Feel like sprucing up your kitchen and mealtime? Behold these cool kitchen gadgets.
The kitchen is the center of any family home: from cooking to eating together, it’s a chance for busy families to reconnect with one another and fill their hungry tummies. We’re crushing on a few new and cool kitchen gadgets that are full of whimsy, fun and convenience. Afterall, if you have to have gadgets, they should definitely be cool, right?
These cool kitchen gadgets are not only exactly what will make your kids want to help cooking and eat (fun shapes always do the trick), but they’re also a lot of fun to use. Plus, they’re all things you actually need in the kitchen. Peelers, plates, and utensils are always going to be necessities. So, we’ve gone ahead and rounded up some of the most adorable goodies for all your future meals. Scroll below to find the new object of your foodie affection.
Cat Peeler
Not only is this little peeler adorable, but it's also easy for little hands to hold. It should come in very handy for all those potatoes you need to peel for Thanksgiving mash. The little ears help to remove potato eyes, too. Also comes in white!
This dishwasher-safe silicone mat not only makes mealtime fun, but it's also perfect for those eaters who like their foods "separate" whenever possible. We also love this mat for holiday baking (you can use all the compartments for different cookie toppings) and even crafting supplies. Because it's easy to wash, there's no problem using it for a variety of things. It comes in an array of colors and sizes (some have more "mat" areas for crafting, etc.).
Dive deep into pots of soup and stews with this long-necked, footed ladle in the shape of the elusive Loch Ness Monster. She even comes in a jumbo size.
Make mealtime extra fun with this construction-themed plate and utensil set. Now all those noises you make to get the food down the hatch might sound so out of place!
Protect hands from burns and amuse your guests with these silly-sweet oven mitts that look exactly like bear paws, made with insulated cotton with heat-resistant silicone pads. They also come in polar bear hands if that's more your taste.
Get your knights to gather around the table with this adorable but functional cheese grater that looks like a dagger. Enough said, right? You will never buy the pre-shredded cheese again. We’re pretty sure you’ll have a few volunteers to pitch in with meal prep with this one.
With cookie baking season right around the corner, you and your kids will love whipping up a batch of sugar cookies (or really any solid dough designed for cutters) in the shape of emojis!
It’s a juicer, it’s a miniature watering can, and it’s a ton of fun! Perfect for your favorite salad dressing, just squeeze the lemon juice directly in, add whatever seasonings and oil you might want and then sprinkle directly onto your greens. This just might get them to eat those veggies!
Kids love playing in soapy water, so take advantage of that and get them to do a few dishes (non-breakables are fine). Even the most reluctant rinser will perk up when they see the Brain Drain, a clever little sponge holder that looks like a skull. And as a bonus, you can use it to hold a body scrubber in the bath, too.
Whether you’re introducing carrots to a wee one’s diet or making fancy popsicles for a playdate, this adorable popsicle maker will bring on squeals of delight. How can you go wrong?
Whether they're into banging on pots and pans or have graduated to helping in the kitchen, set your little chefs up for success with this seven-piece utensil set from Q.D. Foodie. The utensils feature sensory-friendly, easy-to-grip handles, have braille on the measuring pieces and mimic real fruits and veggies.
They look like giant pencil sharpeners, but they produce julienne-style results that can easily be formed into garnishes, thereby making your food look 10x fancier.
From birthday parties to everyday eats, these napkin holders make mealtime more like story time. Easy to use, you just grab any napkin (cloth, paper) and fold it in half, give Bloom a twist and bam! Your napkin just became petals. Whimsy with a side of good manners? Yes, please.
You want kiddo to learn to eat from a real plate but don't want said plate tossed on the floor. Your solution: OXO Tot's new stick and stay divided plate. The curved side walls encourage your babe to feed herself, and it suctions to any surface—it's easy for mom and dad to remove, not so easy for the baby.
Never miss out on the last little bits of jam or peanut butter thanks to the Splatypus jar scraper. This little spatula is just $17; you'll save that much in jam in a year alone.
—Amber Guetebier, Erin Lem, Gabby Cullen, Kate Cartia
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Space trivia for kids is perfect for a night under the stars
Whether you’ve got a would-be astronaut in your household or are just looking for quirky or interesting facts for kids, there’s no denying that space is a fascinating topic. From the moon and stars to space exploration, here’s some of our favorite space trivia for kids.
1. The moon is very hot (224 degrees Fahrenheit, average) during the day but very cold (-243 degrees average) at night.
2. Venus spins clockwise. It’s the only planet that does!
3. One teaspoon of a neutron star would weigh six-billion tons.
9. It takes eight minutes and 19 seconds for light to travel from the sun to Earth.
10. The footprints on the moon will be there for 100 million years.
11. A neutron star can spin 600 times in one second.
12. Jupiter is the fastest spinning planet in the solar system (it only takes about 10 hours to complete a full rotation on its axis).
13. Sound does not carry in space.
14. The Earth's core is as hot as the surface of the sun.
15. The very first animals in space were fruit flies...they were sent up in 1947 and recovered alive.
16. In 2011, ten-year-old Kathryn Aurora Gray discovered a supernova (a star that has run out of energy, explodes and then collapses before it dies) that no one else had seen before.
17. Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, has saltwater geysers that are 20x taller than Mt. Everest.
18. Saturn's rings are made from trillions of chunks of orbiting ice.
19. Alpha Centauri isn't a star, but a star system. It is 4.22 light years away.
20. One day on Venus is almost 8 months on Earth.
21. Golf is one of only two sports ever played on the moon. In 1971, Alan Shepard hit a ball with a six-iron while on the moon as part of the Apollo 14 mission. The other sport was a javelin toss, during the same visit.
22. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is the Solar System's longest raging storm: it has been observed for more than 200 years.
23. Mercury and Venus do not have moons. (They are the only two planets in our solar system that don't!)
24. There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sands on Earth.
If your kids have heard of Babe Ruth but aren’t sure if it’s a kind of candy, don’t worry! We know kids love fun facts, and from facts about Wilma Rudolph to the actual diameter of a basketball hoop, we’ve rounded up some fun sports trivia for kids.
Wikimedia Commons
1. In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single NBA basketball game. No one has broken this record (not even Steph Curry!).
2. Babe Ruth began his career as a pitcher: Ruth was both a left-handed pitcher and left-handed batter.
3. The record for the long jump is held by Mike Powell: 29 ft. + 4 inches. That’s like jumping the length of two minivans!
4. The most medals won for Olympic basketball (male or female) are both held by women: Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie with four gold medals each.
5. Here's some amazing sports trivia for kids: Wilma Rudolph (who set the world record in 1960 for 100, 200 and 4x100-meter relay) had polio, scarlet fever and pneumonia as a child, leading doctors to believe she’d never walk again.
11. Golf is one of only two sports every played on the moon. In 1971, Alan Shepard hit a ball with a six-iron while on the moon as part of the Apollo 14 mission. The other sport was a javelin toss, during the same visit.
Netflix just released a teaser trailer for all of their 2022 movies and you’re going to want to watch it
Netflix just unveiled a very lengthy lineup of their 2022 movies, and a teaser trailer to go along with it. The streaming giant has so many superstars lined up, you’re going to have weekend plans for the rest of the year! Practice getting the kids to bed early, because in addition to a nice chunk of family content, there’s a long list action, drama, and suspense movies that will make you crave your couch.
Here’s a teaser trailer with so much star power — it’s impossible not to get excited:
JLo, Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry… the list goes on and on. Here’s the entire list of movies Netflix is releasing in 2022.
For the Whole Family:
13: The Musical
Boo!
Ivy & Bean
Matilda
Rescued by Ruby
The School for Good and Evil
Slumberland
Tall Girl 2
We Have A Ghost
Netflix
Animated & Anime:
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood
Bubble (Anime)
Drifting Home (Anime)
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
My Father’s Dragon
The Sea Beast
The Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburgh Part 1 (Anime)
Wendell & Wild
Netflix
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi:
The Adam Project
Athena
Carter
Day Shift
Enola Holmes 2
The Gray Man
Interceptor
The Mother
The Mothership
Spiderhead
They Cloned Tyrone
Comedy:
BigBug
The Bubble
Knives Out 2
Me Time
Metal Lords
Senior Year
The Takedown
Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming
You People
Drama:
A Jazzman’s Blues
Against the Ice
All Quiet on the Western Front
Blonde
The Good Nurse
Hustle
Luckiest Girl Alive
Operation Mincemeat
The Pale Blue Eye
Rustin
Spaceman
The Swimmers
White Noise
The Wonder
Thriller + Horror:
Black Crab
Brazen
Choose or Die
End of the Road
The Inheritance
Monkey Man
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Weekend Away
Windfall
Romance:
Along for the Ride
Don’t Blame Karma!
Falling for Christmas
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Love in the Villa
The Noel Diary
A Perfect Pairing
Persuasion
Purple Hearts
The Royal Treatment
Through My Window
Untitled Holiday Rom-Com
Seeing a show during the holidays is a tradition for many families. Lucky for New Yorkers, there’s lots to choose from here. From shows for little ones to modern circus, or perhaps an outdoor light show this year. We’ve rounded up the best holiday shows this season here! (Looking for Nutcracker shows? They’re here!) [Editor’s note: with the recent Covid surge in NYC, some shows are suspending or ending runs. Double-check a show’s status before making plans!]
(Don’t forget: Starting December 14th, children aged 5-11 will be required to show proof of one vaccination dose for indoor dining, fitness and entertainment. Starting December 27th, New Yorkers aged 12 and older will be required to show proof of two vaccine doses, instead of one, except for those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.)
Theatrical Productions
Radio City Christmas Spectacular with The Rockettes
MSG Productions
[The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring The Rockettes canceled the remainder of its 2021/22 season run.]
The Rockettes are back, baby! And they’re even bringing back a beloved number to celebrate. The addition of “Snow”, which turns the stage into a winter wonderland, brings the total of numbers in the classic, 90-minute holiday show to nine. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring The Rockettes runs from November 5 to January 2, 2022, and tickets are on sale now.
$49 and up Nov. 5, 2021- Jan. 2, 2022 Radio City Music Hall 1260 Sixth Ave. Midtown Online: rockettes.com
Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
Based on Jim Henson’s beloved television special, this show takes audiences to Frogtown Hollow where Ma and Emmet Otter risk what little they have to make each other’s holiday dreams come true. Featuring a cast of performers with puppets from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and a toe-tapping score by legendary songwriter Paul Williams, this merry musical is recommended for ages five and up.
Tickets: $25 and up New Victory Theater 209 W. 42nd St. Times Square 646-223-3010 Online: newvictory.org
'Twas the Night Before…By Cirque du Soleil
Errisson Lawrence
Cirque du Soleil’s exhilarating spin on the beloved Christmas tale returns to the Hulu Theater for the holidays—its previous run at the venue sold out all 25 performances. The production marks Cirque du Soleil’s first-ever Christmas show and is a flurry of Christmas cheer, rip-roaring fun with hugely lovable characters and of course, incredible and entertaining physical feats.
Dec. 9 - 27 Tickets: $40 and up Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden 4 Penn Plaza Midtown 212-465-6000 Online: msg.com
Big Apple Circus
Robert West
Heads up: Big Apple Circus is returning to Lincoln Center with a new show, “Making The Impossible, Possible!”, helmed by world-renowned aerialist, high wire artist and Guinness World Record holder, Nik Wallenda. Acts joining Wallenda include Johnny Rockett, a combination of Evel Knievel & Charlie Chaplin (shown here), and Alan Silva from America’s Got Talent who will act as the circus' Ringmaster. Plus: an incredible cast of circus acts from around the world. Snag your tickets now—the show debuts on November 11!
Nov. 11 - Jan. 30, 2022 Tickets: $25 and up Lincoln Center Midtown Online: bigapplecircus.com
CocoMelon LIVE! JJ's Journey
Image courtesy of Moonbug Entertainment and EMC Entertainment
This live production is a journey through the world of CoComelon, featuring all the favorite characters and over 20 songs, including new original music. When JJ and his family are putting on a show, JJ needs some help writing his own song. Along the way he learns that by using his imagination, he can create, solve problems and have wonderful adventures.
Dec. 4 & 5, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m Tickets: $51 and up Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden 4 Penn Plaza Midtown 212-465-6741 Online: cocomelonlive.com
The Elf On The Shelf: A Christmas Musical
Ken Ek
Yes, the holiday tradition is now a musical. The Elf on the Shelf: The Musical is a spectacle of music and dance that transports audiences to the North Pole to glimpse the magical lives of Santa’s Scout Elves. Featuring an original story and score, dazzling sets and costumes, and heartfelt moments, this joyous show celebrates the splendor of the season.
The 30th Annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic presented by the National Double Dutch League, returns to the Apollo stage—bringing together national and international communities of jumpers. Act fast! This sells out and tickets are getting snapped up!
Sun., Dec. 5, 1 p.m. Tickets: $25/individual, groups of 10 or more $25/person 253 West 125th St. The Apollo Theater Harlem 1-800-745-3000 Online: apollotheater.org
Light Shows & Displays
Winter Lantern Festival
Winter Lantern Festival
This lantern display returns to the New York City area with three locations for 2021. At Snug Harbor on Staten Island, check out ESCAPE: over eight acres of luminescence you can walk amongst and through. (It's back for the third year at this spot.) In addition to the lantern display, there will be a live DJ, projection mapping, food vendors, and more.
Starting Nov. 25, the Queens County Farm Museum will host Illuminate The Farm, an immersive and radiant world of color. It's a dazzling display of festive holiday lights and handmade lanterns in the shape of flowers, tractors, favorite farm animals and more.
Finally, Long Island's Nassau County Museum of Art hosts "A Bug’s Night", a drive-through immersive experience. Roll through over 20 acres of vivid lanterns and holiday lights in the shape of flowers, bugs, animals.
ESCAPE Oct. 22-Jan. 9, 2022 Tickets: $25/adults; $17/ages 3-12; Holiday week, $30/adults, $17/ages 3-12 Snug Harbor Cultural Center 1000 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY Online: nycwinterlanternfestival.com
A Bug's Night Drive Through Adventure Oct. 22-Jan. 9, 2022 Tickets: Wed.-Thurs., $35/car, Fri-Sun, $50/car; Holiday week (Dec. 24-Jan. 2)/$60/car Nassau County Museum of Art One Museum Dr. Roslyn, NY Online: nycwinterlanternfestival.com
Illuminate the Farm Nov. 25-Jan. 9, 2022 Tickets: $25/adults; $17/ages 3-12; Holiday week, $30/adults, $17/ages 3-12 Queens County Farm Museum 73-50 Little Neck Parkwy Queens Online:nycwinterlanternfestival.com
Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights
Julie Larsen Maher
This popular animal-themed light and lantern display returns to the zoo starting November 19. See 260 lanterns representing almost 70 animal and plant species from around the globe. This year, 79 new lanterns representing 30 new animal species will make their debut at the zoo. But the Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights is more than a display: activities and entertainment include ice-carving demonstrations, stilt-walkers, puppet shows, a holiday train and even treats like s’mores. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
The LuminoCity Festival, a spectacular display of larger-than-life figures lit from within returns to Randall’s Island this winter. ‘Shine Again’ is the theme of the event, which features exhibitions of spectacular light art displays inspired by the traditional art of Chinese lantern festivals. “Lumio”, the LuminoCity Festival mascot serves as your guide through the fantastical landscape, which features new displays for 2021. The all-new ‘Lumi’s Utopia” will include 3D sculptures made from drawings by six young artists, while “Lumi’s Friends” will feature light sculptures of social media pets @smoothiethecat & @turboroo.
Nov. 12 - Jan., 2022 Tickets: $22-$76, timed entry Whitney Pond Park 133 Valley Rd. Manhasset, NY Online: luminocityfestival.com
Lightscape at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Lightscape is coming to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this winter. A new after-dark, illuminated spectacular lightscape celebrates the beauty of nature in winter with a festive one-mile trail winding through the garden’s 52-acre landscape, animated by dazzling light, color, and sound. More than 18 distinct works of light art will be on view, among them the Cathedral of Light tunnel, a Fire Garden on Lily Pool Terrace, and the Field of Light, an animated light installation covering Cherry Esplanade. A series of new light-based artworks by local artists will be featured as well. Lightscape was launched at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London in 2014, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the show’s only U.S. East Coast venue.
Select dates, Nov. 19- Jan. 9, 2022 Tickets: $34/adults; $18/ages 3-12, free/age two and under Brooklyn Botanic Garden 150 Eastern Pkwy. Prospect Heights 718-632-7200
This walk-through light experience debuted in 2020, and it’s back and bigger for the 2021 holiday season. Glow is billed as “an outdoor color and light experience”, along a 1.5-mile winding path. Expect washes of brilliant color, thousands of dazzling LEDs, illuminated plant stories, and whimsical, picture-perfect installations that reflect the surrounding gardens and collections. Make it a double feature and check out the popular New York Botanic Garden Holiday Train Show while you’re there. (The garden offers a combo ticket.)
Congrats to first-time mom and dad Emily Ratajkowski and husband Sebastian Bear-McClard! The model/actress recently announced the birth of a baby boy with a sweet mommy-son Instagram pic.
The model and actress went public with her growing baby bump last fall, with a series of IG posts and an essay in Vogue on why she doesn’t want to reveal the gender of her baby.
Ratajkowski wrote last October in Vogue, “the truth that we ultimately have no idea who—rather than what—is growing inside my belly. Who will this person be? What kind of person will we become parents to? How will they change our lives and who we are? This is a wondrous and terrifying concept, one that renders us both helpless and humbled.”
She went on to add, “I think about my husband and what a son would bring up for him. Is he secretly yearning for a boy? When I ask him, he refuses to give me an answer, swearing that he doesn’t have a preference. But one Sunday as he’s watching football he makes a remark about how it’d be fun to have a little boy to watch with.”
As it turns out, Ratajkowski and Bear-McClard did have a boy—and they named their son Sylvester Apollo Bear. The new mom got plenty of congratulations on IG, with celebs such as Kate Bosworth and Ashley Graham sending well wishes.
Quarantine babies are on the way! If you’re looking for the perfect name, look no further than BabyNames.com.
The online resource has rounded up the most popular names of the year for boys and girls and is ready to share. Of note? “Both Donald and Karen are nowhere on the top 1000 names,” says Jennifer Moss, Founder and CEO of BabyNames.com. So who did take home the top prize?
photo: Photo by nappy from Pexels
For girls, the top 10 are:
Amelia
Charlotte
Aurora
Violet
Olivia
Ava
Aria
Luna
Isla
Hazel
The top boy names include:
Oliver
Liam
Theodore
Ethan
Aidan
Benjamin
Declan
Gabriel
Finn
Elijah
BabyNames.com founder goes on to say that 2021 could see a rise in popularity for girl names with a “ph” sound such as Sophia, Ophelia, Josephine, and Persephone. For boys, keep an ear out for Celtic names like Liam, Aidan, Declan, Owen, and Finn.
Moss also believes we’ll be seeing more “Power Names,” which are those that are associated with bold characteristics like Rogue, Maverick, Remington, Blade, Freya and Apollo. Check out the entire list at babynames.com.
Grab your Sweet Babboo! In celebration of the milestone 70th anniversary of the first Peanuts strip ever published, Apple TV+ unveiled a teaser trailer and the premiere date for The Snoopy Show, a new Apple original series hailing from its exclusive partnership with Peanuts and WildBrain. “The Snoopy Show” will make its global debut Feb. 5, 2021, exclusively on Apple TV+.
The Snoopy Show is a new animated series for kids and families that stars the internationally beloved beagle and his feathered best friend Woodstock as they tackle all new adventures. Snoopy may seem like just a happy-dancin’, bone-lovin’, doghouse-sittin’ pup, but he’s much more than that. He’s Joe Cool: hippest kid in school. He’s surfer king and famed arm-wrestler Masked Marvel. He’s World War I Flying Ace who battles the Red Baron. All of his bold, beloved personas are on full display in this brand-new animated comedy.
Each episode of The Snoopy Show will consist of three, seven-minute cartoons based on the iconic comic series. Featuring the unique animation style that has entertained millions around the globe for seven decades, the nostalgic new series also showcases everyone’s most cherished characters from Peanuts including Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Franklin, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty and more.
The Snoopy Show will join Apple Originals, Daytime Emmy award winner, Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10, and Daytime Emmy award nominated Snoopy in Space which are both now streaming globally on Apple TV+.
It’s out of this world! In celebration of NASA’s 2020 Mars Perseverance rover, a new display has landed at LEGOLAND Florida Resort. The life-size LEGO astronaut model consists of almost 66,000 LEGO bricks.
In addition, LEGOLAND Florida guests will also be treated to a moon landing-inspired mosaic background created from more than 44,000 LEGO bricks.
The models were built last year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. These LEGO models have been on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex since their construction.
Starting today, space and LEGO fans can enjoy this awesome replica moon lander and giant astronaut in their permanent home in the Imagination Zone at LEGOLAND Florida Resort.
Some interesting facts about the LEGO model and mosaic include:
One model designer spent 143 hours designing the astronaut model
Five model builders spent a combined 450 hours building the astronaut model
Approximately 65,600 LEGO bricks were used to construct the astronaut model
One model designer spent 58 hours designing the mosaic
Six model builders spent a combined 480 hours building the mosaic
Approximately 44,500 LEGO bricks and 23 different colors were used to complete the mosaic
Since reopening on Jun. 1, LEGOLAND Florida Resort has introduced a range of new health and safety measures, including reduced capacity, cashless payments, temperature checks upon arrival, and enhanced cleaning practices. Guests can read more about how LEGOLAND is making it safe to play at https://www.legoland.com/florida/ways-we-are-making-it-safe-to-visit/.
Time for Kids recently announced its 2019 top 50 fun places for families list. Whether you’re looking for a place to play, learn, explore or eat, this list has it all.
So which global attractions and spaces for kiddos made the list? Check out the highlights of the top 50 winners and get the full list here.
If you want to stay state-side, Time for Kids suggests Seattle, Washington’s Artists at Play. Like the name implies, this super-artsy play area is all about creativity and fun! With a 38-foot curly slide and a human-powered carousel, this artist-designed space is filled with all kinds of imaginative awesomeness. Families headed out of the country, may want to try out some of the international picks, including CopenHill in Copenhagen, Denmark, Escape in Penag, Malaysia or the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark.
Are you on the search for a “cool” place to eat? Forget about fries and buttered noodles, these foodie finds are on a whole new level. The winners in this category include Creator in San Francisco, California, PBJ.LA in Los Angeles, California, Saint Pierre in Singapore, The Kinderkookkafe in the Netherlands and SafeHouse Milwaukee in Wisconsin.