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Skip the candy and the plastic that ends up in a landfill with these creative goody bag and party favor ideas. Photo courtesy of Hannah Rodrigo/Unsplash
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These questions to ask grandparents help kids get to know their favorite people a little better.
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It's time to plan the ultimate Bluey birthday party!
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Adorable? Yes. Useful? No way. Babies don't need shoes.
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Starface's star-shaped pimple patches make kids look and feel awesome while dealing with pimples.
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Grab your list and head out for a scavenger hunt with the kids!
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Now we can send you articles about things to do in your neighborhood that match your interests!
Mommy Poppins' New Web App and Notifications Are the Easiest Way To Find Fun Things To Do
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One top tip is getting kids involved from the planning stage, and they'll want to help cook! Photo by Brooke Lark, via Pexels
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Just one kid composting can save 400 pounds of food waste a year. So yes, one kid can make a difference! Photo by Maureen Wilkey
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When kids are bored, bored, bored, it's handy to have a whole list of fun things to do. Photo by Mommy Poppins
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How about a birthday celebration at a local park for free! Photo by Antonius Ferret vis Pexels
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It's easier than you'd think to turn a simple paper lunch bag into a festive piñata!
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Learn some random fun facts that will leave your kids laughing. Photo by Sara Marentette
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Trader Joe's how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: for being inexpensive, gourmet and friendly.
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Snuggle up with one of these beloved bedtime stories for kids.
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Screen time doesn't have to be a solo activity with these fun, free online games for kids to play with friends.
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Take a spin around the lazy river at Mandalay Bay.
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SingleCare offers major savings on more than 10,000 prescription drugs through its free app.
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The outdoors are a natural playground for curious kids.
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Are you brave enough for some of these spooky ghost stories?
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A perfectly packed lunchbox helps kick the school blues. Photo courtesy of www.YumboxLunch.com
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Jump rope solo, skip with siblings, or round up the whole gang for double dutch.
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Revel in the dirty hands! Outdoor activities help kids sleep better and jumpstarts their imaginations.
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Rent a gorgeous backyard pool like this for your family for an hour or a day. Photo courtesy of Swimply
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Gather 'round the campfire and sing some fun songs. Photo courtesy of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
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These funny jokes for kids will have them laughing in no time!
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Timber Ridge Lodge in Geneva, Wisconsin features both an indoor water park and outdoor pools.
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Things like having a children's museum with a view like this make it easy to leave your heart in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of the Bay Area Discovery Museum
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Kids can give parents tickets if they forget to turn off the water to soap hands or brush teeth!
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A zip line and more await at Portland's Eagle's Nest Treehouse. Photo courtesy of julian@hipcamp
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Did you know a pillow fight is a great way to get proprioceptive input? Photo by Mommy Poppins
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Find a bare patch of soil to place your seed bomb. Spread them far and wide! Photo by the author
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The Outdoor Play Plaza at Greensboro Children's Museum in North Carolina.
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Enjoy stunning views of the Thames River.
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Taco Tuesday makes meal planning easy and dinner kid-pleasing.
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Enjoy the clear turquoise waters of Turks and Caicos.
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Our guide to living a more earth-friendly life.
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A water park, beach activities, and more await at Coconut Bay's all-inclusive resort in St. Lucia.
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We found plenty of things to do in Paris to fill our days and nights!
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Abracadabra! These videos teach kids how to do magic at home! Photo by Amina Filkins/Pexels
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The outdoors are a natural playground for curious kids.
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Even the pickiest toddler will want to literally eat a rainbow.
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strawberry popsicle
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Need a kids' music playlist that will get you dancing, eating, and even learning state capitals? We found a playlist for every occasion.
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Have a Post-it party! Easy but fun games for toddlers can be made with household items.
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This Week: Columbus Day Weekend Fun, Best Halloween Events for NYC Kids, Mommy Poppins Night at the New Victory Theater

10/10/13 - By Raven Snook

The Columbus Day holiday weekend is the big to-do on all of our sites—and probably at your family dinner table, too. Three whole days off! The perfect time to take a family day trip (our Travel site has some great holiday weekend discounts), or go pumpkin picking, or prepare for the Halloween season by hitting a costume swap, making some creepy crafts and putting the absolute best seasonal celebrations in your calendar.

Our Halloween Guides in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut are already filled with fearsome fun, from the obvious (best Halloween celebrations, kid-friendly haunted houses, etc.) to the offbeat (NYC cemetery tours, Halloween train rides and amazing outdoor jack-o'-lantern installations). Speaking of unique Halloween events, our Mommy Poppins Halloween Family Cruise is coming up next Saturday, October 19. Hit New York Harbor on Manhattan by Sail's haunted Clipper City Tall Ship with the hilarious Dr. Blood, who'll perform kooky science experiments, creepy magic tricks and lead a kids' costume parade. Other attractions include face painting, nautical skills, incredible views and treats for all. Buy your tickets before they're gone.

Other good things to do today? Enter our soon-to-end Created by Kids art class giveaway and book your tickets to our Mommy Poppins Night at the New Victory Theater next Sunday, October 20—read on for details.

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

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

In honor of our new partnership with the New Victory Theater, we're hosting our first-ever Mommy Poppins Night at the New Vic. See the magical Me and My Shadow, snag a poster, enjoy fun extras like a pre-show puppet workshop and a post-show meet and greet with the cast, and save 20% on tickets. Buy yours before they sell out!

We added a bunch of new posts to our Halloween Fun Guide this week, including a roundup of 34 FREE Halloween events, our curated list of the top 12 Halloween celebrations for kids in all of NYC and easy-to-make Halloween crafts.

More frightening fun: five surprisingly beautiful NYC cemeteries to explore at Halloween time and beyond.

Our October neighborhood of the month is Sunnyside/Woodside in Queens. We kicked off our coverage with a roundup of the best things to do with kids in the nabes, written by a longtime local mom.

Is your child in a NYC public school? Then you'll want to read about the controversy surrounding inBloom, a new database of sensitive student info stored in an online cloud that seems to compromise kids' privacy.

Take a tour of Marble Hill in the Bronx and find out why it's technically part of Manhattan.

Best bets for the three-day Columbus Day weekend include the Little Red Lighthouse Festival, Open House NY, and a bunch of pumpkin fests and harvest celebrations.