The 10th annual Tour de Montclair took place today and we couldn’t have wished for a more beautiful day. Brookdale Park was packed with families of all ages. And there was something for everyone: a 4 mile walk , trike-a-thon, 1 mile loop, 8 mile ride and the Big Kahuna— a 12 mile scenic route through town.
My 8 year old rode the 1 mile loop in her first Tour de Montclair today and was beaming with pride. Thanks to our good friend Ciru who let her tag along with her and her son. My 4 year old proudly rode her 2-wheeler with training wheels and my husband and I chased after her.
When Circle Line said that its Kids Cruise Kick-Off would be a huge party, they weren’t kidding. All around Pier 83 were entertainers, like a really cool uni-cycle, juggler guy who spoke like a pirate, Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows, such as Freckleface Strawberry, Rock of Ages, and Spiderman and Justin Timberlake!—made of wax from Madame Tussaud’s Museum.
But the real party was on the boat. Dan Zanes and Elizabeth Mitchell and her family band, You Are My Flower, performed the entire cruise. They sang lots of fan favorites, like John Kanakanaka, but the highlight of the concert was when we were right in front of the Statue of Liberty. They started singing an impromptu This Land Is Your Land and everyone joined in. It was a special moment.
After touring the Hudson, and learning fun facts from the guide on the boat, we docked back at Pier 83 and each child was given a Circle Line goodie bag filled with special treats, but the best of all was the disposable camera. My girls went crazy with the “old-fashioned” camera and ended up taking all the photos within 20 minutes. I had to explain to them why they couldn’t see the photos immediately, since they had no idea that all cameras were not digital.
Watchung Co-op Preschool Director Christi Porter-Johnson shows one of the baby chicks to excited student (and son) Samuel Johnson.
The Watchung Cooperative Preschool welcomed 7 new baby chicks yesterday. The fertilized chicken eggs came from Goffle Road Farm in Wycoff. Students had been taking care of the eggs for the last 21 weeks keeping them warm in an incubator and making a chart to observe their progress. The children were overjoyed to see the chicks peck through their shells on Tuesday and enter the world.
“We all were so excited to watch the process. The chicks are so cute that the kids and adults can’t stop watching them”, said teacher Pat Martin. School Director Christi Porter-Johnson said, “This is an important lesson for children to learn about nature, and we’re really happy to provide them with this experience.” The chicks will be returned to the farm on Thursday, May 24th for egg laying purposes. If anyone is interested in taking a chick home, please contact Christi Porter-Johnson at 973-783-4535 before next Thursday.
The annual May Day celebration on May 1 in Watchung Plaza was cancelled due to rain, so Edgemont School set up a maypole on the front lawn of the school and enjoyed a May celebration last Friday.
The 3rd grade Edgemont Recorder Ensemble played a lively Rondo. The Maypole Dancers danced round the maypole while singing Sumer Is Icumen In and Hippy Chippy Charlie, accompanied by the Orff Ensemble. The Green Team presented prizes to students who participated in Waste-Free Lunch for five Fridays, and then the entire school joined together to sing All Things Bright and Beautiful as a continued celebration of Earth Day. It was lovely to see so many families join the celebration.
The Montclair Academy of Dance and Laboratory of Music (MADLOM) will hold an Anansi the Spider Peace Quilt Workshop for all ages. it will be a fun afternoon of an afternoon of art and literature, with live drum accompaniment. (Saturday, May 19)
The annual Family Garden Party at Presby Iris Gardens is on Saturday. It’s the perfect time because it’s peak season and the gardens will be filled with beautiful irises. The garden will also be filled with entertainment, refreshments, activities and art from talented school students.
Take the family—this is one of those must-do events:
Who says just because you’re a “kindie” rocker that you aren’t a rock n’ rolling, hotel crashing, wild and crazy musician? This video of 17 kindie musicians who performed at KindieFest 2012 proves that you can be both:
At Kindiefest 2012, 17 Kindie Artists converged in a hotel room for a historic song recording. This is it. Featuring: Ralph Covert of Ralph’s World, Mr. Steve of Steve Songs, Mindy Thomas of Sirus XM Radio, Lee Overtree of Story Pirates, Big Bang Boom, Bari Koral, Zak Morgan, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Miss Amy and Alex Otey, The Not Its, Aaron Nigel Smith and Alisha Gaddis. And they all have a name…
Two years ago my, then 6 year old, daughter asked me if she could have a Chinese-themed birthday party. Blame the Mandarin program at her school or blame me for making her continue Spanish so she could continue to translate for her mother during family get-togethers. This theme then began to travel to other parts of Asia, with origami paper cranes, fan dancing etc. So we decided to include Japan and Korea and I am so glad we did, as we both learned a lot and the party was a huge hit! Continue Reading
With Springfield Avenue Partnership as the host and Walgreens as the presenter, Maplewood MayFest will celebrate its 11th Anniversary on Sunday, May 20.
Highlights of MayFest 2012 will include petting zoos and four ponies to ride, a kiddie train and inflatable rides, a balloon animal maker and lots of fun activities for kids. A Classic Car Show will display custom and special interest cars. More than 100 vendors, artists, crafters and civic associations, live music provided by some of the area’s hottest bands plus great food representing the diverse community that lives, works, shops and dines along Springfield Avenue will complete the scene at one of Maplewood’s largest and most anticipated community events.
I think I can speak for everyone who attended our Scary Mommy Book Bash at Trend Coffee & Tea House on Friday night, that the party was a success, and a hell of a lot of fun. We met Jill Smokler, aka Scary Mommy, and enjoyed a reading from her new book Confessions of a Scary Mommy that was full of expletives. Jill warned us before she started reading, but said she had an idea that this crowd would be okay with it. And we were, so much so, that we laughed our asses off. Check out Jill reading in the video below, but warning. There are a few “F” bombs:
