I went on a trip with Benjamin’s nursery school class this morning. We went to Green Meadows Farm in Floral Park, NY. 20 children, 3 teachers, 8 moms, 1 schoolbus.

The purpose of Green Meadows Farm is to bring farm animals and wildlife to city children who may never experience the joys of seeing, touching, holding, and interacting with nature’s wonders. It’s fun, educational and hands-on. The kids rode ponies and we saw and touched baby chicks, chickens, turkeys, fed goats, saw a 3 day old baby lamb, milked a cow and went on a hayride. Even though it was cold and damp, we all had a blast (and went through bottles and bottles of Purell).

For children in a private nursery school in NYC, class trips are pretty easy…at least funding them. But not all children in the city are as fortunate as mine. That’s why at GIFT HERO, we feel so strongly about giving back. As we have mentioned, we we partnered with Head Start Urban Horizons Early Childhood Discovery Center in the South Bronx, NY which serves a one of the poorest Congressional districts in the country. Our goal is to help fund school trips which their budget cannot support.

Coincidentally, the first school trip we are helping to fund is to Green Meadows Farms. Our customers have already been so generous in their support that we are on our way to funding this trip. Please help us make this happen soon by adding $1 (or more) to your total purchase at checkout. 100% of the money collected will be donated directly to the Head Start program to fund the trip and let the children touch the wonders of the farm (antibacterial wipes not included!).

This week GIFT HERO is partnering with My Mom Shops to give away two of our great outdoor products! Visit My Mom Shops and enter the giveaway to win either our Kid’s Watering Can Kit or the Safari Mini Golf Set. These are two of our favorite products for outdoor play, and they make great birthday gifts.

My Mom Shops is a blog site run by a NYC mom of two (and fanatic online shopper) finds cute and clever stuff for moms and tots.

Good luck!

The kids and I went to see “Cinderella and the Prince Who Slays the Magic Dragon” at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. Just being in the performance hall alone is an incredible experience. It is absolutely stunning! The production, part of the Little Orchestra Society’s Happy Concerts for Young People, featured a full orchestra and dancers providing a modern interpretation of Cinderella.

Both my 5 year old daughter, and more surprisingly, my 7 year old son and his two 7 year old boy friends, really enjoyed the performance (except “the kiss”). I love how the dancers were dressed in modern attire – the prince wears cool sneakers and Cinderella wears a gorgeous sleeveless red dress (kind of like something Michelle Obama would wear). The dancers at the ball wear sunglasses and similarly cool attire. I think my son and his friends most enjoyed the “slaying of the dragon” scene, where the prince fights off the beast with a light saber. How cool is that?

Any way, to learn more about the Little Orchestra Society and their various concerts for children, visit www.littleorchestra.org. They are well worth your time!

We are visiting friends at their weekend house tomorrow. I’m excited to get out to the country and hang out with this awesome family. They have 2 boys – a 5yo and a 3yo. I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to bring as a hostess gift…wine, dessert, flowers, a scented candle? Then it dawned on me — a toy the whole family will love.

Toys and games make great gifts for families. I love it when we have weekend visitors and they bring games we can play together. Zolo a-go-go is fabulous for this. It is a plastic play sculpture set that lets kids of all ages create their wildest imaginings! The colorful, wacky shapes enable maximum creativity and the things you create look cool enough to leave out on display in the living room. The set includes 48 pieces in a reusable vinyl carrying case.

GIFT HERO sells many toys and games that make ideal hostess gifts. Check out our new outdoor gifts section for perfect gifts for summer visiting.

We are always adding new products to our site – so check back often for the latest new stuff. Just today we got in Quick Chess. We love this set because it comes with two completely different chess boards – one for beginners and one for more advanced players. It also comes with instructions so kids (and adults) can learn how to play.

My son Josh plays chess at his school and enjoys playing with his Dad at home too. Chess is fun, and it helps kids develop critical thinking skills. This chess set makes a perfect gift for a child 6 years or older,whether or not they have ever played chess.

To learn how to play chess, visit the United States Chess Federation website. Josh is a member of the Federation and receives Chess Life magazine for kids. He is trying to teach me, but so far I haven’t caught on!

A miracle happened in Benjamin’s nursery school class this month – ducks were born. For several weeks the children have been taking care of special duck eggs from California. Pairs of children measured, watered and checked on the eggs daily. The eggs lived in an incubator and were watched and loved.

This week, 9 ducks hatched in the classroom – a miraculous mess, the teachers told us. This is a picture of Benjamin and Chloe. Some of the other ducks are names Fluffy, Duckilicous, Peekaboo JoJo, Lucky and Duck Skywalker (named by my son the Star Wars fanatic). Watching the children with the ducks is so moving.

We get to take 2 ducks home overnight next week to play and put them in the bath and watch them swim. Should be so much fun. Hopefully, they won’t keep us up all night with their peeping!

Children love to build and create. The satisfaction they get from constructing a castle or a pirate ship is priceless. There are lots of building toys available for kids 3 and up but one of our favorites is a classic – Krinkes from ToySmith/Battat.

Also known as bristle blocks, Krinkles are a fun, easy to use, colorful building toy. They consist of plastic, geometric shaped blocks that are squeezed together to build things. The interlocking bristles hold the blocks together. Krinkles help encourage creativity while reinforcing cognitive and motor skills.

Our 85 piece set comes with enough pieces to allow for unlimited creative play and fun – including a family and a dog. It is packaged in a sturdy carrying (and storage) case making it the perfect beginning builder set for the budding architect ages 3 and up.

Today PS6 in Manhattan held a dedication ceremony for the “Eric Dutt Ec0-Center,” a greenhouse and ecology center that will be built on the roof of the school (see rendering, left). The center will be the first of its kind at a New York City public school, and will be used year-round as part of the school’s expanded science curriculum. Children will garden, make compost, cultivate snails, and learn about weather patterns, among other things.

The center is named after former PS6 science teacher Eric Dutt, who was the mastermind behind the project, which started three years ago. Unfortunately, Mr. Dutt passed away in 2008, but the Eco Center will bear his name. Funds for the project came from a variety of public and private sources. PS6 students founded EcoKids to raise money for the project by selling energy efficient light bulbs and other green products to their neighbors. Check out the PS6 website for more details.

You can also check out our green products on GIFT HERO. It’s never too early to start teaching kids about the environment. I love it when my 7 year old son lectures me about recycling things that I am throwing away. The Recycling Truck is not only fun to play with, but teaches kids about sorting recyclables. The book Ten Things I Can Do To Help My World is a great introduction to earth-friendly strategies for young children.

Ok, this is why we started GIFT HERO. Somehow, over the course of the past week, my family received four invitations for kids’ birthday parties. They happen to all be girls – but ages ranging from 3 to 8. It literally took me five minutes on GIFT HERO to find the perfect gifts for each age. Whew, that was easy!

For Jessica, who is turning 3, the Abby & Emma Dress-Up Playset is perfect – the pieces are big enough for her little hands, and there are two dolls, so her 5 year old sister can play too! For Emily and Sydney, the 6 year old girls, the Flower Hour Watch set is always a hit – there is a different color band for every day of the week (or every mood!). Girls at age 6 are learning to tell time, so this is a perfect educational/fashion statement gift! For Amelia, who is turning 8, there is the Quick & Easy Tie Dye Deluxe. I think it is so cool that they get to tie dye their own pillowcase – and then take it on those summer trips!

Now I can relax and have a glass of Pinot Grigio while I watch Dancing with the Stars! Go Shawn!

On gorgeous sunny days like today, I dream of planting a flower garden. Hydrangeas are my favorites but I would include dahlias, daisies, peonies and lots and lots of wildflowers. I prefer flowers that are hearty and long lasting so they stay colorful all summer long. Alas, two things are holding me back – I’m in NYC so it isn’t realistic and besides the pollen is killing my eyes today.

The In the Garden Constructibles Building Set from Mudpuppy is a great gift for the flower-loving girl on your birthday party list. She can build a delightful private garden with this set. It includes 25 interlocking pieces featuring lots of flowers and vines, dragonflies, bees, ladybugs, grasshoppers, ants, birds, frogs, butterflies — and a warm smiling sun. In addition to being fun, Constructibles are wonderful for 4 year old girls as they improve hand-eye coordination, develop fine motor skills, and reinforce principles of balance and spatial relationships.

This garden is very long lasting and will stay bright and sunny even when the weather isn’t great. And, even better, its pollen free!