As some of you know, my
boyfriend and I are regular volunteers with New York Cares and are
especially fond of a program called Urban Adventures. Urban
Adventures is a monthly program where we take public school
elementary students on difference adventures around New York
City. I definitely need to post some updates on what we have
been up to the last six months but before I do that I HAVE to share
with you a dessert I made for our Urban Adventures students this
past weekend! Our last Urban Adventure actually was held at their
public school in East Harlem where a Magician the kids had seen
perform last June in Central Park agreed to visit and put on a
private 
show for the kids.
Volunteer wise this was a pretty low key activity however the group
leader did request we all bring a dessert for a little party for
the kids after the magic show. I was trying to think of
something fun and creative to make for the students when I saw a
posting on Facebook about a fun kids dessert to make, Cupcake
Cones. This recipe was not only SUPER easy and incredibly fun
to make the kids absolutely went bananas for them which of course
was the most rewarding part of all!! This sweet treat is VERY easy
and cute to BOOT! Cupcake Cones: Step 1- Preheat your oven to 350
degrees Step 2- make (or buy) your preferred cupcake batter to fill
your cones. Because I had to make three dozen cupcake cones I
decided to make both chocolate and vanilla from recipes I found
online. You can access the recipes I used here: The Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
and The Best Homemade Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Ever, both came out deliciously!! Step 3- Fill each flat
bottomed ice cream cone 2/3 full with batter (being sure to use
flat bottomed cones is very important because it makes them
MUCH easier to bake, especially if you are like me and don’t
already have cupcake or muffin tins in your cupboard) Step 4-Stand
the cupcake cones next to each other in a baking dish or on a
baking sheet, I used a baking dish because it was easier to fit all
the cones together in the dish with some resting against the sides,
preventing them from toppling over while they are baking! Step 5-
Bake the cones for about 25-35 minutes (or until you can insert a
toothpick in the center of the cupcake cones and it comes out
clean.) Step 6- let cupcake cones cool for about 30-45 minutes Step
7- Frost the top of each cupcake cone, add some sprinkles if you
would like, and enjoy!! ** For the frosting I used the new Duncan Hines Frosting Creations which
allowed me to easily make several different flavors of frosting
making the cupcake cones that much cuter with all the different
colors and flavor choices!! 
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Category Archives: children
New York Cares Urban Adventures: Victorian Gardens at Wollman Rink
Well yesterday was officially the last day for public schools for the school year here in NYC and unfortunately that means the end of New York Cares Urban Adventures until the fall. A few weeks ago, I gathered with my fellow Urban Adventure volunteers and the amazing students we work with, to celebrate the end of a successful year of some pretty awesome Urban Adventures. From a scavenger hunt at the American Museum of Natural History, ice skating at Lasker Rink, walrus watching at the New York Aquarium, to our estuary exploration at Alley Pond (just to name a few), this years Urban Adventures took us all over the city and beyond. Although I am sad to say goodbye for the summer, I can’t begin to express how fortunate I feel to have been part of such a great group of volunteers this past school year but even more, it was an honor to be able to work with such an incredible group of hard working kids.
For our last Urban Adventure of the year we all gathered together at the Victorian Gardens at Wollman Rink in Central Park. Although the sun played peek-a-boo through the clouds that day, spirits were high as we ran around with the students, riding rides and just having some plain, old fashioned fun. My boyfriend, who was in town that weekend and was actually the one who introduced me to the Urban Adventure program, was able to join us, making it an even more special day for me and the kids. I am a big believer that being a kid at heart is a good thing and that “kid” came out as I flew down the slides, swung on the swings, and laughed and played with the students all afternoon. The day was over far too quickly however it was a wonderful way to end such an amazing year of adventures with the kids. I can’t wait until the fall when we all meet up again for our next round of Urban Adventures with New York Cares, but until then here are some pictures of our last adventure of the year. Enjoy!
New York Cares Urban Adventures: Alley Pond Environmental Center
There are so many wonderful things about living in New York City and some consider it not only to be the greatest city in the US but also in the entire world. City living means having constant access to some of the best restaurants, greatest plays, most raved about musical performances, stunning ballets, and extensive museums right at our finger tips. You name it we got it, yes NYC is at the center of it all and for the most part we city dwellers want for very little, that is except for nature. Although Central Park is by far one of the most beautiful parks in the US, in a city of over 8 million people, it can at times get a little crowded. That’s why when New York Cares Urban Adventures said our next trip would be to an estuary, I was beyond excited to spend a day exploring with the kids of New York Cares Urban Adventures in the wilderness outside of the city.
Only a 40 minute bus ride from East Harlem is a little place called Alley Pond Environmental Center in Queens, New York. The center is over 635 acres of forests, meadows, ponds, and fresh and salt water marshes and is home to more than 300 species of birds and other wildlife. This sanctuary is where we spent a most beautiful day with the students learning about the estuary, marshes, and the creatures that call Alley Pond home. The first hour we spent in their leaning center where the kids were introduced to the Alley Pond Environmental Center resident animals including a turtle, a rabbit, and a dove which they were allowed to pet using the ever so popular “two finger touch” system.
After the kids spent some time in the APEC center learning all about what they should expect to encounter on our estuary adventure, we finally headed out to do some exploring. We spent the afternoon investigating the wetlands that surrounded us, walking through lightly wooded areas and along the edge of the estuary, admiring the new spring flowers as we made our way around Alley Pond. Afterwards we headed back into the APEC leaning center where the students drew pictures of what they had seen and then we finished the day with a picnic lunch under some weeping willow trees before getting back on the bus to head back to the city. Sadly, our next Urban Adventure will be our last one for the year until school starts again next fall but we are ending it with a trip to The Victorian Gardens at Wollman Rink in Central Park which promises to be a fun filled day of riding rides and playing games at the seasonal amusement park. Here are some pictures from our most recent adventure, enjoy!
