If it pours on Saturday or Sunday, some of our outdoor event picks may be canceled, rescheduled or move inside. We're doing our best to keep this post updated, but if it does rain on the weekend, be sure to check the events' official websites before heading out to find out if anything has changed. Mothers Day is Sunday, so moms, this weekend should be all about you. Why don't you decide what to do on Saturday and Sunday? (As if you don't do that most of the time anyway.) There are lots of fabulous outdoor activities including a slew of cool school festivals, Socrates Sculpture Park's annual Kite Flight, a no-cost Brady Rymer concert in Battery Park and the New York Botanical Garden's Mothers Day Garden Party. Plus, after being closed for many months due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, Tribeca's popular Pier 25 playground is set to reopen on Saturday.

If Mother Nature decides to make it rain on our big weekend (how could she?) there's plenty of indoor fun too beyond Mother's Day brunch. My family plans to check out the Parade of Trains celebration in Grand Central Terminal. And on Saturday you can get geeky at the Kids Comic Con in the Bronx or bring your natural treasures to the American Museum of Natural History for Identification Day.

These are just a few of the great things going on this Mother's Day weekend. All of our best bets are below, You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Spring Fun Guide. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you from your fellow moms at Mommy Poppins.

Just because we live in a concrete jungle doesn't mean our kids can't enjoy a summer filled with great outdoor spots. And you don't even need to be a Hilton to afford them.

New York City offers many opportunities for city kids to learn team sports and also try swimming, tennis, golfing, fishing, kayaking, hiking and more at no cost. Of course registering for these free programs takes a little legwork and, since many of them are first-come, first-serve, punctuality. We've got the scoop on what's available, and how your kids can vie for spots.

Originally developed in the early 20th century as an upscale residential neighborhood before it fell on hard times, Crown Heights, Brooklyn is in the midst of a revival. It's no surprise really. The area boasts top cultural institutions like the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden; the northeastern section of Prospect Park, which includes the zoo; and lots of lovely buildings, especially near its main thoroughfare, Eastern Parkway (which, like Prospect Park, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux).

While Crown Heights was emblematic of New York City's racial tensions in the '60s through '90s, today its diversity is one of the things attracting new residents. Though the neighborhood is still primarily made up of Afro-Caribbeans and Hasidic Jews, families of all ethnic backgrounds are moving into townhouses and joining the active Crown Heights Parents Yahoo Group, new shops and restaurants are opening up, and local organizations are working hard to keep everyone happy. Stark contrasts remain, with pretty rows of historic houses giving way to vacant tenements on some blocks. But overall it's a vibrant area, especially around Labor Day weekend when Crown Heights hosts one of the biggest and most colorful festivals in the city: The West Indian Labor Day Carnival and Parade, which celebrates Caribbean culture with incredible costumes, performances and two processions, one for adults, the other specifically for children.

Throughout May, we'll be taking an in-depth look at everything Crown Heights has to offer families, including our favorite spots to eat, play and experience. For the purposes of our posts, our geographical boundaries are Washington to Howard Avenues, between Atlantic Avenue and Empire Boulevard (which transforms into East New York Avenue at Utica Avenue). Today we kick off our coverage with our top 25 things to do with kids in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.