This Week: Best Fall Kids' Theater Shows, Family Fun at Maker Faire, Minecraft and Coding Websites for Kids

9/19/13 - By Raven Snook

It's been a high-tech week here at Mommy Poppins NYC. We shared some of our favorite FREE coding websites for kids, rounded up Minecraft clubs in NYC, explored the American Museum of Natural History in a whole new way thanks to the History Hero app and tonight, my daughter and I are off to see the digitally interactive Little Mermaid Second Screen Live.

Lest you think HAL has taken over, we posted about some good old-fashioned analog activities, too, like great places to see autumn leaves in NYC and the top family shows opening this fall. Our regional sites are also chock-full of seasonal fun like fall harvest festivals in Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut and on Long Island, and family-friendly apple and pumpkin-picking spots throughout the tri-state area.

This weekend brings some of our absolute favorite annual events in NYC, including Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science and the Queens County Fair. Plus, on Sunday Mommy Poppins is hosting a special eco-themed family cruise on Manhattan by Sail's Clipper City Tall Ship. Enjoy hands-on nature activities, sailor skills, face painting and stunning New York Harbor views. Tickets are selling fast so get yours today.

Here's what else we covered in NYC this week:

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Our month-long focus on the East Village continued with a roundup of our top places to shop with kids in the area.

Three Mommy Poppins bloggers and their families are hitting Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science this weekend. Find out why you should, too.

Is your kid obsessed with Minecraft? We found local clubs and also shared tips on how to start your own.

Kids more interested in inventing their own video games? We highlighted FREE websites where kids can learn how to code.

Cool fall culture for kids: We rounded up a dozen great family theater shows to see over the next few months.

Our biweekly links post included info on the extension of the Bronx Zoo's Dinosaur Safari, a new way to apply to kindergarten in NYC online and Disney's interactive re-release of The Little Mermaid.

Local family bloggers at the Appalachian Mountain Club's Kids Outdoors New York City shared five off the beaten path places to see fall foliage in NYC.

Like you, we've been to the American Museum of Natural History countless times. Use the History Hero app to turn your next visit into a fun sci-fi scavenger hunt adventure.

Our best bets for the weekend include a lot of our September Go List picks, including Maker Faire, the Queens County Fair and the Morningside Lights Parade.

Hurry! You still have a few more hours to enter this week's giveaway: a 5-5-5 membership to the Upper West Side apple seeds. Enter now.