Mom in the City

(In case you have school-aged kids in addition to your preschoolers, it's good to plan ahead...)

This year, NYC kids will have their spring recess from April 21st to April 25th. Although it’s great for the kids, it can pose a challenge for us parents when the kids get bored. The following resources should help to keep your young ones busy.

-Indoor Recreation Facilities: Recreation Centers (owned and operated by the Parks Department); Community Centers (owned by the Parks Department with programming by community organizations) and Field Houses (seasonal/limited programs at Parks facilities) are available in all five boroughs. They offer a variety of services including indoor pools and athletic rooms, art studios, game rooms and a variety of classes. Most of their programs are free (or a modest cost). Membership for young people (under 18) is free. Two centers with good reputations are Sunset Park (7th Avenue at 43rd Street in Brooklyn) and Tony Dapolito (3 Clarkson Street in Manhattan). You can find a comprehensive list of facilities at http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/recreation_centers/.

-YMCAs: They offer a variety of athletic and social programs for the community at reasonable costs. Located in all five boroughs, they are especially known for teaching people to swim (their aquatics program). Locations of note include the following: McBurney YMCA (125 W. 14th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves. in Manhattan); Harlem YMCA (180 W. 135th St. at Adam Clayton Powell); Prospect Park YMCA (357 Ninth St. in Brooklyn) and West Side YMCA (5 West 63rd St. off Central Park West in Manhattan). For a comprehensive list of YMCAs, visit http://www.ymcanyc.org.

-Parks: As the weather gets warmer, there are more activities (both indoor and outdoor) at parks throughout the five boroughs. Parks properties range from swimming pools to wetlands and from woodlands to skating rinks. Prospect Park (in Brooklyn) will be celebrating Earth Week from April 21 – 27. Central Park (in Manhattan) will be hosting a Spring Discoveries camp from April 21 – 25 where kids will explore the park through rock climbing, sports, nature hikes and arts and crafts. The $250 camp for kids (ages 6 to 11) will take place daily from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm. To find the park of the month, announcements, park events and more, visit the Parks website at: http://www.nycgovparks.org/index.php.

-Museums: This is a great time to take kids to experience a variety of art forms. The New York Hall of Science (47-01 111th Street in Queens) is offering an interactive traveling exhibit “Invention at Play” through May 11. The American Museum of Natural History (Central Park West at 79th Street in Manhattan) has several great offerings that will appeal to kids including Water: H2O = Life, the Butterfly Conservatory and a new space show. In addition, they offer two spring day camps (Fossils and DNA and Water Camp) for children on April 21–25. For younger kids, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (212 West 83rd Street in Manhattan) and the Children’s Museum of the Arts (182 Lafayette Street in Manhattan) offer a variety of hands-on workshops.