Hi loopers,
Sending the weekly newsletter — and thanks for your patience! Balancing travel, work, and childcare slowed me down a bit, but we’re back. Our January book club countdown has officially begun, and I can’t wait to dive into the world of toddlerhood with the nine of you who signed up.
I’ll be sending a follow-up email in the next couple of days to kick off a new series on secondhand clothing in NYC. I’ve had the chance to interview the founders of Little Swaps and Carousel, who are making a real impact by keeping great kids’ stuff in circulation. And it got me thinking… should The Parent Loop start a podcast? Curious what you think. Is that too 2025?
Happy New Year and thank you for being part of The Parent Loop! In case you missed it, here’s a note from me to you. Looking forward to what we can do together in 2026.
Calling all parents, collaborators, and local businesses!
Have a space, service, or product for families and want to reach UWS parents in a thoughtful, community-first way? The Parent Loop partners with local businesses to spotlight services, host events, review products, and offer limited sponsored placements that genuinely help parents. If you’re interested in collaborating or advertising, just reply to this email — I’d love to explore what makes sense together.
Friday - Jan 2
Children's Family Board Games Night @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 3-4:00pm, ages 3-12.
The Magic Flute - Holiday Presentation @ The Metropolitan Opera, tickets are $35 and up, 7pm, 1.5 hrs, all ages. Note: It’s an abridged version and in English. Recommendation: Use all the downloadable activities to review the plot before and after with your kids.
Saturday - Jan 3
Puzzles & Play @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 10am-2:00pm, all ages.
Open Process Art Afternoon @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 12-3pm, ages 18 months-12 years.
The Magic Flute - Holiday Presentation @ The Metropolitan Opera, tickets are $35 and up, 12pm, 1.5 hrs, all ages. See note above.
Sunday - Jan 4
Storytime @ Book Culture (2915 Broadway & 114th St), 1pm, ages 0–7.
Storytime @ The Strand (81st & 82nd), 12pm & 3pm.
Winter outdoor activities for the brave
Drop off your tree to a Mulchfest location map through Jan 11. Wrap up your holiday season and say goodbye to your tree. NYC Parks volunteers will chip your tree into wood chips that will nourish our NYC trees. Pretty cool, huh?
3 locations on the UWS, two with chipping/mulch and one just for drop off: W 67th St and CPW (north side of Tavern on the Green entrance; drop off only), W 81st and CPW (at the bridle path, chipping/mulch) and W 83rd St and Riverside Dr (chipping/mulch)
Chipping Weekend on Sat, Jan 10 and Sun Jan 11 from 10am-2pm, at the chipping locations above.
Explore Central Park and create a discovery journal with your kids using NYC’s tailored journals for each part of the park.
Bumper cars on ice @ Wollman Rink (10 min ride), ages 6 and up, prices vary, through Jan 22.
Ice skating:
@ Wollman Rink (Central Park, near east 63rd). Prices vary and tickets required, ends in March.
@ Bryant Park Winter Village. Prices vary and tickets required but free if you bring your own skates.
@ Gottesmann Rink at the Davis Center, Central Park north end. They have paid classes available for tots and up. Prices vary.
Indoor recurring neighborhood favorites
Hands-on-activities @ American Museum of Natural History, NYC residents pay-what-you-wish.
Discovery Room: 0-12, open daily except Tues, check exact times. The Parent Loop favorite!
Climate Learning Lab: ages 8 and up, select Sat and Sun
Human Origins Learning Lab: ages 8 and up, Sat and Sun
Libraries are open Friday and Saturdays, closed Sundays: Bloomingdale Library (99th st), Riverside Library (66th st), St. Agnes Library (81st st), Columbus Library (51st st).
Bookstores, times vary: Book Culture (@112th, @114th), The Strand (81st & 82nd on Columbus - I love their basement reading nook), Barnes and Noble (@82nd st). Consider pairing the AMNH with a visit to The Strand - they’re right next to each other!
Next weekend plans - so many great activities!
Toy and Book Swap @ St. Agnes Library (82nd & Amsterdam Av), Jan 9. A quick note that this date has changed from Jan 2 and the swap is happening on Jan 9 at 11 am. You can still bring books and toys up until and on the day of the swap. You called it: The Parent Loop pick!
Mulchfest Chipping Weekend @ chipping sites only. On the UWS, those are: W 83rd St and Riverside Dr or W 81st and CPW (at the bridle path, chipping/mulch), Sat, Jan 10 and Sun Jan 11, 10am-2pm). Kids can see sustainability in action, take a home a “tree-mento,” and their own bag of mulch for your home or winter bed for a street tree. Another The Parent Loop pick!
Family Music Showcase by Mayers Consulting @ Lincoln Center (David Rubenstein Atrium), Jan 10, 2-5 pm, first-come-first serve, all ages. Another The Parent Loop pick!
PJ Library & 92NY Jewish Children’s Book Festival @ 92nd St Y (1395 Lexington Ave), 10am-4pm, Jan 11. Free but registration required. All ages, with specific workshops for ages 3 and up. Note: Waitlist only. Fingers crossed I get off it!
If you have at least one family member who identifies as Jewish, you can sign up for PJ Library here. We love receiving PJ Library’s books! They also have a lovely program for grandparents that sends them a book to read to their grandkids. My dad received one about a Jewish Cowboy rode into town on Shabbat. They both loved it!
Hot tickets
Musical Explorers Family @ Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall, 7th Av & W 57th St.), interactive concerts about American freedom songs, the Puerto Rican bomba and plena and Indian classical music, Jan 17, 12pm and 3pm, $20, ages 4-8. A The Parent Loop pick!
Family Saturdays @ New York City Ballet (David Koch Theater, Lincoln Center), A Timeless Tale on Feb 21 + The Comedy of Coppélia on May 30, price varies +$29, ages +5. Tickets are required for infants, children, and adults.
25th Flamenco Festival @ Ballet Hispánico, grades 3-12, Feb 26-Mar 1 and Mar 5-8, $45.
Still feeling the holiday spirit?
Here are some activities that are probably quieter now that city visitors have concluded their travels:
Gingerbread NYC - The Great Borough Bake-Off 2025 @ The Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Av.), 10am-6pm, all ages, through Jan 19. A miniature gingerbread cityscape crafted by bakers from all five boroughs.
Holiday train show @ Grand Central (NY Transit Museum Gallery & Store in the Shuttle Passage), ends in Feb, M-F 10am-7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 10 am-6pm. Pair it with the Holiday Fair in Vanderbuilt Hall.
Holiday lightscape @ Brooklyn Botanical Garden, prices vary and tickets required, ends Jan 4.
Holiday Train Show @ Bronx Botanical Garden, prices vary, ends Jan 11.
Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights @ Bronx Zoo, prices vary, ends Jan 4.
Because good stuff really shouldn’t sit in a closet.
See you around the neighborhood! - Jessie
The Parent Loop
Disclaimer: Event details, dates, and links are subject to change — please check with venues before heading out. Some product links may earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share items we genuinely use and love.