Top 10 Musts For Fall 2014

The dawn of the fall season means a whole new host of things to do, places to go, and experiences to enjoy…here are a few on our must-list this year!

Plus, click HERE for our guide to local leaf-peeping options and click HERE for our top apple- and pumpkin-picking spots!

1) What says back to school like composition books? Pick up a composition book tote bag from the Strand to carry your books and papers around in. Roomy enough for folders, some books, and the necessities, this is a great back-to-school buy. You can even write your name on the front of it! $14.99, in store and at strandbooks.com

2) Autumn and pumpkin go hand in hand, and One Girl Cookies bakery, with locations in Cobble Hill and Dumbo, has just the thing to satisfy your cravings. Pumpkin whoopie pies filled with cream cheese, pumpkin cupcakes, ginger oatmeal cookies, and more. onegirlcookies.com

3) Fall means cooler weather, which makes for a great time at the park. Washington Square Park’s renovations are complete, and the park boasts a new playground, a cable play structure for kids, a new chess plaza, restored fountain, and an enhanced dog run. historicrichmondtown.org

4) What could be better than a free, 3-day event full of art exhibitions, dancers, poets, performers, and visiting artists? The Dumbo Arts Festival kicks off on September 26 from 6pm – 9pm, and Saturday and Sunday, the 27th and 28th starting at noon. dumboartsfestival.com

5) What better way for your kids to show off their favorite books than wearing them? Out of Print Clothing has a host of tees for kids (and adults!) with books like “In the Night Kitchen,” “Babar Comes to America,” and for the more literary, “Moby Dick” and “Pride and Prejudice.” Babies can also join in the fun with “The Hungry Caterpillar” and “Goodnight Moon” onesies. They’ll be the best dressed kids in the classroom. $16-22, outofprintclothing.com

6) Come to the 92Y’s Annual Street Festival on October 14, from 12 -5. Starting at Lexington Ave and 92nd St, enjoy an entire city block full of wellness events, kid-approved activities, live performances, international foods, sports, raffles, and more! 92y.org

7) How does a day of pumpkin picking on 10 acres of land sound? On October 19, Decker Farm on Staten Island will be hosting a day of hayrides, farm animals, face painting, family activities, and of course, pumpkin picking, for just $5 per person. 11am-4pm. historicrichmondtown.org

8) Celebrate Rosh Hashanah. This Jewish holiday falls between September 24-26…and comes with the tradition of apple and honey treats. Many local retailers (like Treat House on the UWS) are offering up super-yummy treats just for the occasion. Shop HERE!

9) Pick you own! The harvest season means that apples and pumpkins are in abundance! Check out our definitive list of great spots to pick your own bounty in and around NYC. Click Here!

10) The leaves they are a’changin’! Take in the splendor of New York state in fall with any number of fall foliage viewing options. Our round up of leaf-peeping musts includes tours by land and by water! Click HERE!

The Language Workshop For Children

After offering both group and private lessons for many years and analyzing the results over&nbsp;time, The&nbsp;Language Workshop for&nbsp;Children, founded&nbsp;in1973, has decided&nbsp;to emphasize private remote lessons at shorter intervals.&nbsp;Our skilled educators&nbsp;will&nbsp;focus their attention exclusively on the&nbsp;unique needs, learning style, and interests of your child.&nbsp;This allows a&nbsp;bond&nbsp;to develop&nbsp;between teacher and student, which&nbsp;has been&nbsp;shown to&nbsp;drastically improve retention.&nbsp; OUR METHOD&nbsp; Developed by the pioneers of language education for children, our programs bring decades of&nbsp;experience to your living room with individualized, active language classes. Each lesson is based on proven methods and materials perfected to capture your&nbsp;child&rsquo;s attention during the ages when he/she absorbs information the fastest. &nbsp;&nbsp; While other online language classes rely on videos for passive learning, we deliver interactive, and engaging lessons with native-fluent teachers. In addition, all our teachers are certified in the Thibaut&nbsp;Technique which has been featured&nbsp;in the New York&nbsp;Times, the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal, and many other well-respected&nbsp;publications.&nbsp;&nbsp; Our short one-on-one lessons give kids the chance to focus, hear pronunciation clearly, and practice speaking in their target language.  THE PROCESS&nbsp; First, students have a short meeting with our Director&nbsp;Francois&nbsp;Thibaut, in&nbsp;English, with&nbsp;their parent(s)&nbsp;present.&nbsp;Mr. Thibaut&nbsp;will determine&nbsp;the best course of study, including&nbsp;class length and&nbsp;frequency, the&nbsp;right&nbsp;teacher, lesson&nbsp;format and materials (or action games for younger students.) Then the learning&nbsp;begins!&nbsp;Mr. Thibaut will continually check in on your child&rsquo;s learning to assure they are getting the most&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;classes.&nbsp; OTHER OFFERINGS&nbsp; We can also help your child prepare for: the French subject tests for SAT, AP &amp; CLEP, the European DELF/DALF, the Canadian TEF and other standardized testing, college entry exams, studying or traveling abroad,&nbsp;cultural changes when moving abroad,&nbsp;and much more!&nbsp; &nbsp;

WCS Education - Wildlife Conservation Society

Explore nature, learn about the planet, and get close to animals&mdash;all in New York City! WCS zoo and aquarium day camps are for every young adventurer, from toddlers to teens. Campers experience hands-on learning, from STEAM classrooms and animal exhibits to nature trails and the beach. Recognized as industry leaders, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Education Department was the first of its kind to offer zoo camps and continues to provide award-winning programming. Visit wcs.education/camps to explore summer camps at the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and New York Aquarium!

Music Together

Music Together&reg; is for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their parents/caregiver. The classes include songs, rhythmic rhymes and movement, and instrument play activities that are developmentally appropriate for the children and easy for parents and caregivers, regardless of their own musical ability.