Vroom Vroom! Does the sound of the garbage truck coming down the street send your kids running to watch? Do they dream of grabbing a ride? Earth Day kicks off city yard open houses and recycling fair season, and these events are hugely popular with kids of a certain age. More than 6,000 residents attend an open house in an average year. If your kiddos have any curiosity about what goes on in a garbage truck, this is their chance to satisfy it.

We've talked before about our teen and tween favorite features at the California Science Center, but there are at least as many things to fascinate preschoolers and toddlers at LA's oldest, freest science museum. Never underestimate the appeal of science to the preschool set, and amazingly, with the exception of IMAX films and special exhibits, the California Science Center is free and open to the public 7 days a week, 362 days a year. 

On Sunday, April 22, Please Touch Museum is hosting a magical celebration with its annual Storybook Ball- Medieval Fantasy. This enchanted event transports guests back to the time of knights and ladies, princes and princesses. Step into a storybook ball and meet your favorite medieval characters like Sleeping Beauty, Maid Marian, and even a real knight in shining armor!

For us here in Eastern Connecticut, we don't necessarily pay attention to the calendar to decide if the season has changed. We have our own barometers and signs that warmer weather is just around the corner! Check out some of these springtime rites of passage. And for more springtime fun make sure to check out our Mommy Poppins Spring Guide.

Dare to compare footprints with fantastic beasts who roamed the Earth long before us at the Dino Trail at Sands Point Preserve.

It's one of six trails ripe for strolling, hiking, jogging and exploring at this sprawling Gold Coast estate turned public sanctuary. And that's not all: There's so much more to explore, including 200 acres of trails, a pond, beachfront, woods and native habitats.

There are so many sweet spots to soak up nature on Long Island. Get out and get exploring. Looking for more North Shore shenanigans? Check out our Mommy Poppins visitors guide to nearby Port Washington, a family-friendly Long Island destination.

It’s a busy year for Harry Potter fans. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is already setting ticket records on Broadway (if you can't get a ticket, see our other theater recommendations). Another of the Potter-prequel flicks hits theaters this fall, Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and New York City is getting a brand-new museum exhibit dedicated to all things Harry Potter and his magical world of wizards and magic.

As every wizard knows, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. To celebrate, the New-York Historical Society (NYHS) brings the British Library’s exhibit Harry Potter: A History of Magic to the Upper West Side in October. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, April 26, and it might be a good idea to buy them sooner rather than later as the museum expects the same Potter-happy crowds experienced last year at the British Library. 

Find out what exactly is included in the upcoming exhibition.

All parents want their children to learn to swim—it builds confidence, fitness, and helps keep kids safe. And kids love the water! But not everyone has the pool access or the funds for even group lessons at a private swim school (which can run over $30 per hour). The good news is that if you are willing to forego the bells and whistles of top-of-the-line facilities, there are many other options out there, at quality facilities. Many of these locations also offer affordable swim teams, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, and adult swim lessons, too. Consider how much better the whole family will feel around water—whether at the beach or the water park.

Every once in a while we parents get an opportunity to re-experience a treasured childhood memory with our own kids. If you grew up here in Southern California, odds are that you made it to a grunion run at least once when you were a child. If you're from elsewhere, chances are that you thought this was total urban folklore. Well, it's no myth; there really are SoCal fish that jump out of the ocean at midnight and slither up the beach when the moon is full. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro has been hosting grunion runs with a front row seat for this peculiar phenomenon since 1964. I remember cooking out on the beach with friends and family, bundled up and waiting for those squirmy silver fish to appear. The hot dogs were usually a bit burnt, and the sand was wet and cold, but it was a night of adventure and marine biology that I never forgot.