Free Outdoor Shows Make Shakespeare Doable with Kids
Submitted by Anna Fader on
Anna Fader
Founder of Mommy Poppins
A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.
Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.
Latest posts by Anna
Memorial Day Weekend Activites and Events for Kids
Submitted by Anna Fader on
[THIS POST IS FROM 2008. PLEASE SEE OUR 2009 EVENT PICKS FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.]
I can't believe it's Memorial Day Weekend already...and I'm cold! But here it is and it's bringing the good weather with it. Memorial Day Weekend marks the openings of the city beaches and swimming pools. Also Victorian Garden's Manhattan's own amusement park. And this week is Fleet Week. Get ready for summer with our lists of top family beaches, swimming pools and amusement parks. Whether you are staying in the city or heading for the hills it looks like this Memorial Day Weekend really will be a great kick-off into the summer season.
The big fireworks display Thursday night was just the beginning of the celebrations for the 125th Anniversary of Brooklyn Bridge. This weekend is filled with fun family events starting tonight, plus a bunch of other interesting cultural events. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
Top Resources for Family Travel
Submitted by Anna Fader on
The travel industry is notoriously ridden with a lot of "guides" that are actually just advertorials. But family bloggers and parent writers are stepping up to give parents traveling with kids real information based on their personal experiences. We've gathered together the top genuine resources for family travel from blogs to books.
DeliciousBaby
An excellent site I have found is DeliciousBaby. Debbie blogs about traveling with her two small children in the US, Canada and Europe, sharing their favorite destinations, kid-friendly restaurants, plus her site has lots of great family travel tips to make traveling with kids a little easier.
Get Outta Town: San Francisco
Submitted by Anna Fader on
Despite the fickle weather, summer is just around the corner and it's time to get serious about planning those summer vacations. So, this week we thought we'd share some summer travel ideas with a couple of family friendly destinations to inspire your summer travel dreams. This first one is a guest post from Jackie Burwell from the Bay Area's aParentlySpeaking blog. Jackie shares her insider tips on a visit t San Francisco with kids. Thanks, Jackie!
We here at the Bay Area's aParentlySpeaking blog know families traveling to San Francisco are looking for a few key things: the soaring orange bridge, clanging cable cars and that famous Ghirardelli chocolate. So here's our idea of a perfect day or two by the Bay with tots, teens or tweens; five cool family outings that should give you and your kids your photo opps, trolleys and treats, but show you another side of our pretty city too.
Photo Credit: Contra Costa Times
Free Fun Friday: Dance Parade, Kites, Horses, Mamapalooza
Submitted by Anna Fader on
This weekend is absolutely jam-packed with festivals and activities, so I will just write about the top ten can't miss activities in brief. Also be sure to check out our Weekend of trickster and Folklore Events post for this weekend. This is yet another weekend I wish I could be in ten places at once (one of them obviously being in bed...oh, man, wouldn't it be great if you could spend the day in bed while your other self went out with the kids and did all kinds of fun stuff...sorry, little mommy fantasy moment there.)
Get Tricky: A weekend full of trickster stories and folklore
Submitted by Anna Fader on
Photo: Anansi, The Spiderman of Africa
My son loves trickster stories (gee I can't imagine why). Trickster stories exist in one form or another in just about every culture. We have Bugs Bunny and Johnny Depp, but Native American and African stories are filled with animal trickster tales.
Trickster stories are great for kids. Kids love seeing grown-ups act like mischievous children and also getting fooled, but trickster stories also help children see mischievous behavior from another perspective and learn about the consequences of their actions.
This weekend there are a bunch of activities to expose kids to some fun and interesting trickster and other folk and multicultural tales.
Best Mommy Poppins Posts: Reader's Picks
Submitted by Anna Fader on
I want to thank everyone for participating in our Mother's Day Giveaway Week. It was really fun reading everyone's comments and giving away all those prizes. Today we're announcing the winner of our Mother and Child Portrait Session Giveaway and I wanted to share the posts that readers picked out as their favorites in the comments of our Spa Giveaway. In addition to some of our most popular posts and favorite weekly features like Linkin' Blogs and Free Fun Friday, a bunch of readers have really been paying attention and chosen some of the hidden gems of the site as their favorite posts. Take a look at what your fellow readers have been liking on the site:
Reader's Choice: Best Mommy Poppins Posts
Armchair Exploring: Cool sites to discover off-the-beaten-path New York
Mom??™s Groups Roundup
best candy stores in NYC (Actually two posts, Economy Candy and Sweet Life)
Green Sites for Families
It's time to give up the (water) bottle.
100 things to do with kid in NYC
Indoor Activities for NYC Kids
where to ski with kids in new york
summer camp overview
Great Places to Swim
99 Sensory Activities For Any Child
Thanks, everyone, for reading the site and sharing your favorite posts with us. We're glad you like it!
And now to announce our big winner:
Mothers Day Weekend Activities in New York
Submitted by Anna Fader on
We heard what real moms want for Mothers Day in the comments of our Mommy Cards and Flowers Giveaway. Not Diamonds, not even jewelry or flowers. What moms really want is time. Time alone. Time with their kids. Time for dad to be with the kids. So we've rounded up some Mother's Day weekend activities that cover all the bases, whatever Mom's in the mood for.
For mom who wants a fun day out with the whole family
First Annual LIC Bike Parade!
Socrates Sculpture Park
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Registration 11:30 AM
Workshops 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Parade 3:00 PM - 4:00PM Rain or shine!
FREE
I'm always afraid that the cool, artsy community events will die out in NYC, but here's an example of a brand new one just being born.
