As a child, it never occurred to me that the picnics my family often went on in an old Dutch cemetery were anything but trips to the park. We’d have sandwiches, walk around the ancient stones trying to read the inscriptions (Literacy!), figure out how old the stones were (Math!) while collecting fallen leaves and acorns from the enormous old trees that shaded the small graveyard (Science!).

Now, with the year turning towards the heart of autumn—and, of course, Halloween—people become interested in the ghostly tales of those who lived here before us. For a unique spin on the ghoulishness of late night (or midday) cemetery visit, consider checking out these local and historic cemetery tours.

Our family loves biking but doesn't live in a neighborhood with sidewalks.  In fact, the road is very busy and would be dangerous on two wheels. Because of that, we travel from home to bike and get out and nature and explore. It can be boring going to the same place over and over again, so, If you're like us, you might like to see Mommy Poppins' list of family friendly bike rides in and around Hartford.

Want to hear something scary? For the next two weeks, you're going to hear a lot about Halloween—and I don't mean from us. The kids are talking about it nonstop! My daughter has already changed her costume idea three times. That's her in the pic at New York Comic Con last weekend, doing a dry run dressed up as a Beanie Boo, but who knows what she'll actually be on October 31.

All of our sites, including our brand-new Philly outpost, have jam-packed Halloween Guides, so you can find fearsome family-friendly fun in Westchester, New Jersey, on Long Island and beyond. This week in NYC, we updated a bunch of our popular annual Halloween posts including costume parades for kids and dogs.

Of course right after Halloween, the holiday season kicks off, and that's a time when we here at Mommy Poppins like to find ways to give back to our community. This year, we decided to start a little early by hosting a virtual food drive through Feeding America. Currently, one in five children in the U.S. doesn't get enough to eat on a regular basis, an upsetting statistic, especially when $1 can help feed eight people! Please consider donating to our drive.

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

NYC teens have it good when it comes to cool cultural events. There are so many amazing opportunities open to them, and many are totally FREE. Earlier this week, we told you how teenagers can snag no-cost classical concert tickets through the New York Philharmonic's new Free Fridays program. And today we've got the scoop on this Friday's Teens Take the Met, a brand-new initiative at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that comes with FREE admission and a slew of special interactive activities. It almost makes me wish I were an adolescent again (just without the acne and drama).

Welcome to Mommy Poppins. Click here to go directly our virtual food drive.

Confronted with the statistic that one out of every five children in the U.S. is food insecure, a friend expressed incredulity. "How can that be true? I don’t know a single person like that.” That's the tricky thing about hunger today. Not only has the demographic of who suffers from hunger changed, it's a problem happening right under our noses without us realizing it.

Sometimes situations that lead to food insecurity are complicated. And, let’s face it, people don't introduce themselves by saying, “By the way, I don’t have enough money to feed my children” unless they are panhandling on the street. I speak from experience because I was food insecure as a child, and most of the people around me had no idea, outside of one English teacher who frequently bought me a bagel for lunch if I hadn't eaten that day.

That’s why I’m proud to sponsor Unilever Project Sunlight, a program that brings awareness to the issue of hunger in America and encourages supporters to Share A Meal to fight childhood hunger. I hope you’ll consider joining me in our virtual food drive. Our goal is to raise $1500 through Feeding America, and if we reach it, Mommy Poppins will double the amount by adding an additional $1500 donation.

The weekend for all things pumpkin is upon us. Pick a pumpkin, decorate a pumpkin, watch an animated show about pumpkins or look at carved pumpkins. And don't forget to check out our Long Island Halloween Guide.

If you're holding off on the Halloween fanfare this weekend, check out a LEGO exhibit in Stony Brook, the Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay or bring Frido to the Nassau Barkfest at Eisenhower Park.

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A lot is happening in the world of cinema this weekend in Westchester: the YoFi Fest - Yonkers Film Festival is a weekend-long cinematic sensation, which includes special activities just for kids. In the spirit of Halloween, you can introduce your kids to old-school movies at Cartoon Cereal Party: Halloween Edition and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

The Halloween fun is on the rise this weekend with the addition of Jay Ghoul's House of Curiosities, plus the continuation of The Legend Behind the 'Legend', Horseman's Hollow, Scared by the Sound and Lasdon Park Halloween Haunted House & Train Show (see also our guide to local haunted houses). Many of the ticketed events sell out early, so be sure to pounce on anything you’re dying to do!

The much-anticipated Westchester Children’s Museum is hosting Explore-a-Thon, a big FREE event on Saturday that will surely whet your appetite for when it officially opens in Rye. Also on Saturday are two appealing performances, both in different veins: John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean and Oktoberfest of Music: A Night in Germany. For a different spin on Oktoberfest, try ARToberfest earlier in the day.

Sunday is a big day for fall festivals: There’s Sheldrake's Annual Fall Festival, Autumn Celebration, the Bronxville Children's Halloween Festival and Halloween Carnival and Ragamuffin Parade (see also our roundup of other ragamuffin parades happening in our area).

Believe it or not, that’s not all! Read on for our top weekend picks, visit our Event Calendar and check out our October Go List for our top picks for the rest of the month!

As always, there are lots of activities to keep families busy in Boston this weekend. Pumpkin fans can carve their own and take it to the Frog Pond for the Pumpkin Festival or head down to Providence for the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular to view thousands of amazing pumpkins. If you are looking for a performance this weekend, the Wheelock Family Theatre is performing Alice, the Puppet Showplace Theatre presents Little Red Rosie and the Dragon of Dumm, AIDA opens at the Strand Theater, and Ben Rudnick and Friends (pictured) are playing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.

Parents can learn more about sleep issues with daylight savings time or raising multi-lingual children at workshops this weekend. In education this weekend, the Fayerweather School has an open house for its pre-K to 8th grade program.

Also on Mommy Poppins this week:

• Want to know more about the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular? We've got highlights and tips for taking the kids as part of our month-long look at Providence. Keep your eye out for upcoming posts about Water Fire and the re-opening of the Culinary Arts Museum.
• Mommy Poppins Philadelphia launched this week. It is a great resource for families visiting the Philly area as well as those who live there. 
• What's better than Halloween fun for Boston families? Free Halloween fun!
• If you're thinking about taking the kids to see Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, read Raven's film review first.
• Ally shows us how to make a Fall Leaf Crown as part of our Wee Work series.

For more Boston events in sports, arts, sciences, and more, be sure to check the events calendar. I hope you enjoy the weekend!