The Saint Louis Zoo is bringing the ocean back to you in 2010 when Stingrays at Caribbean Cove reopens for the season on April 24.

Pinkalicious is my homegirl.

As a teen who wanted to spend her summers and free time volunteering for local organizations, Simone Bernstein found the most difficult part was locating volunteer opportunities for teens her age. From the age of 12 she spent time volunteering at her local library and The Magic House, and as she got older, the St. Louis Crisis Nursery and local hospitals. But she had to devote a significant amount of her time to approaching local organizations to ask them what volunteer opportunities were available. She decided that as her next project, she’d make finding volunteer opportunities easier for her and others her age.

“I was surprised at how few resources were available to search for local youth volunteer opportunities,” said Bernstein, a student at Clayton High School. “There are national Web sites that are geared toward ages 18 and older, but I could not find a local Web site for youth.”

So Bernstein launched www.stlouisvolunteen.com last year. The site lists volunteer opportunities for teens and tweens (and even some for adults) at more than 40 local organizations.

About a year ago, my family and I moved from St. Louis to the Metro East, or as I lovingly call it, the Dark Side.

Bring your preschool-age children to see the Missouri History Museum’s The 1904 World’s Fair exhibit and participate in hands-on activities, including crafts, dress-up and more that incorporate touch, movement, smell, sound and art. Parent and Me Programs are held at the Missouri History Museum each Friday in April from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and are $7 per class ($5 per class for members), or $20 for the four-class series per family ($15 for members). Activities are appropriate for children ages 2-5.