Welcome to October and lots of fall fun, feasts and festivals. For apples head to the Pumpkin Fest in Yaphank. If the weather forces the family indoors, head to the theater to see Cinderella in Elmont. Be sure to check out our Halloween Guide for tons of seasonal fun across Long Island.

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October is upon us, and so is the beginning of the Halloween season. From Jack-o-Lanterns in Providence to Lanterns in Salem, many spooktacular events open this weekend and continue all month long. Fire Safety Week begins with events at the Boston Children's Museum and the Brookline Fire Station. Theater fans can watch The Frog Prince at the Puppet Showplace Theater or catch the Berenstain Bears live at the Wilbur Theatre.

We are very excited to announce the winners of our Boston Kids Who Really Rock contest at the Boston Kids Really Rock festival this Sunday. The festival and parking are both free, and there are plenty of other great reasons to take your kids to the music and arts festival of the year.

Coming up next week, don't miss the Biggest Baby Shower Ever. More than 100 of the best companies in the baby industry will be at the Back Bay Events Center. There will be games, prizes, and opportunities to meet other new and expectant mothers. Oh, and I'll be there too, so be sure to stop by the Mommy Poppins Boston table to say hello. To get the scoop on Big City Moms, the host of the Biggest Baby Shower Ever, check out our interview with the company's founders.

Also on Mommy Poppins Boston this week:

• Bored at the bus stop or while standing in line? Karyn gives us 10 Things to Do with Kids While you Wait.
• The Appalachian Mountain Club takes us to New England Pumpkin Patches with Bonus Fun for Families.
• Ally gets creative and teaches us how to make Fall Acorn Paintings with Toddlers as part of our Wee Work series.

Be sure to check out the full events calendar for more fall Boston fun!

This is a weekend of the weird and the quirky, the spooky and the ooky. Things popping up unexpectedly, nothing where you expect it to be, and surprises at every turn.  What has put such mystery in the air?  Is it the end of the summer and the beginning of the Fall? The approach of our most spooktacular holiday season? Or maybe, just maybe, it's the renovations our site is undergoing which might lead to some extraordinary and/or unexplainable results. For which we apologize and/or say you're welcome.

There is also much going on to leave you inspired.  It is a weekend filled with compassion, and hope, and giving back. Whether there's an angel on your shoulder, or a Mustang in your garden, this is the kind of weekend that reminds us that LA is really just our own little hometown. Grab your bike or take a stroll, say hola to your amigos and listen to the music of your neighborhood.

You know what else? Pie!  And Hot Wheels!  Let the October fun begin!

Keep reading for our most perfectly placed picks for the weekend...

If you went to the One Family Music Festival last year, you have a pretty good idea of how rockin’ the Boston Kids Really Rock music and arts festival will be.  Conceived of and organized by the very same visionary, Karen Kalafatas of Karen K and the Jitterbugs, the festival will feature many of the same wonderful Boston bands and community-building activities for families. What you may not know is that Boston Kids Really Rock is going all out with Dan Zanes as headliner and special guest Father Goose. The festival's focus is on sharing messages of kindness, creativity and community spirit with Boston kids. Mommy Poppins Boston will announce the winners of our Boston Kids Who Really Rock contest at the festival, too. We're excited to celebrate local kids and tell the inspiring stories of how they are making a difference in their communities. 

If that’s not enough to convince you, keep reading for the top five reasons to make some time in your schedule and take the kids to the Lawn on D this Sunday for a glorious day of community, music, arts and family fun. 

One of the great things about raising kids in Fairfield County is proximity to New York City and the wealth of cultural activities on offer there in a variety of price ranges (check out this post for suggestions on the Best 5 Off-Broadway Shows for NYC Kids). But as fall heats up with back to school activities and weekend soccer games or football jamborees, sometimes it's nice to be able to stick close to home and explore the local theater options--lucky for us there are quite a few!

Due to expected rain on Saturday, some outdoor events may be canceled or rescheduled. Before you head out, check the event's official website for updates. Fall fun abounds this weekend at a slew of seasonal fetes like the annual Harvest Festival on Randall's Island, Wave Hill's Honey Weekend and the kickoff of the Bronx Zoo's month-long Halloween celebration, Boo at the Zoo.

There's lots of cool kids' culture, too. Symphony Space starts its new season of family performances; the Bronx Museum of the Arts hosts an interactive family day; the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre revives Hansel and Gretel's Halloween Adventure, and you can even catch a special preview of the soon-to-open kids' flick Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

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 Fall Fun Guide. And if you like to plan ahead, check out our brand-new October Go List, which highlights the absolute best things to do with kids in NYC all month long.

This edition of our biweekly news post includes all upbeat info—no closures, no bummers! Find out about a bunch of brand-new FREE enrichment programs for kids, a couple of worthy crowdfunding campaigns, a big Brooklyn maker space coming to Manhattan and how your kids can try to snag a trip to Hollywood for the premiere of Disney's Big Hero 6.

Now that my boys are getting older, I’m looking more seriously at summer day camps as not only a way to keep them occupied when school is out, but also as a place where they can explore their interests, try new things and, of course, have fun with friends. After reading about our sponsor Gate Hill Day Camp and its variety of programs, I'm sad they're not in my area (I'm on Long Island). Because whether your children want to spend their summer improving their athletic skills, learning to cook, or exploring the arts and sciences, there is something for most kids ages 3-15.