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

Remembering 9/11: Things to Do With NYC Kids on September 11

Submitted by Raven Snook on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 12:00pm

With September 11 coming up, lots of families are trying to figure out what to do that day. I know I am. My daughter just turned six, so until now, we’ve gone the escapist route: We just avoided turning on the news and acted like it was a regular day. I’m not sure we could do that this year even if we wanted to: It’s the tenth anniversary and it falls on a weekend, so reminders will be everywhere.

While I’m going to do the best I can to make sure she doesn’t see any footage from September 11 (I wish the media would stop running the Towers falling on a loop every anniversary), she’s old enough to learn about what happened that day. I want her to start to grasp the impact September 11 had on our city and the world.

There are many ways families can mark the day, remember the victims and honor the heroes. Whether you explore an exhibit, visit a memorial or volunteer to help others, here are enriching and educational things to do on September 11 with your kids.

Hurricane Irene: How to Have Fun With the Kids When You're Stuck at Home

Submitted by Raven Snook on Fri, 08/26/2011 - 1:38pm

Much as we'd like to, we can't keep ignoring Hurricane Irene. (We'd also like to ignore all of our friends who think they're being clever by posting the "Rock You Like a Hurricane" video on Facebook.) Everyone's scrapping their vacation plans for the last weekend of August (my family's dream of heading to the Cape has been killed), and pretty much all of the events we recommended this weekend are already canceled.

While we hope this turns out to be much ado about nothing, chances are your family's going to be spending a lot of time at home this weekend. Right now you're in full prep mode. If you're wondering how best to secure your home, just turn on your local news (avoid the Weather Channel: They are freaking out!) or visit the official website of your town, city or state. New Yorkers can find info on potential flooding zones (there are many, not all along the water), emergency shelters, evacuation notices and more at nyc.gov. Mayor Bloomberg's even going to start shutting down subways and buses come Saturday at noon!

If you're heading out to buy toilet paper and snacks (we doubt even the most intrepid deliver guy will be on the streets on Sunday), think about stocking up on things to do, too. You can't watch TV all weekend (especially if the power goes out). But your family can try doing some fun crafts, cooking some kid-friendly dishes or playing a few cool analog games. And if you end up doing them by candlelight, just pretend it's 1811.

Here are creative ways to keep busy during Hurricane Irene.

Weekly Wrap Up: Free and Cheap Kids' Classes, Fun Along the East River Ferry Route and Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 08/25/2011 - 12:00pm

UPDATE: As of Friday, all weekend events have been canceled! And subways and buses will start shutting down at noon on Saturday.

An earthquake, a hurricane, what's next? Honestly, the wall-to-wall media coverage of these natural "disasters" (the earthquake, thankfully, turned out to be minor; we fear Irene may not pass as quietly) is really overwhelming. But it is important to be prepared!

Since we think we're going to need to stay inside for a few days, we made sure to get out and about this week. (That photo above of a sand artist in Washington Square Park was from one of our adventures.) We spent a day exploring Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, tried lots of fun activities along the East River Ferry route and rounded up free and cheap after-school classes. We've also revamped our Classes Guide for the back-to-school season, and we plan to add several new posts in the coming weeks.

We're almost ready to debut our sister sites in Boston, Los Angeles and Orlando. The exact launch date has yet to be determined, but it should be in early September. To make sure you're notified the minute they go live, sign up for the newsletters now.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut. Be safe everyone!

Weekly Wrap Up: Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, Used Kids' Books and Fun in Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 12:43pm

We were so happy to wake up to (almost) blue skies today. Although rain may return tomorrow, we're looking at a gorgeous (and not-too-hot) weekend. Let's hope the weather holds out for the final few weeks of summer break. There's so much we haven't done yet—we haven't even gotten to all of the activities on our Hot List.

That's because we've been busy running all over Van Cortlandt Park, researching film classes and browsing used book stores that sell kid lit. Plus we're still working on our upcoming sister sites in Boston, Los Angeles and Orlando, now tentatively scheduled to debut in September. To make sure you're notified when they launch, sign up for the newsletters now.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.

Weekly Wrap Up: NYC Nature Spots, Bronx Zoo Lego Zoofari Giveaway and a New Queens Candy Shop

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 12:00pm

We spent a lot of time outdoors this week, and why not? It's been absolutely lovely, the perfect weather for exploring our city.

We had a super-cool time at a nearby water park, hit a Destination Playground in Harlem and rounded up amazing nature spots. Plus, we spent a day marveling at the amazing Lego animals at the Bronx Zoo—and we've got a great giveaway to go with our review.

Of course we spent some time indoors, too. We've been hard at work on our upcoming sister sites in Boston, Los Angeles and Orlando. To make sure you're notified when they launch, sign up for the newsletters now. And let your friends with families in those cities know that we're coming!

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.

Weekly Wrap Up: Summer Streets, a Solar-Powered Carousel, Parent and Baby Exercise Classes

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:00pm

This week really flew by—more so than usual. Maybe because it was cool enough for us to actually get outside and run around (unlike the week before).

Playing was our theme. We profiled a new Destination Playground in Elmhurst, Queens, wrote about nonprofit organization KaBOOM!, which is building play spots all over the country, and we stumbled across a blog by an energetic nanny who's attempting to visit every single playground in Manhattan. Just thinking about that tires us out!

We're also busy gearing up to launch our sister sites in Boston, Los Angeles and Orlando later this month. To make sure you're notified when they go up, sign up for the newsletters now.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.

Weekly Wrap Up: Smurf Week, The Yellow Brick Road, Rubin Museum's New Education Center

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 07/28/2011 - 12:00pm

Can you believe we say goodbye to July this weekend? Summer always seems to move so quickly. Already, the back-to-school push has started, and we're all counting down the remaining days of break. (My six-year-old is actually marking them on her calendar.)

But August has 31 days! How much fun can you pack into them? There's certainly a lot to do beyond the usual pools, water playgrounds and beaches. The Rubin Museum of Art just opened a new education center, Theatreworks USA's free musical The Yellow Brick Road plays through August 19 and you can always celebrate the season by reading a beautiful book about summer.

And if you have plans to travel to Boston, Los Angeles or Orlando, we have some exciting news: We're launching editions in each of those cities in August (the exact date has yet to be determined). To make sure you're notified when they go up, sign up for the newsletters now. We're also working on a Family Travel site, which will cover destinations all over the U.S.A... and beyond.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.

Rubin Museum of Art: Learn About the Art of the Himalayas at Its Education Center

Submitted by Raven Snook on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 3:00pm

[UPDATED: August 17, 2012]

As New York City museums go, the Rubin Museum of Art is just a baby, but it's definitely growing fast. The only museum in the Western Hemisphere dedicated to the art of the Himalayas (Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China and many other Far East countries and cultures), its collection is varied and vast—there are countless figures of deities, shrines, instruments, textiles and more—and the institution as a whole is surprisingly family-friendly.

We wrote about the Rubin back in 2004, but so much has changed since then, we revisited the museum as well as this post. Not only is there an impressive slate of programming for kids, including drop-in workshops and festivals, the Rubin opened an education center in the summer of 2011, which accommodates children and adults.

Next door to the museum, the two-floor center features circular stairs that mirror the main space's dramatic spiral staircase. It's a lovely addition with large classrooms and a performance area, cute cubbyholes for backpacks, and colorful kid-made art interspersed with items from the museum's collection.

The Rubin is a wonderful destination on any day: The artifacts are stunning and easy for kids to digest (a solid gold statue of a deity doesn't need to be put in context; it's just cool), and there's a cafe with delicious eats. Happily though, there are kids' activities almost every day. Here's what's going on at the Rubin for families this season.