Stephanie's blog

Easter is coming up on Sunday, March 31, 2013 and what's the holiday without an outdoor egg hunt? You don't need a backyard to have one. There are plenty of egg hunts all over NYC, where kids can run through the soft spring grass searching for brightly colored orbs hidden amongst bushes and blooms.

We've got the scoop on the best Easter egg hunts in NYC. Most are outdoors in parks, zoos, gardens and farms, but a few are indoors at museums and other tot spots. Plus a lot of these fetes come with extra seasonal fun, like face painting, family concerts and spring crafts. Arrive early! The eggs never stick around for long.

If you'd rather do it yourself, you can always bring your own Easter eggs and set up a little private hunt in a quiet corner of your local playground. If you opt for an egg hunt in your home, we recommend using plastic or blown eggs. You don't want to stumble across any stinky hard-boiled surprises come summer!

Here are our top Easter egg hunts in New York City.

The first weekend of March is jam-packed with exceptional family fun in NYC, like the kickoff of the month-long New York International Children's Film Festival and the annual Kids Food Festival in Bryant Park. There are also some wonderful multicultural celebrations, including a pair of St. Patrick's Day parades in Queens and the JCC in Manhattan's big Purim carnival. Looking to rock out? There are some cool kiddie concerts, too, like Brooklyn Kids Rock featuring four local bands, Boston singer/songwriter Alastair Moock at 92YTribeca and the Deedle Deedle Dees at Symphony Space.

These are just a few of the great events this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide. And if you like to plan ahead, check out our March Go NYC List, which highlights the absolute best things to do with kids throughout the month.

Everyone feels at least a wee bit Irish around St. Patrick’s Day, especially here in NYC, where we have a large population of Irish folk. If your days of celebrating till you're green around the gills are a distant memory, don’t worry: There are plenty of truly kid-friendly ways to mark St. Patrick's Day throughout the month.

This year, St. Patrick's Day falls on Sunday, March 17 but the festivities begin this coming weekend with processions and parties that tend to be mellower and more family oriented than Manhattan's big parade. In addition to St. Patrick's Day parades in all five boroughs (Queens and Brooklyn actually have two each!), there are more subdued ways for families to celebrate, like step-dancing and bagpipe performances, Gaelic workshops, film festivals and a leprechaun hunt.

Here are our favorite ways to celebrate Irish culture and St. Patrick’s Day with kids in New York City. Sláinte!

February is winding down, which means it's time for the March edition of our NYC Go List, our carefully curated roundup of the absolute best things to do with kids throughout the month. A few Mommy Poppins annual favorites take place in March, including the New York International Children's Film Festival, the stunning Easter Parade and Macy's Flower Show. Plus there are lots of cool-sounding one-offs like funky museum family days, incredible concerts, interactive art installations and unique, hard-to-describe experiences. We've kept an eye on the prices, too: Five of our 12 picks are FREE and most of the others are under $15.

If you see something on the list you like (and we hope you do), be sure to click through to our event listing for additional details like time and address. Remember: In NYC, really cool things to do with kids often sell out in advance or fill up really quickly, especially when they're free. So buy your tickets ASAP or arrive early whenever possible to avoid disappointment.

Now get your calendars ready! Here are the top 12 things to do with kids in New York City this March.

Although this weekend is just a regular two-day affair, there are still lots of fun things for families to do, and many of our picks are FREE. Rock out to the Grammy nominated Pop Ups at the New York Public Library, catch a stage adaptation of kid-lit classic Charlotte's Web at the Brooklyn Public Library, celebrate George Washington's birthday at Harlem's Morris-Jumel Mansion and see a Purim puppet show at the JCC in Manhattan, all at no cost.

Of course there are plenty of events worth paying for too, including a slew of Purim parties and carnivals, and the American Museum of Natural History's annual Black History Month celebration. And if you're looking for a sweet day trip, maple sugaring season officially kicks off this weekend.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide.