There's so much going on this weekend I could barely pick what to feature. You can try your hands at medieval artistry, learn how to use a compass, catch live music, theater or some short films.  Plus, the Center for Fiction and "Read This" are offering a great celebration of books and reading that directly benefits NYC public schools in need.

You can take in a parade, there are two this weekend: The Annual Tartan Day parade marches up Sixth Avenue and the Little Leaguers of Brooklyn will parade into Prospect Park to celebrate opening day.  This weekend is also Brooklyn's monthly Deedle Deedle Dees Family Variety Show that we reviewed last week. And if you are leaving town for the weekend, don’t forget to check out what is going on in neighboring New Jersey and Long Island.

And the best part of all, most of these events are free.  I hope your decision on what to do this weekend isn’t as hard as ours is, but check our calendar for even more family activity ideas.

Here are our event picks for this weekend:

Are manners important nowadays? Are thank you notes ridiculously old-fashioned in the age of email? What social skills do we need to teach our children in order for them to be successful in life? These are some questions worth reflecting on for a moment. Our culture is so much more casual than it once was that formal manners seem hopelessly anachronistic, but that doesn't mean they should be tossed aside. Giving our kids strong social skills can help them make a powerful impression in their future work and social lives.

As parents we're often running after our kids, but how about running with them? It's great to get outside and exercise together as a family and one fun way to do that is to sign up for an upcoming race or free field day with the New York Road Runners. No experience is necessary, anyone can do it, and the group has several events on its spring calendar for adults and kids, including a free field day event.
 

Recently I took the opportunity of a brief (albeit cold) respite from the seemingly endless rain to stroll down the hill from Brooklyn Heights and check out the new Brooklyn Bridge Park. Pier 1 of Brooklyn Bridge Park officially opened in March on the same pier that housed the “pop-up” park last summer.

Read on to hear about the new playground and check out some photos for a peek of what to expect:

This week you and your kids can be on TV, see Shakespeare on the run, and see the flowering cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden or check out what's in bloom in Central Park. Plus learn about a new club for NYC kids and other news from around the web.

There's so much going on we thought it might be helpful to provide a quick weekly round-up of all the things we've posted and what's hot to make it easier to follow along. If this is helpful, let us know.

This week's photo: A sign on a dirt road in Vermont that our GPS had led us down. I guess somebody was sick of lost tourists driving up to their house.