Raven Snook

Raven is a writer, editor, performer and mom, who was born and bred in NYC, just like her husband, her mother and now, her daughter. In addition to Mommy Poppins, she has written about parenting and pop culture for New York Magazine, Time Out New York, The Village Voice, the New York Post, TV Guide and SheKnows. She's also the founder of Hot Mama Burlesque, the world's only all-moms burlesque show.

Latest posts by Raven Snook

This Week: Pick Your Own Fruits & Vegetables, Easter Weekend Events, Last Days of Spring Break, Great New NYC Summer Camps

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 04/17/2014 - 12:00pm

It's been a quiet week on all the Mommy Poppins sites as we spend quality time with our kids over spring break. I can't say it's been mellow though—my daughter and I have been running all over town trying to pack as much fun as possible into our NYC staycation! So far we've gone on the hunt for giant Fabergé designer eggs, strolled a section of the High Line (where a musician mistook us for tourists!), gawked at outrageous costume jewelry and 3D printing at the Museum of Arts and Design, saw Atlantic for Kids' fabulous new musical Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, played with snow (yes it really snowed on Tuesday) and romped at our favorite neighborhood playground. And we still have five days left to go, only Sunday is spoken for since we never miss the awesome Easter Bonnet Parade.

Easter of course is the big event this weekend and egg hunts abound in NYC and beyond. If you're looking for a quick seasonal getaway, consider going on an egg hunt and then hitting a Destination Playground on Long Island, taking a train ride with the Easter Bunny in New Jersey, or picking your own fruits and veggies in Westchester.

However you spend the rest of spring break, we hope you have lots of memorable family adventures. Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

This Week: Spring Break Is Here, NYC Day Trips, Easter Egg Decorating, Great Family Theater shows in NYC

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 04/10/2014 - 2:00pm

These days, the only things my daughter wants to talk about are spring break and Easter fun. But every NYC public school parent I know can't stop talking about all of the huge education-related things that have gone down this week, from the many protests against high-stakes testing throughout the city; to the New York State Education Department's decision to cancel its agreement to share students' private data with inBloom; to the NYC Department of Education amending its grade promotion policy for third to eighth graders so that passing the ELA and Math Assessments is no longer the main criteria for moving up. (That last one is still pending the approval of the Panel on Educational Policy.)

Clearly we public school families have a lot to digest, although I doubt we'll want to spend too much time on all that over spring break when there are so many awesome things to do. My daughter and I are planning a staycastion packed with museums, theater, egg decorating and leisurely afternoons in the park. But lots of our friends are hoping to get out of the city for a day trip or two. Awesome tri-state area getaways to consider include this weekend's annual Sheep-to-Shawl Festival at Philipsburg Manor in Westchester, laser tag fun on Long Island and New Jersey's iPlay America indoor amusement park and arcade. Checking our regional sites is always a great way to spark your destination inspiration.

Whatever you end up doing with your time off, we wish you and your family lots of memorable adventures! Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

This Week: NYC Easter Egg Hunts, Spring Fairs & Festivals, Best Things to Do with Kids in April in NYC & Beyond

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 04/03/2014 - 12:00pm

What a long, event-packed week it's been, especially for those of us with kids in public school. The ELA standardized tests kicked off on Tuesday, which also happened to be April Fools' Day (feel free to share your best punchlines in the comments). At least spring is finally in the air as we all gear up for a season filled with festivals and fairs; Easter egg hunts, including the awesome Fabergé Big Egg Hunt, which has brought 250-plus giant decorated egg statues to our city; and other outdoor fun.

All of our sites posted brand-new April Go Lists highlighting the absolute best things to do with kids throughout the month. Here in NYC, our top family event picks for April include three of our annual favorites: the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Cherry Blossom Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival Family Street Fair and the Queens County Farm Museum's Children's Carnival. If you're looking for spring break getaway ideas, check out our April Go Lists for Westchester, New Jersey, Long Island and beyond—they just might inspire a day trip or two.

And there's still time to enter our Amazing Max giveaway. We're giving away two prize packages that include four front-row tickets to the family magic show, a magic kit, an instructional DVD, and a private meet and greet with Max himself.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

Opting Out of the State Tests: The NYC DOE Issues New Opt-Out Guidelines for the ELA and Math Assessments

Submitted by Raven Snook on Sun, 03/30/2014 - 10:00am

Last year, when the New York State Education Department decided to overhaul the ELA and Math Assessments to be more in line with the Common Core standards, there was a huge outcry. Teachers and parents alike complained that students weren't adequately prepared for the tougher tests and some families decided to have their kids skip the exams all together even though the NYC Department of Education refused to officially acknowledge opting out. Now that has changed.

Less than a week before the ELA Assessments, which begin on Tuesday, Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña has updated the New York State Tests Parent Guide with opting out guidelines. So families who don't want their children to take the ELA or Math Assessments have a clear course of action. We've got the details on how to opt out and the implications it has for your child.

This Week: Easter Bunny Photos & Train Rides, Best Spring Museum Exhibits for NYC Kids, Hot Deals on Summer Camps

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 03/27/2014 - 12:00pm

This last weekend of March we're all looking ahead to everything spring brings like Easter, the ELA tests (they're next week!), school break and a lot more time outdoors. While we're still in the process of updating our super-popular Easter egg hunts post (don't worry, it's coming next week), we did share the best places to take your photo with the Easter Bunny in NYC and New Jersey, as well as fun holiday-themed train rides with the big bunny.

Spring is also a great season for family culture, both high and low. We kicked off our coverage with a roundup of the best new museum exhibits for kids in NYC while our Los Angeles site has a great review of Muppets Most Wanted, which my daughter and I also loved. Be warned, once you read about all the awesome extras you get when you see it at Disney's El Capitan Theatre in LA, you may feel inspired to book your spring break vacation there.

And if your family's not quite ready to say goodbye to winter, we have a great giveaway going on for you: Enter to win a family four-pack of lift tickets to Killington Resort in Vermont.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

Deals on Summer Camps & Classes, Plus Discounts on a Kidrockers Concert and Kids' Magic Show

Submitted by Raven Snook on Sun, 03/23/2014 - 10:00am

Right about now, figuring out summer camp is at the top of most parents' minds. So we're happy to share some awesome deals on great NYC day camps like NYC is My Backyard, Wingspan Arts, the just-opened Brooklyn School of Rock and more.

Already have summer camp all planned out? (We're impressed!) We also have significant discounts on the upcoming Kidrockers concert and the family magic show The Amazing Max. If you see a bargain you can't pass up, act fast: Many of these deals will be gone before the first buds bloom.

This Week: Spring Break Travel Deals, Ethnic Food Experiences for NYC Kids, Little League, First Weekend of Spring Fun

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 03/20/2014 - 4:00pm

The rain washed away the last of that ugly black snow and we took our Winter Guide down from our homepage. So I guess that makes it official: Spring is truly here! This weekend is full of great ways to celebrate the new season like the debut of Macy's Flower Show, the opening day of Queens' mini-amusement park Fantasy Forest and spring's first big movie release, Muppets Most Wanted (my daughter and I saw a preview last Saturday and thought it was a riot—it's all silly puns, goofy gags and celebrity cameos, plus a great Chorus Line parody).

If the upcoming school recess is on your mind, our Travel site has a great list of spring break getaway deals both near (Hudson Valley) and far (the Caribbean). Or check our regional sites for vacation ideas: Our New Jersey bloggers just wrote about farms with adorable baby animals and put all of their great small towns posts into a handy guide. Meanwhile our Connecticut site has a list of family road trip tips.

However you decide to spend the first weekend of spring, we hope you have a blast. Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

This Week: Amazing Weekend Events for NYC Kids, Easy School Fundraising Ideas, Focus on Carroll Gardens & Cobble Hill

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 1:00pm

Although we moved our clocks ahead back on Sunday, I still feel like I'm playing catch up (I've even had trouble getting my kid out of bed in the morning). But my daughter and I are loving the longer days, just look at that beautiful shot of Central Park at sunset, our view as we walk home from after-school.

We definitely want to get our energy up for this weekend, which is jam-packed with super-cool things to do including four of our top family event picks for all of March. Personally, we're planning to hit a Purim party, see the opening night of the new kids' musical Peace, Love and Cupcakes and maybe catch The Muppets sing-along at the New York International Children's Film Festival. It's definitely not a weekend to hang around at home!

Researching summer camps is also on our agenda. I whittled our possibilities down to eight (hey, I started at 30) using Mommy Poppins' new-and-improved Camp Directory. All of our regional sites have overhauled Camp Guides as well in case you want to see what kind of summer programs are offered in Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week.

Latest posts by Raven Snook

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