I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Explorers Academy Preschool Potluck 2011 from NY City Explorers on Vimeo.

 But it sure doesn't look like that will be happening this year, does it?  Having resigned ourselves earlier in the month to calling to mind the white Halloween of two months past, we've rested in all that is holly, jolly, merry and delicious about this holiday season rather than dwell on the less-than-seasonally-appropriate landscape outside of our windows.  With a visit from Santa, our Explorers Academy Preschool Holiday Potluck, the final We SIT, You SHOP event of the year at the Union Square Gap, and an intimate staff dinner in Bed-Stuy all under our belts in the past month alone, there's more than enough to be merry about even without the opportunity for sledding and snow-shoeing (Although we can't wait to do those in the new year as at well!)

     December 10th saw a break in toy production in the North Pole, letting Santa spend the morning at The Learning Garden at 186 Underhill Ave in Prospect Heights!  Neighborhood tots, preschool students and visiting family alike made their way to NY City Explorers' cozy playspace to spend a morning enjoying a bagel breakfast, OJ and coffee with sitters, crafts, treats and toys on hand for one and all.  Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitter extraordinaire Sam Pinkleton spent time engaging sweeties in festive fun, while 3-years-old Shelton, daughter of NY City Explorers' co-owner Kisha Gandsy, kept Santa company for much of the morning.  Perhaps the lovably mischievous Shelton had in mind to make up through cheerful conversation any marks that might be next to her name on the "Naughty List" this year.  Hmmm... 

     On the last full weekend before Christmas, with Santa packed and headed back to the North Pole, and crowds of eager shoppers fanning out all through Manhattan, Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitters Elisa, Ka Yiu and Shani set up shop on the sales floor of the babies' section of the Union Square Gap, equipped with toys, books and holiday crafts to keep the youngest tots of holiday shoppers engaged and entertained while parents shopped with free hands on the busiest shopping weekend of the retail year.  With googly eyes, glue sticks, crayons and sequins, Elisa and the rest of the crew ensured safe, thriving fun for all in their care, from 10am-1pm last Saturday.  With corporate and in-store sitting booking quickly for the New Year, contact Amy Yurcan to set up an event at your favorite store, office or school or community event.  Amy can be reached via email at ayurcan@nycityexplorers.com or by phone at 718-809-6486.

3 Movie Date Nights (The Perfect Gift Package for Every Parent in Your Life)

Gift the kids a night out while you enjoy your own!  Book 3 upcoming evenings for the kids and guarantee yourself some holly-jolly respite from parent-duty.  Reserve Friday Dinner and a Movie Date Night at NY City Explorers' Learning Garden and enjoy 4 hours of time dining without the whining somewhere that's not stocked with  a changing table.  Your youngsters will enjoy pizza and a flick in the cozy comfort of The Learning Garden at 186 Underhill Ave in Prospect Heights under the confident and competent care of our

Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitting staff.  Bring them in jammies for an easy pick-up and seamless transition to bedtime at the end of the evening.   Our recommendations for how to spend your time off?  Check out these three local restaurants, all within easy walking, subway or can distance from The Learning Garden:

* Chavela's 

* Amorina 

* Cheryl's Global Soul 

He lost his poor meatball :(

The first weekend of December is under our belts and with it we finally ushered in temperatures worthy of the season.  While it's hard to take mittens and hat weather after the unseasonably but delightfully warm November we enjoyed on the East Coast, with the Holiday season upon us, it is about time we're able to start seeing our breath in the chilly morning air!
     We're so glad that despite the early winter chill, some of our Explorers Academy Preschool family members were able to make it to The Learning Garden at 186 Underhill Ave in Prospect Heights on Saturday.  We always enjoy the time that we're able to spend in fellowship with the preschool families outside of school hours, and Saturday was no exception, with NY City Explorers' Creative Director Amy Yurcan in attendance with her family and Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitter (www.nycityexplorers.com/sitting) Sam Pinkleton on hand with a slew of colored Popsicle sticks and plans for holiday tree craft in his noggin.  Company co-owner Kisha Gandsy, a usual fixture at EAP Parents Playgroups on first Saturdays, was missed, but as her childhood BFF was making a visit from South Cackalacka, she was excused from the festivities for the first time, with all in attendance looking forward to seeing her fam, all three little ones included, in January!
     Kisha's and husband Chris' Haven, Shelton and Isa were surely missed by the attending tots, but Olive, Kai and Jules enjoyed playing, snacking, crafting and even an impromptu song circle just the same, with the intimate crowd allowing for personal conversation that the dads in attendance seemed particularly appreciative of.  Amy's hubby Bryan missed his usual chitchat with Kisha's Chris, but the convo about all things classic rock-related that he enjoyed with Jules' papa Andrew and Kai's dad Rory filled the gap nicely, and then some!
     Sam and Amy loved bringing the little ones' song requests to fruition, shakers, drums and all.  Kai impressed the whole group by keeping nearly perfect rhythm on a hand drum throughout the session, while Jules' mama Melanie warmed the hearts of Amy and Sam both with the revelation that one of the tunes suggested for the sing-along, "On Top of Spaghetti", would be a poor choice.  Jules, Melanie revealed, finds the premise of the song, the journey of a wayward meatball, to be saddening.  Is there a cuter tale to be told?  We think not!

Fill the Gap in your family's weekend plans!

This Saturday's temperature is projected to reach 51 degrees with sun in the sky and no sight of rain or snow.  How do we feel about that?  GREAT!  We surely made do at out Prospect Heights Pumpkin Painting Patch, hosted in conjunction with Blue Marble Ice Cream on Halloween weekend (Apple Cider and cookies helped warm tummies all around!), but we can not tell a lie:  It sure would have been nice to buck the snow and head outside for some real painting, without the concerns that hanging indoors held for the families who participated.  Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitting pros Sam Pinkleton and Rae Stimson left no doubt that fun would be had by all, with Rae's custom pumpkin creations giving a nudge to tots who needed some inspiration for their own and Sam's quick-thinking making a way for even the goopiest pumpkins to be displayed (Paper plates did the trick!) without sacrificing any of their color, but we're hoping that the weather won't be a factor this weekend, when one and all are invited to join us at Union Square Gap while We SIT, You SHOP!
     We loved seeing everyone's creative costumes at our makeshift pumpkin patch, with a special shout out to the family that arrived as Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Yellow Brick Road (Way to go, Dad!), but this weekend provides a low-drama opp for you to dress yourselves, and your family, sans the "helping" hands you're accustomed to shopping with.
     Gap and Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitting hope that we'll see you there!  Pop by anytime from 10am-1pm, sign in your sweeties with our sitters, and roam the bi-level store worry-free while the youngest members of your family craft cute turkey magnets sure to be the hit at Grandma's Thanksgiving!  No need to RSVP, but for updates on upcoming We SIT, You SHOP partnerships with your fave retail spots, "Like" us on Facebook (NY City Explorers) and follow us on Twitter (NYCityExplorers).

The Monster Mash: It was a Preschool Smash!

It may feel like early Summer outside of the walls of our playspace, preschool and offices, but with Thanksgiving fast-approaching and the trees outside our windows long-since having been stripped of leaves, NY City Explorers already has a plethora of fun Fall events under our belt for the year! From our Explorers Academy Preschool Halloween party and monthly EAP Parents Playgroup to the FREE Prospect Heights Pumpkin Painting Patch sponsored in conjunction with Blue Marble Ice Cream and We SIT, You SHOP, sponsored in conjunction with Gap at their Union Square store at 122 5th Ave, our seasonal calendar has seen enough action to tide us over until the New Year! The best part? The mid-November date that's highlighted on our Google calendars mean that we still have over 6 weeks of fun ahead of us before we ring in the New Year!
Pre-Halloween snow may have made trick-or-treating next to impossible for much of the Northeast, as cute costumes had to be forsaken for warm sweatshirts and flashlights over the weekend, but the kids at Explorers Academy Preschool were thrilled to have the chance to celebrate all things spooky and silly on Monday, October 31st, with parents and younger siblings onhand to partake in the fun right along with them! With Miss Elisa sporting the wartiest witch costume this side of the Brooklyn Bridge and Miss Dina channeling The Wizard of Oz as the sweetest scarecrow we've ever seen, the students' world was positively transformed into a charming childlike fantasyland, complete with a scary story room, perfectly pumpkiny cupcakes and a magician who worked his magic on the parents, even convincing Louis' usually impeccably tucked-in mama Julia to take part in the show! We're thrilled that she was such a great sport!
Snacks are super and the magic show stupendous, but everything took a backseat when the costume train rolled into town, making the way for Sadie the Strawberry, Freddie the Bat and a trio of Spiderman look-alikes as interpreted by Rio, Kai and Flor! The very cutest costumes were made complete by EAP teaching assistant and Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitter Rae Stimson, who drew, dotted and sketched facepaint creations fit for the stars!
Anytime parents are participating it's a special occasion; The hard work can come when their tiny tots would rather snuggle securely in their arms than get involved in the goings-on at hand. Luckily for us, the teaching staff at EAP made sure that that wasn't a problem, as Elisa, Dina and Miss Christine tangoed through the room, scooping up children and encouraging their participation in the costume parade as they went.
And because no analysis of a costume party would be complete with out it: The award for best costume, as decided unanimously by out panel of teachers was Freddie's dad, Mr. Bryan Mechutan, popular as the Pope for the afternoon! We confess: Fun was had by all!