At least one Saturday morning a month, you’ll find my family perusing art galleries and museums. We find the experience equally relaxing and energizing, and my daughters get excited about finding a new favorite artwork or inspiration for a new project. Recently, we took our first trip to the Lyman Allyn Art Museum and spent a lovely day in New London.

As we come down off our sugar high from all the Halloween candy, the reality of Monday morning sets in. What is there to do with the kids this week? Plenty! Monday through Friday, this week is packed with storytime events, arts & crafts workshops and museum play.

Just browse through the entire Events Calendar for more weekday fun and be sure to check out our November GOList which features a round up of our top picks for the month. Make it a great week!

When searching for activities for our kids, we often gravitate toward the ones that help them expend all of their energy and get the wiggles out. But kids aren’t Labradors, and it’s not enough to go on the notion that a tired kid is a happy kid. (It’s often the opposite!)  A successful and age-appropriate yoga program is yet another way to help kids gain confidence, focus and relaxation.

While there are several yoga studios in the area that offer classes for children, we’ve focused on the ones that are truly family friendly and provide specialized programs just for kids.

Be sure to check out the rest of our classes in our Classes Guide!

The East 72nd Street playground in Central Park reopened this month, welcoming kids with slides, swings, a redesigned sandbox and climbing structures after an eight-month rehab. The Central Park Conservancy has undertaken a massive playground renovation project with a lofty goal of upgrading all 21 of the park's perimeter playgrounds. 

The playground debuted in 1936! It underwent renovations in 1969 and again in 2000. The current project was more of a facelift than a total overhaul, with improvements focused on increasing accessibility and updating safety standards. We couldn't wait to have a look—and the many happy, romping kids seem to have given their seal of approval.

While aspiring Carmelo Anthonys have lots of ways to indulge their love of the game as NBA season kicks off, the best way for kids to experience the sport's history is by visiting the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, this 40,000-square-foot hoops haven is home to hundreds of exhibits, many of which are interactive, so kids (and grown-ups!) can get in on the action. It's the perfect indoor day trip destination for basketball fans of all ages.

Throughout Philadelphia, you can feel the excitement. At long last, Halloween weekend is here! Kids anxiously await their door-to-door journey to gather treats, while parents secretly hope the children return with their favorite candy. But, the best news of all is the extra hour we get from Daylight Savings Time. Make the most of that extra 60 minutes with fun found on our Events Calendar.

Explore Mütter Museum, Penn Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Lancaster Museum of Art as they each celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Watch a show such as The Media Theater's A Tale of Beauty and The Beast or Hedgerow Theatre's Storytime! King Arthur. Or, take the family to see Adventure Aquarium's Weeki Wachee Mermaids do their underwater acrobatics.

Be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter which is delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday morning. And, don't forget to turn back your clocks. I'll be enjoy my extra hour raiding my kids' candy stash.

Get silly and spooky this Halloween weekend with parades, pumpkins and trick or treating with the entire family.

Be sure to peruse our complete roundup of Fall Fairs and Festivals. And with Halloween this weekend, you'll also want to check out our Halloween Guide for plenty of fun with the kids.

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. 

Happy Halloween! Before my kids hit the neighborhood Saturday night to fill their bags with treats, I'm thinking about distracting them with one of the other Halloween activities around town. Burning off some energy at the zoo or relaxing in a theater for a monstrous puppet show are two of the fun options on the calendar. If you're a planner like I am, once we slide into November on Sunday, you'll want to start mapping out your month. First up: Celebrate the Day of the Dead in style with a local party or museum visit (pictured).

Also on Mommy Poppins Boston this week:

• Not sure what to do with all that Halloween candy? We have a few tricks for making it disappear. 
• Our November GoList can help you plan the month ahead month now.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to check out the full Event Calendar!