With all of the showers we have had in NYC this April, we are hoping for fabulous May flowers.

This week is Earth Week and GIFT HERO will be posting about our favorite “green” gifts, tips and ideas. Today, we wanted to tell you about this awesome Gardening Set from Green Toys. Kids can grow their own “May flowers” and herbs (seeds and dirt are included in nifty little pods) in just days. The pots, tray and trowel are made from recycled milk containers — you can’t get more kid-friendly than that!

Gardening is a wonderful way to teach children about the environment and where their food comes from. It is so satisfying when the first little buds peek out from the soil. We can’t promise that the sunflowers will produce edible seeds but the basil will make a delicious, and very green, pesto.

At GIFT HERO we love to share information about family events we think are wonderful (and often good causes to boot). On April 27th, from 4:30-7:30, Asia Society Museum is hosting its 2nd Annual Family Benefit, a very special event specifically designed for young families celebrating Asia’s diverse cultures. The theme for this year is Spirited Away – Enchanted Animals of Asia. The event features live musical performances, craft projects, museum activities and pan-Asian cuisine.

So, go discover Asia with Hanuman the chief of the Monkey Army or the lion that once roamed the land and symbolized the power of the kings – just two of the many animals you will meet that night! Through an enchanted forest filled with animals both real and imaginary, discover a new way to share Asian culture with your children.

For more information email familybenefit@asiasociety.org or call 212.327.9335. To order tickets online visit www.asiasociety.org/familybenefit.

…woke up in his bed, there were frogs on his head and frogs in his bed, frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes, frogs here, frogs there, frogs were jumping everywhere… This has been one of Benjamin’s favorite Passover songs since he was 2 1/2. Today, had a playdate and suggested they play Froggy Boogie since it is still Passover. I got a good laugh. All kidding aside, this is a wonderful gift for 4 and up. The game is for 2-6 players and you really need to work on your memory skills to help the baby frogs hop around the pond. Like the other games from Blue Orange such as Gobblet Jr., it has won tons of awards and is made of beautiful, brightly colored wood.

Music is wonderful for children. Studies have proven it really helps them with math and science. We all know it soothes the “savage beast” at bedtime. I am listening to my 5yo son Benjamin having a music lesson right now in our living room – a little piano, some ukelele and drums, of course. He is having a blast. From the time he was a baby, I always had toy instruments around (in addition to pots and pans – but he knew those couldn’t really make a tune). This Rhythm Band Set is an incredible gift for 3 year olds. It includes recorder, a tambourine, colorful maracas, jingle bells and a castanet. It’s an essential set for the young orchestra.

I cooked pretty much all weekend. I’m very proud of all of the Passover goodies I concocted, especially the desserts… none of which came from a box.

Benjamin and I had a ball making chocolate matzah….so much so that we are making it again so he can bring it for his nursery school class tomorrow. Here’s the recipe: Melt a bag of Passover chocolate chips, mix in crushed matzah (4 pieces or so) and a few handfulls of raisins. Spread on wax paper and cover with another piece of wax paper. Pound it flat using your fists (Benj was singing a Passover song about the slaves banging with hammers as we did this!). Refrigerate until it hardens and break into pieces.

For the budding chef on your gift list, try this Super Baking Set from Alex Toys. It has all the items a child to “bake” up a storm. Email me for all of my recipes!

We are on our second day of our London trip. It amazes me how much the kids remember since of our visit last year. Since we did all of the main touristy stuff last year (Big Ben, The London Eye, Buckingham Palace, etc…), we decided to do less obvious but still interesting stuff like visit the HMS Belfast, an WW2 battleship that is now a floating museum. Both Josh and Maya had a blast, which surprised me. The key was a “scavenger hunt” they do for the kids – they get so excited about finding everything. Then we braved the crowds and went to Borough Market, the largest farmer’s market in Western Europe I am told. We spent about an hour walking around and sampling all of the delicious cheeses,olives and fresh produce. They also sell Prosecco by the glass and let you walk around with it – very civilized these Brits are! We bought some sweet strawberries and cherry tomatoes and ate them on the way back to the hotel – delicious. Today Maya and I went shopping and I fell in love with a couple of brands of women’s clothing that are not available in New York. “COS” is a gorgeous, yet affordable Swedish-owned label that has also just started selling incredibly stylish little kids clothing but only up to size 4. “Massimo Dutti” is Spanish-owned and features Italian-style clothing that is to die for. Of course I bought stuff for me at both places, but with Maya in tow, it was a bit tough to focus! Speaking of Maya, we picked up some adorable things for her at Zara kids. (Unfortunately in New York Zara only sells for adults.) Tomorrow it is Easter here and everything shuts down – but fortunately we are having lunch at The Ivy – which should be great for people-watching!

This Passover is different for us. I always knew that Passover was a holiday for children but really experienced it for myself last night. My son Benjamin (5yo) brought his Hagaddah from nursery school and a full repertoire of songs and stories to tell. He regaled our family with his interpretation of the Exodus story and sat at the table for most of the seder. He found the afikomen (and hid it again for us to find). The only “lowpoint” for him was the silver dollar James gave him for finding the afikomen. Next year, GIFT HERO will definitely sell gifts that work as afikomen prizes! Hope your holidays are as special…

So I’m packing for our annual trip to visit family in London, and I am thinking about what to bring for Maya, age 5, to play with on the plane. It has to be something that she can do by herself and won’t be too messy. It occurs to me that this Princess Dress-Up Doll playset is the perfect thing. It includes enough stuff – three different scenes and enough outfits and accessories to keep her busy for (most of) the 7 hour flight – plus all of the pieces are magnets so hopefully they won’t fall all over the floor. When she gets tired, we can just throw everything in the tin and save for later! You’ll find this and many other great gifts for travel at GIFT HERO.

What 5 year old boy doesn’t love Star Wars? Such an enduring franchise. Maybe it’s the light saber fights or the complicated stories or the never ending list of characters (and bad guys) but so many become truly obsessed with it. Benjamin hasn’t seen the movies – he has a self-imposed rule of 8 years old – but he can tell you the stories and plot lines of all six movies plus the Clone Wars in excruciating detail.

The Star Wars Pop-Up Guilde to the Galaxy is a fabulous gift for any boy 5 and up. It is truly spectactular – with intricate pop-ups that literally jump off the page. You wouldn’t expect any less from Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. Buy this great gift for 5 and up at GIFT HERO and you will definitely be the good guy!

For some thoughts on what it is about Star Wars (and why it isn’t appropriate for younger ones), read this great piece in Slate: http://www.slate.com/id/2215160/pagenum/all/#p2

I went to see La Famiglia Dimitri yesterday at the New Victory Theater. What an incredible family…and what a show they put on! This world-renowned family from Switzerland is a father, his son, two daughters and son-in-law. They walk, play music and jump rope on tightropes (including over the audiences heads), play Latin music on a variety of instruments, ride bicycles, and “clown” around. We (4 adults, a 12 yo, a 9.5yo and a 5 yo) are still trying to figure out how they cut Masha into 5 pieces and put her back together (in one of those old fashioned looking vertical boxes with multi sections and big blades)? We couldn’t see any trap doors and don’t think she could crouch into the bottom section – but she emerged in one piece to get back on the slack wire. As only a 5yo could put it “the circus was funny, fun, good….really good.”

The show is playing through April 19th. Call now or visit www.newvictory.org for tickets.