Mommy Poppins - Things to Do with Kids |

Weekend Fun for LA Kids: Tall Ships, Lobsters, Touch a Truck, Hammer Family Day

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 11:05pm

Summer's over, and we're back in school doing some serious nose-to-the-grindstone big fat textbook learning, so it's time we talk about...

VACATION!!!!

Seriously, two weeks of reading, writing, and getting up on time to go to school are enough. We think you've earned the right to throw your feet up, eat mints off your pillow, and enjoy a $1000 vacation package to... [drum roll]... Smugglers Notch! It's our final giveaway package of the summer, and it is our biggest and bestest yet.

Even if you're not our big winner, you're a big winner! Because you are the recipient of a fun-filled weekend in Los Angeles (home to the stars!) packed to the rafters with tons o' things to do! We've got big boats and tasty critters and truck touching and sky booming. You can celebrate the cultures of Germany, the Philippines, and Mexico, of unicorns, faeries, and monsters. We've got free movies galore. We're turning friends into trading cards, the baseball diamond into our playground, and finding common ground in the boundaries that separate us. No doubt about it, just by living in Los Angeles, we are winning.

Keep reading for our prize-winning picks for this weekend...

Weekend Fun: Oysters, Fairs, and All Things Apple

Submitted by Donald Eng on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 6:20pm

Are you burned out on harvest fairs? Neither are we! If you want to head out for a day at the fair, we've got you covered, with rides, games, food, farm animals and more in North Haven, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Ledyard. This weekend is loaded with other fall festivals of the non-agrarian variety, too, including the annual Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival, highlighted this year by a free concert featuring former Bad Company frontman Brian Howe. Or, head to Lebanon as pirates invade the annual Connecticut Renaissance Faire. Little foodies will want to head to Morris to savor fine treats and baked goods (you can enjoy the wine and craft beers) of Litchfield County.

Of course, it's finally time for ripe, juicy apples. These Connecticut apple picking spots are our local favorites for families!

For the latest and best family-friendly goings on around the state, keep checking our frequently updated events calendar and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Have a great weekend!

Weekend Fun: Fall Festivals, Colonial Celebration, Fireworks

Submitted by Jaime Sumersille on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 1:00pm

With school again in full swing, it's time to pack all that family fun into the weekend. We've rounded up some family fall festivals as they kick off across Long Island.

Elsewhere this weekend, step back to Colonial times as Raynham Hall in Oyster Bay is filled with costumed adult and child re-enactors who bring the 18th century to life. Celebrate the autumn season with outdoor activities for children of all ages at Sands Point Preserve. These are just some of the best kid-friendly events and activities taking place across Long Island this weekend.

Things to Do in Chicago This Weekend: Block Parties, Art Fests, Food Fairs, Zoo Run

Submitted by Siobhan Adcock on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 11:00am

It's the first full weekend of September, and there's So. Much. To. Do. in Chicagoland, most of it FREE. Banish the back-to-school blues with this weekend's packed lineup of festivals, art fairs, and neighborhood block parties.

The 79th Street Renaissance Festival is a beloved back-to-school tradition in Chicago—no doublets or jousting here, but plenty of live music, food, and South Side love. And that's just one of the big block parties this weekend: You'll also find kid-friendly fun at Elmhurst's Rock the Block Party, Barrie Fest in Oak Park, the Prairie District Festival, and the awesomely old-school Winfield Good Old Days festival.

Family-friendly art fairs this weekend include the Downers Grove Fine Arts Festival with a kids' booth hosted by the YMCA, the West End Arts Festival in LaGrange with jazz, local food, and art activities, the huge Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park, and Frida Fest on Sunday at the College of DuPage, celebrating the famous painter's life and works.

Cultural celebrations also take to Chicago's streets this weekend with the Ukrainian Village Festival on Saturday, the Fiesta Latina in Berwyn, and the Eid Al-Adha Fest all weekend at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. And Oktoberfest season kicks off this weekend with oompah-and-bratwurst-fueled fun in Tinley Park and Oak Park.

If you still have room after all that schnitzel, the Forest Park Ribfest promises to be a belly-buster, and Oak Park's Great Food Truck Rally is a tasty change of pace from cooking at home. Active kids will love running off the extra treats at the Brookfield Zoo Run Run or the BBQ Bolt in Downers Grove, or digging in to help plant trees on Grandparents' Day Sunday in Glen Ellyn.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg—there's also trucks, a circus, birdhouses, and Moana, among other assorted activities. See below for even more weekend picks, and keep an eye on our bursting-at-the-seams event calendar.

Things to Do in NYC This Weekend: West Side County Fair, Harvest Moon Fests, Ferragosto

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 11:00am

School is back in session, but for NYC kids there's so much fun to be had, it might as well still be summer. In Manhattan, check out the popular West Side County Fair, a family-friendly art show in Carl Schurz Park, and Sunday's Folk Music fest in Washington Square Park, or hit a harvest moon festival in Queens, Staten Island, or Chinatown. Head to Arthur Ave in the Bronx for Ferragosto, where you'll find great food, live music, and fewer crowds than Little Italy's San Gennaro fest.

Birds and other high fliers get their due this weekend, too. Don't miss the Migration Celebration in South Cove, Randall's Island's Fairy Workshop, and Socrates Sculpture Park's Kite Making Workshop. You can also learn about bird migration at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

All that, plus...Fall theater for families is ready for a round of applause. Check out Mettaee River Theatre Company's The Ringdove, Water, Water, Everywhere on Governors Island, and Lear: That Old Man I Used to Know for a jump on the season.

Keep our September GoList handy, and our roundup of the Best Fall Festivals for NYC Kids in September, packed with more apple-bobbing, Halloween festivities, and harvest celebrations than you can shake a cornstalk at. As always, our trusty Event Calendar stands at the ready with daily activities and details.

Weekend Fun for Philly Kids: Festivals, Trains, Grandparents Day September 7-8

Submitted by Kristen Sullivan on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 9:08am

Philly kids are adjusting to the new school year and acclimating to a different routine, but that doesn't mean family fun has to end. After all, summer technically lasts until mid-September. Why not spend part of the weekend with activities found in the Mommy Poppins's event calendar?

Start off by attending a festival. There are opportunities to appreciate the culture of Poland and Brazil, learn about the impact of honey bees, or pretend to be a superhero. Foodies can enjoy good eats at the Mushroom Festival or Whoopie Pie Festival while music lovers rock out to tunes at Haverford Music Festival. Other noteworthy experience include Caln Community Day, Doylestown Art Festival, Bryn Mawr Day, and Brandywine Festival of the Arts.

Don't forget that Sunday is Grandparents Day! Take Granny and Pop to a museum to learn about family trees, an arboretum to see Thomas the Tank Engine, or the pier for some fishing. No matter how you spend your weekend, make it a great one.

Weekend Fun for DC Kids: Festivals, Movies, Music September 7-8, 2019

Submitted by Christine Mooney on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 9:00am

As we work our way into the first weekend of September and the relaxed schedules of summer take a backseat to the hectic school year, it may feel like family fun needs to take a pause. But not so! DC families will find plenty to do this weekend for some quality time together. From county fairs to nature walks and family movie nights, there's something for everyone. So get out the family calendar and pencil in your top picks. Need more ideas? Don't forget to check out our events calendar, too.

Weekend Fun: Playland Closing Day, Play2Learn Festival, Grange Fair

Submitted by Susan Miele on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 9:00am

This weekend offers tons of fun things to do with kids in Westchester and the Hudson Valley!

All ages will love the return of the Yorktown Grange Fair, featuring family performances, fun contests, and lots more. The Play2Learn Festival celebrates the importance of childhood play with more than 40 options for fun (all FREE!), while short films from around the world will be shown at the New York International Children’s Film Festival. American history hits home with a local perspective and assorted colonial fun at the Revolutionary War & Burning of Bedford Re-enactment.

More of our top picks for weekend fun are below, and many more events are on our Event Calendar and Fall Fun Guide. If you haven't done so already, sign up for our newsletters!

Weekend Fun for Houston Kids: Sonic Playground STEM Extravaganza, Sept. 7-8

Submitted by Rachael Cherry on Wed, 09/04/2019 - 1:42am

A big congratulations to all the parents out there is in order; you've successfully made it through not only the start of school, but the first school holiday as well! You now what that means... it's time to buckle down, because the first semester is full steam ahead. And like a good friend, we're prepared to tackle this school year alongside you, providing both guidance and entertainment in equal doses.

In the spirit of the school year, we've compiled a list of 65 school lunch ideas for your kids that they'll actually eat. These Bento box meals are balanced, tasty, and just plain fun, so you won't have to worry about your kids bringing home the lunches you lovingly packed for them virtually untouched.

For everyone who's not quite yet filling their daytime hours with school or looking for great afternoon activities, our event calendar is an awesome resource for finding fun weekday activities, our Free Things to Do in September list gives you plenty of ideas that don't include your pocketbook, and our September GoList highlights the top events happening throughout the month. We also have a weekly newsletter that you can sign up for so you always know what's happening here at Mommy Poppins.

Did you know that you can also submit your event to our calendar? If you're planning something awesome, we'd love to hear about it and share it with our readers! Fill out the form, hit submit, then we'll review it and publish it for all to see.

Now let's tackle this weekend planning together with a sneak peek at what's happening around town.

Weekend Fun: Corn Maze, WILD Outdoor Expo, Greek Festivals

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Tue, 09/03/2019 - 1:30pm

What's on this weekend's menu in New Jersey? Greek delights, delicious seafood, and tons of pre-fall fun. Greek food is in abundance at both St. Demetrios Greek Festival and Flemington Opa! Greek Festival. Aquatic fare is on tap at the Atlantic City Seafood Festival, and tacos galore are available at NJ Taco Fest.

With fall just around the corner, enjoy some outdoor time at the New Jersey WILD Outdoor Expo and local fairs in Red Bank, Toms River, and West Orange.

Check out our Fall Fun Guide for NJ Kids for more options for family fun, including the Best Fall Fairs and Festivals. And look to our September GoList and event calendar for a complete listing of happenings this weekend and beyond.