Anna Fader

Founder & CEO of Mommy Poppins
Anna was born in Park Slope, spent her early years in the West Village. By the time she graduated high school, she had lived in 4 of the 5 boroughs. Growing up in NYC in the '70s meant the streets were her playgrounds. Museums and avant garde music venues were the kid-friendly activities. And living downtown taught her the importance of creating community for families in NYC.

Now, raising her own two children in the city, she tries to create the same sense of magic and community she felt growing up, despite today's more commercialized version of kid-friendly New York.

She started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to share a more artsy, educational, uncommercial, community-oriented vision of raising kids in New York City. Today Mommy Poppins is relied on by millions of families as the authority on the best things to do with kids beyond New York City: from Boston to Philly, Los Angeles, Houston and travel guides for dozens more cities and destinations.

Latest posts by Anna

Club Getaway: All Inclusive Family Vacation Camp

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 07/29/2010 - 7:28am

For years I have been sending my kids to great summer camp programs where they do awesome stuff all summer while I sweat it out, slaving away in the City. I think of summer as an opportunity for kids to experience all kinds of things they don't get to do over the school year, be outdoors more and try new things. But why should this only be for kids? Why can't adults get the same benefits from summer vacations?

Last summer we were invited to spend a few days at Club Getaway in Connecticut. Club Getaway offers family weeks in August and September where kids and adults can experience a summer camp-like vacation together. I was surprised that this mini-break turned out to be the highlight of my summer.

Read on about Club Getaway and find out how you can get $200 off a mini-vacation there this summer.

Weekend Events and Free Things To Do for New York City Kids July 24-25, 2010

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 8:44am

Summer's almost half over? I've spent so many summers in an office where you barely know it's summer at all. But living in New York City, each weekend can be a mini-vacation. This weekend take advantage of the water all around us at the City of Water Festival, or head to the beach for a sand-sculpting contest. Not traveling the world this summer? In New York the world comes to you. Soak up some culture: Japanese, Chinese, Latin, Gospel, theater and art.

It's going to be crazy hot again so you might want to head to Chelsea Waterside Park for some sprinkler action, the new Pier 6 playground or another great sprinkler park. Or at least feel the gentle breeze of one the city's best carousels. If you're heading out of the city, stop at a local farm to pick your own produce in NJ or LI. This weekend NJ events include a couple of county fairs (love them) and even a hot air balloon festival.

We've picked out all the fun things to do, all you have to do is pick your activities, grab your kids and go!

My Awesome Day: Playing in the Fountain At Washington Square Park

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 9:16pm

We've asked our readers to share their awesome outings with us this summer. We'll be posting the best ones on the blog and one lucky winner will win a Flip Video Camera. Find out more details in our Summer Fun Activity Guide.
Read this submission by Bernadette Rivera and Chazz Rivera about their fun day playing in the fountain Washington Square Park.

Free Tickets to New Family Film Standing Ovation

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 7:38am

If your kids love High School Musical, Glee or American Idol or if they just love to sing and dance, then they might be interested in the new family film, Standing Ovation. Standing Ovation is about 5 friends who go against the odds to perform in a singing and dancing competition. The film is filled with original music and dance numbers. Read on to watch the trailer and find out how you can get free tickets to the movie before it comes out, just for our Long Island readers.

Site Improvements: New Preschool Guide and Events Search

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 07/05/2010 - 7:18am

We keep pretty busy here with our daily posts on all the cool stuff to do with your kids in the city, but I usually have one or two projects I'm working on in the background to make the site better. This week I'm announcing two that I've been working on for longer than I care to admit, our new Preschool Guide and our new and improved events calendar search function. I hope both these new functions will be big improvements to the site.

What You Need To Know About NYC Beaches and Riptides

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 06/24/2010 - 5:04am

I was so saddened yesterday to read about a 12 year old girl who drowned on a class trip to Long Beach. I have been reading with dread the stories over the past few years of adults and children drowning at the beaches around NYC, frequently due to strong currents and riptides.

We can not go back in time and save this little girl or the others that have died due to rip currents, but I hope to spread the word to all parents to educate yourself and your children to know what to do in case they are carried off in a strong current. Knowing what to do in a riptide can make the difference between life and death.

The Mommy Poppins Summer Fun Guide and Contest

Submitted by Anna Fader on Wed, 06/23/2010 - 10:09am

Summer is one of the most exciting times on this site. I love digging up all the amazingly cool stuff to do around the city all summer long, and so much of it is free. We spend so many summer days just running around the city, checking out neighborhoods and places we don't have time to get to all year long. It's really fun and I love sharing it here with you.

Our Summer Fun Guide is where you'll find all those posts collected in one place. It's got our lists of the best beaches, swimming pools, neighborhood itineraries, music festivals, concerts, outdoor movies, sports, even places to eat and drink. And, of course, there's our list of 100 Free Things to Do this Summer with Kids in NYC (not to mention our event calendar which is jam packed with fun stuff to do too).

What more could you possibly need to have an awesome summer? How about winning a Flip Video Camcorder!

Summer Solstice Celebrations and Make Music New York City 2010

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 06/21/2010 - 6:39am

Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Also called Midsummer, (as in Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night's Eve), the summer solstice has been celebrated around the world since neolithic times with traditions that are now a mix of Pagan and Christian rituals.

When I was a kid there used to be a Summer Solstice Celebration in Riverside Park that we attended every year which involved staying up all night long making music. It was one of the quirky, artsy things that I was lucky to experience growing up in NYC.

Today there are slightly less out there ways to celebrate the Solstice that still capture the sense of freedom, revelry, and hapenstance of those magical celebrations and truly are only in NYC events and are the types of cool events that your children will remember for the rest of their lives.