Reading with my son is one of our favorite activities.  We have tons of books – touch & feel, the classics, picture books, board books, pop-up, some that make sound – so we get a well rounded experience with reading.  I enjoy playing actor (getting theatrical by changing my voice or tone) and trying to make some of the books come to life.  Let’s be honest, my son must get bored of hearing me read so many books.  So, aside from hearing books from his mom and grandparents, we like to attend story time.

We used to go very often to the 42nd street Children’s Center at the New York Public Library for storytime.  The space was amazing – bright, comfy bean bag chairs, and filled with lots of new books.  Then, we latched onto weekly storytime at our local Barnes & Noble.  The UES 86th street location offers FREE storytime & an art activity every Sunday @ 11am. A great bonding experience for us on those rainy weekend mornings.

On the UES, our favorite library to visit is the Webster Branch at 1465 York Avenue.  I wouldn’t say this library has the best selection of books, but it is the only local library that offers a ramp to the front door…unlike the steep steps in the brownstones of 79th & 96th street.  They have a weekly story time on Wednesday mornings in their awesome space on the third floor.  We only went once because Wednesday is the day we usually meet up with our friends at the NYC Dads Group.  Consequently, looks like it’s a good thing that we meet the fellas, and don’t need our Wednesday fix of storytime at the NY Public Library.

You have heard the horror stories about supply and demand of the top preschools and you have most likely tried to get concert/sports tickets the morning they go on sale – it’s mayhem with jammed phone lines, long lines at the box office, and some resorting to distributing bracelets.  This week, library storytime (@ our local Webster Branch) was the focus of the latest mob scene, with stories of handing out color coded tickets and lots of parents being turned away.  The NY Post published Tot Ticket At Library by Jeremy Olshan & Jennifer Fermino describing the situation with some parents and caregivers resorting to making photocopies of the tickets to try and gain admission to storytime.

Let’s dissect this for a moment.  First, it is a positive thing that so many parents, nannies, and caregivers want to take their children to storytime.  Second, parents always want an edge, so I understand the counterfeiting of the tickets using a photocopy machine.  Third, it was obviously a slow day in the news sector – is this really newsworthy?  Finally, to the parent who said they have to stake out a spot on line 90 minutes prior to storytime to ensure admission – how does your toddler have the stamina & patience to wait (I could use a lesson on that one)?

During the summer, some families are fortunate to take a vacation out of the city and some take a staycation in the city. As we head into the summer months, I thought it was a good time to share a few ideas for stay at home dads & all parents in New York City. I am inspired by my parent discussion yesterday at the 92nd Street Y Parenting Center on summer activities to do with your baby in NYC. If you are heading outdoors, grab a blanket, sunscreen, bubbles, and find a shady spot in Central Park or any local park in your hood. There are mini-playgrounds all over the place that have swings and slides which my son has really taken a liking to. Here are just a few more ideas:

• Rooftop at MET Museum – see one of the nicest views of central park & admission is included in general museum admission (strollers not allowed with latest exhibit so bring your carrier)
• Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum – New exhibit – Doodle 4 Google: What I Wish for the World presents thirty-nine designs selected among tens of thousands of entries submitted by K–12 students from all fifty states + hang out in their gardens with lawn, chairs, and umbrellas
• NY Public Library Children’s Center at 42nd street – Go indoors to read some stories with your kids on comfy bean bag chairs OR sit outside in Bryant Park (they have an outdoor reading section in the shade where you can borrow children’s books, newspapers, magazines, etc)

Outdoors:

• Find an outdoor cafe to chill or grab a drink like the Boat Basin along the West Side River promenade, the Central Park Boathouse outdoor garden, the many cafe’s at South Street Seaport, well you get the idea…
• Hit the Zoo – remember if you plan on using them often, the zoo family pass will be most economical and allow you access to all of them including Bronx Zoo & Coney Island Aquarium
• Catch a day baseball game – check out one of the new stadiums or hit the ballpark in Coney Island to see the Cyclones.
• Hit the Beach – take the ferry to Watertaxi Beach where they ship in sand and create a man-made paradise.
• Check out Governors Island – open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 30th through October 11th
• Carl Shurz Park – checkout his nice esplanade on the upper East Side to find some peace or enjoy their summer activities like movie nights and live music throughout the summer

New York City has a ton of options for family fun summer activities. Do not get caught up sitting at home all day with your AC, and be a tourist in your own city. Please share some of your favorite things to do in NYC during the summer.

Baseball photo courtesy of N.Y. Mets.

One of my favorite things to do with my son is to read and animate stories with him – make books come alive!

Yesterday, our NYC Dads Group met at the New York Public Library  Children’s Center on 42nd Street. The Children’s Center is a great central location that has plenty of room for all types of meet up groups or play groups to use. Story time was a nice change of pace from some of our more recent and adventurous meet up events.

The best part about the NYPL Children’s Center is that it has been newly redesigned – child friendly, bright, open, spacious, lots of comfortable seating, and many new books – for those who have not visited lately. Of course, it is also free to access and use the library.

Our group spent time in the spacious back room filled with tons of new bean bag chairs that was perfect for our group to interact and for our kids to socialize. As a cool activity, some of the dads brought and shared some of their favorite books that they read with their kids. The main event was circle time with songs and two read alouds lead by John Peters, their friendly librarian (see picture). This was a great enrichment activity and experience for our kids! I have a feeling we will be back to this location & the price is right!