Where can Westchester kids stay active this winter? Check out some of these favorites from Westchester moms. Did we miss something? Tell us in the comments.

You can also visit our Community Calendar for a full listing of upcoming events. Or to see a comprehensive list of all local venues, programs, resources and more, check out our free Business Directory. Lastly, if you have not already joined our e-mail list, join now for free! Enjoy!
  
Jump or Bounce
Our moms suggest Bounce U in Elmsford, Rockin' Jump in Mount Kisco or Yonkers at Ridge Hill, Sky Zone in New Rochelle or Bounce! in Valley Cottage. Check bounce times and age restrictions and book in advance. 

Batting Cages
Get swinging at Sportime USA in Elmsford or Proswing in Port Chester.

Skydiving
Get your heart pumping with  indoor skydiving at iFly Westchester. For ages 3 and up!

Rock Climbing
Kids can experience the thrill of indoor rock climbing at the Cliffs of Valhalla, The Rock Club in New Rochelle, SportimeUSA in Elmsford or at  Rockin' Jump in Yonkers.

Bowling
Check out Bowlmor in White Plains, Cortlandt Lanes in Cortlandt Manor, Homefield Bowl in Yonkers, Rock N'Bowl at FunFuzion in New Rochelle or Spins Bowl at Grand Prix in Mount Kisco.

Cars
Kids atleast 48" tall can go racing in go karts at Grand Prix in Mount Kisco.

Swimming
Go for a swim or take a class at an indoor pool a local gym or community center. Try  Swim Labs in Elmsford or Swim Tank in Harrison or Mamaroneck. Lifetime Fitness in Harrison has an incredible pool and fantastic children's programs for members. You can also check out the New York Sports Club (NYSC) in Dobbs Ferry, New Rochelle or White Plains, Club Fit in Briarcliff or Jefferson Valley, the Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco. Kinetic Sports Club in Pelham has a water park for members! Community Centers include the YMCA in New Rochelle, Rye, Tarrytown, White Plains or Yonkers or the JCC in Scarsdale. Some towns also have indoor pools available to residents. Additional pools that offer swim instruction are listed in our directory.

Sports Classes
Get sporty by registering for a class at The House of Sports in Ardsley, A Game Sports in New Rochelle or Kinetic Sports Club in Pelham.

Did we miss something? Tell us your favorite place to keep your kids active indoors!

“Back in the day,” a mother-to-be in labor was brought into a sterile hospital room alone with her doctor and nurses. Today, the birth of a child is an event that relies on the support of the entire family and the surrounding community.

Going from a bleak hospital room to a more family-oriented birthing room required redirection and a new way of offering comfort to new families. St. John’s Five Star Maternity Unit's recently renovated maternity rooms are comfortable, state of the art private luxury suites complete with private baths, many with views of the majestic Hudson River, flat-screen televisions, plenty of seating for family members and of course, a bassinet equipped with all the essentials for your newborn to remain with you during your stay.

St. John’s Riverside Hospital prides itself on an exceptional team who are an integral part of the birthing experience and quickly become “like family” to delivering patients and their children. An award-winning team of caring physicians, nurses and support staff offer gynecological care through every stage of a woman’s delivery. This includes private tours before the birth of your child, as well as visits with lactation consultants who consult with you during your stay. There’s always someone to talk to and always help from a nurturing team when needed, especially for first-time parents.
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St. John’s Riverside’s Maternity Unit provides medical care every bit worthy of their Five Star Award. They ensure that a child’s transition into this world and their patient’s transition into parenthood is the best that it can be. They provide that sense of community and support that is so dire to young parents.  They are Community Strong.

Learn more at St. John's Riverside Hospital's website.

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​With so many places offering Baby & Me classes, it can be hard to choose. Here’s a great one for free! Music Conservatory of Westchester of White Plains is giving Westchester County families a chance to experience their bilingual (English and Spanish) early childhood music education program, First Notes/Primeras Notas, for FREE. It’s free Baby & Me – for music!
 
The introductory First Notes/Primeras Notas early childhood music classes will be held at libraries in White Plains, New Rochelle, Greenburgh, and Ossining during early afternoon hours in a total of 22 classes starting January 20 through May 12, 2018. Classes will be organized by age from 4 months to 5 years. You can find the schedule below.
 
This new free Library Lesson Series from the Music Conservatory of Westchester is introducing Westchester County families to a sample of the range of music education programs that the community music school teaches regularly at its 36,000 sq. ft. facility to students of all ages, including First Notes/Primeras Notas. The Conservatory is also hosting free, educational performances at local public libraries and plans to expand the Library Lesson Series throughout 2018.
 
The Baby & Me classes will be led by Music Conservatory of Westchester teacher and certified Music Together instructor Sandra Muñoz. These First Notes/Primeras Notas classes in the free Library Lesson Series are an introduction to music geared toward jump starting early childhood education for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers through songs, sound exploration, rhythm and movement in an upbeat, nurturing environment. Children attend classes with a parent or caregiver, sharing the joy of singing and experiencing music together, in two languages. Parents who speak any language are encouraged to join the class with their child. Parents and their children will experience a sample of the quality music education provided at the Music Conservatory of Westchester for students of any age from four months to 80+ years.
 
If you like the free, introductory First Notes/Primeras Notas program and want to continue beyond the Library Lesson Series, the Music Conservatory of Westchester invites you to sign up for its young children’s programs: First Notes/Primeras Notas, Music Skills classes for children from Pre-K through Grades 2-3, a Piano Program and Suzuki Program all taking place as regularly scheduled classes at the Conservatory’s White Plains location with scholarships available for affordable tuition.
 
There are so many opportunities to get your kid interested in music at such an early start!
 
You can find out more information about the Music Conservatory of Westchester’s library lesson series and other offered music classes, call 914-761-3900 or visit www.musicconservatory.org.
 
Free First Notes/Primeras Notas Library Lesson Schedule:
New Rochelle Public Library – Jan 20, Jan 27, Feb 3, Feb 10, Feb 17 (1:00pm, 3-5 yrs)
Greenburgh Public Library – March 3, March 17, March 24 (1:00 pm, 2 mo-2 yrs &, 1:45pm, 3-5 yrs)
Ossining Public Library – April 15, April 22, April 29 (2:30pm, 3-5 yrs)
White Plains Public Library – April 14, April 21, May 5, May 12 (1:00pm, 2 mo-2 yrs & 2:00pm, 2-4 yrs)

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Finding things to do in the winter can be challenging. Museums offer a great opportunity for kids to explore, learn and have fun. Check out this list of 10 museums for kids that are in or around Westchester.  What's your favorite? Tell us in the comments!

1. Very close to home, the Westchester Children's Museum offers play and exploration. Take advantage of their programs like Exploring Play, designed for children ages 2 to 4 and an After School Club for school aged children. Little ones can play at the soft play area, Toddler Beach. 
Location: 100 Playland Parkway, Rye, NY

2. Also in Westchester, see the stars at the Hudson River Museum. On  weekends there are planetarium shows and an Early Explorers area or with art and science projects.  Check out the dollhouse, learn about the Hudson River and more.
Location: 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, NY

3. Venture up to Norwalk, CT to the Stepping Stones Museum for Children. This museum is excellent for preschool and young children with plenty of places for little hands to explore. Bring an extra set of clothes for the Energy Lab.
Location: Mathews Park, 303 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT

4. Also in Norwalk, explore sea life at the Maritime Aquarium. See jellyfish, frogs, touch stingrays and more. While the exhibits will keep your kids busy, there is also a play space upstairs for babies and toddlers as well as an IMAX Theatre. Don't miss the Sea Turtle Nursery.
Location: 10 North Water Street , Norwalk, CT

5. If you are up for a trip into the city, the Children's Museum of Manhattan is not too far and offers a variety of ways for kids to learn and play. Dance, learn about healthy lifestyles, check out the Dora & Diego exhibit or or try one of their daily, drop-in Art Lab programs. Opening this February, experience Tokyo’s vibrant culture in a new interactive exhibit.
Location:  The Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, New York, NY

6.  The only museum of its kind in the United States, the National Museum of Mathematics gives school aged children the opportunity to discover a side of math they've never seen before. Exhibits bring math to life.
Location: 11 E. 26th St., New York, NY

7. Since 1869, the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan has been an institution and top museum for paleontology, zoology, anthropology, and astronomy. Exhibits feature dinosaurs,   marine life, minerals, a planetarium, origami and so much more. Try a self-guided tour or the Discovery Room.
Location: Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 

8. Located in one of the few remaining buildings from the 1964 World’s Fair, The New York Hall of Science in Queens is a fantastic way to spend the day and is closer than you think. The majority of exhibits are hands-on and interactive. There is a play room for young children, hundreds of exhibits, demonstrations and activities, a 3D theatre and more. Check their website to sign up for events.   
Location: 7-01 111th Street, Corona, NY

​9. Fill an entire day at the Long Island Children's Museum. It is much larger than other children's museums in the area and is sure to entertain kids of all ages. There are 14 interactive exhibits plus live theater, art spaces and daily activities.
Location: 11 Davis Ave., Garden City, NY

10. Venture to NJ to the Liberty Science Center to check out the largest and most technologically advanced planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. Young children can enjoy the Young Learners programs. Calling all Thomas the Train fans: In Thomas & Friends™: Explore the Rails, kids can learn, play, and solve problems with Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends while immersing themselves in locations from the beloved TV series.
Location: 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ

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It’s the beginning of January and you’ve already been snowed in with the whole family, wondering how you’re going to keep your New Year’s resolution of eating healthier this year. Help is only a few clicks away at Simply-Gather.com. Simply Gather was founded to help make healthy weeknight dinners an easy reality. It’s a hyper-local Westchester meal-kit delivery service that strives to take some stress out of your weeknight dinner routine.

When the wind chill is below zero and no one wants to go out, it’s easy to forget your plan and good intentions of making healthier dinners!  Simply Gather delivers organic meal-kits right to your door, in a reusable tote bag; all their meals can be cooked in 30 minutes or less, and the result is a healthy meal your entire family can eat. Simply-Gather.com has five new meals to choose from each week, including two vegetarian and multiple gluten-free options. Ingredients are almost all organic, pre-measured, and mostly ‘prepped’ for you – a lot of the vegetables come cleaned and cut already; the herbs are picked and garlic chopped – so all you need is a few basic kitchen tools (as noted in each recipe online, like a pot, pan, baking sheet, and olive oil; all stuff you would already have at home).

Additionally, Simply Gather strives to feature seasonal and local ingredients in their recipes. They partner with local Westchester and tri-state area farms, restaurants and vendors to source ingredients like produce, fish, grains, multigrain pizza crust, bread and tortillas. They also get their meats from nearby farms – Kiernan (Gardiner, NY) and Water Wheel (Sidney Center, NY) – and in January are highlighting produce such as squash, hearty greens, and citrus fruits like honeybells, pomelos and blood oranges – all from the southeast.

“We are excited about our winter menus and finding creative ways to make cooking at home simple and delicious for the whole family,” said Caren Weintraub, mother of two and founder of Simply Gather. “We know first-hand how hard it can be to find the time and motivation to do weekly meal planning and shopping. Simply Gather’s service gives you back the time planning, shopping and prepping take up, by delivering right to your door the recipe and ingredients for 30-minute meals your whole family will enjoy – even little kids!”

Simply Gather’s low carbon footprint is a major differentiator too. There’s no shipping involved, and every week when the meal-kits are delivered, they pick up the tote bag and ice packs from the week before. They use biodegradable plant-based containers and bags and if you return any of the packaging items to them they’ll recycle or reuse it for you. With no shipping, ingredients are really fresh and less jostled or damaged by the journey.
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We all know how important eating dinner together as a family is, and Simply Gather has created a great twist on helping make that easier – and healthy – for you and your family. 

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The India Cultural Center of Greenwich (ICC Greenwich) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving youth/families in the larger Westchester and Fairfield communities. What many people do not know is that ICC offers some of the top enrichment classes in the area.
 
Not only have they dropped tuition and capped class sizes at 15 students for 2018, but they have also hired great teachers from The Greenwich Country Day School, Rye Country Day School, Whitby School, The Chess Club of Fairfield County and DanceXstudio.