The first weekend of March is packed with family fun including two of our top picks for March: the unveiling of Xu Bing's massive phoenix sculptures at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and a reading by Jim "Harry Potter audio book master" Dale at the 92nd Street Y. St. Patrick's Day celebrations also kick off this weekend with family-friendly parades in Queens and Staten Island, and a creative festival at the Children's Museum of the Arts.

Looking for something sweet? Maple sugaring season continues in the tri-state area with syrup tastings and pancakes breakfast. Here in the city, the third annual Kids Food Festival brings cooking classes and live entertainment to Bryant Park. And you can get a taste of spring at the opening weekend of the New York Botanical Garden's annual Orchid Show.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide. And if you're looking to plan ahead, our March NYC Go List highlights the absolute best things to do with kids all month long.

While there are plenty of great drop-in indoor play spaces in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, as a mother of two young girls under age 5, the deciding factor for me is always financial. Can I afford to take both of them without hocking my wedding ring? If the answer is no then I have to move on, regardless of how fabulous the indoor playground is or how stir crazy my kids are.

In an attempt to save money this winter, I decided to look into whether any play spaces offered discounts for siblings or (even better) charged a flat fee per family. Turns out my research paid off: I found 10 indoor romping spots in New York City that fit the bill (make that reduced the bill). So skip the pawn shop: Here are drop-in play spaces with deals for siblings.

Here’s to hoping that old saying “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb” still holds true! But before you start daydreaming of blooming flowers and milder temps, why not embrace the last of winter fun that Jersey has to offer? It’s almost time to bid maple sugaring season goodbye so get your fill of the sweet stuff with the Maple Sugar Memories program at the Watershed Reserve or bring the whole family by Great Swamp for their awesome end-of-season Maple Sugar Festival. You can also celebrate Dr. Seuss and his beloved and zany books at Morris Museum’s Dr. Seuss Family Festival or take in an enchanting performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri had to start somewhere! If you have a budding chef on your hands, try one of these culinary classes to help teach them some professional tricks of the trade. They'll learn how to pair ingredients, handle utensils and--if you're lucky--please their own picky palates!  

Looking for other ways to chase away the winter blues? Check out our Inside Activity Guide.

If there is one film in this year's Oscars field deserving of the sometimes overused label “modern day classic,” I think it’s the French animated feature Ernest and Celestine. The film has been nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature, and it’s easy to see why; in today's sea of computer-animated, 3-D action adventure movies for kids, this hand drawn tale is a visual treat, with endearing characters and a gratifying story. It's got to be tough getting attention for a small foreign children’s film in a year that is overwhelmingly dominated by Disney’s mega-phenomenon, Frozen, but this little film is absolutely worth the attention of movie-loving kids and their parents, whatever the Academy's final decision.

"Read Across America Day" is a fun and important day for your little reader! This year Read Across America Day falls on March 3, 2014, but we should be celebrating reading everyday. We're sure your local library and child's school is celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday and Read Across America, but why let them have all the fun? Here's our roundup of fun reading events and ideas for celebrating Read Across America for New Jersey kids and families.

We have one in our neighborhood, and perhaps you have one in yours. Or maybe you walk your kid to one every morning, and you wonder as you peer through the fence: Why does all that good space go unused when school is not in session? Ah, yes, school playgrounds. Those acres of wide open land we (and our children) often crave here in this space-cramped city of ours - play spaces, though, that (frustratingly) we mostly can't access on weekends and in the summer. Thankfully, this has started to change.

A handful of area schools have opened (or will soon be opening) their play yard gates on weekends and in the summer. Hurray! Below is a list of playgrounds already waiting for your kids to visit, as well as information on others slated to open in the not too distant future. If you, too, would like your neighborhood school yard to be open on weekends, read on. We cover that, too.

A young child’s interest in toys changes quickly. A new plaything that was a huge hit when first received is forgotten just a few days (make that hours) later. That can be frustrating for parents as the clutter and the bills mount up. That's why a toy rental service makes so much sense. It saves money, space and the environment. Less junk to throw in the landfill!

Toy rental websites offer Netflix-style subscriptions so your kid can try out new playthings on a regular basis. These services are also great for when your child goes on an extended visit to a grandparent or another relative who doesn't have playthings lying around the house. Traveling families can also benefit from shipping toys to a destination to lighten the luggage, just like you might rent strollers or car seats on the road. Here are some toy rental websites that ship packages throughout the United States.