Midtown East may not be the first neighborhood that pops into your head when you picture a day out in a lovely park or an indoor play date at a cool romping spot. But once you get past the steel and concrete office buildings, you'll find a handful of great green spaces in the eastern part of the district. More impressively, there's a plethora of indoor destinations where kids can play for FREE like the hands-on high-tech Sony Wonder Technology Lab, the Children's Center at 42nd Street at the New York Public Library and Nintendo World. And if you're willing to shell out a few bucks, there's also the one-of-a-kind play space Heimbold Family Children’s Playing and Learning Center at Scandinavia House.

Here are the top indoor and outdoor drop-in play spots for kids in Midtown East.

Rosh Hashanah is the annual Jewish New Year Celebration. In 2014, it begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 24th and ends at nightfall on Friday, September 26th. In observation of this festive holiday of apples and honey, many public school districts in Fairfield County are closed on Thursday and/or Friday. Whether you plan to spend those days celebrating with your family (at the Congregation for Humanistic Judiasm's family service in Westport, for example) or are instead focusing on apple picking, pumpkin patch visiting, or corn maze exploring, we've rounded up our best suggestions for you.

As we gear up for fall and Halloween, we're bummed to report that two of our favorite seasonal family events aren't happening this year. But not all of our news is bad. We've got the scoop on a pair of veteran NYC businesses that have been saved from extinction, two enhanced green spaces, a fabulous two-for-one Off-Broadway ticket deal, a contest for photo-happy teens, how families can get involved with the People's Climate March and, just when you thought it was safe to finally "Let It Go," prepare yourself for more Frozen!

If your creative kid has moved on from Rainbow Loom, perhaps an organized jewelry making or fashion design class might be the best next step. From bead stringing and soldering to sketching and color theories, there are a few courses/workshops on Long Island where they learn skills and make wearable art. Your local school district's continuing education program or library might offer courses as well.

For more after-school classes, activities and programs for kids in the area, check out our Long Island Classes Guide.

Choosing the right birthday party entertainment can be tricky. The ideal performer will keep kids happy and encourage participation, without overwhelming hesitant little ones. New Jersey is home to many wonderful clowns who can bring that extra spark to your child’s next party with magic, balloons, face painting and more. Read on for our picks of the state’s best entertainers, and for additional birthday party services, visit Mommy Poppins NJ’s Birthday Party Guide.

For years, I've had a serious addiction that I've now passed on to my daughter: We both can't get enough of live theater (hey, there are worse things to inherit). Thankfully, we live in NYC, where shows are plentiful both on Broadway and Off, plus there are many theater companies mounting eclectic productions specifically for family audiences.

The award-winning New Victory Theater in Times Square is one of the best of the bunch. I've been taking my nine-year-old daughter there since she was a toddler, because the New Vic consistently offers entertaining and engaging shows for all ages, from babies to grown-ups, at reasonable prices (tickets typically top out at $38). But the New Victory is much more than just a place to go see a show. Through a range of interactive educational activities like performance workshops and camps, and pre- and post-show programming, the organization is raising the next generation of theatergoers.

For the second year in a row, we here at Mommy Poppins are proud to be partnering with the New Victory Theater. Throughout the season, we'll be giving you access to its incredible lineup of shows, ticket discounts and a pair of exclusive events for Mommy Poppins readers. We kick off our partnership with a preview of the New Victory's 2014-2015 season, including show recommendations for every age and stage, tips on how to save money on tickets, video clips from the upcoming productions and details about enriching programs that may be under your radar.

When you think of the fall, you think of crisp weather, vibrant colors, pumpkins and hay rides. If your child has a fall birthday, celebrate with all the best elements of the season at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. New Jersey is home to great pumpkin farms throughout the state, and many offer party packages jam-packed with seasonal activities, such as hay rides and corn mazes. Pumpkin parties are typically offered September through November and tend to book up early. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, some pumpkin farms offer indoor options or date changes; see individual websites for rain policies. Enjoy all the fun of the fall at these Garden State pumpkin farms. And for all kinds of party ideas, visit Mommy Poppins NJ’s Birthday Party Guide.

The point of the picks is to focus on one good thing. It’s calendar de-cluttering. For those who get overwhelmed by too much choice, it is helpful to be pointed toward just one. But sometimes even us professional pickers can’t choose one thing over others; and sometimes there is so much going on, it is worth doing your own sorting to find what you and your family would select. We can choose for you, but we might not choose what you would. This week it's a particularly good idea to check out Mommy Poppins' Event Calendar and take a closer look at Friday, which is jam packed with options. I spotted two things so cool I couldn’t decide (so I'm picking both), but there’s even more to consider. As summer winds down, there tends to be less to do, but not this week...