With Earth Day fast approaching, it’s the perfect weekend to get outside to honor our planet and the environment. Weekend Earth Day festivities include the Hunterdon County Earth Day Celebration, the Cape May Earth Day Celebration and a Party for the Planet. While you’re outdoors, feel some flower power at the Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival, Daffodil Day and the Earth Day Wildflower Ramble. You can also get into the spirit of street fair season in Tenafly and Millburn. For even more weekend fun, check out our Event Calendar.

Whether you moved out here, leaving a trail of envious family and friends who all imagine your life as an endless stream of Brangelina sightings and half-caf chai lattes, or you're one of those rare local novelties, the born-and-bred Angeleno who remembers what this place was like before the rest of us arrived—here you are raising your children in Southern California. Anyone can tell you SoCal is inherently pleasant (and a dry heat), but raising kids in the LA area goes way beyond pleasant. In so many ways, LA is the BEST place to raise (or be) kids! Here are 25 reasons that your children are lucky to be growing up the Angeleno way.

Lots to tell you about this week, as there are a few openings, closings and relocations of favorite places like the Brooklyn Robot Foundry in Tribeca. We've also got news of a FREE summer prep camp for the Specialized High School Admissions Test. Plus, details on how kids can register for Asphalt Green's FREE Big Swim meet and the possible return of the Muppets to the small screen. Get all the scoop, below!

These days, there are almost countless ways to celebrate your child's birthday. But for kids who love animals, creating a party centered around their favorite furry friend or curious creature will make their day extra special.

Animal birthday bashes are both fun and educational. Check out all the ways you can celebrate your kid's animal interests at these fun party venues.

Many kids’ schedules are packed with extracurriculars, but for children with special needs, it can be challenging to find programs they can participate in fully. We've rounded up some adapted classes and activities in the Hartford and New Haven areas that accommodate a variety of learning styles, so that kids with special needs—be they physical, social, or emotional—can partake in the same enriching fun as their peers.

It almost doesn’t seem fair that the kids are all back in school when there are free desserts available. Ben & Jerry are giving away their annual cone, and Sprinkles is celebrating its ten-year anniversary with free cupcakes. But wait, there’s more. The Autry and the Japanese American National Museum both have free days this week. There’s a Star Wars convention in Anaheim and kids under age six are free; everybody else pays the big bucks, but Luke and Leia (Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher) will be there so it’s worth it.

Now that spring has sprung, it’s the perfect time to explore the great outdoors. Nature activities abound this week, including Awesome Animal Artists, Sprouts & Seedlings: Seed Spectacular and Croaks, Trills and Splashes. You can also enjoy free fun at Holmdel Library’s Story & Science program, Freehold Library’s Read to the Dog event and Barnes & Noble's Monkey & Duck Quack Up! Storytime. Don’t forget to check out our Event Calendar for even more options.

Spring break is over, yet we still seem to be waiting for springlike weather to arrive. At least there's plenty of fun stuff for the kids to do during the week. From roller-skating to free storytimes, there are events to keep the little ones entertained during the day and older kids occupied after school.

Keep in mind that this list is just our top picks—be sure to check our Event Calendar or more options. To receive posts like this in your inbox, sign up for our free newsletters, which go out twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.