It’s official.  With the start of October, Halloween season is now upon us.

For those spookily inclined, Southern California offers a fearsome number of spine-tingling events. From Halloween hauntings at our numerous amusement parks to the pumpkin patches and corn mazes that mysteriously appear this time of year, our treat bags are flowing over.

Not every event this weekend is a spookfest.  Families can catch a morning concert on the pier, attend two different book festivals, or look in wonder at the stars.  In addition, we have the inside scoop on how you can score your kiddo a FREE veggie burger!

Continue reading to see what have we scared up for you this weekend, both spooky and sweet, and to find out how to get that FREE burger!

It seems like school just started and yet somehow October is upon us. And since many schools are closed for Rosh Hashanah, families are trying to figure out how to fill the four-day weekend.

While there aren't any kids' events happening this Thursday and Friday, we've got suggestions for things to do. And once the weekend roles around, there's a slew of special activities, festivals and fairs. The The Children’s Museum of the Arts is throwing a big bash to mark the grand opening of its stunning new space in Hudson Square. The Queens County Farm Museum celebrates the season with its Apple Festival. Other annual favorites include the Medieval Festival in Fort Tryon Park, Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn, the Chile Pepper Fiesta at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

Plus, two big Halloween events kick off this weekend: the Bronx Zoo's Boo at the Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden's new Haunted Pumpkin Garden.

And that's just a sampling of the great things going on this weekend. Read on for all of our picks and remember, you can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Fall Fun Guide.

We don't need to tell you that iPhones, iPads and other iThingies are serious kid magnets. Even if you don't have one, you've seen children tapping gleefully on them on buses and subways, and in restaurants.

While we can't help you wrest those devices from their sticky hands, we can offer some app suggestions that have more educational value than Angry Birds. (Not that we don't love Angry Birds.)

My two sons (one school-aged, the other in preschool) and I tried a ton of apps and found seven that we love that are educational, fun and often free.

"FOLLOWING EZRA: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism And Love From His Extraordinary Son" is a true story of a young Autistic boy named Ezra, as told by his father Tom, an amazing man who refused to grieve for the child Ezra didn’t turn out to be. Whether you have a child with special needs or not, this story is truly inspiring.  It made me laugh and cry, brought back memories of the struggles my boys have faced, and gave me hope for their future.

By Monika Nica

If you've never been to one, you don't need to worry: you cannot really get lost in the labyrinth of the many, narrow, winding trails cut into the 10 foot tall green cornfield. But it is fun to pretend that you can. It's a true challenge to trace your way through the many twists wondering what lurks behind the next sharp turn. Mostly just more corn, of course. But kids and parents will have tons of fun working their way through one of these mazes, some of which are woven of miles of trails. And all are different, each offering something special and unique. Be sure to wear comfy shoes and clothes, grab an extra sweater and dive into the corn. Read more for a listing of fun mazes in the state.

By Sheila Hageman

Stepping Stones Museum for Children opened their new traveling exhibit this weekend, which is based on the Emmy award-winning PBS KIDS GO! math mystery series Cyberchase. The unique, educational and fun exhibit encourages children to make use of their critical thinking skills and approach math with an investigative, positive attitude.

My family visited the exhibit on opening day and spent at least thirty minutes absorbed in “math” fun.  The most interesting part was that at no time did my children even seem aware that they were “doing” math! Depending on your child’s age and stage, you can make this exhibit as consciously math-oriented as you like.  The best part is that your kids will be absorbing math concepts even if you don’t point that fact out to them.

The fun, cartoon-style exhibits were very appealing to all my children who range in age from one to seven.  My oldest most definitely got the most “mathiness” out of it, but my two-year-old was thoroughly engrossed by the bright colors and hands-on activities.  Even my one-year-old could pull himself up to some activities and feel a part of the action.

Puppetonia is now called Puppetsburg. Read all about its new incarnation and schedule here.

Pop quiz: How do you please a roomful of toddlers?

a. Puppets
b. Singing and dancing
c. Bubbles
d. Parachute play
e. All of the above

The answer is, of course, e., and Puppetonia at The Brick Theater in Williamsburg cheerfully delivers all of that fun and more. This puppet show-playtime hybrid is one of those rare events that worked for both my baby and toddler.

When we entered, we were greeted with stickers (always appreciated by the preschool set) and given name tags. After a few minutes of free play with assorted toys, our hosts Sarah and Liz invited the kids to sing and dance to a couple of toddler standards ("Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and the like). Then the puppet stars made their way to the spotlight.

Despite the dreary weather, we've been feeling upbeat all week. On Wednesday, we celebrated the International Day of Peace with pinwheels for peace. (The photo above is from my daughter's East Harlem elementary school.) On Friday, fall officially arrives, which means we have lots of harvest festivals to look forward to. Plus, we found out that Mommy Poppins has been nominated as best local blog by Parents magazine! If you think we should win (and we hope you do), please vote for us at Parents.com. You'll need to register (boo!) but it really only takes a minute.

We're also really looking forward to this weekend. There are so many incredible annual festivals and events, like the amazing Dumbo Arts Festival and Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day, when 35 NYC cultural institutions offer free admission. 

And that's just a bit of what's going on. 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.