Experts (I am not one of them!) agree that horticulture is great for kids: it allows them to design, plant, and maintain a garden, while teaching them about nutrition, teamwork, cooking, and food sharing.

The expert who propelled our family gardening endeavor about five years ago was Curious George. Yeah. The cartoon monkey. After watching an episode about gardens, my daughter begged for one of her own, and with a little help from good neighbors at The Pickin’ Patch in Avon and Home Depot, a little girl’s dreams of becoming a farmer came true.

Spring, sprang, sprung! Spring is here, though honestly it seems like it never left (and frankly we've been feeling more like the dead of summer this past week anyway). Those reliable harbingers of the season, the Capistrano swallows, come flying in, the grunion are wriggling their way up SoCal beaches, and the cherries are blossoming.

It's time for a little spring cleaning (Bonus: cleaning out your closet means you have room for new stuff!). It's time to get out and explore your neighborhood. (Who are the people in your neighborhood, anyway?)

And just to alert you, Easter is on the early side this year: April 5 to be exact. Which means you'll barely have finished cleaning up the leprechaun foot prints before it's time to make discover bunny tracks throughout your house. Better get hoppin'!

Keep reading for our most springy picks for this weekend...

Astronomically speaking, spring begins on the March equinox which is Friday, March 20. And, despite the wintry mix predicted for that day, the Mommy Poppins event calendar sees hints of spring fun ahead. Spring Walks, Spring Consignment Sales (including the huge JBF Sale in Oaks) and Spring Celebrations fill the weekend's list.

But the surest sign of spring has to be the Easter events that are popping up throughout the Delaware Valley. East Passyunk Avenue's Easter Egg Hunt, Greater Plymouth Community Center's Brunch With the Bunny and Egg Scramble and a multitude of train rides with the Easter Bunny are happening this weekend.

On the other hand, if your family is looking for indoor fun, celebrate World Culture at Penn Museum's Egyptomania, get ready to dance about and sing along with the performers at World Cafe Live's Kids Corner MusicFest or see a show like The Frog Prince, Tony Kenny's Irish Celebration or Storytime: It's Snow White.

Read on to find the rest of our top picks for the weekend. Don't see your event? Please feel free to submit it to our calendar.

Signs of spring are everywhere this weekend, beginning with the annual Revels Spring Sing on Saturday in Watertown. Other unmistakable signs that we've turned the corner include local Easter Bunny sightings and Passover events for the whole family. Passover in the City in Boston and the Easter Egg Hunt on the Winslow Nature Trail in Norton are two holiday highlights this weekend kids will love.

Families also have their pick of performances this weekend. The North Cambridge Family Opera stages Kids' Court, its 2015 family-friendly production. Other options include the Shadows Around the World at Puppet Showplace Theater, Open Door Theater's production of Shrek: The Musical, and a stage adaptation of The Rainbow Fish by ArtsPower. Boston Ballet's Shades of Sound opens Thursday night and runs through next weekend. 

Also on Mommy Poppins Boston this week:

• Fill your holiday calendar with your pick of these family-friendly Passover events.
• Michelle shares some great picks in her list of 25 Things to Do with a Preschooler in Boston.
• Find out Where to Find the Easter Bunny in Greater Boston this year!
• Wait! Before throwing them out, see how you can grow celery and other scraps!

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to check out the full events calendar!

Spring officially arrives this weekend, and while we're still waiting for the warmer weather to make an appearance, there is plenty to do across the Island. Catch a play in Smithtown or Bellmore, head out on the high seas on a seal cruise out of Freeport or enjoy some hands on science learning in Port Jefferson. Long Island has it all for families.

Don't see your event listed here? Add it to our events calendar. And if you don't receive this post in your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter, which now also includes a weekday roundup of activities for Long Island kids running Monday-Friday.

It's finally here: the first official weekend of spring! As the weather slowly catches up with the calendar, the weekends are beginning to provide more and more excuses to be outside and savor the almost seasonal temperatures. We are finishing up the St. Patrick's Day holiday with parades in Mystic and Greenwich, and the countdown to Easter is officially under way with the Easter Bunny in position and ready for photos at Stamford Town Center, Westfarms, and the Shoppes at Buckland Hills among other locations.

If the warmer weather has you looking ahead to summer, be sure to check our Summer Camp and Day Camp Guide as some of the more popular options are filling up quickly (our handy guide to Summer Camp Open Houses is a good place to start).

To get the most out of the site, be sure to follow us on Facebook (make sure Mommy Poppins CT shows up on your feed by including us in your "interests list." To put a page on your "interests list," hover over the "Like" button and you'll see a pull-down menu that offers an "add to your interests lists" choice).

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and be sure to get the weekend round up every Thursday in your inbox. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Pinterest in order to get updates on events, contests and free giveaways. Our event calendar is updated constantly with the best activities around the state.

Without further ado, here are our suggestions to get the most fun out of this weekend.

Regardless of what Mother Nature has in store (fingers crossed for warm weather!), it's the first official weekend of spring, which means the arrival of seasonal favorites like the Macy's Flower Show and NYC Easter Egg hunts. 

There are also two circus spectaculars in town: UniverSoul Circus in the Bronx and the Bindlestiff Cavalcade of Youth in Brooklyn's Coney Island. Other weekend highlights include some of our top picks for March, including visual art and dance production Hakanai at BAM.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. As always, you can find more options in our Event Calendar.

This weekend in Westchester is a great time to be out and about with your family, as there’s a lot happening all over the county! The fun can be grouped into three main categories: St. Patrick’s Day, shows and art.

Though St. Patty’s Day took place earlier this week, it isn’t time to pack up your “Kiss Me I’m Irish” garb yet! The fun continues at the Yonkers Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade or Annual Sound Shore-Mamaroneck St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 

As for shows, there are a bunch of appealing performances to choose from: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s Macbeth, Fly Guy & Other Stories, Sammy Cortino: Magic to Rock and Free Concert: Yonkers Philharmonic.

For programs featuring the visual arts, get inspired at Open House and Free Arts Day, Museums at the Library Day or Celebrate Turkish Culture: Water Marbling Demonstration.

But wait—there’s more! Read on for even more fun events this weekend, then click through to our Event Calendar for even more events, both this weekend and beyond.