This weekend, Benjamin and I planted our herb garden. Last summer we had a small plot right outside our kitchen. By mid-summer, it was overgrown and a huge success so this year, we more than doubled the space. In addition to the mint and chives that came back strong and hearty from last year’s garden, we replanted basil, rosemary and parsley and added oregano. We are also experimenting with ancho chilies and jalapeno peppers.

Gardening is a great family activity. It gets you outside and active (turning the soil, pulling out old roots and all that digging aren’t as easy as they look). It turns kids on to how things grow – it is awesome for them to watch and help the tiny seedlings grow into big plants. Even better, albeit riskier, is to start with seeds.  Plus gardening, especially growing herbs or vegetables, gets kids interested in trying new flavors and foods. To get them excited about helping out, a gardening kit is a great kids’ gift for a young child. At GIFT HERO, we love the Kid’s Watering Can Kit from Toysmith.  It’s the perfect summer birthday gift for 5 and up. It includes a colorful metal watering can, shovel, rake, trowel and gloves…for that rare child who doesn”t want to get his hands dirty.

How many weekend mornings do you wake-up and realize you have 48 free hours and no plans? That was quite a luxury pre-kids but now, it just makes me panic. I recently discovered a great resource that helps me avoid such crises.

Macaroni Kid is a free weekly e-newsletter and website that lists all of the best events and activities for kids and families in your community. It was started about a year and a half ago in the Hamptons(aka the east end of Long Island, NY) and it now reaches more than 125 communities around the country.  Local parents write each edition and put their own spin on it. I use Macaroni Kid in Manhattan and in the Hamptons – the events they list are things I actually want to go to and that both Benjamin and I will enjoy. Last weekend, we found out about Curious George Family Day at the Jewish Museum which was a ton of fun (and killed 3 hours on Sunday afternoon).

The NYC edition (www.nyceast.macaronikid.com) is run by Manhattan mom Monica Storch.  Monica does a wonderful job listing free events such as library and bookstore storytimes as well as cool places to go that you might not otherwise hear about like the Glass Gardens at NYU and the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden on E.61st street.  Each week, she also hosts awesome giveaways (full disclosure, last week she did a giveaway for a $50 GIFT HERO gift certificate).

I encourage you to check out Macaroni Kid and sign up for your local edition. If you are lucky enough to live in Manhattan, visit Monica’s website to sign up.  For other cities, visit http://national.macaronikid.com/ to learn more.

Since he was a baby, my now 6yo son Benjamin has loved vehicles – planes, trains, automobiles, you name it. I am pretty sure his first word was “car” and he used to spend hours looking down from our apartment window at all of the vehicles making their way down Lexington Avenue. His tastes have evolved over the years and have significantly influenced the selection of gifts for boys sold at GIFT HERO.

Over the past couple of years, Benjamin has been excited by remote control vehicles. We’ve tried all types from a batmobile to sports cars to soccer shoes that kick a ball (true, not really a vehicle). We are lucky enough to have a second home with a deck and yard and pool which has given Benjamin lots of places to play. Well…I have to say that a gravel driveway is not a great place for a typical remote control car.  They get stuck and spin their wheels and completely frustrate a young boy.

Last summer, a weekend guest gave Benjamin the Morphibians Land Shark.  Made by Kid Galaxy, this kids’ gift  is the coolest and sturdiest remote control car we have ever tried. It speeds across that gravel driveway, plows through sand and can even go in the pool.  As soon as we tried it (and everytime we played with it all summer, fall and winter (yes, can use in snow too), I knew it was on the short list for our outdoor gifts category. 

That reminds me…I need to pick up a pack of batteries for this weekend!

When I saw the Pumponator at Toy Fair this year, I knew it was going to be a huge success. It’s a brilliant invention – now kids can fill water balloons without needing access to a hose or faucet. Suddenly, water balloons are a now a portable play possibility – park, beach, you name it.

What makes the Pumponator even more fascinating to me is that it was invented by an 8 year old. Check out this video of 8 year old Lexi, inventor of the Pumponator, demonstrating how it works.  This kid is awesome, but so are her parents and grandparents, who got behind her and made the Pumponator a reality. Given how it is selling so far, I think Lexi will more than pay for her future college tuition.

I recently learned about an awesome find for New York City moms (and dads too) - ikidny.  ikidny is an iphone app that lists the information a NYC parent needs to navigate our busy city including parks, playgrounds, changing tables, indoor playspaces, museums, libraries, subway stations with elevators, kid-friendly restaurants, and more. Just tell ikidny what you are looking for and it gives you suggestions and maps.

ikidny was created by NYC born and bred Lara Serebrier Paul.  Her’s is a classic entrepreneur story – her son was born and she identified a market need that wasn’t being filled…so she did it herself!  Lara found navigating NYC with a baby a challenge so she sketched out her app, found a developer and “gave birth” to her second baby – ikidny!

I’m embarrased to say that I don’t have an iphone (yet) so I downloaded the app to Benjamin’s ipod touch and now use it all the time. It is really awesome – and very smart.  When I first downloaded it, I was downtown at a restaurant. I figured I would have to enter my location so it would “know” where I was.  I was thrilled that ikidny knew exactly where I was and told me that my closest subway was across the street and a playground was only a couple of blocks away.

Lisa and I had lunch with Lara and discovered that she and her team source and enter all of the data into ikidny to ensure it is up-to-date and accurate. This is what differentiates them from other tools in the market – they take responsibility for the integrity of the data.

If you are or know a NYC mom, you really should check out ikidny. With summer coming up, you really need need this indispensible tool – how else will you find the closest park with sprinklers for your toddler? Download it here from the itunes store.

At the beginning of the school year, when my 6 year old daughter asked if she could participate in a lunchtime program at school called “Mad Science,” I was a little surprised. She never had expressed any interest in science kits or reading books about science. One of her other girl friends had convinced her to give it a try.

Each week, Maya would bring home a different “experiment” they did to learn about some fundamental science principle. One week the topic was flight, and Maya built her own model airplane and learned about how planes are able to fly. This lead me to think about the Magic School Bus Science Kit Soaring into Flight. Kids get to learn about flight through a bunch of different experiments, like building a balloon-jet, experimenting with parachutes, making a spinner soar, creating the ultimate paper airplane and making paper magically rise. 

So when you are need to buy a birthday gift for a girl 6 years or older, consider giving a science kit. Not only will your gift delight the birthday girl, but will likely stand out amidst the pile of jewelry, arts and crafts kits and Barbie dolls the birthday girl is bound to receive.