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. As a writer, she's contributed articles to New York Magazine, Time Out New York, The Village Voice, the New York Post, TV Guide, Better Homes and Gardens, iVillage, AOL TV and Moviefone, Parents.com, and worked as an in-house editor for ParentsConnect.com and TimeOutKids.com. As a performer, she's appeared on many downtown stages (sometimes even for pay!), a couple of obscure films and TV shows, and The Maury Povich Show as a female drag queen. She's also the founder of Hot Mama Burlesque, the world's only all-moms burlesque show. After being the NYC editor from March 2011-March 2015, she is now happy to just be a blogger as she pursues additional writing opportunities.

Latest posts by Raven Snook

7 Free Things to Do on Election Day with NYC Kids Besides Voting

Submitted by Raven Snook on Mon, 11/04/2013 - 3:00pm

Election Day is a big deal for the candidates and for NYC public school students. They may not have a say in who gets elected but they do get the day off! While we hope that voting is at the top of your to-do list on November 5 (with kids in tow, it's never too early to bring them), that's not going to fill up your day. So we've got some suggestions for fun family outings, all FREE. From a must-see display of "canned" art to a hands-on technology museum to no-cost ice-skating, here are seven great things to do with New York City kids on Election Day. Wherever you end up going, be sure to download our FREE Mommy Poppins Kids on the Go app so you find out about all of the other cool things to do nearby.

This Week: Best November Events for NYC Kids, Where to Donate Halloween Candy, Mommy Poppins Holiday Photo Event

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 10/31/2013 - 12:00pm

All of those ghoulish decorations (like the Grim Reaper pictured) will soon be replaced by colorful twinkling lights. The period between Halloween and the holidays is always such a blur. So much seems to happen so quickly in those two months—especially this year with the mayoral election coming up next week and Hanukkah coinciding with Thanksgiving. We're not trying to stress you out! In fact, we want to help you get a jump on your seasonal to-do list by holding our second annual Mommy Poppins Holiday Photo Event early on Saturday, November 16. The awesome photographers from Big Apple Portraits will be snapping pictures of kids with Santa (or against a seasonal background), plus you'll get a $25 credit toward holiday cards and there will be fun crafts, storytime and other activities. Sessions are selling out fast so book yours today.

Speaking of planning ahead, many of our sites published their November Go Lists this week and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade isn't the only must-do tri-state area event. Find out about the best things to do throughout the month in NYC, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Another theme across all of our sites this week? What to do with all of that Halloween candy. We've got lots of recommendations including repurposing it, using it for crafts and science experiments, bringing it to a dentist participating in a candy buy back, or, our favorite, donating it to worthy charities.

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

This Week: Halloween is Here, Best Places to Trick-or-Treat for NYC Kids, 5 Fantastic Fall Deals

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 10/24/2013 - 2:00pm

How many costumes will your kids be wearing between now and Halloween? My daughter has three outfits prepared for the many Halloween celebrations we'll be attending: Vanellope von Schweetz from Wreck-It Ralph, Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas and Michael Jackson for when she goes trick-or-treating on October 31

By now, your calendar and closet are probably as full as ours, but if you're still looking for memorable ways to celebrate, many of NYC's best FREE Halloween events take place this weekend, including the Pumpkin Festival in Central Park, Prospect Park's Haunted Walk and a bunch of kids' costume parades. You can also turn your revelry into a day trip by hitting haunted hayrides and corn mazes on Long Island, trying an off the beaten path Halloween activity in New Jersey or joining our Mommy Poppins Westchester peeps at Ridge Hill in Yonkers on Saturday for HarvestFest 2013. We'll be there with a craft table and we'll be giving out treat bags so kids can hit all the stores for candy and other goodies.

However you decide to mark Halloween this year, we wish you and your family a fun and safe holiday. And we hope the Candy Fairy makes a visit to your home to take away at least some of those sweets! Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

5 Fall Deals for NYC Kids: Save on Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train Live, Let's Gogh Art Classes, Holiday Photos & More

Submitted by Raven Snook on Sun, 10/20/2013 - 10:00am

Fall is in full swing and we've got some great seasonal deals for New York City families. Our generous sponsors are offering discounts on a variety of fun kids' activities for all ages and interests, including a live-action stage adaptation of Jim Henson's beloved Dinosaur Train (one of our top fall family theater picks), creative classes at Let's Gogh Art NYC, a holiday photo shoot from c'est beau photo, tickets to Quiet Clock, the Musical and the Zumbini™ music and movement program for tots. Don't wait to take advantage of these great bargains. Deals this good will be gone long before the first snow falls.

This Week: Free Halloween Fun for Kids in NYC & Beyond, Special Mommy Poppins Family Events, Ice-skating Season Starts

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 10/17/2013 - 4:00pm

We have quite a busy weekend in store here at Mommy Poppins. On Saturday, we're hosting our Halloween Family Cruise on New York Harbor, featuring the wacky antics of Dr. Blood, a costume parade, face painting, nautical skills and tasty treats. Then on Sunday, it's our first-ever Mommy Poppins Night at the New Victory Theater. Enjoy the charming family production Me and My Shadow, a pre-show puppet workshop and a post-show meet and greet with the cast, plus a 20% discount on tickets. There are still tickets available for the sail and the show, so we hope to see you at one of these special events—or both!

Meanwhile, everything's coming up Halloween on all of our sites. This week we rounded up FREE family costume parades in NYC and Westchester; haunted houses in New Jersey and on Long Island; NJ haunted hayrides and fun ideas for non-edible treats to hand out on Halloween.

Our Travel site continued its series on vacationing in the U.K. with a post about things to do with kids in Cornwall, England. Plus we've got a roundup of the ten best hotel chains for families including categories like best value and coolest amenities. And there are still a few hours left to enter our Songs for Seeds preschool music class giveaway.

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

This Week: Columbus Day Weekend Fun, Best Halloween Events for NYC Kids, Mommy Poppins Night at the New Victory Theater

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 10/10/2013 - 4:00pm

The Columbus Day holiday weekend is the big to-do on all of our sites—and probably at your family dinner table, too. Three whole days off! The perfect time to take a family day trip (our Travel site has some great holiday weekend discounts), or go pumpkin picking, or prepare for the Halloween season by hitting a costume swap, making some creepy crafts and putting the absolute best seasonal celebrations in your calendar.

Our Halloween Guides in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut are already filled with fearsome fun, from the obvious (best Halloween celebrations, kid-friendly haunted houses, etc.) to the offbeat (NYC cemetery tours, Halloween train rides and amazing outdoor jack-o'-lantern installations). Speaking of unique Halloween events, our Mommy Poppins Halloween Family Cruise is coming up next Saturday, October 19. Hit New York Harbor on Manhattan by Sail's haunted Clipper City Tall Ship with the hilarious Dr. Blood, who'll perform kooky science experiments, creepy magic tricks and lead a kids' costume parade. Other attractions include face painting, nautical skills, incredible views and treats for all. Buy your tickets before they're gone.

Other good things to do today? Enter our soon-to-end Created by Kids art class giveaway and book your tickets to our Mommy Poppins Night at the New Victory Theater next Sunday, October 20—read on for details.

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

inBloom: Should You Be Concerned About Student Data Privacy?

Submitted by Raven Snook on Tue, 10/08/2013 - 9:00am

Update: As of April 2014 the New York State Education Department has decided to cancel its contract with inBloom. It was a hard-won fight!

There's a story I've been following for a while now about the controversy surrounding a company called inBloom. Backed by the likes of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, inBloom stores student data in an online cloud, including grades, test scores, teacher observations about behavior, and even more sensitive information like special education status, family history and disciplinary records. The supposed goal is to help teachers and schools easily track each student's progress, provide more personalized instruction and inspire digital developers to create new and innovative educational tools. However, many parents and education activists across the country are concerned that inBloom violates students' privacy in a big way and that the data may end up being compromised or sold to the highest bidder.

While inBloom is a national venture, as of now only three states plan to use its services, including New York State. It's important to note that out of the original nine states who were interested in inBloom, six have pulled out due to privacy concerns. According to an article in last week's New York Times, the New York State Education Department has already uploaded data for 90% of its charter and public school students, and there is no way for individual districts, schools or families to opt out. But there are things parents can do to voice their concerns and possibly stave off or at least change the scope of inBloom.

This Week: Best Kids Events for October, Halloween Ramp Up, Download the Free Mommy Poppins App

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 10/03/2013 - 4:00pm

The government may be shut down but we here at Mommy Poppins are still hard at work, especially with Halloween on the horizon. (Ah, if only we ran the world.) All of our sites published October Go Lists this week, so you can get a jump on the very best things to do throughout the month in NYC, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, Connecitcut and beyond. Most of our sites have jam-packed Halloween Guides, too, which we're in the process of updating. Just this week, we published posts about kid-friendly haunted houses in NYC and Westchester, haunted walks on Long Island, easy-to-make Halloween crafts and where to find costume swaps around the country. And we've got a frightening number of additional Halloween posts on the way.

Of course the biggest news around here is the official launch of our FREE Mommy Poppins App, which is available for download in the iTunes store. Now you can find the best places for kids to learn, create, shop, eat and play indoors and out while on the go in NYC. Don't have an iPhone? Don't worry: We plan to release a version for Android soon, plus we're also working on servicing the other regions our sites cover. So stay tuned.

Finally, this week's giveaway is sure to please young soccer buffs: five family four-packs to see a New York Cosmos home game plus Cosmos backpacks. The giveaway ends soon so enter now.

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