday, November 13 at 1 or 2:30pm. 330 West 42nd Street, 212-971-9501, littleorchestra.org. November 13
FALL FAMILY FIESTA
Photo: Tanya Ahmed ©Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation 2011
[Ages 4-10]
thanks to The American Museum of Natural History’s newest addition, “Beyond Earth: The Future of Space Exploration” later this month. Walk through a recreation of the surface of Mars, see a replica of a lunar habitat (to size!) and check out authentic equipment from past space missions. For dedicated space lovers, there are also challenging computer games and plenty of chances to hear from scientists on what the future holds for reaching out beyond earth. Tickets are $25 for adults, $19 for students and seniors and $14.50 for children. Includes general admission to the museum. Central Park West at 79th Street, 212-769-5100, amnh.org. November 25-27
MO WILLEMS THE MUSICAL [Ages 3+]
When an exciting trip to a laundromat takes a turn for the worse—little girl Trixie loses her fuzzy knuffle bunny—one tiny tot has to figure out a way to tell her father what’s wrong. And it’s up to Dad to save the day! Based on the beloved picture book by Brooklyn’s own Mo Willems, NYU’s Skirball Center presents Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale for a three-day run. You’ll have five chances to see this heartwarming family musical. Tickets are $15-$25. 566 LaGuardia Place, 212-992-8484, skirballcenter.nyu.edu. November 28
WINTER WONDERLAND [All Ages]
The famed Guggenheim Museum invites families to explore Italian culture this Fall Family Day as it celebrates the exhibition “Maurizio Cattelan: All”—a 130-piece collection. The exhibit showcases the artist’s 20-year career with pieces on pop culture and organized religion. The day will include hands-on art activities for the kiddos, a scavenger hunt and a musical performance. The fun will run from 2 to 5pm, costing $15 per family and $10 for members. 1071 Fifth
Avenue, 212-423-3500, guggenheim.org. November 18-20
A STAGED SNEAK PEEK [All Ages]
The TADA! Youth Theater Resident Youth Ensemble presents “Sneak Peek: School of Rockwell.” Curious about TADA!’s spring line-up? Get a feel for what their upcoming theatrical season will bring, including songs from The History Mystery, Everything About School (Almost) and bits from a brand new musical still in the works. Families can also meet the talented cast and artistic team behind the energetic productions at a post-show Q&A. 15 West 28th Street, 212-252-1619, tadatheater.com. Opens November 19
A JOURNEY INTO SPACE [All Ages]
America’s last space shuttle (at least for a while) may have launched, but kids can still dream about the final frontier www.newyorkfamily.com
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Keep the holiday season shiny by attending the 12th Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, New York City’s largest (and totally free!) annual winter fest. Expected to attract more than 20,000 people this year, the evening will feature a free trolley service running up and down Broadway to keep the fun moving! This year’s festivities include a performance by kiddie-favorite Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights, a tree lighting ceremony led by folk legend Arlo Guthrie, and the Time Warner Center will be buzzing with acrobatics of the Big Apple Circus. Plus, families can nosh on some of the area’s delicious eats. The evening kicks off at 5:30pm and ends at 9pm. Broadway and 63rd Street, 212-581-3774, lincolnsquarebid.org. To submit an event listing, please email newyorkfamily@manhattanmedia.com.
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November 2011 | New York Family
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VITaL TheaTre comPanY
The oh-so-sweet Angelina Ballerina is back with a special holiday remix, Angelina Ballerina: The Very Merry Holiday Musical. Kids will surely get in the Christmas spirit with this captivating live show. Performances begin on November 19. 2162 Broadway, 212-579-0528, vitaltheatre.org.
shoWsToPPers for KIds for aLL aGes Richard Termine
marY PoPPIns
The Supernanny takes to the stage in this hit musical by Disney. For tickets, call 212-307-4747 or visit ticketmaster.com. New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 West 42nd Street.
TheaTers and Performances Bmcc TrIBeca PerformInG arTs cenTer
On November 5, the ArtsPower National Touring Company will present Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing Up on the Prairie. Wilder’s books have long been a source of inspiration for adventure, and the musical will evoke that same pioneering spirit as the Ingalls family traverses the prairie in search of the perfect little house. Performance at 1:30pm. 199 Chambers Street, 212-220-1460, tribecapac.org.
coBBLe hILL cInema
Bring your little guys to see episodes of Pingu, a Swiss stop-motion and claymated TV series about an adorable penguin named—yes, you guessed it—Pingu. This international hit is absent of human language, with the only “dialogue” being honking penguin sounds. Viewers can interpret the story of this lovable animal on their own! Pingu screens at 4pm on November 7. 265 Court Street, Brooklyn, 718-596-9113, cobblehilltheatre.com.
LITeraLLY aLIVe chILdren’s TheaTre
A holiday favorite is (almost) here! The musical adaptation of Dickens’ timeless story, A Christmas Carol, will feature grumpy Ebenezer Scrooge as he meets his ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Performances begin November 27. The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, 212-866-5170, literallyalive.com.
The neW VIcTorY TheaTer
Douglas McBride
In White, Cotton and Wrinkle are two characters who keep their environment pigment-free. But bits of color sneak in every now and then, which becomes challenging for the colorless duo. Ages 2-5 will love the surprising bursts of color as the stage eventually comes to life in a rainbow of hues. Performances run until November 13. New 42nd Street Studios, 229 West 42nd Street, 646-223-3010, newvictory.org.
neW YorK TheaTre BaLLeT
Cinderella has been revisited across the arts world, but Donald Mahler’s version (complete with pirouettes) is sure to be exceptionally beautiful. The glass slipper-wearing Cinderella and her evil stepsisters return for a delightful show danced to music by Prokofiev. See the show on November 12 and 13. Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, 212-679-0401, nytb.org.
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The LIon KInG
Disney’s blockbuster movie on Broadway is a combination of puppetry, actors and special effects—a truly magical experience. For tickets, call 212-307-4747 or visit ticketmaster.com. Minskoff Theatre, 200 West 45th Street.
for aGes 8 and UP
mamma mIa!
There’s not much to the simple plot about a woman finding her real father as she prepares to wed, but ABBA’s tunes keep the feet tapping. For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com. Winter Garden Theatre, 1634 Broadway.
sIsTer acT
You’ll laugh and cheer as Disco queen Deloris transforms a convent’s drab choir into a glamorous singing sensation. For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com. The Broadway Theatre, 1681 Broadway.
sPIder-man: TUrn off The darK
The Marvel comic superhero is brought to daredevil heights in this highflying hoopla—backed by the tunes of Bono & The Edge. For tickets, call 877-250-2929 or visit ticketmaster.com. Foxwoods Theater, 213 West 42nd Street.
The addams famILY
Watch and laugh as this kooky, beloved clan sings and dances its way around confusion. For tickets, call 212-575-9200 or visit ticketmaster. com. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 West 46th Street.
WIcKed
The Wicked Witch of the West finally commands the spotlight. For tickets, call 212-307-4100 or visit ticketmaster.com. Gershwin Theatre, 222 West 51st Street.
for TWeens
BILLY eLLIoT
A funny and heart-warming musical about a boy with a dream and a talent for dance, with a musical score written by Elton John. For tickets, call 212239-6200, or visit telecharge.com. Imperial Theatre, 249 West 45th Street.
The PhanTom of The oPera
The longest-running show in Broadway history delivers mystery, love and heartbreak. For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com. Majestic Theatre, 247 West 44th Street.
www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 11:58 AM
Broadwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Longest-Running Musical...EVER.
Telecharge.com or (212) 239-6200 MAJESTIC THEATRE, 247 West 44TH St. www.PhantomBroadway.com
detailed exhibits. Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, 201-200-1000, lsc.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Join the Met on November 20 for “Discoveries—Powerful People,” a workshop for children ages 6-17 with learning or developmental disabilities. Held in conjunction with the exhibition “Heroic Africans: Legendary Leaders, Iconic Sculptures,” this special program will feature a gallery tour and hands-on art activity. 11am-12:30pm, reservations required. 1000 Fifth Avenue, 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org. The Morgan Library and Museum On November 19, families can celebrate the holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol, with its pop-up book creator Chuck Fischer. Children ages 6-12 will bring Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the three ghosts of Christmas to life as they create their own 3-D cards. 2-4pm. 225 Madison Avenue, 212-6850008, themorgan.org.
MuseuMs And AttrActions Brooklyn Children’s Museum On November 20 (2pm), kids of all ages can enjoy Native American dance with the “Third Rail Projects - Walking In Two” program. Contemporary, social and traditional dances will use hoops as props to represent the natural world. 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-735-4402, brooklynkids.org. Children’s Museum of Manhattan How exactly are books made? Find out at CMOM’s The Art of Bookmaking Festival, November 5 and 6, where kids can become authors and illustrators by using words, pictures and one-of-a-kind stamps to create their very own literary works. 10am-12:30pm, 1-4pm. 212 West 83rd Street, 212-721-1234, cmom.org. El Museo del Barrio Celebrate the richness of the past on November 19, with a festival of words and stories. Kids can craft puppets and enjoy special guest appearances by the Bilingual Birdies and Quiara Alegría Hudes, author of Welcome To My Neighborhood. 11am-9pm. 1230 Fifth Avenue, 212831-7272, elmuseo.org. Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum In its first Manhattan visit, The Dignity Memorial® Vietnam Wall will be on display from November 8-20 to commemorate Veterans Day. Families can read the names of over 58,000 Americans killed in combat or listed as missing in the Vietnam War, teaching kids the poignancy of our nation’s history. Admission to the memorial is free. Pier 86, 12th Avenue and 46th Street, 877-957-SHIP, intrepidmuseum.org. The Jewish Museum Join the museum for Ezra Jack Keats Family Day on November 13 (124pm) in celebration of the author/illustrator of The Snowy Day. Delight in live music, readings and special gallery hunts. Museum-goers will also have the opportunity to contribute to murals. 1109 Fifth Avenue, 212423-3337, thejewishmuseum.org. Liberty Science Center If you love The Magic School Bus, then head to Liberty Science Center on November 12 to meet the wacky Ms. Frizzle in person. Learn about everything from volcanoes to insects to the human body in a series of
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Museum of Modern Art Families with kids ages six and up will delight in watching the classic animated film Mr. Bug Goes to Town on November 5. Afterwards, indulge in a group discussion on animation techniques and environmental awareness with a MoMA educator. Flick starts at noon. 11 West 53rd Street, 212-708-9400, moma.org. The New Museum As part of the First Saturdays for Families program on November 5, fams can explore the whimsical works of celebrated international artist Carsten Höller, whose artwork is part laboratory and part carnival. Recreate Höller’s 1991 performance Children Demonstrate for the Future with signs, stickers and posters. 10am-12pm. 235 Bowery, 212-219-1222, newmuseum.org. New York Botanical Garden The beloved Holiday Train Show returns on November 19. Marvel as model trains whizz by replicas of favorite New York landmarks, masterfully created out of plant parts. Kids can explore a gingerbread playhouse, decorate cookies and watch classic holiday films. 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, 718-817-8700, nybg.org. New York Police Museum Bring curious kids (ages 5-14) for Junior Detective Day on November 19! Solve a mystery by using crime scene investigation techniques, like fingerprinting, and perfect your observation skills as you search for clues. 11am-2pm. 100 Old Slip, 212-480-3100, nycpm.org. Wave Hill During Hive Culture Weekend on November 5 and 6, sculpt a bee out of tissue paper or decorate a beeswax candle. Then take your new bee friend to taste some sweet honey! West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, Bronx, 718-549-3200, wavehill.org. www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 11:59 AM
the
L ast w o r d
SpouSeS
For LiFe
Justin, Michael, doug and Zachary celebrating together.
AFter YeArS oF rAiSing two SonS, An nYC CoupLe CeLebrAteS their new MArriAge BY Doug RoBiNsoN (Editor’s Note: Doug and his lifetime partner Michael Elsasser were one of the five original couples who were plaintiffs in the 2004 Same-Sex Marriage lawsuit against New York State.) On the morning of July 24, 2011, Michael Elsasser, my lifetime partner for over 25 years, and I were married at the New York City Clerk’s Office by the very Honorable Judge Doris Ling-Cohen. Finally, we were able to realize one of our lifelong goals; the official state recognition of our years of committed love and devotion to one another. This day was particularly memorable for us because our two sons, Justin and Zachary, ages 26 and 23 respectively, served as our witnesses and best men. Their presence on this extraordinarily historic day marked an important milestone for us, too; the sanctification of our life as a family. Our situation may be extraordinary, yet it is also typical of a family experience, growing up in a loving and nurturing environment. Justin was an active and bright 11-month-old when we adopted him in 1987. I remember expressing concern to my parents that Justin was a small child. My mother, in her all-knowing ways, told me to focus on the larger picture of giving him the best family life possible. The rest would take care of itself. Today, Justin stands tall and proud. In 1990, we were blessed with the arrival of our second son, Zachary. He was a very shy and quiet 21-month-old child with deep, thoughtful eyes. Additionally, he had such a huge appetite that a close family member nicknamed him the “Refrigerator.” Today, Zack is tall and slim, with a gentle disposition. Michael and I, like most parents, focused our energy on raising our sons. I remember their first Christmas, their faces as they sat on the lap of Santa Claus, and seeing them filled with awe over the many presents under the Douglas-fir tree. True to brotherly differences, Justin opened the biggest box first while Zack selected the smallest. There are also the distant memories of watching them
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ride a two-wheel bike for the first time or seeing them dressed in Halloween costumes of their own choice. These are the kinds of memories that fathers cherish. To prepare our sons for navigating a world unaccustomed to gay-headed households, I relied on using my experiences growing up as an African-American in the 1950s. My siblings and I were the first Black children to integrate the local YMCA in Chester, Pennsylvania. I shared the advice my parents gave us: to use words and ideas to combat ignorance, and to always be proud of yourself and your family. These ideas were simple, yet profound. When it was time for our sons to enter the school system, we prepared them for dealing with homophobia—from their classmates and possibly even their teachers. We spent weeks in discussion and practiced role-playing. As children of gay parents they were once again in the minority and would need to brace themselves for the road ahead. Michael and I attended all PTA meetings and volunteered as class parents. We spoke to other parents on how to address the issue of gay parenting to their children. This proactive approach served our sons well. As they grew, we saw them gain confidence moving through life’s many milestones. The day we dropped our sons off at college was a particularly proud moment for us. It validated our parenting skills, and signaled a new chapter in our lives as a family. Finally, our marriage ceremony, which would come many years later, was the culmination of the events that bind a family. And the legal bonding to my best friend and soul mate was made more emotional by our sons’ participation. By the end of the ceremony when Judge Ling-Cohen pronounced us “Spouses for Life,” Michael and I, and Justin and Zachary were all in tears. We always knew that we were a family. It was the State of New York that had finally caught up with us. Doug Robinson is a longtime advocate for children, education, LGBT and environmental concerns. www.newyorkfamily.com
10/21/11 12:27 PM
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Cele ate
Fun!
the season with fabulous
Holiday fun awaits on 5th Avenue! Come enjoy a spectacular selection of exclusive and popular toys sure to enchant children of all ages. Stop in for the best in toys and collectibles. Stay for a unique and memorable experience! Call (212) 644-9400 to inquire about our best-in-class personal shopping service, arrange for an off-hour Toy Soldier Tour or schedule a private party for an event of a lifetime. 767 5th Avenue, New York, NY
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