Happy New Year, Jersey! The holidays are officially behind us and the month of January is a great time to get back to normal routines and enjoy some down time as a family after all of December’s craziness. If you’re craving some fresh air, bundle up and check out flora and fauna at Mountain Lakes Preserve with a Welcome Winter Walk, discover Winter Waterfowl along Liberty State Park’s beautiful boardwalk or let the kids roam the wintry trails at Tenafly Nature Center during a Seasonal Scavenger Hunt. If the thought of the outdoors has you shivering, we’ve got you covered – let the kids get crafty at the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts Family Fun Day or take in an energetic performance of Wild Kratts Live at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. For even more weekend fun, check out the full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

It hasn't been the flashiest city on the map for decades, or maybe ever, but Bridgeport still has a HEAP to offer families in terms of fun.  It is a coastal city, and there are lovely pockets of shoreline to explore here, just like the rest of Fairfield County.  It also has a wide range of entertainment venues, whether your tribe is into sports or science.  Most of all, Bridgeport has a Mayor in place that deeply believes in the Park City and its potential -- and he isn't alone, as evidenced by a handful of devoted developers at work. If you've been inclined to write off this town, we'd suggest checking this list, and keeping an ear to the ground for what we might add next!

What kid doesn't love pizza? After all, there's a reason why it's such a staple at birthday parties. And now, parents can show their culinary cuties a perfect birthday with these pizza making party ideas. Several venues on Long Island allow little ones to roll up their sleeves and be a chef for the day.

For more fun birthday party ideas, check out our Long Island Party Guide.

Remember when a day off from school sounded like a good thing?

Now that we’re the grown-ups, of course, it’s a different story. And as if Monday holidays to honor veterans, presidents, and the like were not enough, our current economic struggles have also left us with a legacy of “Furlough Days” – which translates loosely as “random days when we need to find childcare.”

Luckily some enterprising local camps who know how to show a kid a good time offer fun options for school kids on days when there is no school. If you’ve suddenly discovered that tomorrow is one of those days, try checking out one of the camps below that generally have us covered on LA school vacation days - whenever they come.

When my 6-year-old son started skiing, I was advised by a former ski instructor friend to I enroll him in skiing school and under no circumstances attempt to teach him myself. She claimed that even if you are an Olympic-level skier, which I am not, it is best that they learn how to turn and stop from the pros. Plus there is the added benefit of hitting the slopes solo while your kid is in school. Heeding her advice, we enrolled him in ski school for a day during the Christmas holidays, and he loved it!

Back home in NYC I started looking for local ski resorts providing schools for weekend day trips and was surprised to find they weren’t as common as I thought they would be. Of course most ski resorts offer private and group lessons, but I was hoping for more of a half-day or full-day option for my son. After a ton of research, we've rounded up the area resorts with ski or snowboarding schools for kids, plus everything else you need to know to get them started. So grab your skis and get going!

Once upon a time, preschool was all about learning shapes, colors and the ABCs. These days, the curriculum is way more advanced, with many kids having already mastered these basics before they set foot in a preschool. So it’s no surprise that parents are looking for a place that can not only prepare their children for kindergarten, but also inspire a love of learning and encourage them to find and explore new interests. As mom to a preschool-age son, I was intrigued by our sponsor, the Brooklyn Preschool of Science, which is opening its doors to kids ages 2.5 to 5 years in Park Slope this September.

When I first heard about the school, I immediately thought, why a preschool with a focus on science? But after reading about how the school uses a variety of science-based activities and lessons to teach kids about the world around them, as well as providing a foundation to excel at math, language and more, I can see the benefits of giving little ones this kind of specialized learning experience.

We're kicking off 2015 with a new feature to help you enjoy even more fun activities with your kids. Starting today, every Monday we'll share weekday activity picks to enjoy Monday through Friday in addition to our  weekend events round-ups. We're also adding an additional newsletter so our subscribers will get the new weekday events right in their in-box Monday mornings. Not a subscriber? Sign up now!

The holidays might be officially over, but that doesn't mean the good times have to end. This week, there are plenty of kid- and family-friendly activities across Long Island to enjoy, whether you're looking for something to do after school or you need to find some fun for your toddler during the day. From getting a last glance at holiday lights to making a polar bear pet to cuddle with for the long winter, your little ones have something to keep them occupied every day of the week.

And be sure to check out our Long Island Event Calendar, which is always being updated with new and fun things to do across the area.

Happy New Year! With a new year comes a new feature for Mommy Poppins Westchester--a weekly roundup of top weekday events, brought to you in a Monday morning newsletter. Similar to our weekend roundups, we'll highlight fun things to do with kids all week long. This means that subscribers will hear from us twice a week in 2015: once with weekday highlights, and once with weekend fun. If you haven't already, be sure to sign up for our FREE newsletters to stay up-to-date on the latest news, events and activities throughout Westchester and Lower Hudson Valley. 

Below, we’ve singled out our favorite event for each weekday, Monday through Friday, for the coming week. There are a lot of great roll-up-your-sleeves events and a particular hotbed of activity for tweens or teens--like Teen DIY and Poetry SLAM and Open Mic. Four of the five are FREE! Click through for event details, but don’t stop there--be sure to peruse our Events Calendar for even more events happening around town.