Every year on September 11th, I think of the 17 children who were in my pre-K class that day, many of whom had parents working in Manhattan just a short train ride away. This year, those former 4 and 5 year olds have the distinction of being the last group of children who are likely to have personal, albeit fuzzy, memories of what happened that day.

Parents, teachers, friends and the media play the primary role in introducing kids to the events of that day in Manhattan, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. Because of Westchester's proximity to New York City, and because so many local families were affected, country residents and visitors have many local options for honoring the day. We've rounded up several ways to commemorate 9/11 with kids, ranging from visiting a local memorial, to volunteering your services, along with recommendations for helping explain the complex events of 9/11. Families interested in traveling into Manhattan on or around September 11th can also take a look at our suggestions for things to do with NYC kids.

Packing up the kids and heading out to pick apples is a rite of passage, and almost a requirement, for families in New England.  Giving kids, both big and little, the experience of seeing where food originates on the farm, is invaluable.  Not to mention, the pictures of kiddos in the orchards and among the pumpkins are sure to be popular with the grandparents.  Check out some of the best pick your own farms for apples in Eastern Connecticut! And make sure to check out our CT Apple Picking Farm Guide too.

Diners are right up there with all of the things you’d expect to find in NJ, like boardwalks by the beach, saltwater taffy, shopping malls and great views of Manhattan. And it goes without saying that diners are probably some of the best joints to visit with kids – loud, crowded, cheap and charmingly unsophisticated. Plus, diverse menus mean that everyone can order exactly what they’re in the mood for (which basically means less complaining and whining for tired parents!)

So how do you distinguish a great diner from a so-so one? All of the joints below stand out from the pack for a number of reasons. Maybe they’re family-owned and operated (doing everything with just a little extra love), maybe they take the time to make everything from scratch or maybe the food is just that darn good! Read on for our pick of diner favorites for NJ families:

I can still remember the thrill when I first saw Jurassic Park, the whole new world that first time that Steven Spielberg brought dinosaurs out of the past and moved them around on a screen for us in a way that did not look remotely animated. It was breathtaking and would have been an amazing thing to show a child - if not for all of the violent death and destruction brought on by Spielberg's intensely PG-13 plot. If only there were a way to bring dinos to life with that same impact, but in a way that little ones could better handle - perhaps even learn from. And with that, we bring you Walking with Dinosaurs.

Sporting events in NJ are kid-friendly! Yes, New Jersey parents, you can take your kids to a college or professional sporting event--you can even tailgate with them! With so many little ones starting to play organized sports at a young age, college and professional teams are making their games more fan- (and kid-) friendly to increase attendance and encourage kids to stay interested. So brave the crowds and the face painters and enjoy the game--and enjoy our tips for the tailgating par-tay before!

Back to school is upon us and with it comes the dizzying to-do list—school supplies, new clothes, pressed uniforms, meeting new teachers, coordinating carpools and more. If, through this hustle and bustle, you've managed to also get extracurricular activities in order and your kids signed up, you're a step ahead of many of us that haven't yet signed our kids up for classes. With so many wonderful class options throughout Westchester, how do you decide?

You can start by attending an open house at one of the many class offerings in and around Westchester. Some host only one open house while others offer multiple dates. There are many coming up and we've gathered up the details for you. Take a look; you just might find your kids' next great passion. For more options, peruse our Class Directory. We'll continue to update our listings so check back often. Better yet, sign up for our FREE newsletter to stay up to date on everything Westchester has to offer families and kids.

So we're back in school. We're packing lunches, going to PTA meetings. and overseeing homework. And we're probably starting to wrap our minds around figuring out some enrichment classes to fill in the gaps and/or add some sparkle to the process. Your child might attend a school with a great onsite, low-cost after-school program, which takes care of half the question already; on the other hand you might be trying to figure out the shortest distance between your house and a place to constructively use those ballet shoes. Open houses and free trial classes make the hunt for great classes a little more do-able, which is why we offer this list of 10 great places that offer chances to try it out for free, either in the coming weeks or - in many cases - all year long.

Facebook has been a seemingly endless stream of adorable back-to-school pics this week. We even posted some first day pics from our Mommy Poppins bloggers and are encouraging readers to share their photos in the comments. (We can't get enough of those spiffy outfits and backpacks.) In addition to getting back to the books, we've been prepping for fall, updating our apple picking posts and our roundup of September fairs and festivals, and compiling lists of FREE trial classes for enriching kids' programs in NYC, New Jersey and beyond.

All of our regional sites also published brand-new September Go Lists highlighting the best things to do with kids throughout the month in Westchester, New Jersey, on Long Island and even further afield. With the Rosh Hashanah holiday weekend coming up (public schools are closed Thursday, September 25 and Friday, September 26, in case you didn't know), you may have time for a Go List-inspired day trip or a weekend getaway. Our Travel site just did a lovely post about Lake George in the Adirondacks, which is a wonderful destination for fall foliage.

And we have a great giveaway going on: Enter to win four tickets to see the long-running smash Blue Man Group. It's one of our top five Off-Broadway shows for families.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week: