New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Nick Kristof recently wrote a thought provoking column entitled The Best Kids’ Books Ever. In the piece, Kristof asserts that he “was aghast to learn that American children drop in I.Q. each summer vacation — because they aren’t in school or exercising their brains.” He is encouraging parents to keep their kids away from the tv and computer and ensure they are reading all summer. He lists his 13 all time favorites ranging from the well-known “Charlotte’s Web” to many I am embarrased to say I never heard of (and probably never read) including “Lad, a Dog” and “On to Oregon.” Many of these are read-alone for older kids but he promises that all are great to read aloud as well so they are wonderful for younger children too.

While reading is absolutely the best way for kids to build their comprehension and vocabulary, there are plenty of educational toys and games that will help kids stay sharp. One of our favorites is the Brain Quest game from University Games. Designed for girls and boys ages 6 and up, Brain Quest is a fun, fast-paced game that helps kids develop the skills that they’ll need to succeed in school. Players compete at their own age levels and it is designed for children of different ages to play together. Includes more than 1,500 questions on school-related subjects.

This summer, Benjamin is getting plenty of exercise and outdoor time at camp. Every night we read before bed – we are in the middle of “The Phantom Tollbooth” and next up is “The BFG” by one of his favorite authors, Roald Dahl. Since he’s turning 6 this winter, I think I’ll get him Brain Quest so he can brush up on school-stuff too and be ready for the new year in September.

I’m not usually a fan of remote control toys – especially for my own child. I don’t think most leave a lot to the imagination, kids tend to get bored with them quickly, plus…you never have the batteries they require. That said, last summer, friends came to visit and brought the Morphibians Rover from Kid Galaxy for Benjamin and it was a huge hit (for me included).

Morphibians are very sturdy and drive not only in the backyard or in your living room — you can also use them in the pool and at the beach. They have deep groove tires so they don’t get stuck in dirt. And they have working headlights, so they are fun in the evening. Our Morphibian even survived a night outside during a recent rainstorm. A year after getting it, Benjamin still plays with it regularly and it will keep him and his friends entertained for quite awhile.

Morphibians are recommended for boys (and girls will enjoy it too) 5 and up. Some adult supervision is required, especially near a pool or at the beach. GIFT HERO also sells two remote controlled vehicles for younger kids – The School Bus and the Lady Bug, also from Kid Galaxy and also terrific quality.

This weekend, my kids and nephew played with this Balloon Powered Vehicle Set in my mom’s backyard for hours. There are so many different ways to play – and so many balloons – that they left us adults alone! It comes with two cars and two helicopters that kids attach the balloons to to make them go! The kit comes with a hand pump that is easy to use even for a five year old. The boys had an easy time attaching the balloons to the cars and copters, chasing them around the yard. This makes a great gift when visiting families with children. It also makes a great children’s birthday gift for a 6 years old and up. Most people would think this is for a boy but my daughter Maya had a blast with this! The kids even wanted to see what happened when they filled the balloons up and just let them go into the air – the result being that my mom’s neighbor got a lot of balloons in her backyard (luckily she didn’t mind).

GIFT HERO has received a ton of great press recently and we wanted to share some of the reviews of our site with our readers. These are in alpahbetical order…

Cool Mom Picks says, “Fortunately two brilliant moms, Lisa Fielding & Stefanie Katz-Rothman, started Gift Hero which not only makes spot-on recommendations for children’s gifts sorted by gender, age and price, but they sell them right there on the site.”

Daily Candy says, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Gift Hero! The new site makes buying presents for kids ages 3-7 a cinch. Search by age, gender, and price. Gifts come “wrapped” in ecofriendly drawstring bags.”

Executive Moms says, “The founders of GiftHero.com clearly understood the Paradox of Choice when they created their site.”

Mom Finds says, “Have back-to-back birthday parties coming up and no time to shop? GIFT HERO to the rescue. “

My Mom Shops says, “Their new site Gift Hero makes shopping for kids’ birthday presents a cinch.”

New York Family Magazine says “For families who often spend their weekends running from one party to the next, there is a new superhero in town.”

NYCity Mama says “Their attention not only to detail and quality, but also to the environment and the needs of others less fortunate is why Gifthero.com is on the list of NYCity Mama’s Favorite Things.”

There’s lots more – check out our press page to read all of our coverage – and we are constantly updating our press page with links to write-ups, reviews and giveaways.

Last weekend Benjamin and I went on a tour of the Pollock Krasner property. It is located in Springs, NY right on the Acabonac Harbor which is the northeast section of East Hampton. It is where Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner lived and where Jackson Pollock did most of his work. It is a gorgeous setting and the best part is you get to go into his actual studio where the restored floor is like one of his incredible drip paintings and in it you can see elements of his major works (and his footprint in the paint).

The highlight of the visit was making an actual drip painting. The kids got a small canvas, lots of colors of tempera paint plus sticks, twigs, and turkey basters to make their own works of art. It was a blast. Benjamin, who isn’t usually interested in art projects, was one of the last kids to leave. His masterpiece is now in our den.

If you plan to be out in the Hamptons, this visit is a must-do. There are workshops available on Friday and Saturday mornings. For more information call 631.324.4929 or visit their website. The Pollock Krasner house is located at 830 Springs Fireplace Road.

I loved day camp. I went for years — on a bus out to the burbs starting when I was about 5. My son Benjamin started this summer and is having a blast.

One of my memories of camp is making lanyards. My friends and I would weave, braid and knot – creating bracelets, key chains, and just really long ropes. We mastered every stitch – cobra, box, twisted cobra, diamond…you name it. Making lanyards made the bus ride go by much faster (on my son’s bus they have a DVD player and watch movies – I’ve got mixed emotions about this).

When Lisa and I were choosing gifts for our outdoor category, I insisted we include So Much Lanyard from Alex Toys. Any girl would be thrilled to get this kit. It includes hundreds of multicolored and glittered strands plus the necessary accessories to make keychains, bracelets, whistle necklaces and more. It includes easy instructions. It’s perfect for 5 and up but older girls really love it too as they can master more complicated stiches and ends.

So Much Lanyard is a great gift to bring or send to a girl at sleepaway camp too. I promise, it will keep any girl and her cabin or bus-mates busy for hours.

There are some things I like to keep around for a rainy day – especially in the summer when the kids don’t have any structured activities on weekends – thank goodness! Make Your Own Masterpieces is one of my kids’ favorites. It comes with everything they need to keep them busy for hours creating their own Picasso and Matisse-like creations – 5 easel back canvasses, hundreds of pop-out pieces, and a glue stick. When you finish using the canvasses they include, you can use cardboard or construction paper.

I also love the small company that makes these – Made By Hands. It was started a few years ago by two moms who wanted higher quality, more interesting creative kits for their own kids. They also have Make Your Own Cards, Make Your Own Frames and Make Your Own Thank You Notes. Buy all four sets and keep your kids busy every rainy day of the summer!

A friend of ours has a sick daughter at home with a suspected case of the swine flu – thank goodness she is ok but her camp is making her stay home for a week to make sure she doesn’t spread it around.

So we were looking for something to “pop in” and drop off to help pass the time – and decided on Create Your Own Pop-Up Books. My daughter Maya received this earlier this year as a 5 year old birthday gift. The kit comes with two blank hardcover books, stickers, markers, cut outs for the “pop up” pieces and ideas/suggestions for how to use them.

Thank goodness it came with two books – my 7 year old son Josh had his eye on it and luckily Maya was feeling generous and shared one. Maya wrote a book about “My Family,” complete with information about the author up in the front – very cute! Josh wrote a book about his soccer team and their various victories. They will keep these forever – and the books are high quality so they will last. Both kids are very proud of their publications and like to show their friends when they come over for a visit.

So if you need a great gift for a 5, 6, or 7 year old, Create Your Own Pop-Up Books is a memorable choice.

Lisa and I are the Guest Gurus this week on Buttoned Up (www.getbuttonedup.com) a wonderful site and company dedicated to helping you get organized. Buttoned Up was founded in 2004 by four amazing women who “felt the need to get their lives organized but were unable to find products that could help them control their chaos. They wanted to be liberated from the rigid organizational systems that they bought annually and stopped using after just a few weeks. After several years of trial, error, effort and research, they started Buttoned Up whose mission is to give women the tools they need to live an organized life not a life of organization.”

Each week, the Gurus at Buttoned Up ask a different expert to share thoughts with their readers and newsletter subscribers (and Facebook Fans and Twitter followers!). Our subject was Easy and Inexpensive Summer Birthday and Gift Giving Tips. It was a great exercise for us to think about ways to celebrate…with little effort and cost. Our favorite is a backyard picnic with decorate your own cupcakes and lots of outdoor games kids of all ages will enjoy. We were also psyched to share some of our favorite birthday gifts for under $15.

Buttoned Up has tips to get organized, you can become a part of their community, and even find out about their terrific line of products (including some new back to school products available at Office Depot). Visit them at www.getbuttonedup.com.

One of our core principles when building GIFT HERO was to incorporate a way for our customers to give back. Lisa and I feel so strongly about helping those less fortunate than we are and teaching our children the importance of giving back.

There was a wonderful article in the New York Times Business section this past Sunday on teaching children how to give back (Raising Children Who Care in Times That Need It, July 3rd). What I found most compelling about the article was its message that giving doesn’t have to mean money or having a birthday party where your child forgoes gifts and instead asks his friends to donate to a charity (which is quite en vogue these days). Giving back can and should be as much about action, small gestures and volunteering as it is about giving away money or things.

I have tried to expose Benjamin to activities that involve helping or doing for others. We did a walk in memory of our cousin Zachary to help raise awareness and money for St Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside Queens, we helped make bracelets for children in Israel, and he made cards for soldiers and drew fabulous pictures of Star Wars characters. We had fun doing these activities together and I hope he is absorbing the message of doing for others and making a difference in the world around him.

You can also include giving back in your child’s birthday celebration. A great activity for young children at a party is to make cards for children in a hospital. Older kids can clean up a park and then have a picnic or help at a soup kitchen or visit children in the hospital. The possibilities are endless and the lessons are priceless!