I started reading the Harry Potter books with my 7 year old this year and I understand the significance of this series.  I’m enjoying them as much as he is, perhaps even more.  It’s pure fantasy, a treasure of words for any child.

Since I write about culture and travel, I bring you an opportunity for you and three others to step inside the famous wizard’s magical world with Harry Potter: The Exhibition, returning to Discovery Times Square on November 3 in New York City. Since its hugely successful run in 2011, Harry Potter: The Exhibition has been updated significantly with artifacts from the film series, including the final film.

The 14,000-square-foot experiential exhibition, invites visitors to visit dramatic displays inspired by the Hogwarts film sets and see the amazing craftsmanship behind authentic costumes and props from the films. Harry Potter: The Exhibition offers fans a firsthand view of hundreds of artifacts displayed in settings inspired by the film sets including the Great Hall, Hagrid’s hut, the Gryffindor™ common room, and more.

Back by popular demand, this stop in New York City will serve as the exhibition’s return to North America after a yearlong international tour.  Tickets are available for $19.50 (child 5-12), $25 (adult) and $22.50 (senior 65 and over) and can be purchased starting today online at DiscoveryTS.com, at the Discovery Times Square box office (226 West 44^th Street) or by calling (866) 987-9692.

To win FOUR TICKETS to, all you have to do is comment below.

You can get additional entries by doing one of or more of the following:

- Follow The Culture Mom on Facebook.

- Follow The Culture Mom on Twitter.

- Follow The Culture Mom on Pinterest.

This giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 30th. Winner will be posted here as well and will have 24 hours to accept their prize.

Disclosure: I have partnered with the publicity firm representing the Harry Potter Exhibition in NYC to present this opportunity to my readers.  I was not compensated to write this post.

“This mega-production deserves only three words: Fantastic! Fantastic! Fantastic!”
—Opera Insider

I’m giving away FIVE pairs of tickets to a very special reception and screening on September 19th of Verdi’s La Traviata by Opera Australia. If you haven’t yet seen it, you must.  It’s one of the most beautiful operas in the world and this is wonderful opportunity for a truly unique NYC experience.

Verdi’s La Traviata shines in this spectacular production from Opera Australia, performed on a floating stage in the Sydney Harbor under the stars. The famous Sydney Opera House is the backdrop in this dramatic new staging, which features a nearly 30-foot chandelier suspended over the stage. Opera Insider raves:  “This mega-production deserves only three words – Fantastic ! Fantastic ! Fantastic !” Visionary director Francescsa Zambello directs, with an “electrifying” Emma Matthews as Violetta, with Jonathan Summers and Gianluca Terranova rounding out the cast. (Stage Noise)

The film is in Italian with English subtitles, 2 hrs 40 mins including one intermission.  It’s being shown as part of the Fall-Winter 2012 season of Opera in Cinema series on Wednesday, September 19th at The Bruno Walter Auditorium, 111 Amsterdam Avenue at 65th Street.  The Reception will be from seven to eight o’clock followed by “La Traviata” Handa Opera from Sydney Harbour.

To win one of FIVE PAIRS OF TICKETS to attend both the reception and screening, all you have to do is comment below.

You can get additional entries by doing one of or more of the following:

- Follow The Culture Mom on Facebook.

- Follow The Culture Mom on Twitter.

- Follow The Culture Mom on Pinterest.

This giveaway will end on Sunday, September 16th. Winners will be posted here as well and will have 24 hours to accept their prize.

Disclosure: I have partnered with the publicity firm representing Verdi’s La Traviata by Opera Australia.  to present this opportunity to my readers.  I was not compensated to write this post.

Are your kids in full summer mode?  Mine are.  They’re going to summer camp and loving it.  Everyday brings new adventures including tie dying shirts, swim lessons, trips to the beach, playing tag in the park, catching fireflies at night, roasting marshmallows on our deck.  We’re right smack in the middle of summer and we’re not really thinking about school.  But it is mid July and before you know it, we’ll be back in the classroom.  I’ve got the workbooks out preparing my son for second grade and they have reading time daily to keep up their literacy skills.

So, I’m pretty excited about the show we’re heading to see tomorrow in NYC: EVERYTHING ABOUT SCHOOl almost, playing at the TADA! YOUTH THEATER. In the show, they follow 8 kids from elementary school through high school graduation in a comic look at how friendships are built and memories are made. Includes popular TADA! hits like “I Hate Gym,” “Can’t keep still,” and “On the Menu Today.”  EVERYTHING ABOUT SCHOOL (ALMOST) cast is comprised of members of TADA!’s Resident Youth Ensemble; talented kids between the ages of 8 and 18 from the NY-metro area who participate in this FREE year-round youth development.

EVERYTHING ABOUT SCHOOL (ALMOST) concludes TADA!’s season celebrating 20 years of working with composer Eric Rockwell who conceived this show in 2002 as the second installment of TADA!’s popular “Everything About” series of musical revues focusing of a familiar topic like camp or family.

EVERYTHING ABOUT SCHOOL (ALMOST) plays the following schedule July 12 through Sunday, August 4:

Tuesdays-Fridays at 12pm and 2pm
Saturdays at 2pm and 4pm
Additional Opening Night performance: Friday July 12 at 7pm.

Tickets are only $15 for adults and $8 for children; Premium tickets (also available for every performance) are $25 for adults and $15 for children and feature priority seating and support TADA!’s programming. Tickets are now available online at www.tadatheater.com/currentseason.asp. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 212-252-1619 ext 5 or in-person one hour prior to performance.

To celebrate going back to school, I am giving away FOUR tickets!

All you have to do is comment below.

You can get additional entries by doing one of or more of the following:

- Follow The Culture Mom on Facebook.

- Follow The Culture Mom on Twitter.

- Follow The Culture Mom on Pinterest.

This giveaway will end on Friday, June 27th. Winner will be posted here as well and will have 24 hours to accept the prize or will go to the runner-up.

Disclosure: I have partnered with the TADA THEATER to present this opportunity to my readers.  I was not compensated to write this post.

Did you know that 1 in 5 children in the U.S. live in poverty?  That means 16 million kids will go without basic school supplies this year?  Wondering how you can help?  Good news: Staples is making it easy for its customers to give back this season with the Staples for Students national school supply drive.  Now through September 15th, Staples and DoSomething.org are encouraging teens to collect school supplies to help local students in need.

Here’s how it works:

1. SIGN UP: Head over to DoSomething.org staples to donate school supplies. You can run a drive in your community, or help on your own. Even one box of pens can make a difference.

2. SHARE THE STATS: Send 5 friends the stats on student poverty and you could win a $2000 scholarship!

3. DROP OFF SUPPLIES: Take the supplies you’ve collected to your local Staples store and drop them off. (Plus, If you tell us about it, you’ll be entered to win free movie tickets!)

4. SPREAD THE WORD: Click here to share the campaign. For each share, $1 dollar will be donated to provide school supplies for students in need.

Shake It Up’s Bella Thorne is the face and voice behind the campaign. Watch this:

To celebrate this fabulous campaign, I am giving away a $25 gift card to shop at Staples.  You can use it to contribute to this campaign, or you can use it to buy your child’s school supplies to get ready for the school year.

All you have to do is comment below.

You can get additional entries by doing one of or more of the following:

- Follow The Culture Mom on Facebook.

- Follow The Culture Mom on Twitter.

- Follow The Culture Mom on Pinterest.

- Tweet out: ”I just entered to win a $25 @Staples giftcard at @TheCultureMom http://bit.ly/ODOUrV

This giveaway will end on Friday, June 20th. Winner will be posted here as well and will have 24 hours to accept the prize or will go to the runner-up.

Disclosure: I have partnered with Staples to present this opportunity to my readers.  I was not compensated to write this post.

Last weekend we ventured to New Jersey to witness the robotic dinosaurs at Field Station: Dinosaurs.  Today I have a pair of tickets to offer a lucky winner (valued at $20 each) if you  comment below, to be entered in the giveaway, and let me know your child’s favorite book or film about dinosaurs.

You can get additional entries by doing one of or more of the following:

• Follow Field Station: Dinsaurs on Facebook.
• Follow Field Station: Dinosaurs on Twitter.
• Tweet out: ”I just entered to win tickets to @Jerseysaurus on @TheCultureMom. #Jerseysaurus

This giveaway will end on Friday, June 15th. Winner will be posted here as well and will have 24 hours to accept the prize or will go to the runner-up.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Field Station Dinosaurs in conjunction with MamaDrama.

Yesterday we had the unique opportunity to visit a Dinosaur theme park called Field Station Dinosaurs.  Located literally a jump, hop and skip from NYC in the Meadlowlands, it’s a  park that houses over thirty life-sized, realistic dinosaurs (including the ninety foot long Argentinosaurus, the largest animatronic dinosaur ever made) come to life thanks to the brilliant engineering of the world’s leading roboticists and the imagination of hard-working artists. It was a day of wonder and excitement for my 7 and 9 year-olds as they went from one robotic dinosaur to another.  As I walked through the park, I heard shrieks of excitement, mainly pouring out of little boy’s mouths, as they stated, “This is the best day evah!”  My kids are not such dinosaur connoisseurs, but they were intrigued by the enormity of the structures and how close to real-life they are. My son prided himself on the fact that he knew they weren’t real and where exactly the technology was based in their structures to exude such strong sounds of “ROAR”.

If you don’t believe me about how close this park is to the city, check out the picture above with the view of the NYC skyline in the background. From our visit, it was clear how much time and research went into creating this per-historic experience.  Scientists from the New Jersey State Museum worked to ensure that the exhibition encompasses the latest theories and discoveries in the fields of paleontology, geology, and environmental studies. Workshops, games and activities connect the story of the dinosaurs to our world today, giving new relevance to their lives and power to the tale of their extinction.  We went to several workshops and were able to really learn more about pre-historic times, which my kids took great interest in.  It’s a time of their lives where they are taking in all the information they can.  My daughter, at age 9, is like a sponge. She was actually just on the cusp of being a little bit old for this park, but over time perhaps the park will add workshops and more for kids a little bit older.

A few tips before your trip:

- When you get to the address entered into your GPS, be sure to look carefully for the gate, as it is not easy to find at first glance.  Parking is right next to the park and costs $10 per car. NH Transit is a short walk from the gate and they offer a weekend shuttle from the Secaucus Junction Station.

- The park remains open on rainy days but be prepared for the rain as there isn’t much shelter inside the park.  Bring ponchos and umbrellas.  They do offer complimentary ponchos.

- Bring sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes.

- Bring snacks and lunch if you like, there are picnic tables.  They sell hot dogs and popcorn. There is no ATM on the grounds.

- You can purchase tickets online or in advance by phone at (855) 999-9010 and save a few dollars per person.  Tickets are $20 at the gate; $17.50 per child and senior and free for kids under two.  Call the day before to save.

Disclosure: This giveaway was sponsored by the folks at Field Station Dinosaurs.  I was provided with complimentary passes by MamaDrama.com, but all opinions and thoughts expressed are my own.

Clearly, this giveaway is not for kids.  Yes, a lot of people (particularly publicists) seem to think as The Culture Mom, I’m all about the kids. They refer to me as “mommy blogger” and send me information about everything kid-related.  Little do they realize that I am SO much more than that.  I love a good night out with my husband or my girl-friends, sinking my teeth into a show about and only for adults.

And VENUS IN FUR by David Ives is just that.  Now, I have to admit that I have not seen it yet (I will). But I hear it’s VERY steamy, and VERY exciting.  The show goes behind the scenes at an audition, where a man (a playwright) and a woman (actress) blur the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex.  Hugh Dancy and Nina Arianda star in this show, and I will not anything else, but I think that it’s a hot ticket!

You can enter to win a pair of  tickets to VENUS IN FUR right here! Here’s how to enter:

1) You must be a Culture Mom Facebook Fan and a Venus in Fur Facebook Fan to enter.

Then finish the following sentence in the comment section below: “I want to see this show because…”

YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR CONTACT INFO – Twitter or Email in the entry to be considered!

2) For a second entry, leave a second comment after tweeting the following:

I entered to win a pair of tickets to see @venusinfurbway via @TheCultureMom.   http://bit.ly/H8mqGQ #broadway #newyorkcity

Winners will be chosen on Friday, April 6th at noon.  The winner will have 24 hours to accept the prize or it will go to the runner-up.  Tickets can be used through April 24th only and are not valid for Saturday and Sunday performances.

Disclosure: Giveaway courtesy of  Venus in Fur.

The New Victory Theater continues to bring first-rate theater for kids to New York City.  I make every effort possible to get my kids into the city to see their shows.  They have the most beautiful, visual, innovative productions this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  I’m a huge fan.  And so are my own children.

Ahhh HA! is a provocative blend of dance, acrobatics, aerial work, evocative visual imagery, humor and original music. Returning to The New Victory after 12 years, the multi-talented Do Jump! ensemble fuses physical skill, comedy and moments of heart-stopping beauty, and sets it all to live music by the Afro-Hebrew ensemble Klezmocracy.

Founded in 1977, Do Jump! utilizes a groundbreaking approach to explore aerial arts as part of physical theater performance. The company has toured extensively through the U.S. and Canada, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and the Ordway in Minneapolis.

Ahhh HA! is playing March 30th-April 14th – you can buy tickets here.

There are some key dates to note during this time period:

Check out this video from the show:

The film features a stellar cast with Zac Efron, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, and Betty White.  Here’s the plot: A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

The film shares the cause and effect of cutting down one of natures oxygen resources  The Tree’s.  The Once-ler, bewitched by the beauty of the Truffulas, greedily chops them down so he can mass produce versatile garments, called “Thneeds” out of the Truffula’s colorful tufts.  As the trees swiftly disappear, so do the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swamee-Swans and the Humming-Fish.  The wise old Lorax continuously warns the Once-ler but his words of wisdom are for naught as the “Thneed” business booms and the Once-ler is blinded by greed.  What will it take for the Once-ler to learn his lesson?  Will the Truffula trees become extinct or is there hope for regeneration?

 I certainly like that the film delivers a very important message – that we all have the power to change the world, no matter how small our efforts may seem.  To me, that is exactly what I want my children to grow up believing and a message that I try to instill in them everyday.

Today here on the Culture Mom you can win a The Lorax Prize Pack ($25 Fandango Gift Card, Truffula Tree Pencils and a Fuzzy Moustache.) Contest ends midnight, March 15th 2012.   Just leave a comment telling me your favorite Dr. Seuss book.

Extra Entries:

1. Join The Culture Mom on Facebook.
2. Follow me on Pinterest.
3. Follow me on Google+.
4. Follow me on Twitter.
5. Tweet about this giveaway using the link below and leave a comment with the link here.

I’m entering to win $25 The Lorax Prize Pack  http://bit.ly/yBz3o0 via @TheCultureMom #giveaway.

Disclosure: This giveaway was sponsored by the folks at Universal Pictures.