Children's Library Discovery Center: A New Interactive Tot Spot Opens at Queens Library's Central Branch

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As the weather gets cooler, we turn our attention from outdoor play spots to indoor ones. And NYC's libraries are some of the coolest no-cost places for kids to spend a day reading, thinking and learning.

Of course not all libraries are created equal. My family lives in Queens, which has more than 60 local branches, most with a nook, a room or maybe even a floor dedicated to kid lit. But late last month, the Children’s Library Discovery Center (CLDC) opened at the central branch in Jamaica, Queens, and it's a destination well worth traveling to.

The brand-new 14,000-square-foot, two-story building—which is actually located next to the central branch—is the second largest children’s library in the country. Featuring hands-on science, technology and math installations, learning labs and (of course) loads of books. the CLDC is aimed at children 12 and under. My preschool-age daughter and I went to check it out and were totally blown away.

New Museum Exhibits for Kids in NJ

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One of the great things about fall is the opportunity to move your fun indoors. If bringing your, how shall we put it, "enthusiastic" kids inside a museum sounds like a nightmare, fear not--even the ones that usually bounce off the walls will find stuff to capture their attention and imagination in the Fall 2011 museum exhibits in NJ. Motorcycles, the science of cooking, math as a circus event, whirligigs and whimsy top the list, so don't miss the best New Jersey museums have to offer!

Chinatown with NYC Kids: A Fun Family Tour of This Bustling Downtown Neighborhood

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[UPDATED: July 26, 2012]

Since Mommy Poppins started four years ago, we've tried to write about neighborhoods all over the city and not just well known family-friendly areas. What we've found is that any NYC community can be fun for kids—all you need to do is explore. So beginning this month, we're going to highlight one neighborhood a month. October's pick is Chinatown, and this is the first in a series of posts about some of the cool things your family can see and do there.

One of New York City's busiest and most colorful districts, Chinatown hosts popular annual events like the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival and the Lunar New Year Parade and Festival, as well as joint celebrations with its neighbors like the East Meets West Christmas Parade (with Little Italy) and the Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival (with the Lower East Side).

But there's no reason to wait for one of those special festivities to visit. Chinatown's got great places for kids to eat, play, look and learn a bit about Chinese culture all year round. One of our writers and her three-year-old son played tourist in Chinatown for a day. Here's what they discovered.

Secrets of Circles at the Brooklyn Children's Museum Is Fascinating Interactive Fun

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With its amazing installations and fun play areas, the Brooklyn Children's Museum is one of our all-time favorite New York City spots. (It's No. 20 on our list of 100 Things to Do in NYC with Kids Before They Grow Up.) So while we don't need a special reason to recommend a visit, we've got one anyway: BCM's brand-new exhibit Secrets of Circles.

Produced by the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose and presented in three languages (English, Spanish and Vietnamese), Secrets of Circles stars a shape as simple as it is ubiquitous. What's the big deal about circles you ask? Plenty. As the interactive displays point out, circles are (ahem) all around us. It's the first shape most toddlers learn to identify, and studying circles helps kids understand basic math, science and engineering concepts.

But don't tell that to my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter! She just thought Secrets of Circles was all about fun.

Halloween Parties and Events in Fairfield County, CT 2011

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By Monika Nica

Your kids can barely wait to put on their funny-scary-spooky Halloween costumes and hit the streets for some trick-or-treating. Why not spice up this favorite fall holiday with a special Halloween event or party? Something special is coming to most Fairfield County communities this October, as well. Read through our list to select the coolest event for your family for Halloween 2011!

Fencing Classes Where LA Kids can Swash Their Bucklers

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Fencing sometimes gets a bad wrap – plagued by rumors of violence, elitism, and big price tags. Don’t believe any of it! Kids know that fencing is cool because it’s kind of like what Johnny Depp does in all those Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Savvy parents know that it’s the favorite sport of Ivy League sports scholarships. Either way, it’s an extreme sport worth checking out.

Weekly Wrap Up: Halloween Haunted Houses, the New Children's Museum of the Arts and Pumpkin Patches Near NYC

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Saturday is October 1... do you know what you're doing for Halloween yet? If you've got kids then you know that the holiday lasts pretty much the entire month. In fact, a handful of annual Halloween happenings like the Bronx Zoo's Boo at the Zoo and Hudson Valley's Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze kick off this weekend. (Yes, the pressure is on.)

This week we started to update all of our Halloween posts so that we can share the most up-to-date information. We're still working on it, so if you're wondering about the various annual parades and festivals don't worry: We will have the 2011 details for you soon.

Of course we wrote about lots of other cool, non-Halloween stuff, too, like the Children's Museum of the Arts' brand-new space, which opens to the public on Saturday. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, as well as selected stories from our brand-new sites in Boston and Los Angeles.

Things to Do for Kids and Families on Long Island October 1-2: PumpkinFest, Musical Celebrations and Apple Fun!

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Let's start the first weekend of October off right. We've got festivals, arts and music events and plenty of outings listed here with yummy food and fun to get you up and out the house. We even have you covered if you are ready to start celebrating Halloween by visiting one of the best Haunted Houses on Long Island. Read on for the best picks of the  weekend!

And if your kids have caught a back to school cold, don't despair, our NYC site posted a helpful round up of Educational iPhone and iPad Apps for Kids that might come in handy if you are stuck at home.

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