New York & Surroundings Play

A wonderful guide put together by the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, "The Kid's Guide to Exploring Nature" is a delightfully illustrated guide to becoming a nature observer.  Recommended for ages 8+.

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How adorable are these Aw Shucks! Oyster Pajamas! Oysters will become as familiar as squirrels with these cozy cotton pajamas from Little Hometown.  Offered in sized 1T-5T.
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Oak Leaf follows the journey of a leaf as fall arrives. A lovely meditation on autumn. Read it again and again. Recommended for 4+.
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We love Wild Republic’s realistically designed yet cuddly stuffed animals. This soft red fox makes the perfect snuggle buddy, and a fun reminder to keep your eyes peeled at dusk, when you might spot a real fox darting through your own urban or suburban neighborhood.
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Can you believe that a tiny acorn becomes a mighty oak tree? A perfect metaphor the blink-and-you'll-miss-it nature of childhood. Savor your tiny acorns and help them build appreciation for the oak tree with Wee Gallery's crinkle acorn teether.
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Look how cute! A white-tailed fawn from schleich. Fawns are typically born in the spring or early summer, and their spotted coats help them to camouflage while their mom forages for food.   
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Realistic, huggable, and ready for adventures, introduce this Chipmunk Plush from the earliest days.  We may take them for granted, but in addition to being adorable, they help disperse seeds and support new growth. (They also serve as food for other animals in the food chain, but you can save that fact for when your little one is a bit older!) 
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We love a good deer sighting. Introduce the species early to your littlest one with this Crochet Deer Teether & Rattle from Blueberry Hill. Hand-crocheted and features a baby-safe beech wood ring.  
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Visit the Discovery Garden at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Little ones now have a space of their own at the BBG to explore habitats and wildlife with hands-on play. 
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A minimalist pigeon? We love it. Great, straightforward print of the ever-present pigeon you and your little one are almost certain to see next time you step outside. Yes, spotting a pigeon is a wildlife encounter!  
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Beautiful felt wool mobile hand-crafted by Nepali artisans, featuring adorable woodland creatures. Perfect for a nursery.  
Buy from Ganapati Crafts Co.

We love Sarah's Silks' wonderful open-ended silks. This ocean earth playsilk can be anything, but we love it especially as a setting for your little one's beachwalk finds, figurines, and stuffies. 
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This one seems obvious...visit Central Park! 843 acres of greenery and wildlife in the middle of the city. Lots of opportunities for bird-watching, bug catching (and releasing), and critter spotting. The Central Park Conservancy sometimes has special resources for families visiting the park, so check back often. 
Central Park Conservancy's "Kid Friendly Adventures in Central Park" 
"40 Things to Do in Central Park with Kids" curated by Mommy Nearest

Love this book about the water cycle. Water is Water is the story of the water cycle as told through the seasons and how children and families interact with water in its different forms (swimming in a lake, ice-skating, throwing snowballs, jumping in muddy puddles...). Exceptional illustrations by Jason Chin. Good for 4+. 
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Little Locals was started because I wanted my toddler son to love the landscapes where he is growing up (in our case, the sub-tropics of Miami). I appreciate this book, The River Is My Ocean, about a little girl's relationship with the Hudson River, and her connection to the river through her grandmother's love of the ocean from her home in the DR. Sometimes city nature can be denigrated or seen as dirty, polluted, not as special as "real" nature etc., but "The River Is My Ocean" is, to me, a love letter to the Hudson from a perspective of a young girl, and this is really at the heart of Little Locals' mission.
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A beautiful story of a young girl waking up on a snowy day and experiencing the neighborhod around her in new ways as she walks to her grandmother's apartment to make grape leaves together. Perfect for 4+. 
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