Ready to get a jump on all of your holiday shopping, but don't want to frequent the same tired stores you always visit? A holiday craft market and fair is the perfect answer. You'll find an assortment of handmade treasures crafted by local artisans that will make unique gifts for everyone on your list. Check out these markets around town.

While Boston has many kid-friendly museums and attractions, crowds and noises at these busy spots can sometimes overwhelm children with autism and sensory sensitivities. Many museums, zoos, and aquariums are working to change that, and are developing sensory-friendly hours, exhibit adaptations, and programs for these children. Here are places in the Boston area where highly sensitive or special-needs children can better enjoy enriching nature, science, animals, and the arts. For more inclusive fun, check out a list of special needs kids' classes and our favorite accessible playgrounds.

Fairfield County’s King School has a big mission: to set better standards for both the experience and outcomes of education. And the top-rated PreK to 12th grade private school is working to embody that mission holistically at its 34-acre North Stamford campus complete with designated Lower School facilities, including visual and performing arts’ rooms, a gym and library, computer and science labs, a sustainable garden, age-appropriate playgrounds, and classrooms designed to encourage opportunities for small group work, student-led learning, and discovery.

I connected with Head of Lower School and elementary expert Amy Vorenberg to learn more about King School’s preschool and elementary programs, along with their other offerings, and to find out how interested families can start the application process.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley doesn't seem like your typical destination for the under 10 crowd. After all, there's no bouncy house on campus, no playground, and no ball pit. And some of the material contained within this museum dedicated to our 40th president is pretty serious and likely to go over your little one's head. So why do my 4-year-old and 7-year-old love coming here so much? It turns out, there are plenty of hands-on activities for kids at the Reagan Library, as well as exhibits to pique a child's curiosity. Plus the grounds at the 100-acre museum are expansive and beautiful, and the Reagan Library is a great place to visit when the grandparents are in town. Here are 10 things my family especially enjoys at this SoCal institution.

New York City kids get a day off from school on November 5, 2019, and it might just be the perfect day for an accompanying adult to call in sick (or civic!). Fall weather usually provides perfect temps for hitting up one of New York City’s many destination playgrounds, and we’ve also scoured our event and museum listings, and combed through our day trip guides to put together a list of 20 great things to do on Election Day when school is out. 

If you're among the many (if not most) parents who have to work one way or another on Tuesday, November 5, check out our directory for the many mini camps around the city offered on Election Day. And while you're at it, peruse our November GoList, our Fall Fun Guide, and our list of free family events in November for an action packed November beyond Tuesday.

Read on for 20 ideas on how to spend the day—and maybe hold a family vote to choose one or two.

When Halloween is over, that can only mean one thing: time for Santa. You get a couple of days to donate or cash in all of that Halloween candy before the advent calendars, candy canes, and Hanukkah gelt start arriving. Rip down the Halloween decorations, quick, because some of your neighbors are already prepping their amazing holiday light displays. Yes, November is the sandwich month, and we're not just talking turkey. Read on for our top November things to do in LA, Ventura, and OC. We'll keep adding to our calendar daily and sending our weekly newsletter in time for each weekend, too; with so much going on, we'll have to!

What do you get when you combine a favorite annual holiday tradition with a bit of mysterious magic and a sure-to-be holiday blockbuster? Saks Fifth Avenue's treat for all of us this holiday season. The iconic department store is teaming up with Disney to pay homage to Frozen 2 with its holiday windows and a themed in-store experience.

Both will be unveiled on Monday, November 25, with an assist from actress (and voice of Elsa!) Idina Menzel, plus a choir, a cast of characters from Frozen 2, and more. The popular annual light show at Saks will also kick off that night. Read on for details on how to see the biggest holiday store experience to hit NYC since Macy's Santaland (or the return of FAO Schwarz).

Don't be spooked by a little rain on Halloween: Boston-area kids can still show off their costumes and haul in some candy on October 31st, indoors and out! You can always choose to break out the big umbrellas and trash-bag ponchos and bring the kids to one of our favorite trick-or-treating neighborhoods in Boston, Metrowest, the North Shore, or South Shore. Or, you can take cover—and protect those sparkly costumes and scary makeup—at one of these indoor trick-or-treating spots and Halloween events in the area. Malls and libraries in particular offer plenty of dry, comfortable space to celebrate Halloween, day or night. Wherever you find yourself on what's sure to be a wet-and-wild Halloween, stay safe and have fun!