82nd Street Academics provides pre-K, universal pre-K, afterschool, and summer school programs for children ages three to 12, and provides volunteer opportunities for teenagers ages 16 and up.

Students can attend Pre-K two, three, or five days a week. Families also have the option of choosing a morning class, which runs from 9am to 11am or an afternoon class from 12n to 2pm. A full-day preschool program (10:30am-6:30pm) is also available.

Teachers College, Columbia University, hosts the Action Arts Summer Camp for children ages five to 12.

Each day, campers join arts education professionals for hands-on discovery experiences in music, art, and dance/drama. Through the use of developmentally appropriate curriculum, campers engage in exciting theme-based interdisciplinary activities that encourage inquiry and cooperation.

The program cultivates freedom, awareness, and self-expression while nurturing each child's personal voice. The program also promotes listening, composing, moving, dancing, drawing, sculpture, and collage.

A typical day at the camp includes integrated emphasis on art, music and dance/drama, story time, outdoor and indoor free play, snack time, and pool time. The camp also takes one trip to a museum or cultural institution in New York City.

The instructors at the Actions Arts Summer Camp are experienced educators and artists who are or have been part of Teachers College Art, Music, or Dance Education programs. They are adept at working with children of all ages and abilities.

There's no better place to spend a rainy day, or even a sunny one, than inside the American Museum of Natural History, winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Museum for Little Kids in New York City. From the instant they climb the stone steps and enter the lobby, children are rapt with attention. The animal dioramas are over 30 years old (they were there when WE were kids), but the scenes are still fascinating and weirdly beautiful. The dinosaurs, of course, can't be beat, and the often overlooked Hall of Gems contains The Star of India, the biggest and most famous star sapphire.

The Hall of Biodiversity is another big crowd-pleaser, with a walk through faux rainforest and lots of sea and land creatures to gaze upon.

The Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins presents the remarkable history of human evolution from our earliest ancestors millions of years ago to modern Homo sapiens. The innovative Spitzer Hall combines the most up-to-date discoveries in the fossil record with the latest in genomic science to explore the most profound mysteries of humankind: who we are, where we came from, and what is in store for the future of our species.

The Discovery Room houses hands-on exhibits for older children in the company of an adult. Kids can hunt for hidden creatures in a two-story replica of an African baobab tree (read the Little Prince before visiting!), check out an authentic Kwakiutl totem pole, dig for fossils (the staff tell us it takes about two weeks for kids to uncover the skeleton, at which point the museum covers it back up with packed sand for the next round), put a dino skeleton back together (our kids' favorite) with ingenious magnetized bones, and track earthquakes all over the world on a seismograph.

The Discovery Room holds about 50 inquisitive kids and parents at a time; when it gets too busy, you might be asked to wait for the next 40 minute stretch.

IMAX films are screened in the Lefrak Theatre, which features a forty-foot-high, sixty-six-foot-wide screen and a state-of-the-art digital sound system.
Tickets can be reserved in advance by calling 212.769.5200,
Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Highlights Tours are offered daily at 10:15am, 11:15am, 12:15pm; 1:15pm, 2:15pm, and 3:15pm. Tours begin at the entrance to the Akeley Hall of African Mammals, on the second floor.

Special exhibits and seasonal events, like the annual Butterfly Conservatory, require additional ticketing, and often an additional fee, and it can all be somewhat confusing. The smartest way to visit the museum is to plan in advance - and order tickets before you go. The Will Call ticket booth (located at the entrance at 81st between Central Park West and Columbus) usually has shorter lines than the drop-in booths, and if you order in advance you're sure to be able to see what you want to see.

AMNH offers summer camp and school vacation camp options for kids ages seven to 12. Check the website for updated information.

The museum is justly proud of its Food Court on the lower level; walk through the center and choose food to put on your tray - the options range from the very healthy and nice looking fruits and vegetables (and lovely cheese plates), to kid-pleasing pizza, burgers, and fries. Even on a crowded Saturday at 12:30pm, we had no trouble sailing through the brilliantly designed self-serve section, paying, and finding a place to sit.

The Hayden Planetarium is housed in the new Rose Center for Earth and Space.

Parking is available in the Museum's three story lot (enter on 81st Street between Columbus and Central Park West), for typical NYC prices. Still, you can't beat the convenience. Don't forget to have your ticket validated in the museum; you'll save at least a couple of dollars off the full price.

The museum is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

CityPass: The American Museum of Natural History is a participant in CityPass®, the most convenient way to visit five city attractions. Tickets are combined in an easy booklet for one low price, with no waiting in ticket lines!

ArchiKids offers young people the opportunity to explore the built world around them and to stretch their imaginations, with a goal of educating and inspiring children through architecture. A child doesn't necessarily need to aspire to a career in architecture to enjoy the ArchiKids programs, just a strong sense of curiosity about the world and a desire to explore and test new ideas.

ArchiKids afterschool classes offer an introduction to basic architectural concepts. During each class kids participate in at least one hands-on activity, which is aimed at developing two-dimensional and three-dimensional visualization skills.

Basic structures - such as columns and beams, arches, domes, and vaults - are discussed and then built and tested. Concepts like form, symmetry, contrast, balance, and rhythm are introduced and explored in the projects. Connections are made to fine art and music as well as to history, geography, math, and science.

Sessions meet once a week for 10 weeks. Drop-off starts at 3:30pm; the workshop runs from 4pm to 5:30pm. The cost for a 10 week session is $300. Signing up for multiple sessions offers a cost savings.

ArchiKids also offers ArchiCamp, an innovative day camp offering kids ages nine to 13 a unique opportunity to explore architecture in New York City.

Each day a specific architectural concept is presented and then the kids work on an engaging, hands-on building project related to that concept. They get to experiment with form, structure and materials, their imagination and creativity the only constraints. Work is done both independently and collaboratively.

In the afternoon the group visits a building or neighborhood that relates to the morning's project. Besides reinforcing the concepts developed by the building project, the site visits offer the kids a unique view of New York.

The camp day runs from 9am-5pm, at a cost of $450 per week (plus a $20 registration fee). Arrangements can be made for early drop-off or late pick-up.

Grades: Pre-K to 8

Students: Coed


The School for Children at Bank Street is an independent laboratory school for Bank Street College and a working model of the College's approach to learning and teaching. Education at the School is experience-based, interdisciplinary, and collaborative.

Bank Street Summer Camp, an eclectic summer camp open to children ages four through 13, offers a variety of programs including art, theater, science, astronomy, digital technology, sports, field trips, and overnight camp. A Spanish lanuage immersion program is offered in conjunction with La Escuelita. All groups swim twice a week at either the Barnard Pool, an outdoor pool in Riverdale, or Lake Sebago. Camp tuition ranges from $1050 to $3240 and up depending on the program. Financial aid is available. Call 212.875.4705, email BankstreetSummercamp@bankstreet.edu, or fax 212.665.2811 for further information.

The Better Brooklyn Community Center, or BBCC, provides one-on-one homework assistance and tutoring to 190 students for the entire school year, based on the students' needs. Tutors are certified teachers, educational specialists in math and reading, and trained volunteers who act as mentors, providing positive reinforcement for youth.

The Summer Enrichment Camp is an academic-based day program for Kindergarten through 9th grade and includes enrichment courses in reading, writing, and math. Other activities include swimming, basketball, martial arts instruction, yoga, dance, arts instruction (drawing, painting, and sculpture), musical drama connected to educational topics, film production, writing and editing of the student newsletter and website, a cooking class, an environmental education course, poetry class, and field trips to the Science Guild Museum, City Hall, and the New York Aquarium.

BrightSteps teaches foreign languages - Spanish, Italian, French, and Mandarin - to young children, ages six months to six years, through active learning, individualized attention, and - most importantly - cultural themes. Native speaking instructors use music, dance, drama, art, games, and other activities to draw kids into the exploration of a new language.

Summer sessions at BrightSteps, for children ages three to six, are offered for a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of eight weeks. Morning sessions run Monday to Friday, 9am-12n; afternoon sessions are held Monday to Thursday, 1pm-4pm. Children are provided with healthy snacks approximately half-way into each class.

A city kid with a green thumb? It's been known to happen, and young explorers and gardener wanna-be's can learn a lot at the BBG's outdoor adventure garden, designed especially for young children.

The outdoor adventure garden is designed especially for young children to explore plant life from a kid's perspective. Children may visit sense-ational plants and colorful flowers, follow butterflies and birds in a wildlife meadow, pump water down a bamboo waterfall to a stream, hide under a tree, hike a nature trail, and meet a giant green spider. The Discovery Garden includes safe areas designed for toddlers to experience plant life firsthand and have fun.

Brightly colored Plant Discovery Carts are chock-full of games, puzzles, and natural objects. Kids can "Be-a-Bee" and learn about pollination, or train to be a Tree Surgeons and learn how to help the trees on your block, or try to guess what part of a plant is in the mystery bag. Topics, activities, and schedules change regularly, so there's always something new to explore. Don't forget to collect family fun activity sheets to take home. Check our Calendar for upcoming events.

Kids can sign up for KinderGardeners Seedlings programs, usually offered in increments of six Fridays or Saturdays. Check the website for classes.

Free guided tours are offered at 1pm on weekends (except major holiday weekends); no reservations are needed.

The Terrace Cafe offers a full menu of gourmet lunches and beverages. Dining is outdoors from spring to early fall and in the Steinhardt Conservatory late fall and winter. Picnicking is not permitted in the Garden.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden has two shops, both located on Lily Pool Terrace. The Gift Shop carries stationery, personal accessories, and home items. The Garden Shop carries everything for the garden as well as huge selection of nature and gardening toys for kids.

The Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program (BCAP) Summer Camp, for kids ages seven to 12, is offered in three two-week Summer Camp sessions from late June through mid-August. An optional after-camp program, from 3:30pm-6pm, is also available and features games, activities, and time for journal writing, reading, movies, or just being with friends at one of the seven participating institutions. Tuition assistance is offered for qualifying campers.

The basic camp fee for the two-week program (Mon-Fri for 10 sessions, 9am-3:30pm) is $625. The after-camp fee for the two-week program (also Mon-Fri for 10 sessions) is an additional $150.

Family Membership benefits include two membership cards for free admission for two adults and any children under 16, free parking for four visits, 10% discount at the Terrace Cafe, discounts on children's programs and classes, 10% discount at the Garden Gift Shop, entry to members' summer hours, Sunset Picnics and Preview Night at the Plant Sale, and quarterly issues of both the 21st-Century Gardening Series Handbooks and Plants & Gardens News.

Brooklyn College's division of Professional Studies and Continuing Education (PACE) offers classes and activities in the arts, sciences, and sports, for students ages six to 18. In addition, PACE offers high school prep and SAT prep courses.

The Summer Youth Program is the winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Day Camp for Teens in Brooklyn.

Carmelo the Science Fellow offers programs that teach kids science using a hands-on, inquiry based approach in a relaxed atmosphere.

Science classes, summer camp, and birthday parties take place at the Cosmic Cove, Carmelo's "laboratory of fun."

Children's PressLine is a media organization for kids ages ten to 18 that offers young people amazing insight into the world of journalism. Kids help run the bureau - setting up stories, researching, suggesting story ideas - and may work on ancillary projects that include online, radio, TV, and books.

Kids can join by attending one of the quarterly New Members Training sessions, which are led by senior teen editors. Interested individuals should email cpl@cplmedia.org with name, age, address, and phone number to find out when the next training will be held.

Chinese Book Garden serves families looking for occasional exposure to Chinese language and culture, the opportunity to begin systematic learning of Mandarin Chinese and exposure to Chinese culture, or kids and adults seeking to improve Mandarin proficiency and enrich cultural experiences.

It offers Mandarin classes for children ages five to ten, in addition to a small summer camp that operates from mid June to mid August each year.

Chinese Book Garden can also help organize or host small parties with Chinese culture themes (Chinese cooking, Chinese games, and Chinese costume shows, for example), and serves as a source for books in Chinese. Based on your readers' age, Chinese levels, and interests, the staff can help you select and order books. You can also come to read and borrow from the facility's 2,000 selected children's books in Chinese.

Hunter College offers a free eight week summer program in which kids in grades 7 to 12 have an opportunity to learn Chinese language and culture.

After an initial three-week conversation camp - where students learn how to conduct simple interviews in Chinese on topics such as sports, shopping, family, and how to give directions - the program moves to an online instruction format, focusing on developing literacy skills.

Students are assigned a language partner in Beijing to conduct a language and culture project in each other's target language to increase mutual understanding via the online virtual community.

High school juniors and seniors can earn 3 to 6 college credits.

The Claremont Children's School is located on Amsterdam Avenue and West 96th Street, where the East River Savings Bank was prominently located since 1926.

Each of the ten classrooms has access to a kid-sized bathroom. In addition to the classrooms, the school has a computer lab (with twelve stations for students and a main station for the teacher), school library, art classroom,
woodshop, 2800 square-foot gym, and a rooftop garden.

The preschool focus is on teacher-directed activities in a comfortable setting with an enriched curriculum. The core of the curriculum is developmentally appropriate play with a rich assortment of materials and plenty of opportunity for interacting with peers. Call the morning of the day after Labor Day of the year preceding the year you would like your child to start preschool.

Day Camp Programs for children ages two to four are available during the summer. Two-year-olds attend a half day, from 9am-12; threes and fours from 9am-3pm.

Birthday parties can also be held at the school. The 2800 square-foot gym, on the first floor, offers great play equipment ideal for children up to the age of six. Call extension 17 for details or to reserve a date.

The entrance to the school includes stroller parking.

Cobble Hill Ballet School offers ballet classes for kids and adults. The winter/spring session classes last 20 weeks; shorter summer sessions and classes are also available.

Grades: N-4

Students: Co-ed

Average class size: 18 students

Philosophy:Mixed age grouping; progressive


Children must be two and a half years of age to begin nursery school at Corlears.

School tours begin in October and are arranged through the office.

Children in all-day programs bring box lunches.

Afterschool Specialty Classes includes courses such as chess, Spanish, cooking, and more. Child care is available from 3pm-5:45pm for children four years and older on a daily basis. There is an hourly charge.

Early Birds 8am drop-off is available for a small fee.

Corlears Summer Science Camp, for children ages three to eight, focuses on the theme of Nature In the City. Activities also include swimming (for children five years and up), music, art, and movement.

We all know it's best to expose children to language and culture at an age when they still have a linguistic openness - the proverbial "ear."

The French Institute Alliance Francaise (aka FIAF) offers à petits pas: French for Toddlers, a total-immersion French language program designed specifically for toddlers that introduces children to new sounds and encourages parents to share in the experience. Teachers are specially trained to teach the French language to young children.

The after-school program offers 90-minute courses once a week for kids and teens from ages five to 17. Students are divided into groups according to their age, interests, and skill level. Specially designed educational materials for teaching French are used in the class.

The Summer Camp program exposes children ages six to 13 to the French language through a variety of workshop-type classes - in theater, cooking, art, music, and more. Half day (10am-1pm) and full day (10am-4pm) programs are available, Mon-Thu.

The Theater Camp for Teens, ages 13-16, runs for two two-week sessions and is open to intermediate and advanced-level French speakers. Kids experiment with theater games and acting in French and build a one hour show based on French classical comedies and improvisations.

The French Institute Alliance Française is an American, private, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization created in 1898. Its mission is to promote and enhance the knowledge of the French language, and to encourage interaction among French and American people through programs in education and the arts.

GenuineClass offers a variety of computer classes and workshops to help build children's skills in puzzle- and problem-solving, computer programming, art, music, and language arts.

After-school programs are available Mondays through Fridays from 3pm-6pm. Most classes are one hour in length and run one day a week for a semester.

Summer Camp programs are available in one-week or two-week increments, mornings or afternoons, for children ages seven to 14. Each one-week session costs $450 and is offered either morning (9:30am-12:30pm) or afternoon (1:30pm-4:30pm). Older kids can also "design their own camp," choosing elements from Digital Artistry to Desktop Publishing.

Private tutoring is $75 and up; instructors can visit you in your home. Parents can also sign up for instruction in basic business applications (Word or Excel, for example) while little ones engage in a structured computer activity at the same time.

These wonderful classes alternate between an exploration of painting, sculpture, and installations at museums and galleries around town, and then "playing" with those same concepts in a spacious studio setting. Classes are small, consisting of nine to 13 kids and their parents or caregivers.

Each HiArt! semester focuses on one contemporary musical masterpiece and the music is integrated into the art, with a little dance and improvisation incorporated as a means of digesting the lesson with gusto. Students visit New York's major galleries and museums one week, with hands-on art, music, and movement the next.

2008/2009 Opera 'N Art! and Arty Readers sessions (ages two-12) start off with a focus on Fantastic Mr. Fox, renowned contemporary composer Tobias Picker's opera based on Roald Dahl's classic tale. Families also have the opportunity to attend a live performance and backstage tour at the Dicapo Opera Theatre.

Other classes include Life-Drawing and Painting with Jazz-Minh Moore (ages 12-15), Sculpture Club with Nickolas Lascot (ages 7-14), Manga Madness with Yali Lin (ages seven-14), and more.

Like HiArt!, the Culture Bugs Mini Camp program combines an ongoing exploration of painting, sculpture, and installations at NYC museums with in-studio sessions of opera, dance, film, and theater. The program is offered three days a week, Tue-Thu, with both half and whole days options available. Look for animation in August and more arts opportunities throughout the summer. Special workshops for older kids run every afternoon during the camp day for the entire summer.

Younger children (ages three through pre-K) come with an adult partner; older children (K-8th grade) are welcome to come on their own. Adult partners participate fully in the program - singing, dancing, gluing, designing, hopping - whatever children do, adults do as well.

HiArt! is also home to the Time In Children's Arts Initiative, a non-profit project committed to the idea that young children grow not from time-outs in underserved classrooms, but from "time-in" the world around them.

iD Tech Camp is a week-long, day and overnight program for kids ages seven to 17. Campers build robots, create video games, design websites with Flash, film digital movies, and learn programming. Special teen programs include iD Gaming Academy, iD Film Academy, and a Study Abroad program in Spain.

iD Tech Camp is a week-long, day and overnight program for kids ages seven to 17. Campers build robots, create video games, design websites with Flash, film digital movies, and learn programming. Special teen programs include iD Gaming Academy, iD Film Academy, and a Study Abroad program in Spain.

Juguemos a Cantar is a unique program developed to introduce children birth to 12 years to practical Spanish through music and play. All classes are in Spanish and are taught by qualified native speaking instructors in a total immersion environment. A diverse spectrum of programs accomodate the needs of different ages and levels.

The Music Program introduces young children and their caregivers to Spanish sounds, words, and pronunciation. It also introduces the concepts of music, movement, and dramatic play to encourage listening, watching, and imitating. Semesters are divided in four sessions (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer).

The Playgroup Program provides an opportunity for children to socialize in Spanish, and is offered for children ages 18 months to four years. Playgroups are run by a bilingual teacher and are organized in three sessions (Fall, Winter, and Spring).

The Escuela Program, for children ages two to four, is taught entirely in Spanish, and is designed to grow with the students, until they are ready to join the Spanish Literacy Program (SLP) at age four. The program runs from September to June with an optional Summer Camp Program.

Toddlers, preschoolers, and older children can join the Enrichment Program, for ages 18 months to 12 years. Students attend classes in cooking, science, social studies, singing and music, yoga, guitar, and more. All subjects are taught in Spanish so that the students learn the language as they learn the content.

The Summer Camp Program is run in Spanish by bilingual teachers/instructors and counselors and combines Spanish instruction with other activities that children love to do. Half day and full day sessions are available, Camp is held in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The drop-in Playspace offers an opportunity to experience the school. Children are engaged with free play, tricyles, slides, toys, art, sing along, and storytime. The program, which is available in Park Slope, begins during the first cold days of November or December and ends when spring arrives in March.

Kid's Lit Corner Writing & Illustrating Camp offers a unique opportunity for young writers and illustrators (ages six to 11) to be instructed and guided through the completion of a 32-page hardcover storybook - over the course of just one week.

The camp covers professional publication techniques, and camper/authors emerge with a brilliant and original book to add to their personal art or writing portfolio.

A technology summer camp for kids ages eight to 18, Kids-N-Technology enables campers to create their own computers to take home. Campers build, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot, and repair personal computers, authoring their own day camp experience.

Three summer day camp programs are offered: Build Your Own PC, Game Machine, or Laptop. Campers have the option to take their final product home or simply enjoy the
building experience.

A technology summer camp for kids ages eight to 18, Kids-N-Technology enables campers to create their own computers to take home. Campers build, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot, and repair personal computers, authoring their own day camp experience.

Three summer day camp programs are offered: Build Your Own PC, Game Machine, or Laptop. Campers have the option to take their final product home or simply enjoy the
building experience.

Liberty Science Center's new facility features cutting-edge technology and plenty of hands-on interactivity in its permanent exhibits.

Kids can learn about wind tunnels or don a safety harness and "walk the steel" on an 18 foot-high girder in the Skyscraper exhibit; ponder the interplay between predator and prey - and meet some live animals - in Eat and Be Eaten, and discover how disease spreads in Infection Connection.

The Imax Dome Theater presents giant-screen films every hour from 9:15am until 45 minutes before closing. Children under two years are not admitted; films are generally recommended for ages six and up.

Week-long Robotics Summer Camp programs are open to kids ages eight to 15. Camp runs Mon-Fri, 9:30am-4pm, at a fee of $850. Call 201.253.1322 to register, or for more information.

Basic Family Membership is $200.

With an emphasis on auditory, visual, and tactile learning, Little Language Playhouse focuses on classic Italian songs and music.

Interactive classes are conducted exclusively in Italian, using puppets, toys, songs, stories, and manipulatives. Classes are kept small for individualized instruction. Children younger than three attend Mommy & Me classes with a parent or adult caregiver.

A Preschool program for children ages three to four is also available one or two days a week, for two-and-a-half hours per day.

A July Summer Day Camp (for two age groups: three to six years, and seven to ten years) is designed to provide an environment where children socialize & learn Italian through effective, age appropriate indoor/outdoor activities, and conversational games. Morning and afternoon half-day options are offered. Advance registration is required.

Membership at the Marshall gives kids access to Sunday chess classes (10am-12n), a chess-oriented summer camp program, tournaments, and more.

Grades: N-8

Co-ed

A non-profit, non-denominational, non-discriminatory
educational institution, the Montessori School of NY International delivers a multi-faceted program for children from the age of two through junior high.
The rigorous academic program includes opportunities for kids to learn foreign languages, dance, drama, swimming, gymnastics, tennis, horseback riding, art, cooking, and more. The international focus aims to encourage children
to be well-rounded citizens of the world.

The school also offers a unique Summer Camp Program, a combination of both indoor Montessori activities and outdoor camp activities.

Grades: N-8

Co-ed

A non-profit, non-denominational, non-discriminatory
educational institution, the Montessori School of NY International delivers a multi-faceted program for children from the age of two through junior high.
The rigorous academic program includes opportunities for kids to learn foreign languages, dance, drama, swimming, gymnastics, tennis, horseback riding, art, cooking, and more. The international focus aims to encourage children
to be well-rounded citizens of the world.

The school also offers a unique Summer Camp Program, a combination of both indoor Montessori activities and outdoor camp activities.