This Week: NYC Fall Festivals, Apple Picking Season, Free Trial Classes for Kids, Back to School Fun

9/4/14 - By Raven Snook

Facebook has been a seemingly endless stream of adorable back-to-school pics this week. We even posted some first day pics from our Mommy Poppins bloggers and are encouraging readers to share their photos in the comments. (We can't get enough of those spiffy outfits and backpacks.) In addition to getting back to the books, we've been prepping for fall, updating our apple picking posts and our roundup of September fairs and festivals, and compiling lists of FREE trial classes for enriching kids' programs in NYC, New Jersey and beyond.

All of our regional sites also published brand-new September Go Lists highlighting the best things to do with kids throughout the month in Westchester, New Jersey, on Long Island and even further afield. With the Rosh Hashanah holiday weekend coming up (public schools are closed Thursday, September 25 and Friday, September 26, in case you didn't know), you may have time for a Go List-inspired day trip or a weekend getaway. Our Travel site just did a lovely post about Lake George in the Adirondacks, which is a wonderful destination for fall foliage.

And we have a great giveaway going on: Enter to win four tickets to see the long-running smash Blue Man Group. It's one of our top five Off-Broadway shows for families.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Apple picking season is here and we found 12 pick-your-own apple orchards within an hour of NYC. Make sure you check out our Farm Guide for even more apple picking places, plus easy apple recipes.

Picking a preschool is a big decision. That's why we're happy to help by cosponsoring the FREE Lower Manhattan Early Education Fair where families can meet directors from dozens of downtown programs.

September is an amazing month for fall fairs and festivals—we found 23 awesome ones and most of them are FREE.

Our biweekly news post includes details on how good students can snag FREE rides at Luna Park, funky water tower art and the sad closure of Riverdale's only independent play space.

Our founder, Anna, wrote a wonderful post about preparing kids to travel alone in NYC—lots of great tips and practical advice from someone who's already been through it.

Looking for new extracurricular classes for your kids? Trying a FREE trial session is a great way to find the right program.

This week's WeeWork project is an easy-to-make, protein-packed homemade rice crispy treat.

Best bets for the weekend include the annual West Side County Fair in Riverside Park South, Madison Square Park's bicentennial celebration and Circus Amok's new outdoor show.